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Thanksgiving & Gratitude

What if gratitude could change the way you see everything? In this heartfelt message, Dr. Gregg Marutzky explores how thankfulness transforms faith and frees us to live with joy and peace. Drawing from Luke 17:11-19 and Psalm 116, he shares honest stories, practical wisdom, and powerful truths about cultivating a grateful heart. Dr. Marutzky breaks down the importance of being grateful for large and small blessings, even in difficult times.

00:00 Youth Service Introduction

00:54 Dodger and Angel Fans

02:34 Month of Gratitude

05:01 Jesus Heals the Ten Lepers

12:15 Faith and Gratitude

16:28 Personal Stories of Gratitude

24:50 A Humorous Start

25:42 Counting Blessings: Food and Shelter

27:37 Gratitude for Health and Family

28:15 Reflecting on Psalms 116

29:31 Personal Stories of Faith and Gratitude

40:35 Action Items for Fostering Gratitude

42:55 Final Thoughts on Gratitude

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OC Church of Christ

Transcript
Gregg Marutzky:

I guess it's a youth service.

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We've had Sonny and Kyle and Jasmine

now me, so I guess it's, uh, more of a

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youth, uh, oriented service this morning.

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Man, Sonny, don't worry about,

uh, being a little bit shorter.

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You got the hair, buddy?

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You got the hair?

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Oh, I love Sonny.

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Uh, I was, uh, his sector leader for

a very short time up in Santa Clarita.

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And, uh.

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Love him and his family.

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And, uh, just to see him growing

and now a college student and

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get becoming a a, a man is, uh,

is I'm very proud of you, Sonny.

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And, uh, all of our college students.

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We have some great ones.

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I met two of the guys that got

baptized last week and, uh, wow.

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Some, uh, good looking guys, girls.

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Very good looking.

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Yeah.

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I'm serious.

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Yeah.

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Uh.

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Now I, I'm a little, uh, surprised.

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You know, I've been in LA back

in LA for 10 years here, and, uh,

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I, I finally converted my wife

to, uh, be a d uh, a Dodger fan.

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And, uh, so, uh, now to hear that,

uh, I'm in, in Orange County and I've

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gotta sort of shift my allegiance.

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I, I, I've been an Angel fan.

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That's the only, uh,

tickets I could, uh, afford.

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So I've been going to a lot of Angels

games with my daughter and son-in-law.

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So I'm an Angel fan and hey,

we are all angels, right?

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We're angels.

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Yeah.

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I mean, if we're not angels, God help us.

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Amen.

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But, uh, we could be

artful Dodger fans too.

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Right?

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And, uh, I don't know.

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I stood up way too late, uh, watching,

uh, one of the games, the 18 inning game.

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Uh, it's great to live with babies though,

'cause you, you can't turn on the sound.

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You have to just, uh.

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Turn on the closed caption.

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And since I have terrible eyesight,

I just make it up as as as we go.

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Just make it up.

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And then last night we

were at a dinner party.

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We have a, uh, Colorado, uh, university

reunion, uh, couple times a year.

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There's been five.

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First there were six couples,

then one moved away, and this

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last year, another one moved away.

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So there's four couples now,

and, and they're all retired.

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And, uh.

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Uh, they're talking about how tough it

is to be retired and, uh, and, uh, I

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had no empathy sympathy at all, at all

for them because, uh, I'm, uh, not even,

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don't even want to think about that.

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'cause uh, there's just

too much in the Lord to do.

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This morning, I want to

talk about gratitude.

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I mean, we're gonna make this

a, a month of gratitude, a month

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of Thanksgiving, all right.

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Yes.

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I mean, sometimes you spread

out your birthday, right?

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I mean, I try to spread mine

out for at least a week.

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Okay.

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I mean, just one day seems like

not enough to celebrate me.

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All right.

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I, I, I think it needs to be a

little bit longer and I think it,

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I think we need to spread out.

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Thanksgiving so that we can

just grow in this habit.

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It's not time to think about

Christmas, even though the, the, the

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marketers want us to think about that.

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We'll think about that after

Thanksgiving, but let's think about

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Thanksgiving and thankfulness and

gratitude for this whole month.

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And so I, uh, really want this

to be one of the virtues of our

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church, and I think it can be Amen.

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And I've got some beautiful slides.

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I, I know that's what

you're gonna be thinking.

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Beautiful slides.

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There we go.

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Celebrating God's faithfulness

throughout the year.

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Definitely throughout this month.

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And, uh, as you get older,

you start to appreciate the

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finer things of life, you know?

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And so, uh, I grew up in Western

Colorado, a place called Fruita,

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a little bit of a hick town.

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And so, uh, you know,

you, you sort of try to.

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Learn a little bit and become

a little more sophisticated.

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So now I'm a man of poetry.

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Man of poetry.

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And if you, you can't be, uh,

somebody that appreciates poetry.

