Three things I am grateful for this week, Dec 1-7

12/1/24 GRATEFUL THAT GOD SENT ME A MESSAGE. For about five years, I've had a habit of stopping in the parking lot of the local community college on my way home from work and spending a few minutes praying for the college. I pray for the Gospel to spread there. I pray for Christian clubs to form and take root there. I pray that Christians will connect with each other. I ask that God put Christians together so they can encourage each other and be the light of the Gospel to others. 

But my company has sold our office, and I no longer drive past the college on my way home. I thought it was just something I was to do for a season, but the time passed, and I would not continue the practice. 

But I met a young man in church, and while getting to know him, I asked him the usual questions like what he did, where he lived, and such. It turned out that he was attending the very community college that I had been praying for. I asked him if he knew about the various clubs and if he knew of any other Christians. He was very excited to say that for some time, he had a lab partner with whom he was working on an assignment that turned out to be a Christian.  

I think God sent him to visit my church and have a random conversation with me so that I could learn that my ministry of prayer was effective.  I feel that this young man's testimony is God communicating to me to keep praying. I am thankful for the young man's testimony and that God sent him to me. I feel that I have a commission to pray, and I will make a special daily drive to the campus parking lot to continue my prayer practice.

12/2/24 GRATEFUL FOR THE LORD'S PRAYER. Today, I was thankful for the Lord's prayer.  It is wonderful that the Lord's prayer teaches us to pray, among other things, to say, "Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil," I'm thankful for the second part of that phrase for a couple of reasons. To begin with, note the plural nature of the Lord's prayer; it doesn't say to lead me not into temptation and deliver me from evil; it is us. Of course, the nature of society in Jesus' time was more social and communal and not full of the Western independence of modern man. So, the Lord's Prayer is full of words like our and us. So I can pray the Lord's prayer for me and, more importantly, my community and loved ones. Teaching us to pray for God's protection over our loved ones implies that it is God's intention to do so. That is empowering.  So, I am thankful because I can confidently pray, "Father, deliver my kids from evil," and be assured of His watchful care for them. While praying for my kids, I felt incredibly grateful that God was, is, and will be watching over and protecting my kids. 

12/6/24 GRATEFUL THAT MY WIFE HAD A GOOD TIME AT THE CHRISTMAS PARTY. A few weeks ago, the organization I work for asked members to attend a Christmas celebration hosted by a partner organization. The invitation included spouses. So, after discussing it with my wife, I sent an RSVP that included both of us. I was afraid that it wouldn't interest her, and she would have to give up her evening to sit around and listen to a bunch of us talk about things she wasn't interested in. I was anxious that she would not have a good time and feel let down. 

As we drove to the event, I offered a few silent prayers, asking God to provide her with a good time. There was one couple she knew from before, and we sat at a table together. This couple is vivacious, generous, and outreaching. My wife talked and laughed with them all evening. There was enjoyable entertainment and a humorous time of playing Christmas-themed party games. 

I am thankful that God loves my wife and cares for her just like I do; of course, he loves her more.

Why I am Thankful The I Finally Accepted a Challenging Task

I work in the mailroom and among other things take general care of the facility. On the wall in our training room are portraits of all the former Executive Directors of our organization for the last 120 years. They are photos or old images lifted from archives. Each one is matted in a frame with glass and on the mat board of each one is where the name and dates of service.

All except one.

NO ONE KNOWS WHY
For reasons unknown to me, one did not have a name or date on the mat below the image. It must have been a later addition to the wall. Some months ago the chief operating officer asked me to use my artistic skill to do some calligraphy for the name, title, and dates on that picture. I appreciate the confidence he had in me but it was the confidence I did not share. I know a little about calligraphy but not enough to match the style and accent of the person who did the others. If it wasn't perfect it would embarrass my department. It would be interpreted badly as if someone was being disrespectful. Visitors would ask questions. The pressure was on.

STALLING
Over the past few months, I have been stalling saying I needed to practice my italic font so it would not look too out of place from the others. I practice and studied the style of the others but still did not feel confident that I could do it without messing it all up. I would look at the picture and say, "Lord help me, help me to do this thing in a good way."

