November 21, 2022

A Grateful Day Everyday

By Bishop Craig Schweitzer

November 22, 2022

Grace and peace to you from our Savior and King, Jesus!

As followers of Jesus, we recently had the opportunity to celebrate Christ our King! In the United States, we will celebrate an interesting holiday known as Thanksgiving. At the center of both Christ the King Sunday and Thanksgiving Thursday, I believe gratitude or grateful are good words to guide these days.

I had the honor of being a guest in the home of a fellow brother in Christ recently. I always enjoy visits with this brother in Christ and always learn something from him that helps me grow in my relationship with God and my relationship with my neighbor as a follower of Jesus.

My brother has a daily practice that has become a more intentional part of my own faith journey since my visit. A daily expression of gratitude. He begins each day by offering gratitude – for the new day, for good rest, for conversation with friends, for the spider crawling on the window as the sun rose the morning we were together.

For my brother in Christ, being grateful is not something that he thinks about during Sunday worship or on a holiday we call Thanksgiving. It is a daily practice that encompasses all aspects of his life as a follower of Jesus.

During my visit, he introduced me to a group of God’s children who are part of something called Grateful Living. You can find out more about them here – https://grateful.org/. They have a short video that will give you a wonderful introduction to what Grateful Living looks like – https://youtu.be/zSt7k_q_qRU. It’s well worth a few minutes of your time today.

Sisters and brothers in Christ, as we journey through this week of Thanksgiving, I invite you to think differently about what that might mean. What are you grateful for? Maybe you can take a moment to share what you are grateful for with your fellow sisters and brothers, or, if you are comfortable doing so, share it in the comments. I promise you, someone will be blessed by what you share!

Thanksgiving blessings to you this week, and always!

Until next time, may the peace of Christ be with you always and in all ways…

Bishop Craig

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About Bishop Craig Schweitzer

The Rev. Craig Schweitzer, of Bismarck, was elected as bishop of the Western North Dakota Synod on July 17, 2020, in the first-ever digital Synod Assembly. A historic event, Schweitzer is the first bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to be elected in an online assembly. Bishop Craig Schweitzer began serving the Western North Dakota Synod-ELCA on September 1, 2020. He has always seen himself as an easy-going person who seeks to daily discover anew how God is present in his life and the world in which he lives and serves. Prior to service in the Office of Bishop of the Western North Dakota Synod, Bishop Craig served at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bismarck, ND as Music and Worship Minister (lay staff from 2002-2010), Associate Pastor (2010-2014), and Senior Pastor (2014-2020). Beyond his service in the church, he has an eclectic background that is a diverse collection of musical, educational, and business experiences ranging from live concert production and promotion to recording studios and live performance to music education. Throughout all of his professional and personal experiences, the Apostle Paul’s words to the church in Rome have been a guiding light that has kept him grounded in whatever work God was calling him into – “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7) Bishop Craig is a graduate of the University of Mary in Bismarck with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education and a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership. He also holds a certificate degree in Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA. He was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament on September 16, 2010. Outside of his life as Bishop, Bishop Craig enjoys reading, all music, a little golf, a cold beverage with friends, and intentional times of quiet. And, of course, spending time with his wife Wendy and their adult twin daughters Ilia and Taegan. View all posts by Bishop Craig Schweitzer
This entry was posted on Monday, November 21st, 2022 at 10:00 am and tagged with , , , , , , , and posted in Devotions, The Church in The World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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