Wow, God!

/ thinkfulkarin / Leave a comment

Th(i)nkful

Do you ever just write down things that you are thankful for? It doesn’t have to be big things, but it could be. It could be the breeze on your skin, the sound of water, or birds singing, or a friend’s laughter. The list could include having enough money to buy groceries this week or to put increasingly precious fuel in your car. On and on the list goes … if, and only if, you take the time to sit and think. And that’s what th(i)nkful is all about.

Making a th(i)nkful list was an exercise that we did at a conference we we attended recently. We were to write on little post-it notes one thing we thanked God for and then stick it on the big “Wow, God” board. It was so fun to walk by that board and read new things that were added throughout the week.

It was inspiring. It felt like good peer pressure, prompting the thought, “Certainly, I can think of more things to write down.” It might be a good idea for your home or a Sunday school class or a Youth room.

It seems to me that the more I look for God’s fingerprints and glory, the more I recognize it and want to express gratitude.

Some Things Are Hard

It’s one thing to write down things you are thankful for, but it is another thing to write down things that are hard, that you need help with. Most of us have no problem thinking of things for which we need the Father’s help. The Bible calls these “supplications” – asking for God’s supply to meet your needs. If you ask on behalf of others, the Bible calls that “intercession.”

He has told us in Matthew 11:28-30 to come to Him with our burdens. He also says in Philippians 4:6 to present our concerns to Him with thanksgiving.

“… do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

When you develop the th(i)nkful muscle, you can take those things and wrap them up with a thankful cloth. Yes, you really need God’s help to do this, but it is possible. It is not taking away the yuckiness, but instead saying to God, “This is hard for me, but I am thankful that You love me and am with me every moment, God. You will help me navigate through this test as I acknowledge You in my life and think correctly even about the super yuck things.”

Rooted and Built Up

There is a requirement, though, for you to wrap the difficult, prickly things in your life with thanksgiving. That requirement is that you have to be “rooted and built up in Him.”

rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Colossians 2:7

Those roots need to grow deeply into the soil of God’s Word. Down in that soil, we tap into the nutrition of the character of God and the life-giving water of the Spirit. That is the key to thriving in hard times.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

To know God well is to fear Him, love Him, and trust Him. And because we trust Him in all things, we can thank Him in all things. This is one reason why Christians study the Bible so much – to know our amazing God better, and by knowing Him, to be able to frame our circumstances correctly and respond to them as we should.

“God in His love always wills what is best for us. In His wisdom, He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about.”

Jerry Bridges

Wow, God’s

Of the many things I have thanked God for this past year, some of the greatest are that David and I have been able to train, mentor, and encourage young couples who were recently married. Relationships are a mess worth making because redeemed souls can mature into capable servants of the Lord who will spread His Truth to the new generations that are coming up.

What a joy to pour courage over them to know, love, trust, and thank the Lord … and to be flexible, to learn to selflessly love one another, and to be a picture to the world of Christ and His beloved bride.

Everywhere you look in your life there are “Wow, God’s.” He is coming soon. Let us provoke each other to think thanks – to cultivate the habit of thankfulness – firstly, because He commands it (Ephesians 5:20; I Thessalonians 5:18), and secondly, because it helps us to thrive and produce fruit, even in hard times.

What are your “Wow, God’s?”

Is There a Good Anxiety?

/ thinkfulkarin / Leave a comment

Learn to Discern

In his book, Consider the Lilies, Jonny Ardavanis broadened my understanding by stating that the Greek word for anxiety, merimnao, in the New Testament is actually translated in different ways, “the first two being ‘care’ and ‘concern,’ and the third being ‘anxiety’ or ‘worry.’” The first two are good, and one is bad!

We have been going through Consider the Lilies in a ladies’ Bible study, and I was profoundly hit with the concept that there is a good anxiety.

I found this most intriguing. I have presumed that any concern or anxiety is always portrayed negatively. But this word, merimnao, can also be a positive thing. Let’s take a closer look.

In 2 Corinthians 11:28, Paul wrote that he felt anxiety for all the churches.

“And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me for my anxiety for all the churches.”

2 Corinthians 11:28

Most modern Bible versions translate the word Greek word “concern,” but it is the same word that is used for “anxiety.” Paul also uses this good concern in Philippians 2:20 – “For I have no one like him [Timothy], who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.”

Perhaps you feel this is just semantics, but like Jonny Ardavanis exhorts us: “Specificity of definition matters as it relates to any subject in the Bible – especially as it relates to the subject of anxiety and worry and the character of God.”

Maybe it is good to evaluate what kind of concern I have about things in my life. Is it a proper concern, or is it anxiety and worry?

Pulled Apart

One of the definitions of merimnao, is “to have the mind pulled apart, cut into pieces, distracted or divided by worries.” In the 17 times that this word is used in the New Testament, 12 of those times it is used in a negative light. That concern has moved into an ungodly worry.

  • Matthew 6:25 – Do not worry about your life…
  • Luke 10:41- Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things….
  • Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything……

What Makes Concern Sinful?

So how can I know when my positive care or concern moves into ungodly worry and anxiety? This is a crucial skill we need to develop.

There is no doubt that we will encounter things that create care and concern for us. The Lord knows that. So how can we put up an alarm within ourselves when we start to migrate towards anxiety and worry?

A good visual is that of a stagnant pool compared to a flowing stream.

If we feel that we have to rely on ourselves and not include God in our considerations, we isolate ourselves and are like that smelly, stagnant pool. God does not see. God does not care. God is angry or displeased with me and is getting back at me. I have to fix this problem, and if I can’t, then there is basically no hope. I am alone, and I just can’t cope with this.