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If you don't like Maya Angelou, right?

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And one of her, uh, uh, statements in her

book, celebrations, rituals, uh, of peace

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and prayer, is this one, let gratitude

be the pillow upon which you kneel.

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Just say your nightly prayer.

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Amen.

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And if you don't have a pillow at

some point in time in life, you'll age

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and you'll have a pillow for Neely.

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All right?

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Yeah.

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Laugh with me.

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Laugh instead of cry.

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Amen.

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And let faith be the bridge

you build to overcome evil.

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And welcome.

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Good.

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This concept, this idea of combining.

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Faith and gratitude.

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We'll see more in this sermon,

but turn your Bibles, if you

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will, to Luke chapter 17.

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You always gotta start with a good story.

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Okay?

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And this story is, uh, about, uh,

Jesus healing the tent lepers.

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And, uh, I was on the Hope Worldwide

Board for 12 years and we have the Village

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of Hope in India that, uh, serves the.

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People with leprosy, it's Hansen's

degree, uh, Hansen's disease.

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There's medication for it, people

can be treated, but the very

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poor, uh, can't get that medicine.

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And so we started this Village of Hope

and, uh, it's, it's devastating to see

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what Hansen's disease does to people's,

uh, extremities, especially their

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hands, their limbs, that kind of thing,

especially since it's so treatable.

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But I can understand and I can picture.

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This story.

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And so let's read together

in Luke chapter 17.

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And, uh, you know, I'm always

gonna bring my Bible up here

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because we're a Bible church.

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All right?

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You didn't come to hear Dr.

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Greg.

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You came to hear God.

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It's a waste of time to just hear a human.

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We want to hear the voice of God.

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We wanna be touched by the spirit of God.

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We want to commune with like-minded people

of faith, so the spirit moves among us.

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And so let's listen to the word of God

this morning as Jesus shared this story.

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Now on his way to Jerusalem,

Jesus traveled along the border

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between Samaria and Galilee.

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Interesting.

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He didn't go through Samaria this time.

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When he reached out to the woman at

the, well, he went through Samir,

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but here he goes between both places.

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As he was going into a village,

10 men who had leprosy met him.

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They stood at a distance and

called out in a loud voice.

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Jesus Master have pity or mercy on us.

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Some nights when you're really

hurting, you can't get to sleep.

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You got a lot on your

mind and on your heart.

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A lot of burdens.

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This is a great prayer.

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Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

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You can expound it.

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It can be Lord Jesus Christ,

have mercy on me, a sinner.

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But I just say have mercy.

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'cause I like to make it a breath prayer.

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And the shorter the sentence,

the better the breathing.

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Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on it.

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Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on it.

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Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on it.

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Cry mercy.

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Don't beg for justice.

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Don't beg for something

you think you deserve.

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We're not entitled.

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It's a gift of grace and

love and mercy for God to pay

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attention to us, his creation.

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And so this was the right heart.

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This is the right attitude.

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This is the way to approach

the divine in humility.

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Have mercy on us.

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And so he says to 'em in verse

14, when he saw them, he said,

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go show yourselves to the priest.

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As they went, they were cleansed.

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Seems like there's always some act of

obedience that God wants, that Jesus

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wanted for people to get truly cleansed.

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And when people aren't willing to humble

themselves and put themselves on the

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altar, put themselves out there to

trust and obey, you don't get healed.

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But they got healed 'cause

they trusted and they obeyed.

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He sent 'em to the priest.

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'cause they can't be a part of the

community without the priest who wasn't

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a doctor, but he was a health inspector.

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He did decide whether they could

be a part of the community or not.

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And he did have to cleanse them.

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And he did have to receive

their sacrifice to be cleansed.

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And I don't know where these poor

people were gonna get three lambs, two

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male lambs and a female lamb to offer.

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But that's what they had to do when

they went to the priest to be healed.

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Then they could become a

part of the community again.

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So Jesus is sending them to have

fellowship, be a part of the community.

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Hold on to that thought as

we talk about gratitude.

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Let's keep reading though.

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All right.

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He goes on and says, verse 15, one of

them when he saw he was healed came back.

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Praising God in a loud voice,

so he's hollering and screaming

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and getting Jesus' attention.

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He threw himself at Jesus' feet and

he thanked him and he was a Samaritan.

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Now we've heard a little bit

about what Samaritans were.

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They were half Jewish

and half something else.

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When the Assyrians conquered

the promised land, that's how

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they conquered the people.

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They intermarried them, interbred 'em.

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They could not rise up again against them.

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And so they would intermingle all these

different peoples that they conquered.

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The good thing the Babylonians didn't

do that, so they just took the Jews off

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into exile and they brought 'em back.

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And so we still had the tribe of

David, so Jesus could be pure in

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blood, but not the Samaritans.

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They were intermixed, but they also

worshiped two golden calfs Jar Bowen.

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One of the judges won the first Kings.