IT CAN'T BE DONE
I was hoping everybody had forgotten about it but the other day the boss asked me again to write the information on the picture's mat board. I reluctantly got the picture down and another to use as a model and took them to the work area and laid them on a workbench.  When I disassembled the frame, glass, and mat I found out why it was not done before like the others. This mat was heavily textured like canvas. It was the wrong paper for pen work, if I tried to write on it the result would have been spotty and look rough and run. This was bad. There was no way anyone could do calligraphy on that surface.

A NEW SOLUTION
I got an idea. The computer has lots of fonts and our office printer has the ability to generate almost any color.  It was actually easy to find a flowery font with a flourish like calligraphy used on the other pictures. When I changed the settings to bold and changed the size it was a perfect match to the others. The hard part was the grey color of the background. I tried dozens of variations and finally came up with a match, a violet grey. I printed it out on card stock and cut everything to shape.  Once it was slipped into the frame over the mat board it looked better than the others. When I hung it on the wall with the rest of them you could not tell the difference between the computer-generated script I created and the hand-drawn letters of the others.

I am so glad that I do not have to worry about it anymore. I am thankful it worked out so well  I am not good with computers but I am thankful that God has given me the opportunity to learn how to do these things. I believe God helped me to do it. I know I must continue to rely on him daily.

If you or someone you know needs encouragement then order a copy of my book, BEYOND THESE DARK LANDS ARE EDGES OF JOY, Words of comfort and hope. Poems by A.E. Dozat, you will be glad you did.


© Adron 3/4/18

A Surprising Reason To Be Thankful For Others

Something has been happening in a small group of friends which has given me something to be thankful for that I did not expect.

I direct a small part of a kids club at church called awanas. My class is the kindergarten class, it is a fun and easy class to teach and I have been doing it so long that a lot of it has become rote for me. We have a few teenage helpers who come; some are there really trying to serve God and the kids, but I am sure one or two are there because their families pressure them into going since their younger brothers or sisters are attending the club.

All these youth helpers are a wonderful bunch of kids.

I have tried to do things to build community and relationships in our little team.
     * I have given each one of them extra responsibilities.
     * I have challenged them to become more mature in their leadership.
     * I have tried to organize a few social opportunities so we can just get together and have fun.

The idea of doing something together just for fun is new for me, it is a reach beyond just going and "Doing Awana Club."

I wanted to focus on building relationships in and among the team because I have come to see that a church ministry or service project without relationships is only a program, but when you focus on relationships you can do much more and it goes far beyond that particular event or project.

Teenagers normally congregate in little groups and natural divisions occur based on interest, background, and stuff like that. But as we try to focus on a relationship-based ministry I have begun see the divisions are melting and the youth team is becoming united. They are getting along and they all are looking for each other.

I am surprised at how much I am enjoying seeing relationships grow and friendships begin in our club.  I am thankful that God opened my eyes to the possibilities of a relationship based ministry. I am thankful to see the youth on my team smile at each other and look forward to being together.

I am thankful not because I am getting something out of it like a reward or payback but because I know it is important and good. I am thankful to see their friendships happen and that I had a little part in it happening. I am thankful for what I have been learning about serving God and the community through this experience.

© Adron 3/4/18

How The Big Boss Made Me Thankful Today.

These days I work in the mailroom at a not-for-profit where I mostly do printing, order supplies, perform light maintenance, and the usual 'go for' stuff.  It is not hard work and except for the occasional gremlin in the machinery, it is mostly easy.

For a while I had been bothered that some of the bulletin boards in the lobby were not up to date; in fact, they were so out of date that I do not remember anybody refreshing them with new material since I started this job over a year ago.

Looking at what had been there I guessed the theme of each section was and found newer material that was relevant and began to put up new displays on the cork bulletin boards.  At first, they looked dull, so I dressed them up the way school teachers used to do when I was a kid by using colored paper to make little frames and borders.  It took a few days of tinkering in the extra moments here and there between other tasks that I was assigned, but finally, the bulletin boards looked interesting and fresh.

I was very proud of my humble efforts, though I know most people could do better.

Today on my lunch break the executive director came up to me and paid me a great compliment; he said that he was impressed by the bulletin boards and had often wanted someone to do that very thing.  He said it was creative and also had the best choice of the information displayed.

It made my day to think that the big boss would take time out of his busy day to notice a little thing like a bulletin board and look for me to say he liked my work.

