Response to an Inquiry

To: Me
From: Justin (in the deep south)

“Dude, your obsession with this 5,000 gifts thing is making me do a double take on it. Explain to me again what this is all about? Oh, and looking for an album recommendation from you...I've got iTunes cash that's burning a hole in my virtual pocket...and since you're in my musical parallel universe...”

Justin –

To summarize:
This 5000 gifts thing is birthed out of our small church’s desire to live lives of worship far beyond the Sunday Church thing. It’s birthed out of questions like, “If every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights, then what exactly are these good and perfect gifts? What would change in our lives and our church if we were to spend far more time than we are currently spending looking for God’s good gifts?”

To unpack it a little bit more:
In addition to questions like the ones above, we think the exercise of finding God in our daily lives would go a long way into shaping how we view God and how we approach the life He’s given. If God is always at work in this world, then there are infinite number of places (including “dark” places) that I can find God’s good works in operation and If I stop long enough to identify those places, then God get’s honor, glory, praise and worship… which just happens to be what I’m created for.

I think the spiritual practice of gratitude has often been underrated and overshadowed……wait, hold on, I’m trying keep myself in check… I’m feel a long-winded blog coming on. Focus, Joe, focus…

So, Justin, the 5000 gifts project is a place that we can collectively tell of all of God’s wonders (Psalms 9). We recognize that a collection of “Thank You’s” couldn’t possibly tell of all God’s Wonders, but it’s sure if fun trying! At some point, the idea came to shoot for a massive, global list that goes far beyond our little community.

As far as an album to purchase:
Here’s a few that I wish I could buy, but It’s a high possibility that you already have these (or don’t care to own)

Over The Rhine: Drunkards Prayer through the latest, “The trumpet Child“
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City
The Cure: Festival 2005
David Crowder Band: Remedy
Van Morrison: The Best of Volume 3
John Mayer Trio: Try – live
Angels and Airwaves: I-Empire
Sinead O Conner: Theology

I Will Not Be Silent

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God,
I will give you thanks forever.
~ Psalm 30:11-12

I'm loving the 5000 gifts project because it allows a whole bunch of us to be much less silent about God. It allows people from around the world to collect a list of the wonders of God for all to see!

It's about not being silent about what God has given. It's about living lives of gratitude. It's about stopping long enough to ponder every good gift that comes down from our father in Heaven (Read the book of James).

Would you like to join us? We're officially Massive (over 2,000 gifts listed). We're officially international (Canada, USA, New Zealand, and Guatemala). We officially think that 5,000 "thank you's" is way too little considering how absolutely amazing our God is!

We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.
~ Psalms 75:1

I'm Grateful but That's not all I Feel

I look at that picture, and immediately I'm grateful (to God) that that's not me or my family in that situation. That is certainly a good thing to be thankful for.

Gatitude isn't the only thing I feel. I feel guilty, like I'm not doing 'enough'. I feel selfish. I sense arrogance in me. I feel spoiled. I feel out of touch with reality.

How do you feel? What do photos like this cause you to think about?

Thank You For Hearing Me

By Sinead O'Conner

Thank you for hearing me
Thank you for hearing me
Thank you for hearing me
Thank you for hearing me

Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me

Thank you for seeing me
Thank you for seeing me
Thank you for seeing me
Thank you for seeing me

And for not leaving me
And for not leaving me
And for not leaving me
And for not leaving me

Thank you for staying with me
Thank you for staying with me
Thank you for staying with me
Thank you for staying with me

Thanks for not hurting me
Thanks for not hurting me
Thanks for not hurting me
Thanks for not hurting me

You are gentle with me
You are gentle with me
You are gentle with me
You are gentle with me

Thanks for silence with me
Thanks for silence with me
Thanks for silence with me
Thanks for silence with me

Thank you for holding me
And saying "I could be"
Thank you for saying "Baby"
Thank you for holding me

Thank you for helping me
Thank you for helping me
Thank you for helping me
Thank you, thank you for helping me

Thank you for breaking my heart
Thank you for tearing me apart
Now I've a strong, strong heart
Thank you for breaking my heart

Lyrics posted without permission

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done

When upon life's billows
You are tempest tossed
When you are discouraged
Thinking all is lost
Count your many blessings
Name them one by one
And it will surprise you
What the Lord has done

Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done

Are you ever burdened
With a load of care
Does the cross seem heavy
You are called to bear
Count your many blessings
Every doubt will fly
And you will be singing
As the days go by

Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done

When you look at others
With their lands and gold
Think that Christ has promised
You His wealth untold
Count your many blessings
Money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven
Nor your home on high

Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done

So, amid the conflict
Whether great or small
Do not be discouraged
God is over all
Count your many blessings
Angels will attend
Help and comfort give you
To your journey's end

Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done

- Words by Johnson Oatman, 1897

My kids are Thankful

Last night, my daughter, Hope (6 yrs old) told me that she was thankful for her friends, for TV, for school and me.

Eddie, my son (3 years old) told me that he's thankful for the fan, the wall, lightning, funder (thunder) the screwdriver, his bed and the flash.

Below you can see a video of my kids saying what they are thankful for... videos are courtesy of Daniel Rhoten.

In everything give thanks for this is the will of God - Paul

All Gods Wonders

"I will give thanks to the Lord,
with all my heart, I will
tell of all your
wonders"

I am learning...
1. That telling about ALL God's wonders is actually impossible.
2. That I can't even identify God's wonders unless I slow down my life at certain points and think about them on purpose. This stuff doesn't happen by accident.
3. That I actually want to tell of all God's wonders. And I do mean ALL of them.
4. The 5000 gifts project is one of the most amazing ways that we can join together and tell the world of God's wonders.

Are you on the list, yet?

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being,
praise his holy name. Praise the Lord,
my soul, and forget not
all his benefits - "

Community Project #2 | 5,000 Gifts

The story of humanity is a story of God who has created good things. The scriptures are about a God that can’t be confined to spaces; a creator God that comes down to us; a giving God that is deeply Good. Anything, anywhere that is true or beautiful is from this amazing God. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father. It doesn’t matter where in the world we find this beauty, it’s a gift from God. Our ordinary, mundane lives are completely saturated with God’s good gifts.

I deeply believe that one of our biggest callings and challenges in life is to discover, uncover, or re-discover the God-given gifts in our mundane lives – which, in turn, creates a richness that is anything but mundane!

Be joyful always… give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

A thorough celebration of God in our ordinary lives will produce an experience that can’t be found in the greatest of church services.

What if we stopped often in our day to think about and celebrate every single gift from God that our minds can come up with? A certain smell? A special song? The doorknob on your front door – have you ever thanked God for that? What if we lived our whole life as worshippers? Because worship is exactly what I’m talking about. Every time we pause to notice what God has done for us, that’s worship – that’s praise – that’s thanksgiving.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

So, the questions start steam-rolling, “Am I living a life that is aware of the Gifts of God all around me? Are there hundreds or thousands of gifts that I’ve never even thought of? And if so, what would change in my life if I stopped often to celebrate God and His gifts too me?

I’d like to invite you to join a MASSIVE, GLOBAL THANK-YOU LIST TO GOD. You can find it at www.5000gifts.blogspot.com. It’s an experiment in gratitude.

Here’s the scoup: We want to collect 5,000 Thank-You’s in time for Thanksgiving Day.

• Go to the website to view the 500+ (at the time of this writing) Thank-you's and to submit your own gift list. It’s painless, it’s free, it’s good for the soul... and you can do it often.
  
• OR – just type a comment into this blog and I will post it on the site for you. If you use this option, it may make this page extra fun to come back too.
• My church is planning a huge celebration using the 5,000 (or more) gifts on November 18 (everyone is invited!). I’m inviting you to participate. I’m inviting your church to participate.
• I secretly hope that 5,000 gifts is too little. I’m hoping to laugh at myself for ever thinking so small.
• Would you tell everyone about this? Your friends, enemies, family, etc. Here is some code to place a banner on your blog, myspace, virb, or website. The banner is identical to the one above
  

Lastly, I’ve posted a video below. Background: If we have any sort of contact, you probably know that I’m rarely without my camera. One reason that I enjoy taking photos is so that I can capture moments, people, things that I’m grateful for. The video is simply a slide show of few things that I’m grateful for. Enjoy.

Are you on the List?