I was sitting in the basement with a couple of friends, huddled around our desktop computer when the sound of his voice rang out loud and clear.

“Thanks for the great meal, Mom!” we heard Brendan say.

Turning in her chair, one of them laughed. “What decade are we in?!” she asked. And with that, we all broke out in laughter.

Obviously, this was a foreign concept to them, but to us, it was an everyday thing. 15 years later, it still is pretty much.

I specifically trained them this way. “Bring your dishes to the sink, and thank the person who cooked it.” I’d say.

That was our rule whether they were at home or away. And not just a simple, “Thanks,” either. I wanted them to pause for a moment and express a little more than one word.

I’ll admit it felt silly at times asking someone else to stop give thanks, but it was our job as their parents to lead them in truth, which included a habit of thankfulness. Whether we’re thankful to others or thankful to God it must be expressed. Learning this is a part of our spiritual growth.

Remember, we talked about the ten lepers from Luke chapter 17 a few weeks back? Only one of the ten returned to give thanks.

We’ve been through a tough year, and many have struggled. Yet even in our darkest hour, we can always find a way to give thanks, can’t we?

Gratitude shifts our focus away from this world and back onto Christ. It reminds us of all that we have and how much we are loved. It dissipates clouds and invites the sun to breakthrough. Gratitude changes our attitude, thus changing our day!



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Tilling the Soil

Read “A Psalm of Thanksgiving” found in Psalm 100.

Planting Hope

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:17, KJV)


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Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.

She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.

It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical FitnessReshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.

Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.

Connect with Darlene:

Facebook: @timewarpwife
Instagram: @timewarpwife
Pinterest: @timewarpwife
Twitter: @timewarpwife

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife