I have noticed something extraordinary going on in the world around me over the last few days — gratitude. Genuine, heart-felt, honest-to-goodness gratitude.I first noticed the paradigm shift on Thanksgiving morning, when I logged onto my Facebook account and looked over my friends’ updated statuses. In a forum where rants, complaining and cynicism normally abound, I saw something refreshingly different: gratitude.
For example…
[Friend] is thankful; though my wallet may be empty, my fridge is full, my life is full, and I want for nothing.
[Friend] The Lord has been faithful to my family and provided us with many blessings, for that I am very thankful.
[Friend] is truly blessed, and duly grateful.
There was not a single negative status among them!
The spirit of appreciation continued at church on Sunday. Person after person gave praise-filled testimonies about God’s goodness in their lives. Many, who by the world’s standards had every reason to complain, said that it was through the most difficult of circumstances when they saw His hand at work most clearly.
Now, of course, I’m not naïve. I know it’s not by coincidence that gratitude would make an appearance on a holiday revolving around “thanks.” And maybe, for some, the thankfulness will be short-lived as they return to the “real world” of work, running errands and finding the perfect gifts for everyone on their mile-long Christmas shopping list.
Even so, it was a heartwarming to see that for so many, Thanksgiving was still about more than turkeys and yams. It was still about more than football and extravagant parades. Thanksgiving was a time to remember the things that are most important to us — and the God who provided it all.
Thanksgiving is over, I know. But I pray the spirit of gratitude is not. I can think of no better way to head into the advent season than with a grateful heart.
Speaking of the things I love, here are a few of my favorite online features from the month of November:
Oh be careful little fingers what you type
Guest feature by Bradley Buhro ’95, as featured on Tiger Bytes
Bradley kicked off what turned out to be an extraordinary month of guest features with this insightful article about the permanent – and very public – nature of online posts. When you put something out in cyberspace, it’s out there, for the world to see, forevermore. The damage of those things we would have once muttered under our breath is now multiplied many times over when we choose to broadcast our private thoughts in a public forum.
Kinda makes you think twice about grumbling in your status, huh? Kinda makes me want to read this “Editor’s choice” over at least ten more times, lest I have to live with an embarrassing typo for eternity.
“God, please, not again!”
Guest feature by Tina Bruner, as featured on Tiger Bytes
Though awed by the clarity, Tina didn’t exactly jump for joy when God whispered, “adoption” in her ear one Sunday morning. The mother of sons ages 20 and 16, and having already gone through the arduous process of adopting an infant daughter from China just a few years prior, she knew she didn’t have the energy for another baby.
But God didn’t have a baby in mind.
In this powerful example of God’s providence and timing, Tina shares the journey she and her husband went through to meet their 11 year-old daughter.
In the habit of grace
As featured in the November issue of Alumni & Friends E-news
I loved this beautiful story about Sister Margaret Robbins, who doesn’t really care what the world thinks about her. After all, she’s used to the stares and snickers as she rides her bicycle through Central Park, her black habit flapping in the wind.
What she does care about is being exactly where God wants her to be. And because of her obedience, she’s changing the world, one woman – one baby – at a time.
Throwback Thursday: 1964
As featured on Tiger Bytes
Throwback Thursday has become one of my favorite days on our blog, and I can objectively say that because I have never had a hand in picking the pictures or writing the captions.
In fact, I was at a conference in Boston when one of our blog writers extraordinaire picked this picture and posted it along with a captioning contest. Truly, I snorted out loud — in the middle of a workshop — when I opened my laptop and saw the pic of the day.
Kudos to our own Steve Case (physical sciences professor) who we declared the winner, and offered ONU merchandise to, BEFORE we knew his identity.
Stay tuned for more caption contests in the near future!
Guest feature by Bradley Buhro ’95, as featured on Tiger Bytes
Bradley kicked off what turned out to be an extraordinary month of guest features with this insightful article about the permanent – and very public – nature of online posts. When you put something out in cyberspace, it’s out there, for the world to see, forevermore. The damage of those things we would have once muttered under our breath is now multiplied many times over when we choose to broadcast our private thoughts in a public forum.
Kinda makes you think twice about grumbling in your status, huh? Kinda makes me want to read this “Editor’s choice” over at least ten more times, lest I have to live with an embarrassing typo for eternity.
“God, please, not again!”
Guest feature by Tina Bruner, as featured on Tiger Bytes
Though awed by the clarity, Tina didn’t exactly jump for joy when God whispered, “adoption” in her ear one Sunday morning. The mother of sons ages 20 and 16, and having already gone through the arduous process of adopting an infant daughter from China just a few years prior, she knew she didn’t have the energy for another baby.
But God didn’t have a baby in mind.
In this powerful example of God’s providence and timing, Tina shares the journey she and her husband went through to meet their 11 year-old daughter.
In the habit of grace
As featured in the November issue of Alumni & Friends E-news
I loved this beautiful story about Sister Margaret Robbins, who doesn’t really care what the world thinks about her. After all, she’s used to the stares and snickers as she rides her bicycle through Central Park, her black habit flapping in the wind.
What she does care about is being exactly where God wants her to be. And because of her obedience, she’s changing the world, one woman – one baby – at a time.
Throwback Thursday: 1964
As featured on Tiger Bytes
Throwback Thursday has become one of my favorite days on our blog, and I can objectively say that because I have never had a hand in picking the pictures or writing the captions.
In fact, I was at a conference in Boston when one of our blog writers extraordinaire picked this picture and posted it along with a captioning contest. Truly, I snorted out loud — in the middle of a workshop — when I opened my laptop and saw the pic of the day.
Kudos to our own Steve Case (physical sciences professor) who we declared the winner, and offered ONU merchandise to, BEFORE we knew his identity.
Stay tuned for more caption contests in the near future!
Heather (Quimby) Day '02 is the director of marketing communications for Olivet Nazarene University and serves as the editor for The Olivetian, http://www.olivet.edu/, Alumni & Friends E-news and Tiger Bytes.
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