MennoNet.com

Valerie wrote:

ken_sylvania wrote:

Robert wrote: Well, feel free to post what you want and stop telling me what I should and should not post.

I guess it's because you're the moderator that you get to tell Boot what he should and should not post???

If we back up, it appears that Boot was suggesting that Robert not post this
Kind of the other way around-
It's not just moderators but most on the forum have shared when they think a particular post shouldn't be posted-

on this forum, admin+mods are far less apt to “police” members’ words/thots than other members. some have left because of “policing” of members. sad, but understandable.

there is great tolerance of admin+mods to members’ policing. it comes at a cost.
so, when admin+mods do take a step to set some guidelines, imho, they should be respected.

earlier in this thread, Robert is taking a stance. not a daily occurrence.
he is owner, admin, moderator, he was asked to be .. (again, imho) his words should be thoughtfully considered and respected.

“policing” is a word one member used when he shared with me in PM why he was leaving.
the word fits. sad. i’m certain he is missed. he+others.

the irony being, on a forum where most would not work for a police department, a police/policing mentality is not difficult to find. (in membersip, not admin/mods.)

-just my thoughts.

Robert wrote:Squanto was not bitter or angry towards the settlers. He did not blame them for his village's plight or his own. He stayed with them and taught them and broke bread with them. I see no reason to conflate previous bad experiences with the positive one he had with the settlers. He seemed to be able to move forward. I think we should also. Why should we carry more grief then he did? Maybe we should be more like Squanto, kind, generous, willing to help others.

He was a great example of following Jesus.

Thanksgiving has at least 3 other times that helped shape what we understand as the US Thanksgiving. The first was Plymouth Rock, but it is not the only thing that shapes it.

The story of Plymouth Rock is an example of when God finds a way to take disaster, and brokenness, and turn it to good. This is what I see in the video and find to be a good thing for me to focus on to be Thankful.

.. it’s fascinating to know, the Holy Spirit is not confined to or owned by Christians who have benefit of printed Bibles.

As a Christ follower, being thankful is an on-going practise for us. I recall at this time of year being challenged to making a list of things to be thankful for and sharing them, which I don't object to, but I believe this is more of a common way of of life for a believer and needs more attention especially today when we are living in such a thankless generation. A sign of the last days. I know for myself, I take way too much for granted and need to be reminded on-going on just how much I have to be thankful for.

What I find interesting is that the day after Thanksgiving (which often includes shameful over eating ), the masses of 'thankful people' storm stores, sometimes trampling others, in celebrating 'Black Friday'. Don't see much recognition of God on that day. From a single day of thankfulness to the beginning of a month of celebrating getting, giving and receiving primarily treasures on earth.

But Thanksgiving can be used to meet with friends and loved ones and to make the most of the opportunity to share what we are most thankful for - Jesus and what He has and is doing in our lives. And turn the next day into good buys for gifts to the poor and needy that can be given out whenever through the year.

I just participated in the 'Shoe Box' collection where our MB church was the local accummulation center for various participating churches in our area. I heard of one lady that worked on filling these show boxes with gifts for third world children throughout the year. Searching for good buys wherever she could. This year she had brought in 170 boxes that she alone had filled. Now thats a giving spirit. Shows me how good deeds are right at my finger tips even when I'm not that familiar with local needs.

Well, back to the subject.

Robert wrote:Squanto was not bitter or angry towards the settlers. He did not blame them for his village's plight or his own. He stayed with them and taught them and broke bread with them. I see no reason to conflate previous bad experiences with the positive one he had with the settlers. He seemed to be able to move forward. I think we should also. Why should we carry more grief then he did? Maybe we should be more like Squanto, kind, generous, willing to help others.

Mourning is not the same thing as being bitter or blaming, and the Pilgrims are not the people who kidnapped Squanto, brought him to Europe, and enslaved him. He came back to find that his entire people had died due to a plague. If that happened to me, I would be mourning. I can't tell you what Squanto thought and felt, he didn't write it down, and I'm not going to put my words into his mouth, but it's hard for me to imagine that this wasn't on his mind.

