gratitude Archives - Rebekah Simon-Peter Coaching and Consulting Inc.

3 Strategies for Guiding with Gratitude

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Oct 17, 2023

As we move into a season dedicated to being thankful for our many blessings, we are also faced with unrelenting consumerism. Pleas to purchase are on our phones, in our emails, and in every store window – cunningly trying to convince us that every shiny new thing is necessary for survival. There isn’t anything wrong with needing to buy new, but it is vital to be strongly connected to the action of gratitude for what exists.

As a religious leader, you possess the unique opportunity and responsibility to lead your community in discovering the purpose and significance of expressing gratitude. This sacred time calls for reflection, appreciation, and rejuvenation. Ministry leaders, clergy members, and dedicated churchgoers guide this transformative journey for church communities.

Here are a few suggestions to effectively guide your church community with gratitude:

Understand the Power of Gratitude

Gratitude is more than simply expressing thanks. It is a profound spiritual practice that encourages you to acknowledge and value the blessings in your life. By cultivating gratitude, you can deepen your connection with the divine, nurture a sense of belonging within your community, and even enhance your overall mental well-being.

Embracing gratitude allows you to shift focus from what is lacking to what is abundant. It opens your heart to the countless blessings surrounding you, big or small. Encouraging your church community to embrace this practice can create a culture of appreciation and gratitude that uplifts and unites everyone.

Encourage members to engage in personal reflection. This can be facilitated through various common practices such as prayer, meditation, and conscious examination. By empowering self-reflection and introspection, you lead individuals to delve deeper into their thoughts and emotions to find the gratitude that already exists. When you focus on what you’re thankful for, it becomes much easier to spot where God has given blessings.

Incorporate Gratitude into Sermons and Teachings

One effective way to build gratitude is through sermons and teachings. Consider exploring biblical stories that highlight the importance of gratitude, such as the story of the ten lepers healed by Jesus or the prodigal son who returns to his father with a grateful heart. Use these stories as a launching pad for discussions and reflections on gratitude with your community.

Share practical tips and examples of cultivating gratitude in daily life such as keeping a gratitude journal or practicing gratitude through acts of selfless service. By talking about times when you have been successful, and have even struggled, connecting gratitude to action becomes real for church communities. Expanding on gratitude can inspire and encourage others to embrace this transformative mindset and help build spiritual community.

A children’s sermon on gratitude can help a struggling church community find it’s way to the simplicity of life. Children often have a simple but powerful way of reminding us to be grateful for even the smallest things. I have often seen children share profound nuggets of wisdom that touch the hearts of adults and lead them toward a more grateful mindset.

Organize Gratitude-Themed Activities

Organizing gratitude-themed activities encourages individuals to reflect on their blessings and strengthens the bonds within the community. Create a ‘gratitude tree’ where members can write and hang notes expressing what they are grateful for. This is a visual reminder of the abundance of blessings that surround us. Another idea is a ‘gratitude potluck’ where each dish represents something the cook is grateful for. By bringing people together to share a meal, and inviting them to share their stories of gratitude through food, you create a memorable experience.

Further enhance gratitude-themed activities by incorporating the concept of Christian testimony. Encourage members to share their stories of how their faith has played a role in cultivating a thankful heart. This deepens their bond with God and inspires others to discover gratitude in their own lives. Another means of facilitating this expression is through the observance of sacramental practices. The sacrament of the Eucharist provides a beautiful opportunity to express gratitude for Christ’s life.

As a leader, your church community looks to you for guidance. Demonstrate your practice of gratitude and share your reflections with your community. Take the time to share any struggles or challenges you may have faced in cultivating a thankful heart. Leading by example and being open about your experiences inspires others to follow suit and discover the transformative power of gratitude.

Of course, gratitude alone isn’t enough. Sucessful ministry is moving gratitude into action. Fostering gratitude within your community, and moving that gratitude into action, is a sacred responsibility that requires dedication, compassion, and intentionality. Incorporating practical tips and activities can help create a culture of renewal in our churches.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Christian ministries are achieving success and overcoming the barriers caused by a lack of gratitude, I invite you to attend one of my free upcoming seminars: “How Christian Ministries are Achieving Success: An Introduction to Creating a Culture of Renewal.” This seminar will give you valuable insights and strategies to help your church thrive. Take advantage of this opportunity to positively impact your congregation!

