It Starts Here
  • Home
  • Services
  • Sermons
  • Workshops
  • Music
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact

Finally...A Thank You

11/25/2014

0 Comments

 
   
As I prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, it occurs to me that thanksgiving is something only human beings can do. The angels can praise God; they apparently do a lot of that. But can they sing songs of thanksgiving? I’m thinking that to say thanks, you have to have not had something and then gotten it. You have to have lost something and then found it. 
 
Imagine that you are God and you’ve never heard the words “Thank you.” So one day, God created something from nothing and it sounded like a big bang, but it wasn’t a thank you. And so God waited -- for about a billion years. And finally, out of the heat, the first stars lit up. They were magnificent in their sparkling light in the darkness, but they couldn’t say thank you. And so God waited -- for about 3 billion years. And finally out of some dying stars, some more complex chemical elements were formed and planets came into being. They were more interesting than anything God had ever seen, but they couldn’t say thank you. And so God waited -- for another 4 billion years.
 
A star came into being that God called the Sun; a solar system of planets began to revolve around it. And one of those was a planet named Earth. For a billion years, Earth was a molten mass. Finally, as a crust began to form on the surface of the earth, a single-cell organism came into being. And it was fascinating, especially when it learned how to convert the light from the Sun into energy it could use. But it could not say thank you. And so God waited -- for another 3.5 billion years.
 
And finally that single cell became an organism, a collective, cooperative multi-celled organism. And then after another 100 million years, a vertebrate appeared. And 100 million years later, one of those took its first step on dry land. But none of these creatures could say “thank you.” And so God waited for hundreds of thousands of years. A human life was created. It took some time for those humans, formed as they were from the primordial muck, to understand their divine origins. But finally, one day it happened. A human being lifted up his voice and called out to the Creator “Thank you.” Don’t you know what a great day that was?

Heaven taught Earth how to sing alleluia. But Earth gives to heaven what it never had on its own, the sound of Thanksgiving. 
 

 

Reflection Questions What is the one thing you can be grateful for that no one else in the universe can? What has been unique about your life experience?

How can you express to heaven a "thank you" that is worth taking note of?

How can you make Thanksgiving a year-round holiday - a daily expression of gratitude?


0 Comments

Praying the News

11/9/2014

0 Comments

 
What's in the News
What I read in the daily news today: Elections. Violence in Afghanistan. Ebola. Uncertain financial markets.

Reading or watching the news can be depressing. Scary stuff.

Sometimes the news is uplifting.

Charitable giving is back up. We're celebrating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. 


    Turning news stories into prayers
A wise soul once said to start one's day with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. Not sure exactly how to do that now that I read both the Bible and the news on my tablet. But I like the idea of viewing the news through a spiritual lens. The daily news offers opportunities to make a difference in what goes on in the world.

I like to think of prayer as a spiritual email. When I pray for a situation, it is like sending a message to a friend. We should never under-estimate the impact our prayers have on world events -- near and far. A prayer sent into Afghanistan may make the difference in whether a young girl there gives up hope or decides to persevere. A prayer sent to a land ravaged by disease may help a doctor there think clearly in the midst of unbearable suffering.

And news stories can be opportunities for thanks. I read the magazine Guideposts because it reminds me of all the people in the world who are approaching life with faith and high hopes. The stories are inspirational and a good balance to the alarming things we read. As the Thanksgiving season approaches, I hope you'll remember to offer thanks not only for your personal blessings, but also for the millions of other people who are living their lives with courage and dignity.
    

  Reflection Questions Which news stories have caught your attention today?

What does that say about the things you are passionate about, that you truly care about?

How can you turn your review of the news into a prayer? What issues or events is God asking you to take on -- making a difference through a few seconds in prayer?


0 Comments
    Margaret Morgan Maat
    Margaret Morgan Maat is a minister, coach, organizational effectiveness consultant, musician and motivational speaker. She lives in Houston, Texas. 

    Archives

    January 2018
    November 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Categories

    All
    Change
    Christmas
    Community
    Failure
    Gratitude
    Guidance
    Healing
    Mistakes
    New Year
    Pain
    Peace
    Priorities
    Questions
    Sabbath/Rest
    Self-Love
    Spiritual Growth
    Storytelling

    RSS Feed

Margaret Morgan Maat | 281-913-3328 | Houston, Texas

Visit Ignite the Change, Margaret’s website focusing on
revitalizing the institutions that shape our children’s future.
Proudly powered by Weebly