Table of Blessings

By Becky Hunter, November 21, 2007

I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.- Psalm 9:1-2 (NLT)

Thanksgiving. It’s one of my favorite American holidays. Established in the early 1600s for the specific purpose of expressing gratitude to God for His amazing blessings, Thanksgiving has been celebrated annually throughout the United States. Every November, families and friends gather around festive tables with a turkey centerpiece. As the holiday approaches every year, millions picture their Thanksgiving gathering as Norman Rockwell painted it in 1943 in one of his best loved and most recognized compositions, Freedom from Want. In that painting, he helps us see grateful hearts and the warmth of relationships. His artwork invites each of us to the table of blessings.

I pray that your Thanksgiving will be filled with joy that comes from a relationship with God and spills over into relationships with others. Jill Briscoe, writes in her book, Love that Lasts, “Remember, the Holy Spirit dwells in your hearts to be all the things you are not. Draw on this resource. Love that works, works at love. There is no other way.”

Throughout our lives we have opportunities to meet others at a table of blessing. And while that is always a personal experience, there are times it is “corporate” as well. GPWN and Just Between Us ministries for pastors’ wives have begun exploring the points at which our ministries might intersect so that both organizations can offer even greater encouragement and resources to pastors’ wives. One of the blessings JBU has to share is a January conference. Jill Briscoe, the executive editor of Just Between Us magazine, offers her decades of ministry experience to benefit pastors’ wives at this annual event. The dates for JBU’s Restoring Your Soul conference are January 17-19, 2008. The event will be held at the Marriott Milwaukee West in Waukesha, Wisconsin. To register visit www.justbetweenus.org and click on the 2008 Conference for ministry wives at the top right of the page.

I’m going. I would love to see you there.

If you can’t make it to Wisconsin in January for that, consider coming to Florida for the North America Congress January 29 - February 1. GPWN is sponsoring workshop sessions with Kay Arthur, Carol Kent and Devi Titus. To register visit www.call2all.org and click on the Orlando, Jan. â€˜08 at the top left of the page.

I’m going. I would love to see you there.

Just as individuals can be healthier and better promote the purposes of God when they are in godly relationships, so can organizations benefit by holding hands. And that is why GPWN encourages you to visit, not just our website, www.gpwn.tv, but also the JBU website to glean all you can from the myriad resources that they offer.

You will be hearing more about the wonderful organizations “out there” that are blessing pastors’ wives as we move through these next few months. In the meantime, take advantage of all that has been posted on the two websites just mentioned.

Remember to pray this weekend, and every weekend for pastors’ wives, and know that thousands of us are praying for you. May you always experience freedom from want and remain focused on the God who gives us abundant life.

Excerpt from Love that Lasts by Jill Briscoe. Used with permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois ©2002.