5 Ways to Practice a Holy Lent

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Feb 22, 2023

Lent is a holy season of reflection and renewal. It begins with ashes and ends with the glorious sunrise of Easter morning’s empty tomb. Traditionally, Lent is a time of sacrifice and self-denial. Giving up little pleasures is one way to practice a Holy Lent. But with so much suffering, sadness and sin in the world already, maybe it’s time to re-envision the kind of practices that prepare one for resurrection. In this article, I will suggest five ways to practice a holy Lent.

#1 Practice Courage

It takes courage to live authentically in today’s world. Yet, to emulate Jesus is to practice courage. At the height of temptation, surely Jesus felt twinges of angst, nevertheless, he refused to give in. At the height of persecution, when Jesus could easily have been afraid, he chose to love unconditionally. In this season of hateful rhetoric and us v. them conflicts, it requires courage to open one’s heart to another. And to listen well. Even in the face of fear.

Churches can guide their members in living courageously. Note the kinds of actions that have produced fear or worry in the past. Then plan to take small but significant steps that move you through fear into faith.

Courage doesn’t have to be dramatic or grandiose. It can be shown through small acts of compassion, gentleness, or generosity. For instance, showing kindness in the face of criticism or demonstrating humility in the face of outrage.

#2 Take on Something New

To prepare for the new life that resurrection brings, take on something new this Lent. This could be a new spiritual discipline, or even a practice of saying yes to something new each day.

Churches can guide their members in this form of Lenten practice by taking on a church-wide practice together. Examples of this include morning prayer walks or making new cross-generational connections in the congregation. Or looking for ways to practice a random act of kindness each day.

#3 Create More Joy in the World

In the face of violence and suffering, the world needs more joy. One way to create more joy is to become a better version of yourself. This kind of joyful purpose ripples out to others and gives them permission to be more joyful versions of themselves. Imagine the positive impact of people who have more joy to share with others.

Churches can guide their members in this form of Lenten practice by encouraging people to let go of habits and hurts that keep them down. Uplifted spirits are good preparation for resurrection.

#4 Focus on Others

It’s easy to get wrapped up in our own individual journeys of repentance and renewal in Lent. However, it’s important to remember the importance of focusing on others during this time. Can you use this season as an opportunity for self-reflection as well as service? Perhaps you can reach out to someone who needs help or volunteer with an organization in your area—these small acts of self-giving go a long way toward making a difference in others’ lives.

Churches can guide their members by finding unique ways to open their doors, fellowship halls, or church grounds to the community during Lent. Having a pancake breakfast, an early Spring festival, or a sidewalk chalk art contest for neighborhood children can do wonders toward fostering goodwill between the church and the community.

#5 Practice Gratitude

The Lenten season is an ideal opportunity for practicing gratitude. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of your life or what you have given up, focus instead on all that you have been blessed with—your health, your family and friends, your job or career, your faith, etc. Practicing gratitude each day—even for the hard stuff—will allow you to appreciate all that life has offered you while also developing greater awareness and appreciation for yourself and others.

Churches can guide their members in this form of Lenten practice by formally acknowledging those who do the “little things” that help make everything go smoothly on a Sunday morning. The usher who stays after everyone has left and checks each pew for extra bulletins or lost mittens. The janitor who takes extra care to make the sanctuary shine. That one special person who always takes the time to fix a meal for a sick or shut-in member.

Let your congregation see you, as a church leader, practicing gratitude, not just to church leaders, but to those who are sometimes forgotten.

Forging a New Path

Lent provides us with an opportunity for significant transformation if we approach it in these five new ways. By taking on new initiatives that bring joy into our lives, focusing on others through acts of service, and cultivating gratitude daily, we can genuinely make this period transformational–not only for ourselves but those around us too! So take some time today and intentionally consider how you would like to approach this season.

