Happy Thanksgiving!

The spirit of Christian giving was everywhere as annual Thanksgiving Day meals were provided for the homeless at numerous faith-based organizations along Downtown Los Angeles' Skid Row. The L.A. Mission had it's usual large showing of celebrities including regulars Kurt Douglas and his wife, Ann, who served up all the fixings to crowds of 2,500 or more. The mayor served up food at the Midnight Mission's Thanksgiving blessing and the Union Rescue Missionhad the Bold and the Beautiful cast and many other local or community players serving up or donating for the event.

I paid tribute to the memory of my late brother (a chef) by donating $2.03 to provide one homeless person a meal this Thanksgiving at the L.A. Mission. I plan to do the same this Christmas for all the Thanksgivings and Christmases to come. $2.03 is a small amount (the cost of a soda and a small bag of chips from the vending machine --my favs) so please consider doing the same if there is a local neighborhood food bank or charity that you can bless. See how to donate to L.A. Mission if interested but especially watch the videos linked below especially the one with the chef speaking about the empty food pantry as well as the video testimonials from the men whose lives and souls have been saved. www.losangelesmission.org/Media/VideoArchive/FoodPantry.aspx
Considering the circumstances, the Bible verse below is very fitting:

Isaiah 25:6-10 (NIV)
6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;
8 He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

My Thanksgiving:
After Tuesday on Skid Row, I decided to have a quiet Thanksgiving dinner at home just like last year. I added some seasonal decor to my apartment and cooked and baked but mostly I just spent time praising God and being thankful that I am truly blessed! I also played (quite appropriately) Mary, Mary's Thankful CD all day and I hummed and sang along as I cooked. Later, I took a brief break from the kitchen and headed poolside for a brief sunning as I listened to Rodrigo Rodriguez's flamenco gospel instrumental CD titled, Inspired By You. The sunning was truly brief as most of the time I was in a parka due to the unseasonably and unbelievably frigid conditions here in California. Again, spent a lot of time in the word seeking the Lord's view on thanksgiving and service to the needy and poor.

More good Thanksgiving Day scriptures:
John 21: 15-17 (Feed My Sheep),

Isaiah 58:10, Isaiah 14:30 (God's promise of provision for the poor and the needy), Psalm 126:3 The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy. AND

Proverbs 22:9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor

I also found a nice Thanksgivings Day Prayer about.com/Christianity.

We Give Thanks
Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ,
Our Heavenly Father.
--Harry Jewell

Be blessed and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Shoes That Fit At CCCO

I volunteered with over 50 members of my church and over 200 total volunteers for the 12th annual Shoes That Fit event at L.A. Central City Community Outreach (CCCO)(6th and San Pedro) on Tuesday November 23rd. Shoes That Fit is held every year around Thanksgiving by CCCO, which is a Christian non-profit dedicated to serving the homeless or under-privileged in Los Angeles' Skid Row including an after-school program for children with mentoring. For this event, they provided shoes, clothing, entertainment, a quick meal of hot dogs and snacks plus boxed groceries for a Thanksgiving meal for the children and their families.

We started the event with a group prayer for all the volunteers where we sincerely asked for God's Holy Spirit presence so that we could do His work for the event then we were off. I was on face painting and entertainment duties outside and I met and greeted as much children and parents in line as I could. I spoke my version of Spanish and joked or sang with them until everyone smiled. My heart broke many times as the line was very long and it was so cold and blustery outside (made even worst by the wind-chill factor). Sadly, most of the kids were not dressed warm enough to be out in the elements but their parents were so desperate to get them some shoes, clothing and a meal that only 2 families actually left out of the hundreds in line.

The sun left at about 4:00 pm too so it got even colder and I had to keep running inside to search the donated bins for blankets and scarfs for the babies, kids and even for some moms who were outside. I also used the time inside searching for clothing to warm up my body and to warm up my heart and spirit through prayer and supplication to the Lord for the homeless and needy throngs outside. Although I have worked with kids and families in similar situations before, L.A. has the worst homeless situation I have ever seen ,and with the down economy, the problem just seems to be growing.

Still it was a very up-lifting event as every child left smiling and styling as they sported their new shoes, fly hoodies, princess or spider-man face paint and their plate full of goodies. I even got a few hugs from the pint-sized blessings! It really makes me reflect though on what being thankful and Christian service to the needy is really about and what God 's word has to say about it.