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And not Kings.

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One of the first judges built not

just one golden calf, but two, and

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that's what the Samaritans worshiped.

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And so they were pagans.

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So the, the Jews who worshiped

Yahweh looked down on them,

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looked at 'em with disgust, and

so Jesus is a little surprised.

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Hey, the only person with gratitude

and thankfulness is a Samaritan.

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There are some Jews that I healed.

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Where are they?

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Well, they wanted to get back

to their families so much.

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In fact, I, I read a little

something this week about what were

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some of the reasons the other, uh,

uh, uh, folks didn't come back.

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And, uh, I'm not even

gonna read 'em to you.

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They disgusted me, so I probably

shouldn't share 'em with you.

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You know, they just said, well, I,

I was getting better anyway, so I

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didn't really need to be healed.

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You know, it's amazing

we come up with things.

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And reasons not to be grateful

to God, and sometimes it's,

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well, I deserve to be healed.

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Anyway, mercy.

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Mercy.

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But he was a Samaritan.

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So in verse 17, Jesus asked,

we're not all 10 cleansed.

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Where are the other nine was no

one found to return and give praise

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to God except this foreigner.

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Then he said to him, rise and go.

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Your faith, your faith has made you well.

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So I wanna propose something

to us this morning.

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All right.

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I wanna propose that this, uh,

that faith produces gratitude,

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but also gratitude produces faith.

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I studied with a single for almost

three years, one of the member's sons.

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That, uh, had left the

church and he came back.

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He's willing to get with me and

I mean, I studied everything

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I knew to study with him.

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I went through the study

series a couple times.

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I made up studies.

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I'd find something to study with

him every Tuesday morning and

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he just couldn't develop faith.

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Well, now he's developed faith.

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He's in, uh, Rio de Janeiro.

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He's going to church.

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It's, uh, very exciting.

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His brother came back from

college into our congregation.

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He's one of the song leaders there.

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This is what I should have known.

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I wish I'd have known when I

studied with you that faith produces

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gratitude, but the opposite is true

also, gratitude produces faith.

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There's a positive

psychology, uh, approach.

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It's a science these days

in, uh, scholarship and

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it's studying transcendence.

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It's just the academic way to say

God and to get around talking about.

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God and faith in the academy, and one of

the elements of that they found that you

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have to have, if you're gonna appreciate

and, and, and believe in transcendent

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or other words, the divine is gratitude.

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If we're not grateful

people, we can't see God.

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We can't know God.

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God will be far from us.

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We'll be distant if you

are a grumpy old man.

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If you're a grumpy old woman, if you're

a grumpy young man, if you're a grumpy

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young woman, you can't have faith.

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You won't see or believe or appreciate

the miracles that are all around us.

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You won't see the divine

or the transcendent.

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It, this emoji won't mean

to you what it means to me.

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Right.

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I mean, at first I just thought it

meant prayer, but it's, it's, it's the,

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it's the emoji for thanks or gratitude.

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It looks like prayer to

me though, doesn't it?

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To you anyway.

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I don't know who made that up,

but it, but the other one who, who

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knows this other symbol is a symbol.

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For gratitude too.

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How, how many of you knew that?

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Raise your hand if you knew that.

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Well, I'm a little surprised.

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It, it's a Hawaiian, it's

a, it's an Asian symbol.

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All right.

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And it's, they both mean gratitude,

but gratitude produces faith.

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And faith produces gratitude.

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In first, Alians five in verse

18, it says, give thanks in all

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circumstances, even the bad ones.

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For this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus for you.

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I don't know about you, but

a lot of my life came easy.

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I was blessed with athletic ability.

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I was blessed with academic talent.

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I was blessed to be good looking enough.

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Alright?

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Yeah.

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I got the cheerleader.

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So it, it, it, I, it, you know.

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Don't sell me short.

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Okay?

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Don't sell me short.

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But then at some point in my

life, things didn't keep coming

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so easy and going so well.

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Everybody hits the wall.

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At some point in your life,

you get some kind of accident,

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some kind of disappointment,

some type of shattered dream.

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It hits everybody.

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Nobody has it all.

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This scripture still reads, give thanks.

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In all circumstances, gratitude is

to give goodness and grace to others.

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Are we really, truly grateful?

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What does it take to be grateful?

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I researched it a little bit.

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I guess it's easier for me

to be grateful than for some

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people 'cause I'm an extrovert.

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Alright?

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I go to McDonald's.

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I don't sit down by myself.

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I find somebody I can be friends

with, a relatively friendly stranger.

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That's what I look for.

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All right?

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And I get into some of the

best conversations, all right?

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And my kids think this is a little weird.

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My wife thinks it's very weird, but

what's weird to me is sitting there

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by myself like a loser, you know?

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So I sit with people.

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I'm not a loser.

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All right?

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And, and I have to break the eyes.

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You sit down there like, you

know what they're thinking.