If you want to know more about deepening your spirituality check out my latest book, Forging a New Path. In it, I provide insights and resources needed to create a significant journey of transformation and spirituality.

3 Secret Reasons to be Grateful. Even When You’re Not.

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Nov 22, 2016

True confessions: I’m a recovering worrier. I can worry at the drop of a hat. I do some of my best work in the middle of the night. When a problem gets resolved, my mind naturally searches for the next thing that could possibly go wrong so that I can get a head start. Worry beads would be wasted on me. I need boulders.

As bad as that may sound, I’m not as bad as I used to be. I’ve made progress. I’ve got more peace of mind, more calm and equanimity, a more positive outlook on life. What’s made the difference? Gratitude.

As a Christian, I used to be very suspicious of gratitude. It seemed a frivolous luxury when there were still people in need, still problems to be solved, and messes still to be cleaned up. Gratitude seemed better left for carefree atheists or Unitarians or some such people. For me, a Jewish-Christian, worry equaled caring.

Gratitude has changed that for me. Even so, I can still lapse into guilt at the holidays, what with its focus on thanksgiving and joy. Is it really okay to feel grateful…even with people going to bed hungry, even with the globe warming, even with Trump soon to enter the Oval Office? If you’re like me, you may wonder: What’s a worrier to do?

I thought this would be a good time to reveal the 3 secret reasons to be grateful. Even if you’re not. Especially if you’re not.
Gratitude grows faith. In Philippians 4:4-7, the Apostle Paul famously addressed the worriers at Philippi. “Rejoice!” he insists. “Again I say rejoice!” Why the command to rejoice? When we lace our prayers with gratitude, we create a protective shield against the corrosive power of fear. Fear is the basis of worry. While worry paralyzes, gratitude grows faith.

Is everything going right in the world? Or in your church? Sure doesn’t seem like it! But worry and fear do nothing to change that. Instead, maintaining a connection with the limitless flow of divine love protects us and empowers us.

Gratitude shifts perspective. Worry and fear generate more worry and fear. Gratitude opens up the door to new ways of thinking. Sometimes I play the game of thanking God for things that I think are unjust, unfair, or just plain unwanted. Like my dear neighbor getting cancer. Or my insomnia, even when I go to bed at a decent hour. Or the election of a president I voted against.

Fair warning: It’s not easy expressing gratitude for things you don’t want. I feel fake and self-conscious doing it. But I do it anyway and my synapses get re-arranged. Worry moves aside. A new opening appears as I ask: Could anything good come from this situation?
The answer is yes. It’s always yes.

Now the yesses were there before I thanked God, but expressing gratitude for situations I didn’t want allows me to see them. For instance, in the case of my neighbor with cancer, my prayer prompted me to have a different kind of conversation with her. In the process, I discovered that she had reconciled with her brother, and adopted a stray cat. Who knew? I wouldn’t have known that. Likewise, sleepless nights prompt me to pray and mediate; things I don’t do enough of during the day. Even Trump’s election has prompted all sorts of people to better make their voices be heard.

Here’s what it comes down to: Pre-gratitude, all I can see is the bad. Post-gratitude, I can see the good that is also transpiring. It changes my perspective and expands my awareness.

Gratitude empowers. Finally, gratitude jolts me out of resignation. When I give thanks for the things I’m not thankful for, not only are my heart and mind protected from corrosive fear; not only can I see potential good in every situation; I am empowered to act in a way that brings even more goodness into the world.

At a recent church meeting, a group of leaders stopped to pray in the middle of a worrisome situation. As a result, new ideas came to mind. One of the women who had been very quiet, and very worried, began to smile tentatively, then more broadly. “I know!” she said. “Here’s what I think we could do.” She surfaced an idea that got good support, and the group moved into action. As a result, $12,000 was raised to support a family in need.
The world isn’t a perfect place. Not everything goes the way we would like it to. But that’s no reason to be immobilized by fear. Take it from me, a recovering worrier. Gratitude opens the way to faith, goodness, and action. Try it this holiday season. Even if you’re not grateful. Especially if you’re not grateful.