How to live a “thank you” life!
With Thanksgiving upon us, gratitude is in season. Being thankful for family, friends, churches, pastors, jobs, and certainly for God’s place in our lives, is a given. With food covering tables as smells from the oven fill the rooms of our homes, we will gather with those closest to us and share meaningful moments with those we love.
Yet, God’s people are called to be thankful in all circumstances. We are to live a “thank you” life. This requires a change of mindset, often daily. One way to adopt a thank-you mindset is to recall just what Jesus did on the Cross.
Romans 4:7 – it’s almost too good to be true! “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” Shall we read that again? I don’t know about you, but that Scripture is enough to remind me I have much to be happy about. Once we fully grasp this powerful truth, it’s enough to rock our world, and cause us to lose sight of worldly distractions. We who have accepted Christ are a forgiven people. There’s no sin left to feel guilty about – not one too huge that He left it behind for you to belabor in regret.
Our city has been through so much, as has our nation. Battles rage over countless issues. Our political environment has become hateful. While elections are important and government a necessity, our job is critical. Keep pressing forward in faith, running the race set out before us.
Hebrews 12:1-2 is our reminder: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith.”
What hinders you? What sin entangles you? Giving yourself freedom to answer that question could prove monumental. Get real with God and get free from that which binds. We are ineffective if held in captivity to sin. It’s why Christ died for you and for me. Wresting with our sin is like saying what Jesus did is not enough. It was. It is.
Living a “thank you” life means meditating on what He did for us. Then, living like we believe we are God’s children – heirs to His kingdom. We are champions of hope! We are in the world, but not of the world. We are ambassadors of Christ himself – a living testimony to what He has done in our lives – offering hope to those in need of a savior.
How do you live a “thank you” life? You don’t go a day without remembering what has been done for you. It was personal. It’s our ticket to freedom and gives our life meaning and purpose, offering a refreshing lens to help us get up each day and face the world.
We are God’s children – fully free and forgiven by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – put here in this world and on this earth to be His light in this otherwise dark world. Go forth and shine!
For this reason, we can truly be thankful! Happy Thanksgiving!
Dr. Farrell Frugé Jr., has been serving the Baton Rouge community as a dentist for 30 years. Farrell met his wife, Karen (a dental hygienist), in 1986 when he was in his 4th year of dentistry school at the LSU School of Dentistry in New Orleans. They are knit together by their faith and family which includes three children – Trey, Erica and Camille.
This gave Farrell the opportunity to share that though it may seem like the right thing to do for the child at bedtime, it was actually not the best thing for the child’s teeth because the sugars in the milk or juice pooled in the child’s mouth at night resulting in cavities. Farrell and Karen thought that other parents might be doing the same thing, so they encouraged the pastor of the local church to make an announcement that would help educate parents on the high risk of tooth decay from putting children to bed with any such liquid.
As a strong Catholic family, the Frugés have always believed in giving back. Every Sunday they attend mass at St. Thomas More. They have always been active in their home church and Farrell and Karen have led by example to their children in terms of community service and the importance of being connected to others that are less fortunate right here in Baton Rouge. The Frugés cook and serve meals every 3rd Tuesday of the month to the men at St. Vincent de Paul. In addition, each member of the Frugé family has been active in some way at their home church.
Their bonds with other St. Thomas More families are tight as well. Farrell and Karen believe that their children’s desire to serve began at St. Thomas More School and grew even stronger at St. Thomas More Church. “We have taught our children that it is important to not only ‘give back,’ but ‘to pay forward’ — that is to give to others before there is a need,” says Farrell.
Sometimes the smell of coffee brings Our Lady of the Lake alumnus, Ellen Campbell, class of 1966, back to the days of nursing school. “We had the best dorm situation. We had big old rooms; they were old fashion in a way, but we just had fun,” she said. “We lived so close to the old Community Coffee plant that every morning when they were burning the coffee beans, we could smell the coffee roasting.”
class of 1964, and Katherine Denham, class of 1966, reunited at the 9th Annual Our Lady of the Lake luncheon at L’Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge. There, they reminisced about their nursing school days. “These people, (referring to Denham and Campbell) were behind me; I was a senior,” Brown said. “It was their first time living away from home, and some people were very homesick. I love people, so I used to go see about them.” Evidence of a true nurse’s heart — but a good soul without a good skill is not a good nurse at all.
When asked if they enjoyed their career after graduation, Brown became very serious. “Let me tell you something,” she said. “When we nursed, that was the best kind of nurses you had. We touched the patients. We worked in the best medicine they had.” Brown, Denham and Campbell all agree — Our Lady of the Lake nursing school was the best choice to become the kind of nurse they each wanted to be.
“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed,” Psalm 139:16 (NLT). If God had given me a pen along with the liberty to write my own life’s story, many of the painful seasons of my life, and the experiences that developed me into the person I am today would have never been written.
When God writes our story, the pages that unfold can be used to encourage and minister to others. I share with joy and gladness the work God has done in my life. The Bible says in Romans 2:11 “For there is no respect of persons with God.” Just as He delivered, strengthened and lifted me up, God is willing, ready and able to do the same for you.
We spend our late teens and most of our 20s trying to grow ourselves up. We develop fresh interests, build eclectic friendships, challenge ourselves with hard work, and press into a real relationship with God. The process is not an easy one, but with the passage of time, most of us wind up confident and self-sufficient. We become adults.
As of 2015, millennials are America’s largest generational demographic — the first time in nearly half a century when baby boomers have been outnumbered. We represent a national cultural shift toward openness and inclusivity. It’s no secret most of us hold perspectives that veer, to some degree, away from our parents’ values.