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They don't say it, but

what are you doing here?

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You know, and I, I ask

them, can I sit down?

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And, and it's a little

easier at Costco, all right?

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I mean, it's got the

best lunch in the world.

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Dollar 50, hot dog and coke.

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All right.

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I did it twice this week.

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All right?

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I mean, you gotta be

frugal in the kingdom.

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Okay?

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No, I got sent on errands

and I was there, and so I.

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I, and both times the Dodgers won.

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So now I gotta go to Costco when,

whenever they have a big game.

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All right.

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But I, I did the same thing.

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I sat down with somebody and it's a

little awkward at first, and they,

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I then, then we get chatty and I

always ask 'em, Hey, will, will you

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watch my stuff while I get a drink?

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And then they figure out why I

want, wanna sit with somebody.

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And I have great conversation.

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Extroversion helps you to be grateful.

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That just means social.

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Be nice to people.

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Be social openness to experience.

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This one I have to work on a little bit.

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You know, I go to a nice place

for dinner, I order a steak.

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Kathy goes, don't you want

to try something different?

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Nope, I want a steak.

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You know, it looks like they have

some really cool other things.

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Greg, why don't you get

something different?

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Nope, I wanna stay.

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Why spend that much money and not like it.

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Right.

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And so I need to be more open to new

experiences so I can be grateful.

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Agreeableness some people, they

choose not to be agreeable, you know?

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I'm just playing devil's advocate.

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No, you're just being a devil.

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Okay.

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That was strong.

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You're just being demon like.

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Right.

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I mean, it it is, it's

as if it's an, okay.

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I'm just playing the devil's advocate.

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Well, don't ever play the devil.

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All right.

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Play the Christian.

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How about, all right,

agreeableness conscientiousness.

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That just means you, you do

what you say you're gonna do.

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You're disciplined about it.

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You're a hard worker.

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And then the opposite.

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What hurts us to be grateful is

being negative, being neurotic.

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That encompasses a lot of things.

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Worrying about stuff, having fear of

the future, having anxiety, letting

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things get us down, being, this is

from the National Institute of Health.

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I want us to be grateful

as a congregation.

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I want this us to be known.

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I want us to be able

to count our blessings.

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I can do everything through

him who gives me strength.

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Paul says in Philippians,

this is the secret.

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You wanna be happy?

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He says, I found this secret to

be content in every situation.

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I can do all things through

him who gives me strength.

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As Christians, we can be grateful people

because we have the Holy Spirit of God.

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Amen.

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We got it.

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We got, we got baptized, and in

Jesus Christ, just don't quit it.

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I think at first I thought,

well, okay, now I'm Christian.

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I should just be happy,

self controlled, loving.

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Peaceful, you know, kind all those things.

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Now you gotta feed the spirit

a little bit, all right?

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You can't starve the spirit, you know?

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And that's a little bit of a bummer.

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I wish God would just zap us

when he gives us the Holy Spirit.

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Just fill us completely up with

it to overflowing, so then we

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all get along in the church.

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No, we gotta fuel the spirit.

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We gotta feed it.

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In many ways, we can do all things.

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So count your blessings.

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:

During this sermon, write down

things you're grateful for.

408

:

Big things and little things you know.

409

:

Every morning.

410

:

I thank God for my warm shower.

411

:

So have you not had warm

showers most of your life?

412

:

Greg?

413

:

You know, I've had warm showers

most of my life, but I went to

414

:

Russia for a period of time and just

to have a shower was a blessing.

415

:

It was never warm and oh, can you sing

loud or high when you're in a shower

416

:

with cold water and you can dance in

the shower when you have cold water,

417

:

but you're just so sick of yourself, you

wanna get clean, you don't care whether

418

:

it's hot or cold, you just shower.

419

:

And then if you get a towel and

and their towels are our dish rags.

420

:

All right.

421

:

At least back in the early days, you know,

they give you just this little bitty rag.

422

:

Well, that works for some

of you, but look at me.

423

:

All right.

424

:

I'm a little on the larger side.

425

:

All right?

426

:

I need, I need a couple dish towels.

427

:

All right.

428

:

And so every morning I

thank God for my shower.

429

:

I thank God for my, my, my, my towel.

430

:

And my wife makes the

towel smells so good.

431

:

I mean, I don't know

if it's downy or tight.

432

:

I don't know what it

is, but it smells good.

433

:

It's easy for me to be grateful and, and

then I step out and I step on a carpet,

434

:

a nice s rug, and it's, you know, when

you have old feet, you like carpet.

435

:

To walk around the house on the,

on the, the tile and the floor.

436

:

I gotta put on my house shoes.

437

:

I got old feet.

438

:

Oh no.

439

:

This is the youth service.

440

:

I can't admit that.

441

:

All right.

442

:

No, I had a, a therapist.

443

:

He was my counseling supervisory.

444

:

He said, Greg, I want you for 30 days.

