GBC Community Update: How to be truly thankful

Good afternoon. I hope you’re making this a great week!  Today is Remembrance Day. I find myself always becoming reflective around this time of year and meditate on the idea of sacrifice a lot. The words of Jesus in John 15 also ring true: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Lest we forget
 
 
Children's Ministry needs volunteers! 
As Jennifer reported at the information meeting Sunday our Kids Church has grown significantly and could use more helpers.  There’s a need for help to listen to bible verses, sit with children who need help focusing, and just be a support to our teachers while they lead. Teams rotate every 3 weeks so this is not a weekly commitment.  If you love kids (or even like them a lot!) and would like to be a part of this exciting ministry please contact Jennifer at [email protected].
In addition, our nursery is once again open for business and we need some help here as well. Volunteers serve once per month. We usually have one or two little ones who need care each week. Contact Jennifer for more information or to sign up. 
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we look at a church in motion
This Sunday at 11am we continue our fall series: “A church in motion”: the book of Acts.  Jacob will be looking at chapters 17 and 18 as the church begins to expand and the mission’s movement grows.  Join us to hear more about this on Sunday!
Remember, you can join us as we gather in-person or you can connect through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Thought for the day: How To Be Truly Thankful- Some Thoughts on Developing Gratitude as a follower of Jesus
We’re getting close to American Thanksgiving (no, I will not be commenting on Black Friday) and I’ve been thinking about being thankful since our own Thanksgiving last month. Plus, I just have a lot of things I’m thankful about this fall so its on my mind.
 
Here's a question, and perhaps different way of addressing this issue: do you feel pressured to be thankful as a Christian? Have you ever thought about it?  Let me tell you what I mean.  There seems to be an almost unspoken pressure in the realm of Christian social media circles to be thankful for each day you have on earth.  Instagram captions about thankfulness are in style. Even if you’re not on social media, do you ever feel pressure to be grateful? Have you wondered how to be truly thankful? Are these social media posts genuine or are they faking it?
 
Don’t get me wrong- you SHOULD be thankful.
 
If we get right down to it, we all should be thankful every day.  Think about it, we don’t deserve the next breath that we draw apart from the fact that God is gracious enough to give it to us. We do nothing to earn it or the gift of life we’ve been given.  So we should be grateful that He has us on this earth to fulfill some important part of His will.  But the reality is not every moment, or even every day, is Instagram-worthy. It’s definitely a hard line to find, let alone to walk it.  And so, often it’s faked. Have you ever done that? I know I have.  The reality is a truly thankful soul is hard to achieve and hard to keep at times.  So, over the next few updates I’m going to share some thoughts that might help us find our joy in true Christian gratitude no matter the circumstances and in a consistent manner.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris 
​