Contrasted with that, is when water is moving, flowing like a stream that is fed by many springs that flow into it. I am not alone with my problem in a stagnant pool. God is there. God’s Word is there. God’s Spirit is there. God’s purposes are there. God’s promises are there. The hand of God’s meticulous providence is there, limiting and guiding. God’s Throne room is open to me at an instant. God has the answer, or God is the answer. He can fix hearts. He can fix my heart. For all these reasons, I can begin my prayer with thanks. Then I will pour out my heart … and wait on Him.

When we loose reliance on God and that He is in control, we stew around and around trying to fix things ourselves. Basically we are saying that we don’t trust God or He doesn’t exist – acting like a functional atheist.

Certainly we need to do our responsibility to try to find solutions if that is within our proper power to do so, but we have to watch what we are relying on. The Lord reminds us in Proverbs 3:5 to not lean on our own understanding. I don’t have to figure it all out. We have to remember to trust the Trustworthy One.

It has to do with what we think about. We tend to meditate and focus too much on the problem, and if there is ambiguity about the future, we indict God and presume that He will probably send the worst possible outcome, and all will be sorrow and misery.

Instead, God tells us to pour out our burdens to Him with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). Sure, we will feel concern over troubling things, but after we have done what we can, we need to truly, really, REALLY leave it with the Lord who can do so much more than we can.

We often begin with harmless considerations and care, but it transforms to something ugly.

The Three Checkpoints

There are three checkpoints that can protect me from the sinful anxiety.

In Matthew 6:25 our Lord Jesus gives us some wonderful advice.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Context is the key to any verse. If we examine the verses that come prior to this command about not being anxious (Matthew 6:19-24), we will discover these three checkpoints.

FIRST CHECKPOINT: Examine what I treasure in my mind (vv. 19-21). One question that I use to identify those treasures is checking to see what I dream about when my mind is free. It is ok to think about earthly things as long as I always frame those things in what the Father’s will is for me. Maybe I am dreaming about having all my family together, for example, but I must hold that desire with an open hand because it may not be the Father’s will that it happen.

“The surest path to anxiety is to forget that we are pilgrims just passing through this life, and in turn, we stop living for the “better country” (Hebrews 11:16)

Jonny Ardavanis

SECOND CHECKPOINT: Examine what my eyes look at (vv. 22-23). You may argue that it doesn’t matter what I look at, but I would beg to differ. Our vision is the #1 input into the mind. Those images go into my soul. It may not be porn, but it could be clothes or fancy houses or travel or anything that looks so beautiful and desirable. If the Father wants me to have it and has already provided, then go ahead and look. If it is His Word, spend a lot of time looking. Dream the dreams that He dreams for you. But if it is not for you, guard your heart and don’t look at things He would not want you to look at.

Ardavanis warns that pornography has seemingly a direct correlation with people experiencing anxiety. Alluring our eyes to forbidden fruit and the false protection of the anonymity of a dark and secret world lays a trap that ensnares our souls in a deep and harmful manner. Unconfessed sin can rob a person of joy and peace (Psalm 51:12) and pull them into the depression of perpetual defeat.

Instead turn your eyes upon Jesus… things of the earth will grow dim.

“Although pornography promises an “escape,” all it truly does is perpetuate the prison of anxiety and despair.”

Jonny Ardavanis

THIRD CHECKPOINT: Examine who is my Master (v. 24)? What wins when it comes head-to-head with God? If I know what God wants me to do, and I don’t do that, what or who won? Whatever won is an idol sitting on the throne in my heart; it is my Master.

Could you have a different Master in your heart? Control? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? Fear? Comfort?

Th(i)nkful

Choosing to think thanks to God for everything as He commands, has a direct link to fighting the wrong kind of anxiety. He wants us to be quick to see His hand and to trust His character because we know Him. It is rooted in the full trust of God’s sovereignty. Yes, God may allow great sorrow in our lives, but He is always in control.

“We don’t always know why God allows evil. But we do know that God Himself is always good. Furthermore, we know this: God never allows any evil to take place that does not facilitate a greater good that could not have happened unless that evil had taken place.”

Scott Christensen

What do you know to be truth? Are you conscious of the warm-glow of His face on you (because Jesus made you spotless)? Are you meditating on God’s purposes for you at this very second? He’s your Dad if you have been adopted into His family. You can trust Him. If He takes care of the lilies of the field, He is going to take care of you.

All our anxieties are an invitation to draw closer to God by fixating our gaze on Him.

Information for this post was excerpted from “Consider the Lilies,” chapter 4, by Jonny Ardavanis

Full Grown

/ thinkfulkarin / 4 Comments

Growing in Appreciation

“David, come look! See that bud right there? I planted that plant recently and look how it has grown and is getting ready to put out its first bloom. So beautiful!”

We live in a flat beside the Indian Ocean. I do not have really any earth that belongs to us except for garden containers on our balcony. But it is amazing what you can do with containers! I love to see my flowers pop up, mature, and thrive. Sometimes I have to prune heavily due to fungus or other things that are making plants deteriorate. Breaking up the soil to aerate it, and watering regularly, give a good probability that the flower in time will bud and bloom.

Remembering Pleasures

Do you take time to remember and ponder things that God has blessed you with? I have been meditating on this quote lately.

A pleasure is not full grown until it is remembered.

C. S. Lewis

We often think of pleasures just past as now fading, wilting, and dying, but Lewis says “no.” Bringing back to mind a pleasure, some happy thing, can be compared to bringing that pleasure to maturity.