445

:

The first day to think of one

thing you're grateful for.

446

:

Second day, two things.

447

:

Third day, three things.

448

:

By the time you get to the 30th

day, that's exponential growth.

449

:

It's having to think of a lot of things.

450

:

And he said I couldn't repeat myself

451

:

and I had to work hard to, to do that

assignment, and he held me accountable.

452

:

But it helped me to be grateful,

you know, the best thing that helped

453

:

me to be grateful and I'm, I'm

almost ashamed to say this to you.

454

:

I have to tell you, working

in a hospital for eight years

455

:

with very, very sick people,

456

:

I'd leave the hospital every day

and I'd just have to say a prayer.

457

:

I'd be so full of emotions and stuff.

458

:

I'd seen so much during just one day.

459

:

Deaths and heartache and

heartbreak and bad diagnosis.

460

:

Mistakes even in medicine and I'd

have to just, just get it out.

461

:

Before I drove the first year,

I didn't do that, had three car

462

:

accidents in the winter 'cause my

head was in a just somewhere else.

463

:

I must have not seen those stoplights.

464

:

I just kept going.

465

:

And on the ice you needed to stop

about two blocks ahead back, you

466

:

know, I slid a whole block once.

467

:

The people in Nebraska are so nice though.

468

:

They got out and said, oh, I'm so sorry.

469

:

I said, well, it's my fault.

470

:

You should be sorry.

471

:

And they said, yeah, we saw you come.

472

:

I slid that whole block too,

but there was nobody in front

473

:

of me, so I didn't hit 'em.

474

:

I saw you come and I knew

you were gonna hit me.

475

:

I'm so sorry I was here.

476

:

Well now say it.

477

:

I'm sorry you're there too.

478

:

But couldn't have hit

a nicer guy, you know?

479

:

The Midwest people, if, if you haven't

met 'em, they're very sweet people.

480

:

Count your blessings, brothers,

sisters, count the big

481

:

things and the little things.

482

:

Don't just focus on the

things you don't have.

483

:

Don't be an entitled, stuck up person.

484

:

All right?

485

:

And if and if you are, maybe

someone will disciple you.

486

:

Okay?

487

:

Let's be grateful.

488

:

Let's count our blessings.

489

:

You know, I, I, I decided I'm

gonna count some of my blessings.

490

:

First.

491

:

Food.

492

:

I like milk.

493

:

I do not like cereal without

milk, but I like cereal with milk.

494

:

I like water, especially cold water.

495

:

I like bread and I have to beg my

wife not to just buy wheat bread.

496

:

I like white.

497

:

No.

498

:

Good for you.

499

:

White toast, right?

500

:

I like pasta.

501

:

I love salad.

502

:

I really like ice cream.

503

:

The Dairy queen is way

too close to our house.

504

:

I like chicken.

505

:

I love eggs.

506

:

I love fruit.

507

:

I thought about shelter.

508

:

Ah, a good bed.

509

:

A good bed.

510

:

There's nothing better.

511

:

All right.

512

:

A good shower, good washer, dryer, light.

513

:

I'm a person of light.

514

:

I don't know why, but I, if it's, if

it's dim, I gotta turn on all the lights.

515

:

Let there be light.

516

:

I don't live in darkness.

517

:

I don't live in gray.

518

:

All right.

519

:

Let there be light.

520

:

I like television.

521

:

I like patios.

522

:

I like my couch.

523

:

I like refrigerators a lot,

524

:

just counting my blessings up here.

525

:

Clothing, I like shirts, pants,

belts, coats, shoes, hats.

526

:

I like gloves too.

527

:

It would get cold up in Antelope

Valley, 2,500 feet above.

528

:

One night I spent about 30 minutes

chasing the wind to get my glove.

529

:

Really nice leather driving glove.

530

:

I wasn't gonna lose that thing,

but the wind was a little

531

:

faster than me for a while.

532

:

Praise God for weeds,

gloves, scarf, boots, gifts.

533

:

I like sight.

534

:

I'm blind in this eye.

535

:

All of you over here,

you can make fun of me.

536

:

I won't even know it, right?

537

:

I like sight.

538

:

I like my brain.

539

:

I like energy.

540

:

I like health.

541

:

I've not always been healthy

in the last few years.

542

:

I'm glad I have health.

543

:

I'm glad I'm coordinated.

544

:

It stinks to fall down a lot.

545

:

Family, conscience,

salvation, especially heart.

546

:

Make your list, make it simple.

547

:

Appreciate the most minor things.

548

:

Amen.

549

:

I'm gonna give you a scripture here that

you can go over in your quiet times,

550

:

Psalms one 16, and I'm just gonna list

off, read these and make these points.

551

:

I really want you to embody those scr,

these scriptures, though, I want you to

552

:

dwell on one a day for the next 20 days.

553

:

It takes 28 days to form a

habit, so do eight of them twice.

