Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

To Sheila...
I have been burdened for you since you wrote last week. I responded to your request for books, but I realized that the email may not have reached you... not sure how or if replying to comments works. So I'll list them here in hopes that you will see this.

Here are the titles: Lament for a Son (Wolterstorff); Morning Song (Landorf); When Life Has Changed Forever (Taylor); Safe in the Arms of God (MacArthur).

I pray that you are ok... may grace and peace be yours in abundance today.

Prayer...
We will be having a memorial service for Luke this Saturday, November 29 at 11:00am for my family here in Maine. Many of my relatives were not able to travel to Georgia for the funeral or committal services and we felt both the need and desire to provide a time for us to all be together to remember and celebrate his life.

We would appreciate your prayers on Saturday... for emotional strength, for Christ to be honored, for Luke to be remembered and celebrated, for a sweet time together and that it would in some way be a healing time... and any other way you are led to pray.

Your prayers continue to help us so much.

Happy Thanksgiving...
Tomorrow will mark six months since Luke's death. And, unbelievably, it obviously falls on Thanksgiving. We would SO appreciate your prayers.

We are going to do something a little bit different as a family tomorrow. No traditional family gathering around the table. Instead, we are going to my sister's church (fyi, the Presque Isle Wesleyan Church) and help pack about 300 meals that will then be delivered to various locations throughout the community. Once the packing and deliveries are done, everyone who participates will sit down together at the church for Thanksgiving Dinner.

We are really looking forward to it... and honestly, I hope it serves as a bit of a distraction for us.

I'm sort of embarassed to admit this, but it will be only the second time that I've actually done anything on Thanksgiving FOR someone else in terms of service. The first was in Chicago in 2002 when I was in grad school at Moody Bible Institute. A group of us, about 20-25 I think, went to Pacific Garden Mission (a homeless shelter in the city) to serve the men there. We had an absolute blast, a totally fulfilling day. After we finished there we all, most of us at least, went to the apartment of one of our fellow grad students and had dinner together. What a great memory.

Maybe this service thing can become a new tradition for us?

How many of you do that sort of thing as a family?

Whatever you do, have a great day with whomever you are planning to share the day with!

Thank you...
I want to say thank you to everyone who has commented on the "I Don't Get This..." post. Your thoughts mean so much to us... mostly because your thoughts are borne from your experiences. I've heard it said that our experiences shape our theology. I believed it when I first heard it a few years ago, but I grow increasingly convinced of this reality day by day by day.

Thank you so much for sharing your hearts and insights. You are a blessing! Be blessed!
= = = = =
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in the heavenly realms
with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
[ Ephesians 1:3, NIV ]
= = = = =



10 comments:

Mare said...

Greg & Nicole,

What a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving...by giving of yourselves, your heart.

I will pray for peace for both of you during the days ahead. May you both find comfort in each other and Christ our Lord.

So Blessed said...

Praying for many blessings to your family on Thanksgiving as you spend it in service to others and our Lord. I will be praying for God's presence to be known in a mighty way on Saturday as the memorial for Luke is held...that God will use this time to strengthen and comfort all of you.

Amanda Hoyt said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. We are praying for you - especially tomorrow and Saturday. May you feel the loving arms of the Lord around you.
Hugs and prayers,
Amanda

Wade's World said...

I have been and will continue to be praying for you and your family. May God bless you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mariah said...

I hope you both had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope your minds were at peace. Amos and I are in Charlotte. His mom died on Monday and so were going through pictures yesterday for her service on Saturday. I pray we all find a bit of joy in the midst of our storms. I will pray for you Saturday.

Lee said...

I've begun listening to a great radio series on suffering and how to be thankful through it. I think it might be helpful to you and others.
“Rejoice always; . . . in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NASB).
The web site is http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/roh/today.php?pid=10078 and the series is "The Blessing of Thorns" I cannot begin to imagine what you must be going through but my thoughts and prayers are with you both and I thank you for the blessing you are to others through this blog and Nicole has been through her music.

Kristy said...

I am prayfully waiting to hear how it went on Thanksgiving - if it will be something you would continue - or was feeding the men in the shelter a more meaningful experience? Also praying that the memorial service was a sweet time of healing and fellowship. I pray that you and Nicole felt God's arms around you through the service.

Ang said...

Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving, and enjoyed all the great football games this weekend!
Ang

Anonymous said...

Greg & Nicol,
Thought of you on Thanksgiving knowing what date it fell on. My heart was heavy for you and your family. What a wonderful way for you to spend Thanksgiving!
I am sorry that I missed the memorial here in the County. I would have loved to have been there! Have a safe trip home and remember you will continue to be in my prayers!
Love in Christ! Julie Doody

Laura said...

I hope the memorial service brought you warmth and comforting love around you. I am sure those who could not make it to Luke's services down south deeply appreciated the opportunity to be with you and show you their love and support.