No wonder God tells us to be thankful in all circumstances. When we reminisce about things that He has done for us, it brings that pleasure to full growth. The beauty is that in thankfulness, a memory continues to bloom and bloom and bloom throughout eternity. God’s pleasures don’t have an expiration date. Just a fuller satisfaction as time marches on.

The Hebrew Practice of Dayenu

Have you heard of the word dayenu? I had not. It was new to me.

“Dayenu” (meaning “it would have been enough”) is a 1,000-year-old traditional Jewish song and spiritual practice sung during the Passover Seder. It expresses profound gratitude for God’s blessings during the Exodus, listing 15 acts of liberation—from slavery to receiving the Torah—affirming that each blessing would have been enough, even if the journey had stopped there, but God kept on blessing.

Your Own Dayenu

Do you have a plan or tradition to initiate remembering? Churches practice the Lord’s Supper as a reminder to remember. Could you or your family or church do a dayenu regarding Jesus’ life and death? Try it some time!

Do you have a quiet time in the morning in which you can muse about God’s character and the amazing things He has done for humanity? He is not a distant, angry God. Our God loves. Our God plans. Our God came near. Our God became one of us. Our God teaches. Our God heals. Our God serves. Our God saves. Our God makes promises. Our God keeps promises. Our God is steadfast love and faithfulness. Our God is victor. Our God intends to dwell again with us. Our God cannot be stopped.

The mind will not automatically accrue information on the character of God. You need to renew your mind in the Word. It takes intentionality. David just finished teaching Bible Doctrine 1 in Uganda. The students worked hard. The hours were long, and it was hot. They learned about the character of God. We discussed that these character traits were not just lists to memorize, but were fuel for vibrant worship.

I love learning more about our incredible, marvelous Creator God. Learning is step 1; remembering is steps 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on. We must practice remembering the wonderful truths about our Redeemer and keep the pleasure of who He is and what He has done alive and growing.

Frangipani

Pleasures Full Grown

Thank You…..

for your genius, creativity, and power in the creation

for Your sovereignty over the affairs of men and nations, and my little life

for Your hesed, your steadfast love for us

that You never lie and are completely trustworthy in your timing and choices

that You know the end from the beginning

that you are not a meager God who can be figured out

that You made us in Your image and likeness

that you didn’t stay offended and aloof, but came to reconcile us to Yourself

That you sent Jesus to come as a baby, live a perfect human life and die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and rise again victorious over death, sin, hell, and the evil one

that You provide for Your own

that You know every smallest detail and how it all fits together

that you give us the ability to remember the pleasures you give us, and to enjoy them all over again through gratitude!

Anxious or Anchored?

/ thinkfulkarin / Leave a comment

We Are No Strangers to Storms

The wind was howling. Its strength visible by the leaning of the trees along the coast of the Indian Ocean. Storms here come in such varieties. Some park over the sea and churn buckets of water on the earth below reshaping large rivers and beaches overnight. Some have gusts that shake the very foundations of the earth, twisting infrastructure and edifice alike. And some have all of the above.

How do you feel in a storm? Do you remember cosy times cuddled by a fireplace reading and not worrying an iota? Perhaps you have a different recollection of a storm that wreaked havoc on your life and took precious things from you?

Rescue workers go on high alert during such storms. They have been trained to know what are the first and foremost things to get accomplished. They have tools and equipment that are essential, and tough vehicles that can chew their way through the rubble and high waters to get into ravaged places to rescue the perishing. So thankful for these people.

How wise is the person that prepares ahead of the storm so that when it hits, he is ready. This is true when you are at sea perhaps more than any other place. Whereas the ground tends to be firm, and can even be burrowed into for safety, the sea can be a merciless place that tosses you about for days and even weeks without a break.

Almost the very definition of hopelessness is someone adrift at sea in a horrible storm with no motor, no sails, no oars, and no anchor.

Anchored

Maybe you feel that a storm is raging inside you. Outside, you may appear just fine to others. But in your thoughts and emotions, you are in a horrible storm battling the foreboding winds of change, loss, challenge, or uncertainty. Dark clouds on the horizon vow that even more is coming. Alone, your tears fall like heavy rain. Your thoughts spin and lurch like a rudderless ship with the sails all torn. Hope seems like a bad joke. You don’t know what to think or do next. I know. I have been there, too.

Credit: J. H. Brown

Emotions are real, but they are not reality. When we are in a storm, we must send our minds down beyond our circumstances, down to a deeper reality … and give our emotions a bit of time to follow. You see, we have an anchor. Our minds have a chain of truths that go down deep and are connected to an anchor set firmly into a Rock that does not move. We are connected. We are held. We belong. We are tethered in the storm by the Author and Measurer of the storm. The storm teaches us the power of the Rock and underscores the need for a good anchor that can hold us fast in the dreadful waves that throw our souls back and forth. ⚓️

“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,”

Hebrews 6:19

Go from Anxious to A.N.C.H.O.R.E.D.

I came across a helpful tool recently. It gives a simple reminder to the person who is the midst of a storm of anxiety, but desires to gradually leave that state and feel anchored.

