Ebenezer Stones

Happy Thanksgiving!  Our church has a tradition on Thanksgiving.  If you go up front and share something you are thankful for, you may take an Ebenezer Stone (I Samuel 7:12) as a reminder.  Our church service was on Wednesday evening, always a special service.  I truly wanted to get up and share, but I didn't for two reasons.  1) I was a really long ways from the front (because of the way the chairs were placed) - it would have taken me a long time to walk up there  2) I was a bit concerned that once I had a microphone in my hand, I would have "lost it".  So often I am on the edge of losing it, even when I am feeling strong.  Does that make sense? 

Anyway, I want to share for my Ebeneezer Stone.  Last Sunday we had the opportunity to write a thankful note on a leaf, and put it up on a tree in the front of church.  Les wanted me to write that he was thankful for the "joy of his salvation".  I did, and I hung that leaf.  At the Wednesday evening service, Roger mentioned how thankful he was for the joy of his salvation, AND how we as Christians so often kinda forget about that, and that thankfulness/joy gets put on the back burner.  I thought back to Les' thankful leaf, and I thought, how true!  When you are faced with dying, what would you be thankful for???  More than likely you would be most thankful for the joy of your salvation.  As is Les.  We right now are thankful for many things, but nothing else matters as much as that hope.

Les has been saying for months, since he could not swallow ANYTHING, that he was going to eat mashed potatoes and sit with his family at Thanksgiving.  For a long time that did not seem possible.  And just last week he was told to eat thin liquids only.   Well, if you know Les, this will not surprise you:

HE CLEANED HIS PLATE!!!!!

Les smoked the turkey on his Traeger grill.  That turkey was so good.  The carving has been handed down to Kris - thanks Kris, you did a great job!!