Thank You!

Here is an article I wrote for the November 2017 Newletter for our church, the Evangelical Free Church of Oakland, Nebraska. I normally post these on my ministry blog, but since this post is more personal, I decided to post it here.

Thank You!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In this month of Thanksgiving, I wanted to be obedient to God, and express to Him my thanks for some of the many blessings He has given me.

First, I am thankful that everyday and every moment, I can go into the presence of God because of what Jesus has done for me. I am a child of the king and my identity is secure in Christ, so that even when I mess up and even when I sin, I can run back and find love and forgivenness. The more this truth has become clear to me, the more peace and joy I have.

Second, I am thankful for my beautiful wife and best friend, Traci. God has very graciously provided me with a partner who loves Him first, and who loves me well. I love her and love to spend time with her. She is also a great mother and household manager, which is incredibly important a non-detail person like me. Furthermore, she goes deep with the Lord allows Him to continue to transform her, which makes her a better wife, mother, and co-minister. I am very blessed in this way, so thank you Jesus.

Third, I am so thankful for my children. What a privilege to get to be part of the lives of five great kids. I am very proud of my kids, and I really like to spend time with them. In the good times and the hard times, God continues to use my children to bless me and stretch me. Frequently, God uses the process of discipling my children to challenge me in areas where I need to grow.

Fourth, I am extremely thankful for you, my church family. Honestly, I love you and it is great to be loved by you!! You have blessed us recently with a great gift, but my primary blessing is the regular fellowship and encouragement we get with you in the worship service, in your homes, and in the community. I love ministering to you and with you. Thanks for allowing me and my family to be part of your lives. I thank God for the way he is using you to minister to me, to one another, and to the hurting world around us.

Fifth, I am very thankful for the leadership here at Oakland Evangelical Free Church. I look forward to elder meetings because I get to fellowship with my friends. I am so thankful for those who co-minister with me from the elder board, to the worship ministries, to those who help with caring ministries like the food pantry and women's ministries, to LJ in the office, to those who help in all areas of discipleship such as Sunday School, BLAST Club, Life Group Leaders, and to those who help take care of the church resources. Thank you so much for using your gifts to help the body grow in maturity and numbers.

Finally, I am so thankful to the Lord for hard times. More and more, I am realizing that it is in the middle of the hardest times of life that God reveals Himself the most. Now, I do not think that God ever changes, but it is in the hard times that we are forced to look for him. God uses these times to show that He is not just sufficient, but that He is more than enough to handle all of our problems. Even in the worst circumstances, we can rejoice and give thanks because we are learning to trust that He really is good and that the future really is secure. 

These are just a few of the innumerable reasons for me to give thanks. I encourage you to list your blessings and remember who gave you all these good things!