A — Acknowledge God’s Sovereign Presence — Psalm 23:4; Psalm 139:1-12; Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10,13; Psalm 46:1

N — Name the Fears and Lies Beneath the Anxiety — Psalm 139:23-24; Psalm 19:14; Lamentations 3:40

C — Confess Unbelief and Self-Dependence — I John 1:9; Psalm 32:5; Psalm 51:10; Proverbs 28:13

H — Hold Fast to God’s Promises in Christ — Proverbs 3:5; Isaiah 26:3; Hebrews 10:23

O — Orient Your Mind to Scripture — Lamentations 3:21; Psalm 119:11; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2

R — Redirect Desires Toward God’s Kingdom — Colossians 3:1-2; Matthew 6:33; Psalm 37:4

E — Entrust Cares to God Through Thankful Prayer — Philippians 4:6; Psalm 37:3,5; I Peter 5:7; I Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 28:7; Colossians 4:2

D — Do the Next Faithful Step — Psalm 37:23; Proverbs 3:6; Micah 6:8; Philippians 3:13-14; Proverbs 4:25-27

@Biblical Counselors Society

Are You Anchored?

You may think you are anchored, but when a raging storm threatens your tranquility, your anxieties become apparent. Perhaps your anchor and chain of truths are not sufficiently strong. Perhaps they are not set into the Rock but are unhelpfully dragging along the bottom. You are being thrown and tossed, bruised and broken.

The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you.”

J. I. Packer,

Knowing God

The world experiences peace circumstantial, but the Christian’s peace is not anchored in happenstance or circumstance but in the character of our Heavenly Father.”

Jonny Ardavanis, Consider the Lilies

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

2 Thessalonians 3:16

I want to end by encouraging you to write out the acronym for A.N.C.H.O.R.E.D. and look up the verses that support it. It will be a step of establishing a secured anchoring in TRUTH.

Christ The Sure And Steady Anchor

Christ the sure and steady anchor in the fury of the storm
When the winds of doubt blow through me and my sails have all been torn
In the suffering, in the sorrow when my sinking hopes are few
I will hold fast to the anchor, it shall never be removed

Christ the sure and steady anchor while the tempest rages on
When temptation claims the battle and it seems the night has won
Deeper still then goes the anchor though I justly stand accused
I will hold fast to the anchor, it shall never be removed

Christ the sure and steady anchor through the floods of unbelief
Hopeless, somehow, o my soul now lift your eyes to calvary
This my ballast of assurance see His love forever proved
I will hold fast to the anchor, it shall never be removed

Christ the sure and steady anchor as we face the wave of death
When these trials give way to glory and we draw our final breath
We will cross that great horizon, clouds behind and life secured
And the calm will be the better, for the storms that we endured
Christ the shore of our salvation, ever faithful, ever true
We will hold fast to the anchor, it shall never be removed

Matt Papa

Credit: Nora Brown

Thanksliving

/ thinkfulkarin / Leave a comment

Daily Giving Thanks

He showed up!!

What an incredible thing!!!

The Father fulfilled the promise He made. The Son came as a baby to live a perfect life and then die, not for Himself, but for me and you so we could have forgiveness, reconciliation, transformation, and hope (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Thank You, Lord Jesus!!

My friend, Karen Tinsley, alerted me to this quote:

“Incorporating thanksgiving as a daily habit will translate into ‘thanksliving.'”

“Feature” A Daily Bible Study Guide

Love this concept of incorporating thanksgiving as a daily habit. Thanking Him for coming to die for our sins, not just at Christmas time, but all year long. Thanking Him for His grace and mercy, His many blessings every single day, His voice in His Word, His fingerprints in my circumstances, His closeness and promises in the refiner’s furnace ~ thanksliving.

My Th(i)nkful Friend

Every Monday I exchange thinkful lists with others who are learning to cultivate thinking thanks even when it’s so hard. I have done it for years with Grace, but recently I have started with another dear friend Cherie. Look what she texted me this Monday morning:

Thinkful
God’s will for my life doesn’t need to be found; it needs to be obeyed. And His will is that I’m thankful in all things. I certainly struggle with this, so I’m trying to train my mind as often as I can. These Mondays help so much. In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

By God’s Spirit and God’s strength, I’m a thankful person. He is helping me to be thinking about being thankful.

When I struggle to find things to practically be thankful for, I remind myself of this:

  1. My salvation. God saved me so I will rebound my gratitude back to Him. 2 Corinthians 4:15.
  2. ⁠The sovereignty of God. He is not only in control of every kingdom but over every part of my life.
  3. ⁠Thankful that God forgives me. Psalm 103:12 / 1 John 1:19.
  4. ⁠I’m thankful for the love of God.
  5. ⁠God’s word. Scripture stirs us up.
  6. ⁠The people of God. The people God puts into our lives. Ephesians 1:16 / Philippians 1:3
  7. ⁠The promise of heaven. John 14:2-3. Rejoicing that our names are written there.
  8. ⁠His provision. Philippians 4:19
  9. ⁠The faithfulness of God. Psalm 92:1-2. Great is the faithfulness, standing with Him is never unknown.
  10. ⁠He answers our prayer. Isaiah 65:24 / Psalm 4:3
  11. ⁠God is with us. Psalm 139:7-10

My list for today

  • I was able to ask my son Seth for forgiveness
  • ⁠I was able to forgive him and restore our relationship
  • ⁠In these, showing him Christ and what Christ has done for us
  • ⁠We are praying about a little dog Seth wants, but we have to wait on a few things and it’s an opportunity to teach Seth to pray and trust God
  • ⁠I was able to do a walk this weekend and one day of gym last week
  • ⁠No headache today
  • ⁠Summer is here
  • ⁠I am redeemed
  • ⁠Jesus is coming soon 🙌🏻🙏🏻🕊️
Cherie gave me permission to share this

Thanksliving in Action

Wow! Cherie is an inspiration to me. I know her life is not easy. She has great challenges, but she is willingly thanking God anyway. She chooses to focus on Him and His Word, His character and His promises. Good example to follow.