554

:

All right?

555

:

The ones you really like.

556

:

Psalms one 16 verse one.

557

:

I'm grateful that God listens to me.

558

:

I love the Lord for he heard my voice.

559

:

He heard my cry.

560

:

For what?

561

:

Mercy.

562

:

He won't hear your complaining.

563

:

Oh, he'll listen to that.

564

:

Your requests.

565

:

You, you've cried for mercy.

566

:

Psalms 1 16 2.

567

:

Grateful that God cares because

he turned his ear to me.

568

:

I will call on him as long as he lived.

569

:

Most of the world doesn't

care, but God cares.

570

:

He's my best friend.

571

:

I hope he becomes yours completely.

572

:

Verse three, I'm grateful.

573

:

God understands the cords

of death and entangled me.

574

:

The anguish of the grave came over me.

575

:

I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

576

:

I had open, I not open heart

surgery, but I had a heart

577

:

surgery where they put two stents.

578

:

And I had, I've had it twice and

the first time they put me out,

579

:

and so the second time they said,

Hey, do you wanna stay awake?

580

:

And well, okay.

581

:

Bad decision.

582

:

Bad decision, all right.

583

:

Because I'd been in emergency

rooms, I've been in trauma bays

584

:

hundreds, thousands of times.

585

:

And at some point in the

surgery, I flatlined.

586

:

I felt my chest almost explode.

587

:

I heard what they were saying and I knew

what that meant, that they were losing me.

588

:

I thought, this is it.

589

:

I'm ready.

590

:

I'm ready.

591

:

Lord, I wish I were asleep, but I'm ready.

592

:

And they, their medicines, their

pressors, all those things worked.

593

:

They brought me back.

594

:

I'm grateful.

595

:

God cares.

596

:

I'm grateful.

597

:

He understands.

598

:

I'm grateful.

599

:

He saves.

600

:

Verse four, then I called

on the name of the Lord.

601

:

Lord, save me.

602

:

Yes, I did pray that.

603

:

Verse five.

604

:

He says, I'm grateful, God's gracious.

605

:

The Lord is gracious and righteous.

606

:

Our God is full of compassion.

607

:

Not that many people

are full of compassion.

608

:

They have some compassion, they have some

empathy, but everybody has their limits.

609

:

But praise God, he doesn't have a limit.

610

:

Praise God.

611

:

He'll keep forgiving me

70 times seven times.

612

:

Seven times seven.

613

:

I'm grateful, God's gracious.

614

:

Verse six, I'm grateful.

615

:

God protects.

616

:

I don't know how many times

I've needed protection.

617

:

God's angels have probably just kept cars

in their lane when they were thinking

618

:

about coming over and smashing me.

619

:

You know, we don't even know how

much we've been protected, but I

620

:

believe this verse that God protects

the Lord, protects the unwary.

621

:

When I was brought low, he saved me.

622

:

Verse seven, God, I'm grateful.

623

:

God is good.

624

:

I know Satan's not good.

625

:

I hate Satan.

626

:

I hate how he causes, tries to destroy us.

627

:

I hate Satan.

628

:

You should, if you're a preacher, you

know if, if you, if you don't believe

629

:

what you're pushing, you shouldn't do it.

630

:

All right?

631

:

So I hate Satan and I love God, and

these are some of the reasons, but

632

:

I'm grateful that my God is good.

633

:

Return to your rest, my

soul for the Lord has been.

634

:

Good to you.

635

:

Look back over your life folks

and count your blessings, and

636

:

if you don't think there's been

enough, it could have been worse.

637

:

Could have been worse.

638

:

That's what was good about

working in the hospital.

639

:

It was their worst day and

it was not my worst day.

640

:

There's so much to be grateful for.

641

:

If you're not a grateful person,

you need to go start being around

642

:

people that have it harder than you.

643

:

You're an entitled person.

644

:

I would ask you to go serve.

645

:

You need to go with Martine and cross

the border down to Tijuana and see

646

:

how some people are having to live.

647

:

We live in paradise.

648

:

We have it good.

649

:

I'm grateful God delivers for you.

650

:

Lord have delivered me from death, my eyes

from tears, and my feet from stumbling.

651

:

Verse nine.

652

:

I'm grateful God heals that

I may walk before the Lord.

653

:

In the land of the living.

654

:

I mean, it wasn't less than a year ago.

655

:

I didn't know if I was gonna live through

cancer and some nights I wanted to die.

656

:

It was so painful and I hated waking

my wife up, moaning 'cause I was

657

:

in pain and you know it passed and

I shouldn't have been such a baby.

658

:

I shouldn't have been so fearful I

shouldn't have been so faithless.

659

:

But when you're in the

midst of it, you feel it.

660

:

It's real.

661

:

You can't just say, go to sleep

662

:

'cause you can't sleep and

your head races ahead of you.

663

:

But I am grateful.

664

:

Verse 10.

