Thankful

In this season more than others, we take time to remember what we are thankful for.  It's really something we should be doing all year long, but it is also important to have touchstone moments that really make us step back and reflect.  Birthdays, New Years, and Thanksgiving.

It's funny; going over my list this year is very different than last years.  To others it may look like a list of regrets or things that upset me this year.  But this list of blessings means more to me than others have in even the recent past.  I've learned and grown more through these in so many different ways.

1. I'm thankful I lost my job - It really was one of the best things that could have happened to me.  I'm happier.  I'm healthier.  I've gotten more time with my family.  It's something I should have walked away from a long time ago.  And while I'm still searching for that next permanent job, I've seen God provide in ways that I did not know before.  It's been humbling, but it's been good.
2. I'm thankful that I have had to confess some sins - Doing so privately and publicly here.  It means God is still working on me.  That He still speaks, and I'm not so hardened as to not listen.  It's deepened mine and Jamie's relationship.  And it's getting us closer to goals we have as a couple.
3. I'm thankful that we're staying with my in-laws - And that there are others that have offered.  Because it means we have family that loves us and that we love to be with.  It means they have room.  I'm grateful that we get along well with both my family and Jamie's and want to spend time with them.  That's not always the case.
4. I'm thankful I have stubborn children - Because while it may not be easy now, it can pay off in the future.  Stubborn, head strong children can be more likely to resist peer pressure and more likely to be leaders.  To know where their worth comes from.  It's challenging now, no doubt, but it will be worth it.

I'm thankful for my family.  I'm thankful for my friends.  I'm thankful for you readers, more than you can imagine.

I have so much to be thankful for, even for those unlikely blessings.

What are you thankful for?  What things in your life caused anxiety and heartache at the time, but now should be counted as blessings?

If at no other time, why not take a few moments to remember them today and tomorrow. 

Be thankful, always.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord."  Across the uncertain ways of space and time our hearts echo those words, for the days are with us again when, at the gathering of the harvest, we solemnly express our dependence upon Almighty God.

The final months of this year, now almost spent, find our Republic and the Nations joined with it waging a battle on many fronts for the preservation of liberty.

In giving thanks for the greatest harvest in the history of our Nation, we who plant and reap can well resolve that in the year to come we will do all in our power to pass that milestone; for by our labors in the fields we can share some part of the sacrifice with our brothers and sons who wear the uniform of the United States.

It is fitting that we recall now the reverent words of George Washington, "Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy Protection," and that every American in his own way lift his voice to heaven."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!  As stated yesterday, I want you all to know that I am greatly appreciative of all of you that are reading.  I pray you have many things to be thankful for and that the list only grows over the coming days, months, and years.  I hope you are able to take the time to be with family today, whether it be the one you are born into or the one you choose, and are able to take the time to reflect on the blessings in your life and to express that gratitude.

Give thanks.

This holiday may be overlooked and under-appreciated, but it remains an important day for us to stop all the craziness, especially as we gear up for a season that can be incredibly commercialized, and to remember the blessings great and small in our lives.

"Thanksgiving is a very important holiday.  Ours was the first country in the world to make a national holiday to give thanks."
...
"In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast.  They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food.  Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests.  Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: 'We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land.  We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice.'"

Linus, Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Out of the mouths of babes.

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #10 - A readership that surprises and humbles me

No matter what you write, it's a matter of putting words in a certain order so that the reader will be interested in what you are writing.

Stan Lee

Finally to close out my top 10, I'm thankful for you.

I'm thankful that you have taken the time to read this blog or any blog that I've written.  I'm thankful for those that read in silence and surprise me when I find out they are reading.  I'm thankful for those that have liked a post or commented.  I'm thankful for those that have told me they appreciate it.  I'm grateful that anyone takes a moment out of their day to read the sometimes coherent thoughts and ramblings that I can put to paper.

I'm thankful to have this outlet, to get ideas out of my head and to find my voice on events and issues.  It forces me to learn, to grow, and to develop my ideas and skills in order to keep up.  I'm at nearly two-thirds of a year with a daily entry.  And thankfully this has kept the creative spirit going instead of quenching it.  There are new and different ideas that keep coming, keep progressing.  It's now a matter of timing to keep up with them.

So, again, thank you.  I cannot tell you enough how much it means.

To new ideas.

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #9 - An optimism for the future

It is hope that gives life meaning.  And hope is based on the prospect of being able one day to turn the actual world into a possible one that looks better.