Lord, I need You. It’s so hard for me to have this thanksliving way of life. Please help me. Remind me of Your love for me, how You know everything about me and yet desire a relationship with me. Thank you for Cherie’s testimony. May I do likewise as we both run this race of life and long for Your return.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Be a thinkful Cherie now and going forward into 2026!

Put On the Brakes

/ thinkfulkarin / 2 Comments

Slow Down!

Screech….

The brakes did their job, but you could smell burnt brake pads. The accident did not happen, but man, was it close. My heart rate was accelerated and I felt uncomfortable.

Have you ever been extremely close to a wreck? It instills a deep desire in you to try to avoid those situations in the future. I remember my Driver’s Ed teacher in high school saying we should stop with enough distance to see the tires of the car in front of us.

Let me introduce you to a really cool word!

Are you familiar with the word sophron?

Such a great word!

Quick meaning could be ~ put on the brakes ~ according to Nancy Wolgemuth in her book, “Adorned: Living Out The Beauty of the Gospel Together” (p. 163).

Sometimes there are natural pauses where it is easy to use the time to reflect on the things you are thankful for. Like we just finished a weeklong module of teaching in Egypt. It was easy to stop, during the week and after the week was done, to recount what we were thankful for.

  • That we had the joy of teaching this material to godly adults
  • The students were enthusiastic and loving toward us and the teaching
  • That we ourselves were encouraged by reviewing the truths from God’s Word
  • That we had a chance to help buy new TV’s to replace the old small ones, improving future visual learning in that classroom
  • Camaraderie with fellow staff and teachers

But sometimes, it is not so easy to stop and list things you are thankful for, especially when something or someone needs fixing! The Apostle Paul was concerned for the churches every day (2 Corinthians 11:28), yet when he wrote to those churches about urgent issues they were facing, he would put on the brakes and begin his letters by giving thanks for them before he would address different matters.

Self-Controlled Th(i)nkfulness

Reading through Titus 2, we find an exhortation for sober-minded self control.

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled (Titus 2:1-5).

Paul’s words are commending seriousness. There is a need for women to exercise self-control. Leaders in the church also need these qualities.

A new song we sang a few Sundays ago at our Phoenix Fellowship here in Durban, South Africa, drove home this point. The unusual title of the song was, “Give Me Self-Control.”

Self control is curbing your impulses and emotions, but it also includes controlling your pace, your pauses, and your pondering such that you keep a sane and sound mind. So many people are “run” by their job, their children, their pets, or the expectations of family and friends. Putting on the brakes to think thanks is an integral part of regaining a sound mind.

Resolutely untangling myself from the anxious demands of the next item on my to-do list, I have an opportunity to regain a balanced perspective, to see the strong hand of my sovereign God above all that is happening, to be mindful of hasty choices I am making, and to recommit myself to live slowly enough to discern His will and way for me.

I know that He desires me to think thanks in every circumstance because He tells me in His Word (I Thessalonians 5:18). But most often I need to stop in order to think. The impulse to be driven by outside demands must be controlled. So, choosing to be characterized by sophron, I am in a good place to develop a practice of thinking thanks.

Putting on the brakes in my life doesn’t mean I am not still busy doing the job set before me. It means that I am allowing the Holy Spirit to help me proceed with self control and wisdom.

When we’re not sophron, we don’t have any margin or heart for kindness.”

“Adorned,” Nancy DeMoss Woldemuth

A Little Introspection

Are you sophron? Does that describe or characterize you? It should.

Why not start fostering that quality in your life today?

Take a moment to put the brakes on. Slow down your pace and emotions, cherish your pauses, and meditate on truth. Regain a sound mind through self-control. You did that by stopping to read this blog post. Well done! The Holy Spirit is with you, inside you, and can help you become peaceful and trusting of the Lord’s sovereignty in your life.

Write down seven things that you are thankful for right now. And a step further share those seven things with a good friend. It’s edifying to them, too.

Thinkful Muscle

/ thinkfulkarin / Leave a comment

Using Those Muscles

“Don’t give up! Lean in! Use those muscles!” We had the privilege to climb a mountain in Norway recently. As our age climbs, the mountains are harder to climb. We had to reawaken muscles who thought they had reached retirement.

The view was worth it as we looked out over a seaside town through sunshine and light hail. But it was hard going up … and then hard in a different way going back down.

You have to want to achieve the goal. Then you push and take steps to make it happen.

One foot in front of the other, step by step, you push forward. It was my first time to use hiking poles for balance and support. Very helpful! Felt professional.

Thinkful Muscle

Choosing to download grace from the Lord to think thanks about every circumstance in my life takes muscle. It takes the heart: “I want this change in my life.” It takes the will: “I will choose daily or as often as needed to stop and speak or write out things I am thankful for.” It takes the mind: “OK, now looking back through this day or this circumstance, what can I be thankful for?”

This does not come naturally, at least not to start with. But after those muscles have been engaged and used repeatedly, it does begin to come more automatically. That is a benefit of being “in th(i)nkful shape.”

Friend, when you choose to ask God for grace to process things with gratitude, you are exercising yourself towards godliness. You are obeying God’s command to give thanks in everything.

But honestly, it can feel like climbing a mountain. Every step feels hard and you have to choose to pursue your goal.

If you practice being grateful, even under duress, that can help you develop the attitude that makes you resilient as you move through tremendous difficulty.

Dr. Jordan B. Petersons

Even people who are not believers realize the importance!

