21 Days of Gratitude – Day 21

Today Oak Tree is thankful for:

so many good memories.

You can join in with us on Facebook or in the forum on the website by telling us:

What are You thankful for?

Here we are on day 21 of our 21Days of Gratitude

Our last day! Here’s a run down of all the things Oak Tree has been grateful for:

1. The joy of technology to build community

2. The support of friends.

3. An awesome staff team.

4. Opportunities to speak God’s truth to others.

5. Days off to rest.

6. Seeing CAP clients getting their lives back on track.

7. The people we’ve met through market church.

8. The fabulous builders working on our new home 216 for us.

9. Our vicar Mark and his lovely wife Kate who are celebrating their wedding anniversary today….

10. Its adventurous, sacrificial, loving and God-chasing members…

11. Half term. What a great opportunity for families to have some quality time together.

12. 3 full Oak Tree villas booked on the Retreat to Advance New Wine Conference in January!

13. Being able to meet at Twyford School on a Sunday.

14. Our wise and committed Church Wardens Sarah Miller and Steve Jupe.

15. Freedom.

16. The plans God has for us.

17. All the diversity of the Acton community.

18. The fact that there is always more to learn and experience of God.

19. Jesus

20. Lots of new people coming on a Sunday.

21. So many good memories.

We’ve loved taking the time to reflect on God’s goodness to us.

Perhaps we can take a moment on Fridays to be thankful every week and encourage each other with the good things God is doing!

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Market this week… 13th November 2010

Earlier in the year Nokia hung the world’s biggest signpost from a crane at Tower Bridge.

The sign itself was taller than 2 double decker buses, weighed 60 tons and hung 50m in the air!

Big.

At the market stall we often have to learn to be a signpost…

This is where the closest free meal is (St. John’s Ealing on a Saturday lunchtime).

This is where Emmaus House is (they can give you advice on housing and free clothing, and a lunch monday-friday).

This is a leaflet about DAIS (they can help you with advice and guidance on drugs and alcohol).

This is the number for Alcoholics Anonymous (they have helped thousands of people beat addiction).

This is Christians Against Poverty (they help people get out of debt, I’m a befriender in fact - Befriender Training tomorrow 8pm@Willis’s).

This is our church (we love Acton and you are welcome to come to our Sunday service, it is at 4.30pm, Twyford School).

This is me, I am a Christian who is just trying to follow Jesus.

This is a story about a prayer getting answered, can I pray for you?

This is Jesus.

Lord will you help and bless this person.

Jesus operated in this way, he showed people where the Kingdom of God was breaking out.

He showed the lost children where to find their Father and he still does the same today.

We do not have the means to solve everyones problems.

But we can be really good signposts.

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THIS WEEK:

10-12: 2 spaces

12-2: 3 spaces

Can’t do a whole shift? Why not give 30 minutes? Anyone who wants to not serve drinks but chat and pray with people is always welcome.

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Learning to be a signpost.

21 Days of Gratitude – Day 20

Today Oak Tree is thankful for:

lots of new people joining us on a Sunday.

You can join in with us on Facebook or in the forum on the website by telling us:

What are You thankful for?

Here we are on day 20 of our 21Days of Gratitude

The Americans and Canadians have a whole day of Thanksgiving every year.  They eat turkey, get together with family and reflect on what they are thankful for.

We don’t have a specific Thanksgiving day here in the UK – and I think these last few weeks have shown that thankfulness should not be reserved for one day a year! How can we continue to cultivate a life of thankfulness to God?

What one thing can you do to make thankfulness more a part of your life?

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21 Days of Gratitude – Day 19

Today Oak Tree is thankful for:

Jesus.

You can join in with us on Facebook or in the forum on the website by telling us:

What are You thankful for?

Here we are on day 19 of our 21Days of Gratitude

‘When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him’ Luke 24:30-31

The guys met him on the road whilst they were travelling to Emmaus. They didn’t recognise him at first…. but whilst they ate with him, they recognised him. One of the things he did was ‘give thanks’. Jesus himself modelled thankfulness for even the most basic things in life. The same man who taught us to pray for our daily bread, always gave thanks when he received it.