Why Only God Could Help Fix A Jammed Stapler Machine

I now work in a mail room where there are a lot of machines.  One of these machines is called a saddle stitcher, it is used to staple fliers and booklets in the middle fold.  This stapler is supposed to operate over a million punches before it needs servicing.  I use it several times a week.

It jammed.  The staples were no longer going through the pages correctly but were being bent in a twisted kink instead of folding down.  Looking closely at the machine I saw a tiny shiny fragment of a staple in the black hardened metal part that cinches and folds the staple wire.  I tried to pry it loose with the smallest screwdriver that would get in the tight space, but without success.

I found tools and began to take it apart hoping to free the shard, but the part that was jammed was a solid unit, I was able to get the part out but not free the piece from the part.  There was some movement but the shard was still stuck in there.

The machine had a manual which described all the things that could go wrong and how they could be corrected, but there was no help for the piece being jammed in the way it was; apparently it is not supposed to be able to happen like that.  Feeling hopeless I put it all back together.

For the next few days whenever I looked at the machine I prayed for God to help make it work.

Later in the week I tried it repair it again and took it apart but this time I sprayed it with oil.  It didn't work.  I put it together and tried to operate it but still a bad result.  I made adjustments here and there and still it wouldn't work.  I gave up.

So I began to think it would need to be replaced and went to the internet to find out how much a saddle stitcher would cost and was shocked to find out that it would cost about three months of my wages for one.

With new motivation, I tried to fix it again.  This time I dismounted it from the stand and laid it on the table.  It was much heavier than I thought and it slipped out of my hand and dropped the last inch onto the table.  "Just great," I thought, "I bet it is worse now than before."  I fiddled with the thing here and there trying to move the parts from other directions but it was still jammed.

I asked God to show me what to do.


I thought to myself that this machine was not going to be fixed.  After remounting it I tried one last time to move the parts again.  It was still jammed.  OK, I figured it was broke and it couldn't get worse, so I put a screwdriver inside and pushed the moving part as hard as I can.  Nothing happened. I saturated the part with oil put the screwdriver in and pushed as hard as I can and this time it finally moved!  The shard was nowhere to be seen.

I gave it more oil and moved the pieces back and forth a few times then put it all back together.

I picked up some papers, put them in, and hit the button.  The stitcher made all the right sounds then punched and folded the staple through the papers.  It was a beautiful sight to see.

I am not a machine repair kind of guy, the only reason the saddle stitcher works is because God helped me fix it.

(c) Adron 2/28/15

Thankful For A Surprise Blessing When Teaching Sunday School

For years I have taught Sunday school at my church.  Sometimes I have taught the kindergarten class, the youth, or another age group- wherever there is a need. Currently, I am teaching a class of three-year-old children.  The class averages eight kids who are full of energy but are generally well behaved.

The lessons our church gives us to teach is pretty basic stuff, but somehow I can't resist going a little deeper than the Bible stories of Noah, Daniel, David, and Jesus: I just have to give foundation truths that I hope will be seeds of lifelong blessings to the kids.

 I always have a helper and occasionally two if there are more kids.  My helper these days is a mom of one of the kids.  She is a nice woman and has an advanced degree in computer engineering.  I always felt a little intimidated by her education and sophistication since I have never been to college, but we are there for the kids so I put thoughts of status away and focus on the work of the Lord.

In class this last Sunday as we were gathering the kids to the table for our Bible lesson she beamed a bright smile and said, "I am thankful to be in this class with you since I always learn something when you teach the kids."  I was astounded that she was learning when I taught the kids.  It shows that you never know who you may influence and impact.

I was surprised and humbled. It felt like God was using her to endorse my efforts to teach His word.  I am grateful to be able to serve the Lord in little things and thankful that He blesses in unexpected ways.

 (c)Adron Dozat 2/9/15

Why I am Thankful For The First Time Sleeping Late On Saturday Morning

I am always the first to wake up in the morning or at least the first to get out of bed.

This was a hard week with a lot of physical work on my job.  I had a few late nights and a few times I had to go in early.  After work there were evenings with commitments and projects that called for my attention.

By the time I made it to bed late on Friday night I was aching in my back and shoulders.  It was one of those times when I was so tired that I cannot even go to sleep.  In the middle of the night I got up and took an aspirin and finally got to sleep.  It was one of those deep sleeps where you are all wrapped up in your own dream world and don't want to get up. For me this is rare.

