Hi friends! This year will be the fifth year I have done a challenge called Dressember. I’m wearing a dress every day for the month of December. Why? Well, because there are millions of people in the world today trapped in horrible forms of modern day slavery, and this little challenge called Dressember is a small way I can be involved in bringing freedom to them.
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We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is "good," because it is good, if "bad" because it works in us patience, humility, and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country. - C. S. Lewis Hi friends! With Thanksgiving being almost upon us, I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on being thankful. I was thinking of Betsie and Corrie ten Boom giving thanks in a horrible Nazi concentration camp during World War 2. Here's the story:
The ten Boom sisters had just arrived at a new camp and realized the overcrowded barracks were also swarming with fleas. Corrie wondered how they could live in such a place, but her older sister Betsie said God had already given them the answer. She told Corrie to read the passage from the Bible they'd read that morning. Corrie went to First Thessalonians chapter five. When she came to verses sixteen through eighteen, "Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus--", Betsie exclaimed, "That's it, Corrie! That's His answer! 'Give thanks in all circumstances!' We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!" "Such as?" Corrie asked. "Such as being assigned here together," Betsie said, and Corrie agreed. They went on to thank God that they had been able to keep their Bible, that there were so many people there who would be able to hear God's Word, and then Betsie gave thanks for the fleas. The fleas! Corrie thought. "Betsie," she said, "there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea." "'Give thanks in all circumstances,'" Betsie quoted, "It doesn't say 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are part of this place where God has put us." So they gave thanks for the fleas. But Corrie felt sure that this time Betsie was wrong. Time passed, the days filled with hard work and cruel guards, but every evening the women in their barracks would gather round to hear the Word. They were grateful they were able to read the Bible, but they wondered why the guards didn't stop them. Then, one day, Betsie learned why. It was because of the fleas! The guards refused to enter that barracks because they knew it was infested with fleas. God had a purpose, even for those horrible fleas. Wow! If they could give thanks in such terrible conditions, I thank we ought to be able to be thankful, too. The Apostle Paul, who wrote those verses in First Thessalonians, was beaten, flogged, stoned, imprisoned, and finally died a martyr's death. Yet he was still able to give thanks. Sometimes, our eyes are so fixed on the difficulties, the hard things, in our lives, that we can't see anything to be grateful for. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus, and then look at all the good things He's given us, we can give thanks. My life is so full of good things: loving family, good friends, a warm house, delicious food, leaves arrayed in their fall colors... and I'm sure you have much you can give thanks for, too. And even if it seems there is absolutely nothing else to be thankful for, we've been given the best gift ever: Jesus Christ who died and rose again to save us from our sins and give us eternal life with Him. Nothing will ever take that away, and we can always give thanks for that. And, like C. S. Lewis said in the quote at the beginning of this post, we can give thanks in hard times because it draws us closer to the Lord and helps us look forward to Heaven. Well, friends, have a happy Thanksgiving and always remember, "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it," (1 Th. 5:24). All for Him, Savannah Jane P. S. I did the artwork at the top of this post with charcoal and then added watercolor paint to the leaves. Hi friends! For several years now, my family has been packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. These shoeboxes are filled with gifts--hygiene items like toothbrushes and soap, school supplies, clothing articles, and fun toys--and distributed by Samaritan's Purse along with the gospel message. If you haven't packed a box yet, I'd highly encourage you to. It's a great way to share the love of Jesus with children around the world, plus it's lots of fun. It's collection week now, so don't wait. (For ideas of what to pack, see my blog post from last year here.)
And now, I'd like to share with you a couple of stories from the Samaritan's Purse website of how God has used these shoebox gifts. Hi friends! I'm excited to announce that my dear parents have just published a book: The Greatest of These is Love! Here's a bit about it:
The Greatest of These is Love is a collection of poems written by the authors to each other, photos, Scripture, and quotes serving as a picture of the beauty of marriage centered on God’s ways, full of His love and grace. “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 About the Authors: Keith and Debbie McCrary have been married 32 years (married 1986), and have seven children on earth, five daughters and two sons, whose ages range from 30 – 6 (born 1988 – 2012), and five children in heaven. They currently reside in the Big Sky Country of Montana, having previously lived in Missouri, Colorado, and Georgia. You can buy the book on Amazon here or check out our new webisite: mccrarychristianpublishing.weebly.com to request a signed copy. Always remember, "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it," (1 Th. 5:24). All for Him, Savannah Jane |
Hi! I'm Savannah Jane...I'm the author of several books for children and young adults with a passion to encourage young people to live for Jesus. The third born in an amazing family of seven children, I was homeschooled all the way through. This is where I share encouragement for Christian girls, updates about my books, writing tips, book and movie reviews, and assorted other tidbits. Archives
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Quote"When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds."
-Corrie ten Boom I'm on GoodReadsFollow my family's writing, illustrating, and publishing business/ministry.Follow my blog on Bloglovin' |