Muscle Development

To get fit, you need a plan. David and I tried to take lots of walks on the hills around where we live to prepare for our mountain hike. We chose hills that were steep to begin to push our thigh muscles to get ready. Yes, it was a bit uncomfortable. We would sweat and breathe heavily, and some people who watched us pass by wondered if we would pass out, or pass away, before reaching the top … but slowly, it got easier.

The same is true with developing your thinkful muscle. Although it may feel awkward and unnatural, you choose to write down some things you are thankful for. Maybe it’s just one a week at first, but you build up to one a day, maybe even three+ a day.

As that gratitude muscle gets fit, it will amaze you how quickly you can blurt out one thing after another of what you are thankful to God for, even during difficulties.

That is climbing the Thinkful Mountain!

Joy Along Life’s Path

As I was pushing my leg muscles climbing up the mountain, I would take a pause and turn around looking how far I had already gone and the view from where I was.

It gave me inspiration to go on (and needed oxygen). We also met some who were descending because they were afraid of getting caught in a heavy downpour. Fully understandable! The one lady looked at me and said in Norwegian that she had some regret though that they had turned around.

If you pursue getting your thinkful muscle fit, I believe you will have no regrets. Becoming more of a natural at giving thanks to God for Who He is and all He does, will pour courage and joy in your heart.

Joy multiplies when exercising with friends

What are You Feeding on?

/ thinkfulkarin / Leave a comment

What Goes in, Comes out

Oh, just give it a break! I want to relax and just veg out for a while.

Vegetate means to relax in a completely passive or mindless way.

“I am so weary and tired. I can’t think straight. Just need to refuel and restore.”

These are such common phrases. Our jobs, families, schools, and ministries are demanding and pushing us to perform, even through stress and discomfort. No wonder we have a desire to veg out.

May I please alert you‼️

When you are vulnerable and passive, there is danger lurking. Yes, you do need to rest and restore, but be careful how.

Whatever we passively allow into our minds will actively affect us. It goes into the database of the soul, our minds, and begins to influence us.

“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.”

Proverbs 15:14

Feeding as Meditating

We are what we think about.

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:“

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)

But the motivator for what we think about is our heart. We think what we think because our hearts want what they want. The heart determines what we feed on in the idle moments. Sometimes it’s not bad. We just need to check it.

Absent strong medication, most of us can’t go into a state of just not caring. The mind will receive input even if we are not seeking to actively acquire knowledge.

The area to continually check is our hearts. What do I really want in my heart?

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Proverbs 4:23

News?

For so many of us, conditioned for years by 24-hour news and social media, our hearts want us to be informed. Many don’t want to find out the latest shocking events one or two days later. AI evaluated a number of sources to report where 18-24 year olds get their news.

Fascinating!! What you read and see surely will color the way you perceive something.

In the olden days, it was the town crier calling people out into the town square to share news.

That is where we get the word for “church.” Ekklesia means “called-out ones” – people called out of their homes and businesses to gather together in the town square to hear the news and official announcements.

When Jesus came as the true Messiah, many had not heard the news. The news of the gospel was to be proclaimed everywhere. That news is still being shared all over the world. One by one or in big groups the gospel is declared.

As Western culture moved into the 18th century, the printed page became popular as a source of news. People would buy gazettes and then newspapers.

Whatever was printed in the newspaper or broadcast of the radio hourly was carefully curated and presented to us as objectively as possible. What we read or heard in those days we took at face value. It had authority.

Today we have a superabundance of ways to get information, and in this populist era, everyone has a voice, and mainstream legacy media outlets, discredited as authorities, are seen as just a few of thousands of biased voices with hidden agendas. No one can be trusted. Difficult as it may be, we use discretion in the selection of our sources, and be careful of our level of daily intake.

Guidelines for the Mind

Our Father in heaven who has created us and controls all things, has given us guidelines for how to walk worthy in the Christian life.

He encourages us to renew our minds often.

” Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans 12:2

Firstly, we need the fresh water of the Word of God every day to satisfy us and renew our perspective (John 4:10). I have a morning appointment with the Creator … like at 6 am at the breakfast table, He is waiting for me. I need to talk with Him and hear from Him before jumping into news or texts.

Secondly, we need to view current events with the glasses of thinkfulness. God has given us His Word as an anchor (Hebrews 6:19) and light for our path (Psalm 119:105). He says to think thanks for everything.

“… giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Ephesians 5:20

Thirdly, build up your “big God” belief system. Have you compared the amount of time you spend getting news with the amount of time spent on a sovereign God who is orchestrating all of those events in the news towards fulfilling His plans and purposes (Daniel 4:34-35, Acts 17:26-27)?

Many Christians have a “small God” – a God who is overworked and distracted and not paying sufficient attention to some details. They are more oriented horizontally than vertically. They care a whole lot more what people around them think about something compared to what the Lord thinks about the same thing. God warns us that the fear of man brings a snare, but whoso trusts in the Lord will be safe (Proverbs 29:25).

We need to move to a “big God theology” and to a vertical orientation, confessing what is true from heaven’s standpoint. God is infinite mind (never misses the smallest detail). God has steadfast love and faithfulness toward His children (micro-orchestrating every detail in our lives, struggles, and deaths for our good and His glory). And God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent (ruling over the affairs of men and nations – those that are war-torn and those that smugly feel they have achieved utopia).

Recently I was made aware of how trusting completely in God’s sovereignty actually helped two friends of mine who had gone through the loss of a spouse. They grieved, but there was hope in that God was working a plan, and His peace and plan eased their suffering sooner than others around them. We cannot always see His plan behind the path that He chooses for us, but He asks us to trust Him (Isaiah 43:2).