665

:

That God responds.

666

:

I trusted in the Lord when I

said I am greatly afflicted.

667

:

Verse 11.

668

:

I'm grateful that God overlooks

some of my complaints in my alarm.

669

:

I said, everyone's a liar.

670

:

There was a time I quit

the ministry for a year.

671

:

I didn't think it was worth it anymore.

672

:

Everybody in church seemed ungrateful

and I had spent myself for 25 years.

673

:

10 to 15 hour days, 60, 70 hours weeks,

you know, trying to build up the church.

674

:

It was right after the letter.

675

:

It was a very difficult time in

our churches and I said, I'm done.

676

:

But you know when God has a

destiny for you, he doesn't.

677

:

Here.

678

:

I'm done.

679

:

He said, you'll be back a year later.

680

:

I was back.

681

:

I thought the easiest job in

ministry would be a little church.

682

:

I was stupid.

683

:

A little church is the

hardest job in our movement.

684

:

I was the only one on staff.

685

:

I was the janitor, secretary,

administrator, broom

686

:

sweeper, trash taker, outer.

687

:

I was everything.

688

:

I was a toilet cleaner.

689

:

I mean, I'd go to this building

and it was freezing cold.

690

:

I'd turn on the heat.

691

:

It had no windows.

692

:

They were up above.

693

:

All you could see is the storms,

Nebraska and the winter sucks.

694

:

All right.

695

:

Not supposed to use that word.

696

:

I apologize.

697

:

Amen.

698

:

We

699

:

have it good.

700

:

Grateful that God responds.

701

:

Verse 10, verse 11.

702

:

Grateful that God overlooks.

703

:

Don't be negative, don't be critical.

704

:

Verse 12, grateful that God waits.

705

:

What shall I return to the Lord

for all his goodness to me?

706

:

Verse 13.

707

:

Grateful that God is powerful.

708

:

I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the Lord.

709

:

Verse 14.

710

:

Grateful Gods has promises for us.

711

:

I will fulfill my vows to the

Lord in the presence of his

712

:

people because he's promised me.

713

:

And if I'll fulfill my vows,

he'll be faithful to me.

714

:

God shows himself faithful

to those who are faithful.

715

:

Can I get Amen?

716

:

Amen.

717

:

Verse 1915.

718

:

Grateful God prepares.

719

:

Precious in the sight of the Lord is

the death of his faithful servants.

720

:

We'd like for him to hold off

a little bit, but it is awesome

721

:

to go to a Christian's funeral.

722

:

You know, I, I've had to do

some funerals of non-Christians

723

:

and I can't leave the grave.

724

:

Everybody leaves and I gotta stay

there, and I finally get on my knees

725

:

and I pray for God's grace to extend.

726

:

Pray for mercy.

727

:

I pray against.

728

:

All hope in some ways at

times is I just can't stand.

729

:

Somebody wouldn't be right with

God, and at that point it's over.

730

:

It's not up to me.

731

:

It's up to God.

732

:

But I can't leave till I pray.

733

:

I'm grateful.

734

:

God's prepared you and me.

735

:

Verse 16, grateful God free.

736

:

Truly, I'm your servant Lord.

737

:

I serve you just as my mother did.

738

:

You have freed me from my chains.

739

:

Now dads, I'm sorry, he didn't

say dads, he said mothers.

740

:

My dad left the church for 35 years.

741

:

He came back.

742

:

He was saved for three years, and he

died the greatest miracle in this little

743

:

bitty church of Christ in Grand Junction.

744

:

They just, they were thrilled

that Joe Murky came back.

745

:

They put a little sticker on a, on

a, on a pew with a, a headphone.

746

:

He couldn't hear that well, so they,

they, they had his place for him.

747

:

That was just such a victory.

748

:

'cause Sue was there Sunday

morning, Sunday night, Wednesday

749

:

night, all those years by herself.

750

:

So when Joe came back, it was one of

the greatest victories of the church.

751

:

It was a great victory for me too.

752

:

My mother's the one that gave

me the faith, not my dad.

753

:

Moms don't ever give up on your kids.

754

:

Stay spiritual parents.

755

:

Lead your kids.

756

:

Don't let your kids lead you.

757

:

All four of us boys left.

758

:

Mother kept going.

759

:

I came back.

760

:

Then another one came back.

761

:

Finally.

762

:

The worst one came back and

then the oldest one that we

763

:

never thought would come back.

764

:

He goes to church now more than I do.

765

:

It's my job.

766

:

Moms hang in there.

767

:

I don't know.

768

:

I'll just give you my opinion.

769

:

I think women are more spiritual than men.

770

:

Yeah, it's been my experience

45 years in ministry.

771

:

I'm sorry, brothers.

772

:

I wish I could say differently.

773

:

I'm a man.

774

:

I'm not picking on you.

775

:

All right.

776

:

It's just the way it is.

777

:

It's the way it is.

