Blogging has almost become a thing of the past for me. Life seems to be so much busier than when I started it, but I hope to be able to write more frequently in the near future. However, I felt compelled to list some things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving season, in the attempt to spark greater thankfulness in my heart and hopefully yours as well. Sometimes it helps to simply list what I have to be thankful for to remind me how good God is.
1. God granted me another year of life. Every year of life is a blessing, especially when I consider that I could easily fall asleep tonight and not wake up tomorrow morning. Being reminded how fleeting my days are (Psalm 39:4) teaches me to appreciate them and grants me a dose of wisdom (Psalm 90:12) that I would otherwise not have.
2. God gave me grace to transition to a new place of service. This has been a year of changes, and I am discovering anew the truth of 2 Corinthian 12:9. For me, changes have always been difficult. Even while I did not expect the move to my hometown to be as difficult as it has been, it has definitely been a reminder of how important God's grace is in ministry.
3. God gave me many blessed years in Louisville, Kentucky where I was able to be taught and led by some amazing professors at Boyce College. As part of the seminary community, I was able to attend chapel services and lectures, slowly being shaped and sharpened by some of the brightest minds in the Christian community. I miss Louisville and Southern Seminary so much that I have often joked about how Southern Seminary needs to start a class about how to cope with living outside of the SBTS community.
4. God has been good to my family, especially as we look forward to welcoming my nephew, Levi, later next month or just after the new year. I looked forward to holding that little guy, singing to him, and eventually talking about the gospel and the Bible with him, recounting God's wondrous acts of mercy over the years.
5. God has challenged me in my Christian faith in many ways and at many times, all the while strengthening my trust in Jesus Christ. I had some unique experiences that left me further convinced that Jesus of Nazareth truly walked on this earth, was crucified, dead, and buried, to be raised to new life again. I truly believe that He ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father, from which place He will one day come back again as Judge of all the earth. It was through encounters with others who did not believe these things that I became more convinced of them. In all of this, God reminded me that faith is ultimately a gift. So, I am thankful for God's grace grace and how He has given me the faith to believe, faith that I would not otherwise have were it not for His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The list could go on and on, and I pray that it will...the rest of my life!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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