Let us give thanks for our answered prayers today, even the most simple ones.

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21 Days of Gratitude – Day 18

Today Oak Tree is thankful for:

the fact that there is always more to learn and experience of God.

You can join in with us on Facebook or in the forum on the website by telling us:

What are You thankful for?

Here we are on day 18 of our 21Days of Gratitude

Psalm 105 says:

‘Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.’

When we are grateful, we cannot contain it. Like the woman in the story yesterday who poured out all she had on Jesus’ feet, gratitude needs to be expressed. The psalmist says that one way our gratitude is expressed is telling others of God’s goodness to us. Sharing God stories is not showing off, it’sshowing him our gratitude and giving him glory.

What stories of God’s goodness can you tell others today?

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21 Days of Gratitude – Day 17

Today Oak Tree is thankful for:

all the diversity of the Acton community.

You can join in with us on Facebook or in the forum on the website by telling us:

What are You thankful for?

Here we are on day 17 of our 21Days of Gratitude

Luke 7:36-47 tells the story of a woman who is grateful. A woman who had a reputation in the locality as a sinner, comes to Jesus, pours out perfume on his feet and weeps as she kisses his feet. Jesus says ‘her sins have been forgiven for she loved much.’ It’s such a beautiful picture of absolute gratitude to the one who loved her first where others had only shown judgement.

How are we pouring out all we have to Jesus in gratefulness for all he has done?

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Market Church – 6/11/2010

Mark Bishop

21 Days of Gratitude – Day 16

Today Oak Tree is thankful for:

the plans God has for us.

You can join in with us on Facebook or in the forum on the website by telling us:

What are You thankful for?

Here we are on day 16 of our 21Days of Gratitude

‘The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy

and I will give thanks to him in song.’ Psalm 28:7

What’s your favourite worship song? Put in on at least once today and give thanks to God in song…

Here’s one of my favourites: Phil Wickham’s ‘You’re Beautiful’

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21 Days of Gratitude – Day 15

Today Oak Tree is thankful for:

freedom.

You can join in with us on Facebook or in the forum on the website by telling us:

What are You thankful for?

Here we are on day 15 of our 21Days of Gratitude

One of my favourite stories of choosing to be thankful is from Corrie Ten Boom‘s book ‘The Hiding Place‘

Corrie and her family were imprisoned by the Nazis for giving shelter to Jews in their home in Holland.

In Ravensbruck – they were moved to a barracks that was built for 400 and housed 1400 – it stank and was infested with fleas. Corrie writes that she said to her sister:

‘Betsie how can we live in such a place?’

Betsie said ‘ show us, show us how.’

“‘”Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.” That’s it, Corrie! That’s His answer. “Give thanks in all circumstances!” That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!’

“I stared at her; then around me at the dark, foul-aired room…”

They thanked God that were still assigned together, that they had managed to hide and keep a copy of the bible, that they were packed in the barracks so that many more would hear about Jesus and they famously thanked God for the fleas!

“The fleas! This was too much. ‘Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.’

“‘”Give thanks in all circumstances,”‘ she quoted. ‘It doesn’t say, “in pleasant circumstances.“  Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.’

“And so we stood between tiers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.”

Fleas which later turned out to be the reason the guards never came in their barracks which meant they were able to have Christian services and bible readings with the other prisoners without getting caught!

Sometimes God’s blessings to us are hard to see…… but we know that God works in all things for the good of those that love him. When you feel all you can see are ‘fleas’, ask God to help you be thankful anyway…

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21 Days of Gratitude – Day 14

Today Oak Tree is thankful for:

our wise and committed Church Wardens Sarah Miller and Steve Jupe.

You can join in with us on Facebook or in the forum on the website by telling us:

What are You thankful for?

Here we are on day 14 of our 21Days of Gratitude

We have one of my favourite songs of thankfulness today. Click here for ‘Thank you for Saving Me’ by Delirious.

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