Fourthly, roll over your soul-weights and anxieties on the Lord, with thanks. When the Lord tells us not to be anxious in Philippians 4:6, He gives a way to process our concerns. He encourages us to bring our burdens and troubles to Him wrapped up in thanksgiving.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Remind yourself that God CAN be trusted in every detail. Give thanks for the Lord delivering us from the dominion of darkness and transferring us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption (Colossians 1:13-14).

Fifthly, be discerning. How can a person know where to “feed?”

  • First of all, pray that God would give you wisdom and guide you.
  • Seek godly counsel from trusted mentors.
  • Curate your feed. Unfollow accounts that bring anxiety and follow accounts that edify.
  • Limit your time and platforms.
  • Turn off notifications.
  • Engage in real-life activities.
  • Consider a tech Sabbath – no phone from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Colossians 3:2

Eat healthy!!

Embrace with Joy!

/ thinkfulkarin / 1 Comment

A Divine Appointment

David was doing his simple magic trick for some little children during an evening fellowship meal at Fellowship Bible in Springdale, AR. The kids were intrigued that the wad of paper that disappeared could, seconds later, be pulled from their ear.

While David was keeping these little ones spellbound, a lady introduced herself to me and we began chatting. Cathy and her husband knew some of the same people we did from Citadel Bible College years ago. She had grown up as a MK in Congo, and then later with her husband, they had served the Lord for thirty years in Mindanao, Philippines. They moved back Stateside about six years ago.

When I asked how that transition had gone, she smiled and said it was very, very difficult.

Change is Hard!!

And a big change, like changing countries, is even harder.

Many people moving cross-culturally have fought heart-wrenching struggles. Exchanging the familiar for foreign, replacing routine with constant trial-and-error, and discovering new types of humor, privacy zones, and communication styles is exhausting. All the changes slide them down into a spiral from which they can’t find their way out. Culture shock is mental-emotional trauma, and even more tricky is “reverse culture shock,” because people don’t expect to feel like strangers when they return to their old “home.”

Mentally choosing to go down the different path of trusting in God’s Word and His promises, instead of the natural path of worrying thoughts and doubts, takes a huge and persistent amount of effort.

“Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelm us.”

Jerry Bridges

The New Motto

As Cathy continued her description she mentioned something that intrigued me.

“It was like a never ending funeral leaving the Philippines for me. Till my kindergarten roommate Marilyn wrote me. She said, ‘I know it’s hard coming home. But I want to challenge you to embrace this new change with Joy.’ That made a whole big change in my thinking and emotions. I have had such Joy here embracing what this season has brought.“

Cathy shared how she decided to follow the advice from her friend and “embrace with joy” this new season. It was a mind game. Instead of recounting the hardships, sorrows, and frustrations, she would look for the joy, the gifts from the Lord, that were all over the place just waiting to be discovered.

She chose to journal and write down these gifts. Some gifts were hard, but it was amazing to find nuggets of joy embedded even in the hard things. I was reminded that in the gold mines under Johannesburg, gold appears as black spots in the otherwise gray rock. The black is chiseled out and with heat the gold takes on its familiar color. God’s hard things have to be refined with thankfulness to draw out their true color and worth.

Terry and Cathy now do a Neighborhood Bible Club where they live. Cathy also gets to spend time with her grandson teaching him.

Why Embrace New Seasons?

Why do we need to embrace new seasons with joy? Because it gives the honor and credit to the One who made the change and controls all things in my life. To fuss and fight and complain and lash out is an empty effort to seize control.

Down deep, we believe God has done something wrong – He has left things too ambiguous, hasn’t fixed what I want fixed, has been too slow, isn’t listening, doesn’t care – and we embrace a host of slanderous thoughts and lies. We say we are frustrated with our circumstances, but actually we’re frustrated with the God behind those circumstances.

God knows what He’s doing! He can be trusted! We need to say this over and over to ourselves as we wait upon Him and His timeline. He is the sovereign, dependable Shepherd who is micromanaging the details of our lives, even through the valleys of dark shadows.

It is best to let God be God as the Author of our lives and the changes He leads us through. Scan the names in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith” and see how many of those people God took through massive changes and cross-cultural moves. God moved them to new places and into new seasons … and they stayed faithful because they trusted in God’s character!

How Do I Embrace New Seasons?

If He has allowed a difficult change in your life, go to Him and pour out your heart before Him because He is a refuge for us, but make sure you TRUST Him!!

“Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.“

Psalm 62:8

So if I was to begin to try to embrace a new season in my life, how should I do that? Can I suggest baby steps?

Firstly, maybe ask for God’s help and get a journal to record just three things a week that have brought you joy and for which you can be thinkful. Then after a few weeks, try to find one or two joys each day. I think you will discover them when you put the right glasses on. They are all over.

    When a person gets a proper view of how infinite God’s mind is, how steadfast His love and faithfulness to us is, how comprehensive His knowledge of our details is, and sees how much the whole creation is filled with His glory, it results in submission to whatever He ordains. There is blessing and praise that come with that mindset (Proverbs 31:30). This is a beautiful thing that happens to a person who fears the Lord.

    Learning How It Works

    When David showed the little girls how the magic trick worked, they became so excited to try it themselves. They struggled at first – it was a new skill – but with practice they, too, in time would be able to give joy to others.