Francois Jacob

I'm thankful for hope.  I'm thankful for the belief that things will get better.  For the recognition that despite how dark things may seem or how dark people may try to convince us the days are, we are in the greatest time that has ever been.  I'm grateful for an energy that is growing to make things better.

I'm thankful for developments that give reason to hope.  For record turnouts in our election process.  For changes in our representation in Washington, D.C. making it more diverse and more reflective of the great body of people that they serve.  Hopefully making it more responsive to the people they serve.  For a potential for a massive criminal justice reform, that has been long supported and hoped for.  For developments in the treatment of Alzheimers and cancer.

I'm grateful for the hope we have in Christ.  I'm thankful for the hope we have for this life.  "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10  I'm grateful for the hope we have for the next life.  "So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I'm thankful for the hope I have for the future.  For the excitement of the years to come.  To looking forward to the future with my wife.  To watching my children grow and discover and learn.

I'm thankful for hope.  Pure, distilled, hope.

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #8 - A universal language to express the most powerful truths

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.

Aristotle

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.

Thomas Merton

Today, I am thankful for a more abstract concept.  I'm thankful for good art.

I'm thankful for artists would can find an portray beauty in even the most simple of creations.  I'm thankful for vibrant colors and lines. I'm thankful for good art everywhere from Kirby to Rockwell to Monet.

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.

Plato

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.

Victor Hugo

I'm thankful for music.  I'm thankful for good music.  I'm thankful for songs that perfectly convey emotion without a single word.  For chords that blend or crash together perfectly for the sentiment of the song.  I'm thankful for the music that you just can't help but dance to.  I'm thankful for the music that moves you to tears.  For the songs that remind you how small you are, and what a might God we serve.

I'm thankful for instruments that speak better than any human voice and for voices that sing with conviction beyond this lifetime.

I'm thankful for Journey.  For Queen.  For Louis Armstrong.  For the Sherman Brothers.  For the genius that is Lin Manuel Miranda.  For Gershwin.  For Selah, for Tomlin, for Crowder, and Hillsong.

The theater is so endlessly fascinating because it's so accidental.  It's so much like life.

Arthur Miller

I regard theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.

Oscar Wilde

I'm thankful for theater.  For side-splitting comedies.  For dramas that plumb the depths of the human soul.  I'm thankful for the opportunities to see good shows.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to be in good shows.

I'm thankful for that communal experience that brings an audience together, draws them in, and never lets them go until the curtain call.

I'm thankful for Shakespeare, for Miller, for Stoppard, and Sorkin.  For Lewis, Sayer, and Shields.  For Kander and Ebb, for Andrew Lloyd Weber, and Lin Manuel Miranda.  For the Fiasco Theater Company.

I'm beyond grateful to live in a world surrounded by some much good art.

Here's to old favorites and new discoveries.

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #7 - A vast wide world to be explored

I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list.

Susan Sontag

One of the great things about travel is that you find out how many good, kind people there are.

Edith Wharton

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

St. Augustine

For this entry today, I'm grateful for a great wide world open for exploration and discovery.  I'm grateful for travel.  I'm grateful for the places that I've been and I'm grateful for those that I am anxiously waiting to see.

I'm thankful for the ability to travel.  To have a job that enables me to travel and that allows me to take the vacation time to do so.

I'm grateful to have a partner who has as much wanderlust as I do, if not more.  Who has spearheaded a travel program to bring those opportunities to her students.  Who is ready to see the world.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to start showing my children some of my favorite places in the world.  For that excitement of seeing them through new eyes.

I'm thankful for that spirit of adventure, to keep on exploring.

Bon Voyage!

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #6 - A health I have taken for granted

When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.

Herophilus

Health is the greatest possession.  Contentment is the greatest treasure.  Confidence is the greatest friend.

Lao Tzu

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

Mahatma Gandhi

I'm not a health nut by any stretch of the imagination.  I'm overweight, tired, and out of shape.  And I like food too much and therefore eat what I know I should not.  These, however, are things in my power to change.

For a variety of reasons, I've been checked out fairly thoroughly this year tracking down the source of a seemingly continual fatigue and am in better shape internally than I would have expected.  Apart from needing to watch my blood pressure, I'm not having to take any other continual medication.  I do not have signs of any other serious disease.

I'm thankful for my health.  I'm thankful that my tests have all come back normal, particularly the calcium scan.  I'm thankful that my fatigue seems to come just from the lack of sleep caused by two young children and being out of shape.  I'm thankful for a kick in the pants to be healthier and to do and feel better.

