Almost 4 months since my last blog post tells me I have been (like every person I know) too busy. In my e-mail to my choir yesterday, I told them that my Thanksgiving list would fill the Nashville area phone book.
Here are some highlights:
I AM THANKFUL FOR.......
1. getting to watch my family grow, learn, love, and make sense of life with God
2. the grace extended to me as I figure out how to serve God in the same church for 18 years while it grows well beyond my capacity to keep up
3. the new people that God has brought (and is bringing) to our team who will help accomplish the mission and vision of our church
4. the opportunity that God has given me to spend time with and encourage new friends/co-laborers in ministry (outside of my church) that I have met this past year who are weary, burdened, and ready to quit
5. the privilege of praying for friends in need
6. my mom and her love of life, God, His Church, and her compassion for everyone around her
7. the importance of being counseled and the privilege of offering counsel when asked
8. the daily reminder of how fragile life really is and how important it is to make each moment count
9. my wife's love, her love for our kids/grandkids, and her passion and gift for teaching/writing what God is teaching her so that others can benefit from that
10. people who know way more than I know, people who have lived longer than I have lived, people who are younger than I am, and people who care more deeply (than I sometimes do) about the things that matter most - it's those people who remind me that God is still at work and I better pay attention.......
