Grace and Gratitude in Unusual Places

“Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? Notice how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all of his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, won’t God do much more for you, you people of weak faith? Therefore, don’t worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ Gentiles long for all these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. –Matthew 6:25-33 (CEB)

When I go to the gym for my daily workout, I am confronted by a deck of televisions; luckily, they are closed-captioned so everyone can listen to whatever they want and read the screen, if they choose. My favorite stationary bike is in front of one that is always set to one of those home networks, where in fifty-five minutes or less, people miraculously find a new house, renovate three-thousand square feet for a pittance, or flip a condemned property for a ridiculous price. The worst thing, however, is the way I think these shows intend to make the viewer feel: Your house isn’t enough—your home doesn’t have the right paint color, you need a marble bathroom, your closets aren’t walk-ins. . . . the list goes on.

On first blush, watching these shows—albeit for the amount of time it takes me to burn a few hundred calories—made me come home, look around, and think, What if . . .?

Does Your Pastor Feel the Love?

In case you haven’t heard, the second Sunday in October (the 11^th this year), is designated as Clergy Appreciation Sunday. According to whom? That gets a little fuzzy, but no matter its origin, the date has made its way onto many churches’ yearly calendars. If you don’t have anything planned for the day, or you missed celebrating on the 11^th, don’t worry; the entire month of October is Clergy Appreciation Month, so you still have time to say, “Thanks.”

The Best Clergy Appreciation Gift Ever

October is Clergy Appreciation Month. This is a great time for congregations to show their love, appreciation, and support to their pastors. Having been a pastor for over a decade, I’ve been on the receiving end of so many wonderful gifts: a handwritten note, a home-cooked meal, a gift card for a nice place to eat, a kind word after a hard week. In all of these gifts it was the sentiment and love behind them that really stayed with me and made me feel appreciated.

I asked a group of seasoned pastors to tell me stories of times when they felt most appreciated by their church, either during the month of October or at other times of the year. You may be surprised by how simple it is to convey your love and support. Here are some ideas for you based on the stories they shared.