778

:

Verse 17.

779

:

I'm grateful.

780

:

God accepts us.

781

:

I will sacrifice the thank offering to

you and call on your name, verse 18.

782

:

I'm grateful that he receives this.

783

:

I will fulfill my vows to the Lord

in the presence of all his people.

784

:

And then verse 19.

785

:

I'm glad that God is always present.

786

:

He arrives on time in the courts of the

house of the Lord in your midst Jerusalem.

787

:

Praise the Lord.

788

:

God listens.

789

:

He cares.

790

:

He understands.

791

:

He saves.

792

:

He's gracious.

793

:

He protects, he's good.

794

:

He delivers.

795

:

He heals.

796

:

He responds.

797

:

He overlooks, he waits.

798

:

He's powerful.

799

:

He promises, he prepares, he frees,

he accepts, he receives, he arrives,

800

:

and all of this says he blesses us.

801

:

So let's count those blessings.

802

:

Amen.

803

:

Amen.

804

:

What are some action items?

805

:

How can you foster gratitude?

806

:

In your life.

807

:

Write it down.

808

:

Are you giving us homework?

809

:

Yeah.

810

:

I'm Dr.

811

:

Greg.

812

:

I'm a professor.

813

:

You bet.

814

:

I, I've been given so much homework

too to get, to get done with all

815

:

that school that now I gotta turn

around and give you the favor.

816

:

All right, so here's a little homework

journal the things you're grateful for.

817

:

Writing it down is powerful.

818

:

Do some acts of kindness.

819

:

I mean, next time you go to Starbucks,

pay for the garb behind you.

820

:

Leave them an extra and say,

whatever's left, I just tip you.

821

:

You know?

822

:

Or give them a big tip,

give them a five, a 10.

823

:

I won't be able to, but if

you can't give them a 20.

824

:

All right.

825

:

An act of kindness.

826

:

Identifying strengths.

827

:

Do you tell other people

how great they are?

828

:

I wish I could.

829

:

I don't, I can't say some of

the nice things I'd like to say.

830

:

People think I might be flirting

or something, so I can't say it.

831

:

You know?

832

:

I can tell my grand babies.

833

:

I can tell my wife, oh,

your hair looks great.

834

:

Oh, you look so cute.

835

:

Yeah.

836

:

But maybe you can say it.

837

:

Women can say it to women.

838

:

Men can say it to me.

839

:

Oh, you look so cute, brother.

840

:

I had to wake you up.

841

:

Last one.

842

:

Mindfulness and engagement.

843

:

I don't know about you,

but I take deep breaths.

844

:

I try to stay in the moment.

845

:

I strive to be mindful and aware.

846

:

Of the situation.

847

:

I'm not one of these guys

that it comes natural.

848

:

I don't see the wind

blowing before it hits me.

849

:

Some people see it coming.

850

:

I'm trying to be more in the moment and

aware 'cause it helps you to be grateful.

851

:

Just a few thi few

things to leave you with.

852

:

Be grateful creation, ever struggling

with your depression or anxiety or fears.

853

:

Go to the beach, sit there.

854

:

Water keeps pounding in, boom, boom, boom.

855

:

It just makes you forget your problems.

856

:

It's so beautiful.

857

:

You stare at a while

and think, is that real?

858

:

That that, that looks like a picture.

859

:

That is so beautiful.

860

:

Guys, we live in one of the most

beautiful places in all the world.

861

:

Be grateful for small things.

862

:

Be grateful for life.

863

:

You know, I'm grateful I can walk.

864

:

I'm grateful I can pick things up.

865

:

I'm grateful I can move.

866

:

You know, be grateful

for the little things.

867

:

Be grateful for life.

868

:

Be grateful for God's promises.

869

:

If you ever start thinking God isn't

good enough, start reading the promises.

870

:

Get a book.

871

:

Get one of Max's books.

872

:

He's a friend of mine.

873

:

Get help him.

874

:

Get a little richer.

875

:

Buy Max Lucado's book, right?

876

:

And read about the promises.

877

:

He's got away with words.

878

:

He turns phrases.

879

:

He's a good writer.

880

:

All right?

881

:

And he is a good man.

882

:

Be grateful for the promises.

883

:

Be grateful for the blessings, and

be grateful you're going to heaven.

884

:

There's a lot of bad things and

rough things going on right now.

885

:

Don't dwell on them.

886

:

Don't get sucked down.

887

:

Don't let the dogs get you down.

888

:

I blow 'em off.

889

:

I'm gonna stay positive.

890

:

I'm gonna stay happy.

891

:

I'm gonna stay helpful.

892

:

I'm gonna be grateful.

893

:

I'm not gonna go to the dark side

and haven't you guys seen Star Wars?

894

:

Come on.

895

:

Come on.

896

:

I'm more than done.

897

:

God bless you people.

898

:

Let's be grateful.

899

:

Amen.

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