Today’s evening service was a dedication service for Esther. Friends came from all over the UK to help with preparations for this event, making the community room look very different:

Other friends worked hard to make a unique dedication cake:

A practical momento was a rabbit jigsaw signed by people who attended:

As usual, we all enjoyed the excellent buffet provided by church members:

Our thanks to all who made this such an enjoyable evening.

Mark left us with various quotes to ponder:

I’m reminded also of the song ‘Just Be Held’ by Casting Crowns with its line ‘Your world’s not falling apart, it’s falling into place‘, and Jeremy Camp’s song ‘Walk By Faith’ (written when his young wife died of cancer) which says ‘this broken road prepares Your will for me’. Even in tragedy, God’s plans for us are good.

Mark continued his series on Joseph this morning, speaking about the blessings Jacob gave him before he died (Gen 49:22-26). These were abundant blessings indeed – hyperblessings, as Mark called them (reminiscent of hyperdrives and hyperactivity, indicating something above and beyond the norm!)

Joseph is an object lesson to us of the truth of Jer 29:11. God’s plans for us are good; He thinks about us, giving personal attention to our lives (not just writing a list of plans and having no further involvement in them.)  From being a 17 year old shepherd on minimum wage, at this stage in his life, he was the second-in-command of Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world at that time. Tragedy and heartache ultimately gave way to prosperity and blessing. 1 Cor 2:9 reminds us that God has prepared things in advance for us to do, and His plans are above and beyond anything we may imagine.

Jacob’s blessing indicates expanding fruitfulness and a reminder that even when there is opposition, God’s plans will prevail. Our arms may not be strong enough to cope, but His hands are: He is our Shepherd and Rock. A triple blessing was prophesied over him – all the blessings of heaven and earth as well as the blessings of relationships (friends and family.) We are similarly blessed!

One way of cultivating thankfulness (and I do believe that spiritual growth requires a lot of cultivation – whilst I may hate gardening in the natural realm, I’m learning that there’s no substitute for regular pruning, weeding and cultivating in the spiritual realm!) is to regularly show appreciation for other people. It helps us to have an outlook that focuses on others more than on ourselves and it helps the people to whom we show appreciation to feel valued and noticed. So often, people serve faithfully and regularly, but we get used to this and fail to consider the sacrifices they make and the difference their service brings to our lives.

We train our children in good manners, saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, because appreciation oils the wheels of service. We need not only to express our appreciation of God in praise, worship and thanksgiving, but also to express our appreciation of other people. Thank you notes, sending flowers, giving small gifts and simply showing good manners in how we treat people are all ways of showing appreciation. Such things send out the message that we value the person, recognise the contribution they make and respect them.

Appreciation is needed in the home (not taking Mum for granted for all the washing, ironing, cleaning, cooking and organising she does, thanking Dad for emptying the bins and fixing the broken stuff, for example) and at work (not assuming X will always make drinks or buy the milk or do the photocopying but appreciating that he does these things) and in the church. THANK YOU to all who serve at GPCC so faithfully in so many different, often unseen, and frequently unacknowledged roles. You really are valued by us and appreciated!

It has been a busy week at church at all the usual groups. Keep on praying for the Monday night youth club, which has seen over 40 children attend in recent weeks, and for the Parent & Toddler group on Friday mornings, where we have over 12 babies and toddlers and even more adults! Pray for the volunteers who help at these groups and for good conversations as we get alongside people of all ages.

This weekend, we have our usual Communion service tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m. and a dedication service in the evening at 6 p.m., so please pray for both services. It’s especially poignant to do a dedication service so close after doing a funeral service for a 94 year old man, as it reminds us of the cycles of life. We are so grateful that God is present with us from conception to our final breath.

The WEA is running some taster sessions for different arts and crafts throughout March. If anyone is interested in creative writing, the next session is at the Snap Tin Cafe at the Factory (formerly the Dearne Enterprise Centre) on Barnburgh Lane from 10 a.m. until 12 noon on Thursday 23rd March. The session is free and open to all.

The men are meeting together for takeaway and DVD night on Saturday 25th March at 6 p.m. at church. Bring along a DVD of your choice and a vote will be taken as to which one will be chosen! The next men’s gathering will be a go-karting expedition, so please see Garry if you are interested in this.

Don’t forget as well the Watoto Children’s Choir concert, which is on Saturday 1st April at 6.30 p.m. at Grimethorpe Pentecostal Church:

As someone who would describe herself as Eeyore rather than Tigger in the personality stakes, I would not say that thankfulness is an inherent part of my nature. I remember, however, being extremely challenged as a young Christian when I discovered Eph 5:20 (‘Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’) Not only are we commanded to give thanks always and in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18), we are commanded to give thanks to God the Father for everything.

I had to wrestle through this verse for some time. How could I give thanks to God for things that were blatantly evil? How could I give thanks to God for things which were completely contrary to what I had prayed for? How could I give thanks to God for things that I vehemently hated?

I squirmed and wriggled my way through these difficult questions to reach the conclusion that God could issue us with this commandment because He is good through and through and is able to bring good from every circumstance He allows into our lives. (Rom 8:28) Throughout life, we can give thanks for everything – even the tragedies, heartache, loneliness, hurt and devastation we experience at times – because we know that God will have the last word and no plan of His will be thwarted.

Thankfulness is, therefore, a habit to be cultivated, something which grows the more we practise it. I don’t always feel thankful, but the actual giving of thanks is something we do as a conscious choice, an act of the will, not of the emotions. Giving thanks is probably one of the most important spiritual things we do, shaping our characters because we recognise God in everything as we learn to give thanks in and for everything.