Thanksgiving felt is a good thing; thanksgiving felt and expressed is a beautiful godly thing. Last October, in our Thanksgiving services at Hope Fellowship, we were given the opportunity to feel and express our thanks by filling in a card that invited us to identify the object, person, activity and quality of God that we especially appreciated. 270 cards were brought forward as a thanks offering. It was a wonderful experience and a beautiful sight to see so many visible expressions of praise and thanksgiving.
Michael was deeply moved by the experience and volunteered to compile the cards and discover thanksgiving trends in the congregation. He turned our thoughts into four “wordles”, which involves making “word clouds” of all the words that are inputted, with greater prominence given to the words that appear more frequently”. They are posted on the bulletin board by the Info Centre for your enjoyment.
The objects that people appreciated ran the gamut from laptops to lunch bags. Horse brush, washing machine, glasses, pruning shears, skill saw, nail polish, apple peeler, tea cup, washing machine, even “my brain” made the list. But the most frequently repeated items were home (#1), car (#2), phone (#3) computer (#4) and truck (#5).
In the persons category, people provided actual names, including Kanye West! There were also beautiful references to “my wife who loves me in spite of me,” “my husband who does so much,” “my mom who doesn’t complain,” and “my daughter for bringing me to Christ.” An older brother gave thanks for “my little sister.” But the most frequent mentions were family (#1), spouse (#2), parents (#3), friends (#4) and children (#5)
The activities category shed light on our active congregation. Our church has people who love inventing, renovating, playing, reading, knitting, gaming, splitting wood, zumba, pickle ball, partying, resting, sleeping and sex. Several mentioned the pleasure of “hanging out with friends. One was thankful for “good digestion.” Many mentioned going to church because it “keeps me close to God.” One person appreciated just “being able to get out of bed!” But the big winners in this category were walking (#1), spending time with family (#2), going to church (#3), and sports (#4). Work, reading and gardening were in a three-way tie for fifth place (#5).
The final category – what quality of God do you especially appreciate – elicited a lot of praise. God’s creativity, comfort and constant presence were mentioned. People expressed thanks to God for “never giving up on me,” for “second chances,” for knowing “my name,” for “knowing exactly what I need, when I need it, in his time, not mine,” and for “constantly challenging me to be better and closer to him.” Someone referenced God’s “Jesus quality.” And (my favourite) someone wrote, “He is my Hallelujah in my life.” But the most repeated words in this category were God’s forgiveness (#1 by a long shot), love (#2), grace (#3), mercy (#4). His faithfulness and patience tied for fifth (#5).
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life,” says Melody Beattie, the author and speaker who helped people understand the issue of co-dependency. “It turns what we have into enough, and more. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” Two thousand years earlier, the apostle Paul already knew the power of grateful living, repeatedly telling us to give thanks to God so that we would learn the secret of contentment.
As you meditate on the objects, persons, activities and qualities of God that people celebrated in our church on Thanksgiving Day, 2015, may life’s fullness and Paul’s contentment be unlocked in you.
- Pastor Peter (with thanks to Michael for his survey results)
Michael was deeply moved by the experience and volunteered to compile the cards and discover thanksgiving trends in the congregation. He turned our thoughts into four “wordles”, which involves making “word clouds” of all the words that are inputted, with greater prominence given to the words that appear more frequently”. They are posted on the bulletin board by the Info Centre for your enjoyment.
The objects that people appreciated ran the gamut from laptops to lunch bags. Horse brush, washing machine, glasses, pruning shears, skill saw, nail polish, apple peeler, tea cup, washing machine, even “my brain” made the list. But the most frequently repeated items were home (#1), car (#2), phone (#3) computer (#4) and truck (#5).
In the persons category, people provided actual names, including Kanye West! There were also beautiful references to “my wife who loves me in spite of me,” “my husband who does so much,” “my mom who doesn’t complain,” and “my daughter for bringing me to Christ.” An older brother gave thanks for “my little sister.” But the most frequent mentions were family (#1), spouse (#2), parents (#3), friends (#4) and children (#5)
The activities category shed light on our active congregation. Our church has people who love inventing, renovating, playing, reading, knitting, gaming, splitting wood, zumba, pickle ball, partying, resting, sleeping and sex. Several mentioned the pleasure of “hanging out with friends. One was thankful for “good digestion.” Many mentioned going to church because it “keeps me close to God.” One person appreciated just “being able to get out of bed!” But the big winners in this category were walking (#1), spending time with family (#2), going to church (#3), and sports (#4). Work, reading and gardening were in a three-way tie for fifth place (#5).
The final category – what quality of God do you especially appreciate – elicited a lot of praise. God’s creativity, comfort and constant presence were mentioned. People expressed thanks to God for “never giving up on me,” for “second chances,” for knowing “my name,” for “knowing exactly what I need, when I need it, in his time, not mine,” and for “constantly challenging me to be better and closer to him.” Someone referenced God’s “Jesus quality.” And (my favourite) someone wrote, “He is my Hallelujah in my life.” But the most repeated words in this category were God’s forgiveness (#1 by a long shot), love (#2), grace (#3), mercy (#4). His faithfulness and patience tied for fifth (#5).
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life,” says Melody Beattie, the author and speaker who helped people understand the issue of co-dependency. “It turns what we have into enough, and more. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” Two thousand years earlier, the apostle Paul already knew the power of grateful living, repeatedly telling us to give thanks to God so that we would learn the secret of contentment.
As you meditate on the objects, persons, activities and qualities of God that people celebrated in our church on Thanksgiving Day, 2015, may life’s fullness and Paul’s contentment be unlocked in you.
- Pastor Peter (with thanks to Michael for his survey results)
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