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17. Becoming a Harbor for Others - Thursday Morning · Family Prayer Podcast

• 0:00
  Good morning, Grace Harbor - it’s Dan!
• 0:03
  I hope you’re having a great Thursday so far.
• 0:06
  Yesterday, I told you a little bit about how our town came to be.
• 0:11
  Today, I want to give you more of the story!
• 0:14
  It all started with of our little harbor.
• 0:16
  Sailors discovered that it was a safe refuge in even the biggest storms.
• 0:21
  Word got around, and more and more ships started seeking it out.
• 0:25
  They also discovered that it was not only safe during storms,
• 0:29
  but it was a beautiful place for a crew to rest up.
• 0:33
  So, even when the weather was perfect, our harbor would fill up with boats,
• 0:37
  and the sailors
• 0:38
  would come ashore to climb the cliffs or walk through the pine forest.
• 0:42
  As I shared yesterday, any place where lots of ships
• 0:45
  stopped was a great place to set up a trading post.
• 0:49
  And that’s exactly what one of the captains decided to do.
• 0:53
  He was newly married and after discovering the beauty of the land
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  around the harbor, he decided it was the perfect place
• 1:00
  for he and his wife to start their life together.
• 1:03
  His name was John, and after building and setting up everything
• 1:07
  needed to launch the Trading Post, he brought his wife to join him.
• 1:11
  And her name? It was Grace.
• 1:14
  I wonder if you can see where this is going!
• 1:17
  While everyone who stopped in liked John, they loved Grace.
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  She was kind and friendly,
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  she had a great sense of humor and was very smart.
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  She might not always remember your name, but she never forgot a face.
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  You could have been gone for a year, and she'd still greet you with “Welcome back!”
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  Because of their affection for her, sailors started to call this place
• 1:41
  Grace’s Harbor.
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  And over time, it got shortened to Grace Harbor.
• 1:46
  And I think that’s the perfect name for our town
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  because, even though there aren’t nearly as many ships in the harbor
• 1:52
  as there used to be, we still try to offer the same welcome
• 1:56
  and sense of community that Grace worked so hard to build here.
• 2:01
  Grace Harbor the town has become a safe
• 2:04
  and nurturing place just like the harbor itself used to be.
• 2:08
  We aren’t perfect - no town is - but we really try to keep this purpose
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  and our history in mind as we live together,
• 2:16
  occasionally argue together, and ultimately grow together.
• 2:22
  Yesterday, we shared some of our safe people and places,
• 2:25
  and then we named times in life when we might feel like we need a safe place.
• 2:30
  What I would love for us to think about this morning is this:
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  What could your family do to be more like a harbor for each other?
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  If there’s stuff you’re already doing, like sharing a meal together
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  with no phones at the table
• 2:44
  or TVs on in the background to distract you, that’s great!
• 2:48
  Lift that up and celebrate it!
• 2:50
  And if you have an idea, like maybe
• 2:53
  setting up a “calm-down corner” somewhere in your house where anyone can go
• 2:57
  when they need some alone time, now is a great time to share it.
• 3:01
  And don’t worry if you can’t think of much now.
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  Ideas can take time, and you can always share them
• 3:07
  as they come to you later this week or this weekend.
• 3:10
  But if you need more time now,
• 3:12
  feel free to pause the podcast, and I’ll be right here when you get back.
• 3:45
  I hope you came up with a good idea or two,
• 3:48
  or maybe you got to celebrate some stuff you’re already doing.
• 3:52
  Remember that our theme this week is peace - which is more than just nothing
• 3:57
  bad is happening; it’s when good stuff is happening.
• 4:01
  And when we’re trying to be a safe harbor for each other,
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  I promise that good stuff will start to happen.
• 4:07
  Ok, let’s pray together as we get ready to go.
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  If you want to, you can close your eyes and fold your hands.
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  “Dear God, we thank you for this day, and we thank you for our family.
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  We thank you for the ways we are already places of safety
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  and support for each other.
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  We ask that you might inspire new ideas in our hearts and minds.
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  As we seek to be a harbor for each other,
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  may we see the good stuff that’s happening all around us.
• 4:37
  Amen.” Alright, Grace Harbor - have a great Thursday!
• 4:41
  And be sure to come back tonight because there’s something about our town
• 4:44
  I want to tell you that I can’t believe I haven’t shared already!