I'm thankful for health insurance and for having health insurance covered by work.  While I'm not excited that I had to meet my deductible this year, I'm grateful for all the other treatments I was able to seek because my deductible had been met.  I'm hopeful for a time where we can fix the mess we created in this area.

I'm thankful for having a healthy family.   For no major injuries or illnesses beyond the experience with Avalyn's broken clavicle.  Thankfully a relatively minor injury that just required her to be in a sling.  I'm prayerful that we continue to remain healthy and well.

I pray for those who need healing, for those that need coverage, for those that need strength and support.  I pray for those who are recovering, for those who are struggling.  I pray for healing for us all.

Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

Jeremiah 17:14

L'chaim.  To life.

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #5 - A church family that pushes us to growth

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13

I've written a few entries on specific services and ministries I love about our church, but I want to take a step further back.  In that series, I've specifically avoided discussing the fundamentals (ministers, preaching, teaching, worship, etc) of our church because those are things that any healthy church should be doing well.  I wanted to highlight unique and different things that our church does, showing my appreciation for the "outside of the box" ministries.  Today, I want to express my gratitude for a church that is striving to meet those fundamentals and doing it well.  I want to say thank you for having a great church home in Stonepoint Church, Wills Point.

I am thankful for having godly leadership in those on staff at the church.  I am thankful that they take serious their duties as shepherd to the flock entrusted in their care.  I'm grateful to get to know and serve along beside them.

I'm thankful for Biblical teaching grounded in the Truth and not on feeling, politic, or tradition.  For pastors who will proclaim the Truth that needs to be heard and not falling into either trap of too much "truth" or too much "love."

I'm thankful for a church that calls us all to action.  That requires service.  And reminds us that we all have a function and purpose to play within the body, however small, however remote, however unseen or unsung.

I'm thankful for a church that pushes its members to growth.  That checks in on our progress regularly and holds us to development in our faith.

I'm thankful for a church that works with other churches in the community.  I'm especially grateful to have seen the turnout and unity at the community service on Sunday.

I'm thankful for a church that knows how to celebrate and that has fun.  From baptism, to family worship, to Facebook challenges, and blooper reels, I'm grateful for a church that shows its enjoyment in life and spending time together.  If we believers are family now and will spend eternity together, we should probably start learning to enjoy each others' company now.

I'm grateful to be in a church that is alive in the Spirit of God, for the sad fact is that there are many, many churches across this nation and the globe that are not.

So, to the members and staff of Stonepoint Church, thank you!  Your spirit and service are recognized and appreciated.

If you are looking for a church home, to find a place to truly connect and dig in deeper, you can find out more about Stonepoint here.

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #4 - A country with the greatest of all ideals

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

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Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character.  It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent.

Theodore Roosevelt

It seems fitting on this most American of holidays, to express my gratitude for the country that I call home.  Now this is not going to be a post on American exceptionalism.  I do have dreams of living in other countries and from my travels I could be at home in quite a few.  I am and will always be grateful to have been born in this great country.  For the grand experiment in which I am a part.

More than anything else, America is a country founded on the greatest ideals and principles of self-governance that have existed on this planet.  That the power lies with the people and government is to be of, for, and by those people.  That every person (regardless of how we have ill-applied this truth) is born with innate human rights.  Rights to life, to liberty, and to the pursuit of their happiness.  That government exists to protect these rights.  And that we have taken provision to secure these rights through codification in our laws and in the provisions of a organizational document for our government that exists solely to protect these rights of the people, the Bill of Rights.

Through this, our revolution truly changed the world, and creating a beacon for those around the world yearning to be free.  We were always a nation of immigrants, a melting pot of different people groups, backgrounds, creeds, faiths, races, and tongues.  And from the beginning, the colonies represented various factions united around one central, specific idea - that there is a better way.  It's why we are the United States of America and not simply America; we have a built in recognition that we are an assembly of different pockets of people, united by our ideals and belief in the country we call home.  It's why our country continues to grow more and more diverse, as people from every corner of the globe buy into the dream and experiment that is America.  It's why we have a statue dedicated to Liberty, calling them home.

Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal.  We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow.  Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.

Robert Kennedy

We have always been great because of these ideals.  There is an apocryphal quote mis-attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville stating "America is great because she is good.  If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."  While the attribution may not be correct, the sentiment still remains true.  When we model and proclaim the ideals that we cling to, we are the greatest country on Earth.