About half of the Pilgrims who came to America died during the winter before Thanksgiving. If that happened to me, I would be mourning. It's hard for me to imagine that this was not on their minds when they thanked God for saving them.

So I imagine Thanksgiving involved both gratitude and mourning for them. Those who had survived gave thanks - and surely thought of those who had not survived as they gave thanks.

Sudsy wrote:As a Christ follower, being thankful is an on-going practise for us.

Sudsy wrote:Well, back to the subject.

For our family, that really is the subject of Thanksgiving. It's about giving thanks.

Sudsy wrote:As a Christ follower, being thankful is an on-going practise for us. I recall at this time of year being challenged to making a list of things to be thankful for and sharing them, which I don't object to, but I believe this is more of a common way of of life for a believer and needs more attention especially today when we are living in such a thankless generation. A sign of the last days. I know for myself, I take way too much for granted and need to be reminded on-going on just how much I have to be thankful for.

What I find interesting is that the day after Thanksgiving (which often includes shameful over eating ), the masses of 'thankful people' storm stores, sometimes trampling others, in celebrating 'Black Friday'. Don't see much recognition of God on that day. From a single day of thankfulness to the beginning of a month of celebrating getting, giving and receiving primarily treasures on earth.

But Thanksgiving can be used to meet with friends and loved ones and to make the most of the opportunity to share what we are most thankful for - Jesus and what He has and is doing in our lives. And turn the next day into good buys for gifts to the poor and needy that can be given out whenever through the year.

I just participated in the 'Shoe Box' collection where our MB church was the local accummulation center for various participating churches in our area. I heard of one lady that worked on filling these show boxes with gifts for third world children throughout the year. Searching for good buys wherever she could. This year she had brought in 170 boxes that she alone had filled. Now thats a giving spirit. Shows me how good deeds are right at my finger tips even when I'm not that familiar with local needs.

Well, back to the subject.

Amen!

Church sign I saw while traveling last Saturday: On THANKSGIVING, are you THANKFUL, or just FULL?

Joy wrote:Church sign I saw while traveling last Saturday: On THANKSGIVING, are you THANKFUL, or just FULL?

I saw a good one yesterday. "no Thanksgivng is complete without the Bread of Life"

This was interesting. I am not sure it is so much an absolute, but I think there are some good points to this.

Click the Image to see the video.

[video][/video]

Excellent video, Robert.

I have been following the research on gratitude, forgiveness, compassion, generosity, hope, etc. in Positive Psychology for some years now, and I have been struck by how much these aspects of biblical teaching are being shown to change people's lives.

For many decades psychologists have studied what goes wrong with people and how to help repair the damage. In contrast, positive psychology—the science of virtue—looks at what goes right with people and how to help them flourish and thrive. Many of today’s leading scholars in positive psychology are Christians studying topics such as forgiveness, gratitude, hope, wisdom, grace, and humility.

For example, studies have now found a striking array of benefits around forgiveness. Compared to less-forgiving peers, forgiving people have lower blood pressure; lower bad cholesterol and resting heart rates; improved sleep and immune systems; less depression, anxiety, and anger; enhanced relationships; more optimism; and a greater sense of overall well-being. One recent study shows that people can even jump a little higher after forgiving another person.

Similarly, grateful people view their lives more favorably than others, have increased energy and self-confidence, and demonstrate better coping. They are more generous and optimistic, have a greater sense of purpose, have fewer medical problems, exercise more, and sleep better than their peers.

Here are some links on this kind of research:

• What is Gratitude and What Is Its Role in Positive Psychology?
• 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude
• In Praise of Gratitude
• Gratitude and Well Being

Scientists have come to realize that gratitude is a really big deal.

In the Prager video, he mentions two attitudes that rob us of gratitude:

• Entitlement
• Victimhood

Let me add a third:

• Outrage

Often, we're inclined to point fingers at other people and suggest that they are playing victim, they have entitlement issues, they are stuck in outrage. But I see a lot of this among us Christians, and each of these is a trap I can fall into too.