Happy Thanksgiving

I am not like other people. (That’s for sure if you really knew me!) There is a deep part of me that would love to write in this blog every day. There are these “flashes of thought” that spray across my brain/soul/spirit and I know I should be jotting them down. But the time is not right….I am either at work or driving somewhere or at some other inconvenient place and I just so not have the opportunity at that moment. Then I think to myself, when I get home, I will write that down and expand on it….then I don’t. I think there is always tomorrow to write that down. There is always another time….but look at the date of the prior post. It was in excess of over a month ago!!! Where did the days go and where did all those “flashes” that I had vaporize off to? (Someone mentioned the other day to never end a sentence in a preposition. I know that do so is grammatically incorrect. But, and here is the kicker…I do love it. Forgive me.)

 

About a month ago I had the opportunity to watch a former runner, who now runs in college, race for her new team. I went to lunch with her and her family afterwards and there was a language that was spoken that was clearly English, but clearly unique all unto itself. This is one of those “flashes” I had. I still want to write about this one. I hope I do.

 

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the US. God has been so good to this nation and especially to me. I do know that He is longsuffering and for that I am so grateful…so thankful. I met with my men’s group yesterday morning. There were only 5 of us there as several guys were out of town because of the holiday. We all told each other what we were thankful for and we also shared where we would love God to “show up big” in our lives. Here was my list:

¨       My salvation. (Thank you Jesus for what you did for me! I am still overwhelmed when I think about that!)

¨       My wife…she has her flaws, but she was sent from God, no doubt about that. She is the model of forgiveness that the Lord wants demonstrated in our lives.

¨       My children…I owe the fact that they are as well grounded as they are to the Lord for being gracious and to their mother who showed them God’s love. If there is any part in them that is “screwed up”, I’ll take the responsibility for that.

¨       My family…I love them dearly. Most are saved and for that I am very thankful. Some think they are and I hope they indeed are. But some of the things they say and do lead me to suspect otherwise. I hope they will be given opportunities to have their blinders removed and to truly see the GRACE that the Lord gives. There is freedom in Christ. I want them to experience that freedom.

¨       My friends. I once said to a very good friend of mine, who was attempting to talk me out of a very stupid sin I was engaged in at the time, “Is my Christianity all tied in my friendships and my relationships? Is that the sum total of who I am as a believer?” My point at the time was that when we moved from Pennsylvania to Georgia some 6 years prior at that time, I left my “support group” so to speak, and the friends I used to fellowship with on a regular basis were now far away and rarely heard from. His response and our discussion needs to be reserved for another entry…way too long and too intense. But I will say this, friends are a gift from God and they need to be cherished and nourished and appreciated. I have some great friends still in PA and have some great ones here in GA… They love Jesus and for some crazy reason, they love me too. They keep me pointed towards Jesus and for that I am VERY Thankful!!! Thanks Steve, Luke, Jim, Chris, Chase, Weldon, John, Mike, Marcus, (others I have temporarily forgotten) and especially …..Freddie!

¨       And finally, here is the one that took everyone back a notch, even though that was not my intent. I told everyone I was thankful for…Unanswered Prayers. There were times in my not so distant past that I literally cried out to the Lord and wept before His face. What I wanted was not what God wanted and deep down I knew that…but I was like a little child who could only see what was in front of me and not what was up ahead. God knew better as He always knows better. He did not answer my prayer…in fact, what He did do was quite remarkable. Again, to go into the details of this story would be tough right now. It is way too complicated…way too painful, which means that I need to journal it. I have had impressed upon my soul that the Lord does want me to share that painful journey with others. I need a good swift kick in the…  

¨       I am thankful for my pastor and His love for Jesus…his love for his wife and children…his love for lost people…his love for Compass and what the Lord is doing there…his love for his staff. Thanks Jim for the friendship and the fellowship.

¨       I am thankful that the Lord is ALWAYS in control.

¨       I am thankful for the USA. The election did not go as I would have liked, but see the point just above this one….He is in control!

 

Here is a Psalm that every believer and every citizen of the US should have on their lips and heart at all times..

 

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks

 1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

 2 Worship the LORD with gladness; 
       come before him with joyful songs.

 3 Know that the LORD is God. 
       It is he who made us, and we are his
       we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving 
       and his courts with praise; 
       give thanks to him and praise his name.

 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 
       his faithfulness continues through all generations.