    Governing your thoughts is no easy trick, but in time you, also, can learn the “magic” of embracing your new season with joy. Step by step God is teaching us to trust Him and embrace whatever He sends.

    “Be still my soul the Lord is on thy side

    Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain

    Leave to thy God to order and provide

    In every change He faithful will remain”

    Anxious Thoughts

    / thinkfulkarin / 6 Comments

    Test Or Temptation?

    David and I arrived at the Atlanta airport and went through passport control. Went so smoothly that we both remarked how different that was from Africa. We were exhausted, as we normally are after sitting in an airplane for about sixteen hours and my head hurt, but not too badly.

    When we got to the luggage carousel, we stood for a long time looking for our four bags. They did not come. We were among a large cluster people whose luggage did not make it. So we stood in line to report the missing pieces.

    There was a lot in those bags. Over 300 knitted African animals that my Zulu ladies had made, important meds, clothes, papers, journals that we needed. If I allowed my thoughts to go where they wanted, anxiety would seep in. No doubt!!

    Opportunity for Wisdom

    When something happens in our lives, we get the opportunity to react or respond. If this is a test, there will be temptations connected with it, and part of the victory over temptations is slowing things down so that we can think – responding rather than reacting.

    Will I take a second to remember that this challenge is common to man, that God is faithful, that He has checked that I can handle it with His help, and that He is watching me? If I reach out to Him for wisdom and carefully choose to respond with wisdom, there’s a way of escape so I can bear it (I Corinthians 10:13).

    But if I am enticed by a spike in my own desire to react rapidly, I take no time to regain God’s perspective, or use any wisdom filter. I just fall into the floodwaters of my adrenaline or anxious thoughts. The repetition of unchecked thoughts and unfiltered reactions brings a life called “death” (James 1:14-15).

    Often we don’t consciously think about how we respond. We don’t quickly recount God’s promises. We don’t consider what would be wise. We just react. Anxiety just happens so quickly and naturally. Thoughts come like kamikazes, dive-bombing into your mind with great force.

    • What if I can’t handle that?
    • Will I actually have to wait on the Lord with all this ambiguity?
    • Has the Lord forgotten about this one?
    • The Lord does not truly like me?
    • Maybe God wants to hurt me? He’s getting back at me for something.
    • What if I simply freak out and die?

    On and on it goes.

    The Lord has a check list of what to do when faced with anxious thoughts. He says to wrestle down the thoughts that are not in harmony with the knowledge of God.

    Wrestling takes work! Wrestling uses more muscles in the body than any other sport. It is not just an automatic response. No sir! It’s intentional. It’s aggressive. It’s grueling.

    We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

    2 Corinthians 10:5

    Why Does Wrestling Matter?

    In short, because you will receive consequences for not wrestling.

    Considering yourself defeated and going with the flow of your anxious feelings is not innocent. It’s disobedience. It’s sin. I know that sounds harsh. But the Lord who made us, tells us not to do that.

    “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

    Philippians 4:6-7

    The wrestling of anxious thoughts is not a fast, once and done thing. For many of us, it is a daily struggle. Like a wrestling partner who believes wrestling practice is never over, creeps up, and takes you down in random places throughout your day. It is a continual fight to set your thoughts above and not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2). Learning to slow down, regain perspective, and respond by speaking truth to yourself is essential.

    • My Lord is sovereign and meticulously managing the details of my life
    • I am loved steadfastly by my Father and nothing touches me without His design
    • The Lord desires me to pass this test with His help and have proven character because of it
    • This test will pass
    • I have been delivered from the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13)
    • All my sins – all of them – have been forgiven. The Lord is never “getting back at me” for something
    • As I am in the midst of this test, I need to remember how it feels so I can relate to others
    • I have an opportunity to display God’s grace before others
    • If it is from the Evil One, I am worthy of being attacked
    • God’s Word becomes more precious to me as I cling to its promises

    Friend, as you read these words I want to pour courage over you. You can have victory. You can be conformed to Christ in the way you respond to hard things that come your way. Don’t be afraid!

    Christ Our Wisdom Sovereign Grace 2024

    The Wrap

    I want to share a tool that has helped me over and over again. Get a hold of a journal or even just a piece of paper. Begin to articulate exactly what it is that is worrisome. Then begin to wrap that concern with thanksgiving. In other words, deliberately think thanks about your challenge.

    Let me show you with the incident that happened to us with the lost luggage.

    My thinkful wrap:

    • Our plane made it to the USA all the way from Johannesburg, SA
    • The Lord knew exactly where our four bags were even if we didn’t
    • I Corinthians 10:13 promised me that God had checked this test. He knew I could pass this test with His help
    • David and I were together and could share this burden and have people pray with us that it would arrive in time IF God willed it
    • Romans 8:28-29 tells me that all things in my life, even losing luggage, can work for good, for me being more conformed to Christ
    • Perhaps it could help get my eyes more on things above and not on things on earth
    • Jesus has promised to never leave me nor forsake me even in the middle of an airport
    • I may meet others who have gone through the same test and I can now relate better

    End of the Story

    Losing luggage is really not a big deal. It’s irritating, but they are just things. There are many, many other challenges that are much more difficult. And in fact our luggage was never lost. The airline was facing a weight limit on a trans-Atlantic flight so they set many bags aside for the next flight.

    But this was a test to see if I would give into the temptation of anxious thoughts.

    How are you responding to anxious thoughts? With every test comes temptations? Slow down your response, wrestle down the lies and imaginations of worst-case scenarios, list the things you can be thankful for, regain God’s perspective, and act with wisdom.

    After thirty hours the luggage was delivered by the airline.