We seem to be struggling with our ideals of late.  Closing ourselves off from the rest of the world instead of engaging it.  Fighting amongst ourselves instead of against the ills of this world.  Seeing groups long thought vanquished gaining ground again.  Attacking some of our most fundamental freedoms.

The good news is that there is hope.

There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.

Bill Clinton

Tomorrow will be better as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life.

Walt Disney

Lord, I thank you for this country that you have ordained under the guiding principles of liberty and justice for all.  I pray we remember those blessings and strive to uphold those ideals once again.

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #3 - A job that while challenging is freeing as well

No man needs sympathy because he has to work, because he has a burden to carry.  Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

Theodore Roosevelt

I've often joked that I never wanted to actually be a lawyer in real life, I just wanted to play one on television.  And even now, I'm not one looking to go into the courtroom, to be involved in that kind of drama.

I'm very grateful for the job that I have.  It can be a challenge and it can be overwhelming, especially given the project nature of the work.  The hours can be long, the drive can get grueling, and the work can get monotonous depending on the case.  But I'm grateful to have a job with more built in flexibility than other forms of law.

I've written about my work before, but it bears repeating that in many ways, the emphasis in my job is more on project management than application of the law.  I'm the one ensuring that the deadlines are met, utilizing resources to their highest efficiency, working through project strategy to make sure we identify the type of documents we are supposed to find.

This makes the job part investigative, part contemplative, part reading and part scheduling.  It can present a new challenge every day and an opportunity to find a new and creative solution.

I'm ever grateful to have a job.  I'm grateful to have a job that I'm good at.  I'm grateful to have a job that has such flexibility.

I'm also grateful my company is fostering something like Idea Day.  We took a whole day off as a company for the entire company to work on brainstorming ideas to make the company better.  And I think we identified a few really exciting opportunities to make our company standout in our industry. I'm looking forward to tackling those in the days and months ahead.

To work worth doing.

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #2 - A wonderful family surrounding me

"The only people who truly know your story are the ones who help you write it."

For the second thing that I am most thankful for in all of the world, I think of the wonderful people that surround me.  That I call family.

I'm eternally grateful for my wonderful wife.  For my best friend, for my confidant, for my equal and match.  She is my helper and I am hers.  She is my patron and I am hers.  I am ever thankful for the decade we have been together and am hopeful for many more to come.  To the ends of the earth...

I'm exceedingly thankful for my two crazy and charming children.  For my daughter who made me a father and showed what a wonderful experience that would be.  For her amazing mind and personality that continue to surprise us.  For my son who shows us how to explore the world.  Who's sweet smile can brighten up the darkest of days.  I'm so thankful for learning that love is the one resource we have that cannot be depleted.  It is never divided, only multiplied.

I'm extremely thankful for the family that I was born into.  I'm thankful to have been blessed with parents that nurtured their children's dreams and equipped them to run toward them head long.  For parents that loved the unique qualities that made each of us different and who challenged us to be our best selves.  I'm thankful for a sister who was my closest friend and near twin growing up.  For a traveling partner.  And I'm thankful for a brother to share a room with, an apartment with, and a variety of interests and hobbies with.  For someone to share comics with.  I'm grateful to have known my grandparents, all five of them, to still have two with us, and to have briefly know two great grandparents.  I'm thankful for aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of whom left an indelible mark on my life.

I'm especially thankful for the family that I've married into.  I'm grateful for two in-laws that have welcomed me into the family as if I was always one of their own.  I'm grateful for new brothers and sisters to share movies, food, and life with.  I'm grateful for a new extended family, it's warmth, and it's wealth of knowledge and experiences.

I'm equally grateful for the family I've chosen.  For friends throughout my lifetime that have made this life enjoyable.  For memories that will last a lifetime and for new experiences yet to come.  Even if I haven't seen you in a while, I'm still thinking of you and looking forward to catching up.

There's a quote that I love - "when you have more than you need build a bigger table, not a higher fence."  My cup runneth over from blessings in family and friends.

Here's to bigger tables.

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For #1 - A God whose love can appear reckless to us

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34

Psalm 106:1

Psalm 107:1

Psalm 118:1

Psalm 136:1

Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

When I was your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt not worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me

In this season of thanks, it seems most appropriate to give God the glory and thanks first and foremost.  For it is through Him that all other blessings flow. He was the reason the pilgrims gave thanks that very first celebration, a practice that has continued on to this day. President Washington in recognizing the holiday gave many noble reasons for a national Thanksgiving, including "for the civil and religious liberty," for "useful knowledge," and for God's "kind care" and "His providence."  From his proclamation on Thanksgiving Day 1795, "In such a state of things it is in an especial manner our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God and to implore Him to continue and affirm the blessings we experience."

