It was one of those days that simply progressed with blessings. Handing out free meal bags for Thanksgiving Dinners. Like a “Progressive Dinner” starting in one place and moving to the next, I had breakfast with my friend – we then progressed to the church to meet for carpools then progressed to 3 different locations in the area to hand out 500 of the 1500 prepared bags of thanksgiving trimmings – including gift cards and info on one local food pantry. WOW, the people were thankful. We were the ones DOUBLY BLESSED as we asked the Holy Spirit to guide us in asking the people if they would ALSO like prayers – and yes, many of them said “sure” – and asked specific prayers. What a blessing – what tears – what Joy…  God is Good – ALL THE TIME! All the time – God is Good! and if the people didn’t stop for a bag – how doubly blessed they must have felt by saying or waving “I am good, thanks anyway”.

DOUBLE blessed – life is always better when you take a friend on an adventure – as we went out I was thinking of the scripture where Jesus sent the disciples out in 2’s – for support and for witnessing each other to back up the stories of Holy Spirit’s Power moving. and YES today the Spirit moved – that felt like double as we were blessed to give and they were blessed to receive. The people who packed the bags also blessed us with their prep and we blessed the prep people by being out on the streets to hand them out on a chilly but gorgeous day. I felt like I was on a stationary float of a parade as I was happily waving at the cars going by.

DOUBLE blessed – we got to meet more neat people!

DOUBLE blessed – this was a community outreached that PARTNERED multiple community groups as well as church groups – energy plus logistics – and personally I had at least double connections with so many of the people – friends from at least a couple scenarios. yes thru church – but also thru my neighbors – yes thru community outreach but also thru friends – yes all from wanting to give back to the community and having the time and resources to give.  YES – both SALT AND LIGHT.  I got to dance with the sign AND I got to give the bags AND I got to pray with the people – and double blessed as it is and was the PEOPLE’S FAITH and THEIR relationship with the Lord that we were walking together in – us prayers were simply carrying HIS praises and HIS power to the places HE needed it to go. My I was blessed with being able to absorb some of their tears: a man H – asked for prayer for his sister J for God to save her, when i finished praying he was in tears – I said nothing out of the ordinary but the Lord and our dependence upon Him and our faith in Him is the extraordinary. 

AND then there were the DOUBLE bagged giftings – and that was OK – and my favorite surprised face of the day was a young gentleman who started to say – “I have a big family” – and my arm automatically placed the second bag into the car – and he said REALLY? so shocked – and he said that everyone was asking in his family – who got the turkey? Well, today? (and everyday) God’s goodness got them the turkey! If we get to share in the smiles of His MEAL then we simply are His Trimmings. If we get to share in the HARVEST, then we are simply and Progressively Doubly Blessed!

“And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”

The 2 miles that we are to walk with someone is because they asked for only one. Jesus said we are to DOUBLE the giving – DOUBLE the help – DOUBLE the effort – DOUBLE the forgiveness – DOUBLE the blessing. If you feel thankful this thanksgiving and are able to help someone else too – what a DOUBLE good feeling that is!

My last enduring image was OF the kids – the families came to hand out bags together – thus teaching the next generation about service and sharing – the baby Madison I got to poke her cutie cheeks as grandma held her in tears accepting 2 bags and asking for prayers for her husband who broke both his legs. She said she thought God was mad at her – I assured her that it is not in the nature of our forgiving God to be mad at us – He loves Mercy – and that Jesus took the brunt of our sins and we are to be blessed with forgiveness.  She was double smiles thru her tears – how great these stories we all get to tell our children of other people’s generosity…

How great to see the SPIRIT pour from THEIR faces.

Progressively Double Blessed!

Amen Amen

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Here are the double scriptures of progression for the day. and guess what? In addition to our 500 they did Saturday morning the first 500 bags and they are doing this again tomorrow with another 500! 1500 total

DOUBLE – the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Luke 10:1-2

DOUBLE – getting to be Salt AND Light – getting to help but for others to give God the praise. Jesus taught:  Believers Are Salt and Light
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16

DOUBLE – Jesus taught: Go the Second Mile

“And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” Matthew 5:41-42