Like the ones my friends and I used to have, Friendsgivings are blank canvases of festivity, designed to bring people together. You can turn them into whatever you want: an informal potluck around the television, a full-on sit down affair with a turducken and cocktails, a vegan barbeque in the backyard, etc. The key is to enjoy yourself and savor the people who help to enrich your life.
Our library became a ‘free’ uniform store, stocked completely with uniform donations from our families. After we walked our new families through the admissions process, they were able to visit the uniform ‘store,’ where parent volunteers worked to get the right sizes, and student volunteers served as ‘fashion advisors’ to our new Eagles.
Kallie, a senior from Denham Springs, said that she was really nervous when she started because it’s a totally different setting and she wasn’t sure what people would think of her. She said that everyone has been wonderful to her and her favorite thing about Parkview is that the school is centered around God and it makes her feel better that teachers open up classes with prayer.
As the end of the year approaches, so do most of America’s favorite holidays. This year when you are celebrating Thanksgiving and taking part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday, do not forget to celebrate #GivingTuesday. This holiday has kicked off the charitable season since 2012 and has continued to grow since. #GivingTuesday takes place on November 29th, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized discount shopping days. The holiday celebrates giving back to your community through charitable donations and events. Individuals in the community are urged to give back to the cities that they love in whatever way they can.
The C.B. Pennington Jr. YMCA was also heavily affected by the flood. The building took on three feet of water during the recent flooding that caused $2.5 million in damages to the 60,000 square foot facility. The water affected most of the equipment in the facility as well as the swimming pools. If you are interested in donating your time or resources to the Y during this charitable season, visit ymcabr.org. If you would like to join more than 700,000 people participating in #GivingTuesday, please consider the many ways you can give back to your local Baton Rouge community.
The Thanksgiving holiday and Alzheimer’s disease have something in common: they share the month of November. While this month brings a plethora of cuisine-filled celebrations with friends and family, it is also Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. The Thanksgiving holiday, which often brings in relatives from out of town, provides an opportunity for family members to spend quality time with loved ones and perhaps even be on the lookout for warning signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Before sitting down to brainstorm the contents of this article, I first took a survey of those around me: “What word comes to mind when you think of the Great Flood of 2016?” Not far into my survey, I realized that the people of Baton Rouge had much more to teach me about gratitude than I could ever write. Research, years of schooling, and daily gratitude practice soon melted away as strength and resilience poured out of local citizens. I surveyed 105 locals, and the top answers were, Cajun Army, rebuild, home and community. Why wasn’t I hearing words such as tragedy, devastation and disaster? Although perplexed, I sat down at my computer with tears in my eyes and proudly began describing how gratitude has greatly impacted the city I call home.
We are all human beings. We study, sacrifice, save and build. Our lives are spent — like a drop of water hitting a stone — trying to make a mark. Each person’s time on Earth is momentary, a flash of light that sparks and fizzles in a cosmic instant. So why do we bother setting goals, and why do we work so feverishly to achieve them?
Out of LeBlanc’s personal struggles came the concept for his ministry – Legacy Formation International. Its mission is to mentor young entrepreneurs through a combination of Christian principles and business insight. Legacy was formed because LeBlanc wanted to share with the next generation some of the positive mentorship he experienced as a young businessman.
The absolute key to success is being willing to take advice. That being said, one has the responsibility to discern good counsel from a misguided opinion. “It takes life experience before we can acknowledge wisdom outside our own heads,” he said.
A children’s dance recital should be an event the whole family can enjoy. But if you’ve attended one in recent years, you might have experienced some uncomfortable moments. Little girls dressed inappropriately and dancing suggestively has become the norm at many dance studios.
“I was thinking about my dance idea, and I saw this huge billboard for some kind of guidance counseling. And then the word ‘guidance’ struck me, and I thought, ‘I never knew DANCE was in the word guidance. Then I thought maybe this was divine intervention. And suddenly I knew I would open a studio and I knew what its name would be … Divine GuiDANCE.”
“The music, movements and costumes are not suggestive in any way, and don’t send out negative messages,” Jones-Holland said. “We pray at the beginning and end of every class. There is no yelling or fussing or pressure. We’re a team and we treat each other with kindness and respect at all times. Our instructors encourage students to believe in themselves in their daily lives, at home, at school, and in their communities. We are teaching them dance skills, but we are also sharing our faith, showing them love, and helping them deal with life’s challenges.”
Jones-Holland, who is also mother to 4-year-old Holli, says her parents were instrumental in forming her faith life, and she is grateful to them for a gift she now passes on to other young girls. The parents of her students are grateful as well.
It’s been more than two months since the Great Flood of 2016 ravaged South Louisiana, and time seemed to stand still. For thousands of stranded residents, salvation came not from law enforcement or first responders, but from regular citizens calling themselves the Cajun Navy.
For Chris King of Prairieville, that meant helping a fellow employee who lived in Denham Springs and was stranded in her home with another family. The group numbered six adults, two toddlers, two elderly family members, and several dogs. Although she had called for help several times, no one had yet arrived. So King contacted his friends Joshua and Nicholas Loupe of Morgan City, and the three set out on a dangerous mission that would take 11 hours and would test their faith more than once.
Their mission was a success and King and the Loupe brothers established the Cajun Army just days after their Cajun Navy experience.
Why? Why were so many people willing to risk their own lives in the service of others?
Rob Gaudet was involved in many rescues during the flooding, and is considered a leader within the Cajun Navy. He worked alongside law enforcement with volunteers who kept going even though they had barely slept in days. When the deputies had to leave and it was dark outside, the Cajun Navy team was still working … because it was personal. “It was their moms, friends and neighbors out there,” he said.