Through the scripture, we see reminders and commands regarding thankfulness, and in particular, thankfulness to the Lord.  As we see in the repeated instances in the Psalms, we are given reminders to give thanks to the Lord.  We do so because He alone is truly worthy. He is good and his love, the one true love that surpasses all, is eternal.

Last night at our community service, we talked about the command given to be thankful and how it is part of the will of God.  The verses in 1 Thessalonians quoted above show us the three simple things that are God's will for us.  As discussed, we often over-complicate seeking God's will for our lives.  We are looking for specific directions, specific decisions.  Paul instead outlines a framework for living that is God's will for how we are to live.  We are to maintain a spirit of rejoicing.  We are to maintain constant communication with God.  And we are to give thanks regardless of our circumstances.  We are to continually give thanks.  

All three sound like simple directives, but we know how hard they can be.  To rejoice even when you do not feel particularly happy.  To rejoice when circumstances bring anger or grief.  And likewise to give thanks when it seems like everything is falling apart.  To be able to give thanks when it would seem you could not name one thing to be thankful for.

I personally believe that is why this seasons is so important.  For an Ebenezer.  Something that makes us pause to write out the list or to verbalize the things we have to be thankful for.

I am particularly humbled and grateful for a God who's love from our perspective can seem completely reckless.  A love that appears to be granted with complete abandon.  The love of God lavished on His creation, redeeming even the worst and most broken creatures, reminding them of the worth that He created in them.

A love that was shown to us while we were still enemies of God.  That fought for me while I was still a foe of God.  "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:6-8  No matter how far I was away from Him, no matter how far I might run, God was always seeking to redeem me.  Just as He is seeking to redeem every single piece of His creation.

That's why the story of the Prodigal Son has been so fascinating to me over the course of  this study.  In the parable, the father, our image of God, pouring out his love on both of his sons.  Toward both of his sons, he is continually to bring them into his favor.  To have them in his presence.  To join him at the feast.  He allows them to engage in their own paths of destruction, whether that path is wanton living or self-sufficiency and self-righteousness.  But to both, he is ready to welcome them back and bring them out of their destructive paths.  To offer the best alternative.

It is hard for us to fathom this kind of love.  A love that goes to the limits and beyond.  The love that leaves the 99 to find the 1.  The love that turns the house upside down to find the lost coin.  The love that lavishes riches on the wayward son when he returns home.  The love that sends joyous celebration throughout Heaven for one sinner that repents.

There's no shadow You won't light up

Mountain You won't climb up

Coming after me

There's no wall You won't kick down

Lie You won't tear down

Coming after me

That love is why we have reason to give thanks in all things.  For no matter where we are, no matter what we have done.  No matter how broken we may think we are.  No matter how little we have estimated our worth, God has pursued us, picked us up, and reminded us of our worth.  He has shown us the price He paid to redeem us.  To restore us.  

And we can celebrate that fact, no matter what may come.

I love the way The Message puts the passage in Romans.  "We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inpsire us to selfless sacrifice.  But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him."  God reminds us that he pursued us as His creation, not because of what we can do for Him.  Not because of any worth we had, beyond that which He put into us.  

And to the uninformed, that love appears reckless.  It's over-whelming, all-consuming.  It is relentless.  It is beyond comprehension.  It is never-ending, eternal.  

It is unearned, undeserved, unmerited.  It's freely given and lavishly applied.  

It is perfect.

And I am beyond grateful for it.

Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn't earn it

I don't deserve it

Still You give yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.

Thankfulness

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

John F. Kennedy

With November, we are in the season of Thanksgiving, both literally with the holiday and hopefully figuratively as we do pause to remember why we are and should be thankful. And we see this taking form in social media as people do spend the month listing the reasons they have to be thankful.  Oh, if we used social media for this purposes, we would never run out of posts and we may have a much brighter outlook on this world.

Instead of the somewhat usual Top 10 post for a Saturday, I've decided to split out the post over the coming days leading into Thanksgiving, outlining the Top 10 things that I'm thankful for.  An opportunity to expand on the topics in greater detail and to pause and reflect on each one.  Further a way to maintain that thankful spirit in this appropriate time.

Tomorrow will have a date appropriate post for Veteran's day and I'll start the list on Monday, with a post on the the number one thing I'm thankful for.  The If I Were Disney CEO and other series posts will go on pause until after Thanksgiving.

In this time of thanks, what are you thankful for?