Thankful Thursday

As I sit down to reflect on all I have to be thankful for

all kinds of thoughts are flooding my brain

God's been shaking up my world recently; opening my eyes to see Him more clearly, and identifying some areas that have hindered my growth

I'm very thankful for that, and for His patience in the process of shaping me

I'm thankful God is a creator of beauty

sitting outside this evening, watching Him paint the sky as the sun went down brought peace after a long day

spent some time praying with my wife

so thankful God's ears are always open to our cries

grateful I can lay my burdens before Him knowing He is more than willing to carry them for me

I visited the Creation Museum last Saturday

Part of the program was a movie about the 6 days of creation

In Genesis 1, over and over I read the phrase, "and God said..."

This world that we know, the stars that fill the night sky, the plants and animals we see all around us, the rising and setting of the sun; all of these came about by the power of God's spoken word

I'm thankful His words have that kind of power

As I've done some studying of verses that talk about God's word this week, it is compared to a 2-edged sword, a fire, a hammer, honey, and rain

so grateful God has given me His word, and thankful He uses it to instruct and encourage me

I'm thankful for my job, the opportunity to do work I enjoy, work with people I get along with, and have flexibility for engaging in things that are important to me

I'm thankful for transportation, for a car that runs well (took us the whole way to Missouri and back!)

I'm thankful for opportunities to serve others

I'm thankful for the night; a chance to go to sleep and get some rest so I can get up refreshed for a new day in the morning