So MANY THANKS GIVING TREASURES in THE BLUE BOOK ...

Although we are not doing 

The Blue Book

right now together 

for a Thanksgiving break

I am thankful for so much this

THANKSGIVING!

[image credit: Bible Study Tools]

So very thankful for YOU!

As I looked ahead at the ones that are left in The Blue Book, which will follow later in this post, the one that came after COMPASSION seems very appropriate for this Thanksgiving week and season of Advent that starts on this coming Sunday, November 30th - #50 which is:

GIVE YOUR LIFE AWAY

... which as true Christians, we know or accept that Jesus Christ, showed us this & how as He demonstrated His deep love for us by giving His life away (at the mere age of only 33, after only 3 jam-packed years of ministry). So, the very first & for me the very most important thing I give my thanks for each day - not just on Thanksgiving Day is for Jesus Christ and that He gave His life so that I might have eternal life. 

None of us can match that ... even if like many who serve in our military, and have served in the previous years for this nation; many who gave their very life and their families were forced to sacrifice and lose their loved ones, that might have given us freedom or protected our country but it did not give us eternal life; however all of their service gave us many of the freedoms and liberties afforded all of us for many, many years yet some of the many of us were not given the same freedoms & liberties that we all should have had. So I am grateful for the men and women who serve in our country to protect our democracy and pray fervently with much hope that we preserve and are able to keep the Constitution and restore so much of which is being destroyed. {I will refrain from detailing the atrocities of this nation now & in the past, because I am so thankful for having the privilege to be born here that others were not given or it's being taken away or never fully allowed for them to receive equal part.} Lives have been given and taken away unjustly and without cause. Every life is precious. And God is watching! 

I came here today, not with all this grief and burden that I finish that last gratitude but to share the Opening Prayer for this 50th (chapter) because it was not just One Word - it was one that still had much to share between GIVE and AWAY and that's YOUR LIFE! How precious that is!

Since I have not yet read this one, and truthfully I was going to skip this #50 & #51 because we have more Words to finish and not enough weeks, so I figured we could always come back to the ones like this and do at another time (when there is more time), probably next year. Yet there are many reasons to reflect on the meaning of this phrase "give your life away". By skipping it, I, in no way meant to slight its content, because it always surprises me with the readings of reflection and the scriptures what they hold or held for me. And even though, my focus so far was literally giving your life away - what I think is meant (but like I said I have not read beyond the opening prayer) is "surrendering your life to God" (which does not mean dying, but it might or it could), it's living your life for others and for the good of others and sacrificing your own desires for a greater purpose. Without getting back on my previous thread of thoughts {that I walked away from above}, I'd like to say that right now, in the times that we are living in, we are being given such a CALLING - to live a selfless life by serving others (and I'm sure if you see what's happening in the world around us) that you know we are doing the exact opposite. Far too many are living in fear. Far too many are living for their selves, they're greedy for power & wealth at the expense of others that cannot afford this. Following Jesus' example or His many teachings calls us to put the needs of others before your own by living a life of service (and worship) and commitment. When we surrender our lives to our Creator, we hand control of our life to a greater good and a higher power of loving through living selflessly.

In Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Hope, he used Romans 6:13 in the GNT version to explain:

“Give yourselves to God . . . and surrender your whole being to Him to be used for righteous purposes.” Romans 6:13 (GNT) Surrendering to Jesus means laying down every area of your life. God wants you to learn to be a giver in life, not a taker." Pastor Rick Warren, May, 2025

{sorry to say that there is not much of that happening currently}
I am sure that we thankfully can still find some examples of this but not like it was. People (children mostly) are dying by thousands because of de-funding of programs and letting product meant to save their lives not be accessible to them. I know that God is not at all happy about what we are allowing, or in some cases, doing, if we are in a responsible position. Clearly I have much heartache and much to say about all this but once again, I will refrain & it's not my intent here at all. I really should have shared the prayers before this as I was led.

So let me share the Opening Prayer(s): 1st by Ken Gire (JB blog) and the 2nd in The Blue Book by Ignatius of Loyola

"Dear Jesus, Help me to realize the many voices of hunger, the many sounds of thirst, the many cries of loneliness, the many callings of sickness and nakedness and imprisonment.  Help me to hear in all of them something of You calling to me to become more than I am. More understanding.   More compassionate. More involved. More like You. (Reflections on the Word by Ken Gire)

that's my heart
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This next one by Ignatius of Loyola is a Prayer of Surrender (Suscipe, the Radical Prayer)

"Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me." Ignatius of Loyola

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These are the remaining ones in the

[continued on J Branch's *blog in April, May & June, 2013]

each one linked to Day 1 on blog for that part

{I might add more of the Scriptures or Readings of Reflection here too]

#50 GIVE YOUR LIFE AWAY

#51 INVOLVED IN MINISTRY (*A Life of Ministry)

#52 DOWN {back in *March, 2013}

#53 CALLING

#54 DIRECTION

#55 JOY and CELEBRATION

#56 HOME

Still unsure which ones, or even if we will continue, but I'm thinking of breaking JOY & CELEBRATION into twostarting with JOY the week of December 15, and thenCELEBRATION for the first part of Christmas week,followed by HOME for the remaining days of 2025.
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During my Internet issues/service interruptedI have felt that perhaps God is/was CALLINGme away from devicesinto the many half finished books I need to read along with MORE TIME with Him and His Word
It might just be an excuse or a cop out for me,trying to put the pieces of my life togetherbut truthfully, I just couldn't figure outwhy all these technical issuesand what is God really wanting to say to me.
Much soul searching and our Blue Book time has indeed given me so much valuable reflection and readingbut I do have far too many books to read{so maybe He was telling me "not another book"} loluntil I make a dent in the ones I have ...
BUT
I did find one most recently that I have to share:
It's really too expensive, but I have rewards that might make it do-able that I have to use or I lose (though I shouldn't)and probably it's too much to read right now, however, it piqued my interest again in theNative American view (by a Choctaw elder)so I'm enjoying the Kindle sample of

Perhaps you might want to check it out more.
I was not looking for this but so grateful that I found it.

[there are two more images with the book]
It is published by a local publishing company in Mpls., MN

{yeah, you know, I'm going to order it}
Sorry Godlast one for this year🙏but I really would like to gift one to ...

[image credit to Etsy]but I've had it saved for quite some time & don't recall from which Etsy

I have begun setting all of these up at YV🙏 and plan to continue & publishto use whichever and whenever one chooses
MANY BLESSINGSto you & yoursthisThanksgiving Day Eve!
🦃