:: Once Again Thankful for God With Us + My Dad ::

I am guessing this will come as no surprise to any of us, but gratitude is not often our default setting. Complaining and grumbling is. Ouch.

With that said (and since we are just coming off the grumbling and complaining of the Israelites in the wilderness after their Exodus from Egypt in our studies), I felt this is an ideal time to lean in here a bit more to have us all consider to true antidote to complaining and grumbling…. Yep… you guessed it. Thankfulness and gratitude. While we can all know this at a head level, it is much more difficult to live, am I right my friends?!

Be sure you listen in to this EXTENDED BONUS episode covering so many other things too… wilderness seasons of life. joy and pain. hard and good. friendship with God. God’s presence in it all. Emmanuel. God With Us.

Annnddd be sure you don’t miss the end where I talk candidly about the one year anniversary of my Dad’s unexpected death and how I am STILL trying to find a way to fight for thankfulness this Thanksgiving season. One WHOLE YEAR later. To be aggressively grateful for what God has done, is doing, and promised to do in my life… right where I’m at. Right here. Right now. As I grieve the loss of my Dad, and yet, in the same breath, am so truly thankful for the example of a life well lived, one in which he chose to love me and others in a meaningful way. Every day. Clear up to his last day. ❤

Truthfully, I am reminded just how much thankfulness and gratitude for my Dad over the course of this last year has been so valuable in the healing process. Once again holding that tension of both blessing and loss together. Oh my still grieving but also still healing heart. Heartbreak and Thankfulness. Joy and Pain. Hard and Good. Both/And. Only God can do this in our lives am I right my friends?!

Oh goodness. You’re really just going to have to listen in as I speak words into the mic to find out more… a message I know I so desperately needed to hear… and maybe you do too right about now my friends?!

❤ M

// Show Notes //

Here are some additional practices I came across in my research for this episode for cultivating a thankful heart. Pray through this list and as you think through various aspects of your life and be sure to ask God to help you grow in thankfulness.

Consider when you have felt a special closeness to God. What steps can you take today to actively and intentionally seek His presence?
Think through your life and what you have to be thankful for. Reflect on what you write and think about the millions or even billions throughout human history who haven’t been able to enjoy what you take for granted each day. And give thanks.
Think through your grumbles and anxieties, asking God to reveal to you the idols that lie behind them. Consider how thankfulness can be a weapon in your spiritual arsenal against these things. Give thanks that God has given you everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
Think through what truths of Scriptures you need to cling to for various situations in which it’s hard to give thanks. “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” (Colossians 3:16) [[Remember Psalm 139:7-8 & Isaiah 55:9 my OOBTers?]]
Think through how a more thankful life might benefit your relationships at work, with your family, or with your spouse. Thankfulness—and ungratefulness—rubs off on others and can set the tone for the house or workplace. Ask God for grace to live a thankful life.
Think through the greatest challenges in your life and give thanks that God can use them for your good (Romans 8:28; Romans 5:3–5).
Make a regular habit of sing songs of thanksgiving to the Lord (Psalm 136; Psalm 95:2–3; Ephesians 5:18–20; Hebrews 12:28–29).

MFahring’s Facbook // https://www.facebook.com/michelle.fahring/

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MFahring’s Website // https://mfahring.com/

MFahring’s Bible Study Resources // https://mfahring.com/bible-study-resources

MFahring’s Show Notes // https://mfahring.com/show-notes/

The Whole Bible Story // Dr. William H. Marty
https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Story-Everything-Happens-Testament/dp/0764210939/ref=sr_1_5?qid=1699296783&refinements=p_27%3ADr.+William+H.+Marty&s=books&sr=1-5

Jess Connolly // Leaders as Learners Book Club
https://www.jessconnolly.com/leaders

Experiencing Friendship With God // Faith Eury Cho
https://www.faitheurycho.com/experiencingfriendship

JOE // Lisa + Friends: Faith Eury Cho on Letting God Fill in the Blanks
https://www.lisawhittle.com/joeshow/joe-s10e23

Lifeway // Grateful Bible Study
https://www.lifeway.com/en/product-family/grateful-bible-study

The Jess Connolly Podcast // Episode 10: Friendship with God, an interview with Faith Eury Cho
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-10-friendship-with-god-an-interview-with/id1437912225?i=1000631420840

At the Table With Jesus // Louie Giglio
https://louiegiglio.com/book/at-the-table-with-jesus/

Go & Tell Gals // Episode 159: How do I practice gratitude?
https://www.goandtellgals.com/podcast-episodes/2022/05/26/episode-159-gratitude-sw97b

https://www.jessconnolly.com/blog/noyouhavetoactuallydoit

https://www.jessconnolly.com/blog/thehealthiestpeopleiknowdothisthing

OOBT // Thankful for God With Us + My Dad
https://mfahring.com/thankful-for-god-with-us-my-dad/

OOBT // EXTENDED BONUS – Threads to Pull // More Hard Good
https://mfahring.com/extended-bonus-threads-to-pull/

CREATE YOUR OWN SONG OF THANKFULNESS

Mimicking Psalm 136. List who God is and what He has done in your life. Make the details specific and personal. Let it be your worship song to Him.

Begin by listing five good things that happened that brought you to God. Next, list five hard things that happened that brought you to God. Write these out as shown below and then also speak them aloud as an act of worship.

He __________________________.