Psalm 148:1-6 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels, praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
‘It’s five o’clock in the morning, As I rise to greet a new day, I wish everyone could feel the way I do today. Just to hear the birds a singing, and the joy that they are bringing. This is Jah’s gift to everyone. Give thanks and praise. Give thanks and praise. Give thanks and praise to Jah, for his ever-loving ways.’ My sentiments exactly Friends. Those words from the old reggae song, ‘Give Thanks and Praise’ touched me from the very first time I heard them. They are an apt description of a new day, and the birds singing in the background, just makes it more realistic. I used them as background music on my answering machine for many years. I think it’s by a group called the Uniques, but since I could find neither the record or a tape with it, I had to do it from memory. It’s not word perfect, but close enough to bear out the idea of Thanks and Praise, which I felt we badly needed to do today. So many people around the world don’t have the luxury of such a start to their day, but instead are experiencing such monumental suffering, that it seems shameful for us lucky few to just take our good luck for granted, and not really appreciate how blessed we are. The few inconveniences we have are miniscule compared to the plight of say, the people in the recent earthquake in China, the cyclone in Burma, the wars and strife in Africa, the numerous refugee camps all over the world, with new ones being set up daily, the millions of poor and destitute even in rich, peaceful countries. Not to mention the recent financial crisis that hit closer to home, but also spread worldwide because of greed and ineptitude. And the sad part is that the ones who caused it aren’t really paying for it, neither in cash nor kind. Friends, our world should not be in such dire straits with all the wealth and technology we have, and when everyone’s spouting the new mantra re ‘the global economy.’ But that’s only a ploy for the wealthy to move their money around the globe to wherever they can get the most for the least, without any thought to the loss of jobs and socio-economic decline left in their wake, or the unreasonably high expectations being created in the new lands of promise, which they’ll leave just as unceremoniously and unconscionably when it suits their greedy purposes. The only things that seem to be truly going global are negative; like poverty, suffering, oppression, terrorism, fear and crime. Ah People, who knows where it’s all going to end eh? Only the Most High. And regardless of how bad it looks, we know He’s still in control. So please, let’s all stand strong in our faith, work conscientiously in our little corner, walk obediently, give much thanks and praise for whatever we have, and pray, pray constantly, for the numerous unfortunate beings around the world, that their lives, as well as ours, will improve in the near future. Much LOVE!…when in doubt or fear…give thanks and pray…
‘It’s five o’clock in the morning, As I rise to greet a new day, I wish everyone could feel the way I do today. Just to hear the birds a singing, and the joy that they are bringing. This is Jah’s gift to everyone. Give thanks and praise. Give thanks and praise. Give thanks and praise to Jah, for his ever-loving ways.’ My sentiments exactly Friends. Those words from the old reggae song, ‘Give Thanks and Praise’ touched me from the very first time I heard them. They are an apt description of a new day, and the birds singing in the background, just makes it more realistic. I used them as background music on my answering machine for many years. I think it’s by a group called the Uniques, but since I could find neither the record or a tape with it, I had to do it from memory. It’s not word perfect, but close enough to bear out the idea of Thanks and Praise, which I felt we badly needed to do today. So many people around the world don’t have the luxury of such a start to their day, but instead are experiencing such monumental suffering, that it seems shameful for us lucky few to just take our good luck for granted, and not really appreciate how blessed we are. The few inconveniences we have are miniscule compared to the plight of say, the people in the recent earthquake in China, the cyclone in Burma, the wars and strife in Africa, the numerous refugee camps all over the world, with new ones being set up daily, the millions of poor and destitute even in rich, peaceful countries. Not to mention the recent financial crisis that hit closer to home, but also spread worldwide because of greed and ineptitude. And the sad part is that the ones who caused it aren’t really paying for it, neither in cash nor kind. Friends, our world should not be in such dire straits with all the wealth and technology we have, and when everyone’s spouting the new mantra re ‘the global economy.’ But that’s only a ploy for the wealthy to move their money around the globe to wherever they can get the most for the least, without any thought to the loss of jobs and socio-economic decline left in their wake, or the unreasonably high expectations being created in the new lands of promise, which they’ll leave just as unceremoniously and unconscionably when it suits their greedy purposes. The only things that seem to be truly going global are negative; like poverty, suffering, oppression, terrorism, fear and crime. Ah People, who knows where it’s all going to end eh? Only the Most High. And regardless of how bad it looks, we know He’s still in control. So please, let’s all stand strong in our faith, work conscientiously in our little corner, walk obediently, give much thanks and praise for whatever we have, and pray, pray constantly, for the numerous unfortunate beings around the world, that their lives, as well as ours, will improve in the near future. Much LOVE!…when in doubt or fear…give thanks and pray…
SCRIP-BITS 