John 21:15 American International Translation

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," Peter replied, "you know I love you." "Then feed my lambs (spiritual babes)," Jesus told him.

I hope we did just that!

Learn more about L.A. Central City at www.lacentralcity.org and see video from the event at http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7807067

Thanksgivings Day and The Campaign of Israel

I am so thankful this Thanksgiving! Though I was not able to travel home to see my relatives this Thanksgiving, God has certainly blessed me and provided for me mightily. I could not have asked for a better year! Below is a break down of how I spent my wonderful day:

First, it was a wonderful 83 degrees here in LA!
Second, I went to church at 10:00 am where they blessed loaves of bread for our Thanksgiving Day meal.
Third, I went Christmas shopping because all the stores were open. This was unlike the 2 previous Thanksgivings that I spent in LA and I can only attribute this to the state of the economy.

My Thanksgiving Meal:
After church, I raced home and baked both a carrot and a spice cake and I made an "ugly" pumpkin "poop" pie (see the pic "how pumpkin pie is made" e-mailed to me by one of my sister-in-laws). My turkey dinner was a quick TV dinner but I did my own, stuffing, mash, gravy, yams, corn and salad also known as "the fixings".

The Decor:
I had scented spice candles from last year and I got some orange fall flowers for a centerpiece. I incorporated a beautiful cross into a bow made of green shiny ribbon then I put out the blessed bread, a bowl of fruit including pomegranates, the cranberry sauce, cranberry drink, mash potatoes and some cheese as hor'dourves. I decorated the side board and placed all the deserts there and the whipped cream. Everything looked so good on display that I couldn't eat because I wanted it to stay exactly right(lol).

Giving Thanks:
I put out a little note card that said "Thank You, God" and one that said "Reserved". Then I dimmed the lights, lit the candle, played the songs "Come, Holy Spirit Come" and I gave thanks to the Almighty for all that He has blessed me with throughout!

The Music:
Remember these Thanksgiving songs?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3dXCL34aEA&feature=related

The Guests:
Even though I have spent 3 Thanksgivings here I have never felt alone thanks to...

My Church:
Thankfully, Living Faith Church is a strong Bible believing church. The bishops and pastors of the church make very strong prayers on our behalf and they know us all by name. They encourage us to have strong faith and to put our faith in action. They are truly a blessing. I am close to many members of my church and they have been a blessing to me this entire year, also. I go to church 2-3 times a week so I see them very often. Two of them are battling chronic back pain and transitioning careers so I am in good company. They pray and believe God for me constantly and I pray and believe God for them. Some of them invited me to their homes but I wanted a quiet day at home today, so I declined.

My Neighbors:
After I prayed over my Thanksgiving's Day meal, my neighbors and their kids showed up. They needed a turkey baster and they promised me a plate of food when it was all done. They came by on Friday as promised with the turkey and all the fixings including a slice of pecan pie! Two other neighbors are coming by with plates of left overs for me, too. My neighbors are a blessing all year round, also. During the summer time, some bring me fresh BBQ from the grill or bake me brownies. In Fall, others invite me to their apartments for dinner or we just hang around pool side and talk. Some take me out for special occasions, window shopping or for dinner and a movie. Others have even driven me to appointments a couple of times and saved me the cab fare. One even came to my rescue through the smoke when the apartment next door was on fire. Some of my neighbors are med students, residents or retired doctors so I get to talk a little shop and keep up on medical trends. Best of all, I get to hang out with all the neighbors' kids and talk pediatrics.

I thank God again for my church friends, my neighbors, my friends and mostly my family!

Hope your Thanksgivings Day was blessed!

******************************

By Franklin Graham
In times like these, when nations are desperate for someone they can trust, Christians know we can always find strength and hope in the Word of the Lord. He tells us through the Apostle Paul,

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NKJV)

Side Note:
The Campaign of Israel:
We at Living Faith Church are in the first week of our Campaign of Israel where we are seeking to have the Faith of Abraham and learn to sacrifice what is precious to us symbolically as Abraham did. I am fasting and praying and attending church 3 days a week I am also considering what financial sacrifice would be right to give. The pastors will take our sacrifices and prayer requests to mount Moriah in Israel just as Abraham did. The pastors are praying for us and I got the following 2 books that are helping me prepare scriptually and spiritually:

"The Faith of Abraham" and "Change Your Life Through Your Sacrifice" are both by Bishop Edir Macedo and can be purchased at www.livingfaith.org