Now you can listen to a service on your favorite MP3 player. 
November 2008
Dear Church Family,
When November rolls around, most of us immediately
begin to think of the traditional American holiday of
Thanksgiving. We simply cannot keep our minds away
from feasting and football as this day comes closer and
closer. But, what do we have for which we are truly
thankful. Sure there are the normal things such as health,
prosperity, family, and friends. But, as I was contemplating
this, I was considering a series of personal blessings.
In addition to the above mentioned, I have just completed
the most wonderful hunting year of my life. Since I was a
boy, I have taken to the field, gun in arm, after everything,
from rabbits and birds to big game. These treks have met
with a mixture of success and failure. But, they have left
that special print on my brain that we call memory. This
year, I have successfully taken a cow elk with my bow and
a bull moose with my rifle. These are hunting successes
that I was not sure would ever happen, but now they
have. It is very possible, even likely, they will never happen
again, but we’ll see.
So what do I have as a result? Well, I have quit a bit of
meat in the freezer -- that’s good. I am having the moose
head mounted, so its beauty (don’t ask Beth her opinion
on that) will grace our den for the foreseeable future. But,
the thing that really struck me as I have looked back over
these last couple of months is the wonderful blessing of
memory.
Memory can either be a wonderful interlude, or it can
be a nightmare. In our memory bank, all of us have both
pleasant and difficult memories. The question is upon
which of these do we dwell? Jesus says that it is not what
goes into a person that defiles him, but rather what
comes out of him. Primarily, He was speaking of our words and deeds as those things by which our lives can
be best measured. But, it is to our extreme advantage,
that when we take a trip down memory lane, we recall
those things that will lift up rather than destroy. When I
have a contemplative moment, I can choose whether I
will review a pleasant memory or an unhappy one. That
is up to me. Now if I never review unhappy memories, I
will never learn from the mistakes that created them. But,
if I dwell on those unpleasant times, then that will dominate
my spirit. On the other hand, as I recall my hunting
experiences of this year, for example, a smile will return to
my face as my memory replays the scenes. At almost any
moment, I can again see the sight-pin resting on the ribs
of the cow elk, or I can see my crosshairs settling on the
back point of the shoulder blade of the moose. These
scenes etched into my memory make me happy.
What scenes do you have in your recent memory bank that will bring a smile to your face? Insist that your mind bring those to the surface. Then out of your being will rise positive things that will lift you up. If you do not have any of these scenes readily available in your memory, its time to put some of them in there. That is called making good memories. Making and having pleasant memories is indeed a blessing for which we should be thankful!
In Christ,
Pastor Quin