Most Saturdays we have places to go with our kids or things that have to be done around the house; but this Saturday there was no errands demanding I get up early like the weekdays. That knowledge must have been in my sub-conscience mind and gave me more reason to get out of bed.

This morning others in my house got up before me and the coffee was already made. I was able to go downstairs and not fumble around in the kitchen trying to make coffee, it was ready to pour.

Not having the pressure to do something was strange, I felt like I had to experiment with how to relax.  I took my Bible and a cup of coffee to the couch and sat down for a time of reading and reflection on God.

It was a little thing but somehow I feel that God was putting it together so I could take time to get back to him a little and renew my sense of being centered in him.  A busy life is what He gave me but he also gives me little quiet times and I am thankful that my Loving Father in Heaven is in control.

(c) Adron 2/7/15

Why I Am Thankful for Hope

It is one thing to be thankful for the blessings that we can see, touch and experience, but we should be thankful the things we do not easily see.

Hope is one of the things that I am thankful for even though I do not physically see it. Hope gives us the motivation to go ahead with things that may not be possible. Hope enables us to dream, and our dreams themselves become the stuff that wraps our hope up and keeps it alive when other sources are lacking. Hope defies the current truths and brings the myth of a better world to reality.

I am thankful for hope because it gives comfort when facts are discouraging. People may point out the problems and the difficulties which deflate a person's vision but hope keeps on believing.

I am thankful for hope because without it I would have given up on every important effort in life. I would have seen failures and stopped, I would have taken discouragement to heart, I would have stayed in bed and not faced the next day- but hope speaks louder than those things.

Hope keeps the picture of success in our hearts and helps our feet step steadily toward that image. It has picked me up when I have fallen down and whispered the vision of success back into me.

Hope must be a gift of God. It is contrary to the realities around us but without it the realities around us would be unendurable.

Were it not for those who treasured hope and pursued it many blessings in our world would not be here. They are the ones who sacrifice and pay the price for their dreams because hope said it could be done. Hope honored them and they have become those who we admire and consider noble examples of the best in humanity.

I am thankful for hope.

(c) Adron 12/26/14

What Can You Do When Being Thankful Is Boring?

The practice of thankfulness is a decision that needs constant reaffirmation. I get tired of telling God that I am thankful for this or that. Of course, I am thankful but I get bored with the same old expressions.

I am thankful to God that I have a job, I am healthy, my kids are doing well, for my wife, and for my home. I am thankful, but expressing it in another prayer today seems old, and didn't I thank God for these same blessings yesterday?

This is a dangerous attitude. If you feel bored with thanksgiving you may begin to neglect it altogether, which is an insult to God who gives blessings.

Our lives should be an expression of gratitude. Giving service to God and mankind is as valuable an expression of thankfulness as a prayer said in King James prose. Acts done in God's name are as valuable an expression of thankfulness as any devotional worship, but such offerings should be done with the intent of giving thanks.

We should not minimize the value of verbal thanks to the Almighty, but when it gets dull and boring thanksgiving needs to be revisited and reinvested in.  Acts of service with verbal expressions of gratitude make us less likely to put thanksgiving in a compartment of our faith that is distant from our daily activities.

We should all resolve to give thanks with our words, prayers, songs and verbal expressions; and we should resolve to give thanks in actions big and little done in the name of God.(c) Adron 12/1/14

Thankful For The Young Teacher.

Our church has a club called Awanas. It is a club for kids to come and have fun while learning about God and the plan of salvation.

One of the goals is not only to tell Bible stories and have the kids memorize Bible verses but to see everyone involved grow in faith and character.

There are many Youth who help in the club. We call them Leaders in Training. Recently I thought one of the youth should step up to take on more responsibility, so I asked her to teach a fifteen minute lesson on the Bible verse John 3:16.

When it was time for her to give the talk she stood up without hesitation or evidence of nervousness. She had a well thought out talk with questions, examples, and illustrations.  She had an engaging object lesson to illustrate the cleansing God gives the sinner who comes to him. The kids connected with her and I believe God's Holy Word was sown in tender hearts.

I believe I witnessed the first lesson taught by someone who will be a great teacher. I am grateful to be able to be one to offer this opportunity to someone who will I believe do great things for the Lord.