Thankful Thursday

 

 

Thankful beyond words for this little guy

 

Especially thankful I was able to go out to Missouri to meet him in person over the weekend

 

Thankful for the many hours I got to hold him both during the day and also at night

 

I'm sure he won't remember me from those couple days, but it was definitely a bonding time for me

 

I'm thankful for the time I was able to spend with the Martin family in Indianapolis on my way back home

 

grateful for their gracious hospitality

 

thankful for good communication and opportunity to share stories together

 

I'm very thankful for safety as the miles traveled continue to add up

 

I just realized on the way out to Missouri that we have put 10,000 miles on the car since the end of June

 

I'm thankful for a project to work on while my wife spends the next week and a half out in Missouri with our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson

 

I'm very grateful for her consideration of me in preparing some meals ahead of time and putting them in the freezer so that I can just pull them out as needed.

 

I'm thankful for God's faithfulness; knowing I can trust Him gives me confidence in facing the challenging circumstances of life

 

Our church has been holding revival meetings all this week

 

I'm thankful for the word of God, thankful He speaks to me through it; thankful for those who teach from the word with conviction

 

I'm thankful for some good connections with others this evening after the service

 

I'm so blessed to have other men in my life who are pursuing God and encourage me in my pursuit of Him

 

I'm thankful for God's promise that when we seek Him we will find Him

 

He is a God who is near and not far off



Thankful Thursday

 

 

What an exciting week!

 

On Tuesday morning, Hudson Luke Eldredge joined our family

 

I am so thankful for this gift from God

 

Thankful for a new handle--Paw Paw

 

I'm grateful for the many ways I have seen God answer prayer in regards to this new life

 

God is an amazing creator

 

We are fearfully and wonderfully made

 

I'm thankful He knows us intimately

 

Scripture tells us God knows each day of our lives even before we are born

 

He even has the hairs of our head numbered

 

I'm thankful the little details are important to Him

 

He knows our strengths and our weaknesses

 

I believe I tend to tip the scales more heavily on the weakness side!

 

As a loving Father, He is mindful that we are but dust which is quite fragile

 

I'm thankful for His continued patience with me

 

I'm thankful that God indwells me through His Holy Spirit, who is given to us as a pledge of our inheritance

 

I've been praying often lately that the fruit of the Spirit would be evident in my life

 

I want others to see the evidence of God at work in me

 

the weather has gotten cooler

 

my wife and I got to sit out back and enjoy a fire in our backyard recently

 

I'm thankful for the beauty we are able to enjoy here at our home

 

so often we get to look with wonder at the colorful artistry across the evening sky

 

I know this is just another gift from the Creator

 

I'm thankful God knows my greatest need is to be in relationship with Him, and grateful beyond words that He made a way for that to be possible.

 

Sin had separated me from that kind of relationship, but because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, my sins are forgiven, and the barrier has been eliminated

 

I'm thankful for forgiveness

 

thankful for the transforming process God is doing in my heart and mind

 

I'm thankful for God's faithful investment in my life

 

I'm thankful for grace and mercy, the cornerstones of salvation

Thankful Thursday

 

 

I find myself needing to ask God for forgiveness a lot recently

 

I've been struggling with my responses to a certain individual

 

I know God tells me to love them, and do good to them

 

but returning good for evil sure doesn't come naturally

 

and I keep crying out for God's help while confessing my sinful nature

 

I'm so thankful God does offer forgiveness and cleansing through the shed blood of Jesus

 

I'm thankful for His patience with me

 

I'm thankful for the heightened awareness of my desperate need of His grace this situation has brought about

 

I know this is not just a battle with this person, but a spiritual battle. 

 

The enemy of my soul would love to see me train wrecked by these circumstances

 

he wants me to give up on trying to love

 

But I'm thankful he was defeated by Jesus' death on the cross

 

thankful God is greater than my guilt and shame

 

I'm thankful for my wife, who continues to encourage me toward grace

 

sometimes I don't want to hear that message, but I'm grateful for her persistence

 

I'm thankful for music, specifically the piano, where I can sit down and pour out myself in songs of worship and prayer.  It is a soothing activity

 

I'm thankful for praying friends who are willing to walk through the challenging times with me

 

I'm thankful God's mercy never reaches its limit, but it is new every morning

 

I'm thankful God doesn't deal with me as my sin deserves, but He is a loving Father who understands me completely

 

He knows my strengths and my weaknesses and invites me to cast all my cares on Him so that He can carry my burdens.

 

I'm thankful He extends grace to me and pray that grace would flow out of me to those around me who need it just as desperately as I do. 

Thankful Thursday

 

 

This I recall to my mind.

Therefore I have hope.

The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,

"Therefore I have hope in Him."

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the person who seeks Him.

It is good that he waits silently

For the salvation of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:21-26

 

Wow, it's been almost a month since I posted on here.

 

A lot has happened in the past 3 weeks!

 

We said our final goodbyes to our dear friend and neighbor, Mrs. Brown

 

She passed into eternity on September 15

 

The passage above are the verses I was asked to read at her funeral

 

I'm thankful for that opportunity to proclaim these truths

 

thankful my God is faithful, loving and compassionate

 

thankful He is my portion

 

On September 17, I got word that my uncle passed away.

 

He had been diagnosed with lymphoma the middle of July

 

I'm thankful I was able to travel to New York City to attend his farewell service on the 22

 

I'm thankful for the many people who shared about the impact he had in their lives

 

He was a man who valued people and relationships

 

and it was clear that he loved connecting people with the God he served

 

My son, Adam, has been relocated to North Carolina to help with relief efforts in the wake of hurricane Florence

 

I'm thankful we had the opportunity to go and serve alongside him and other ReachGlobal staff last week

 

We drove down on Wednesday, worked Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and drove home on Sunday

 

I'm thankful for the people we were able to help

 

grateful for new relationships we were able to build

 

thankful for hard work

 

thankful for relaxing evenings shared with Adam and others

 

thankful for Joe and Rachel and Mason, for their love for God and their heart for people

 

thankful for the chance to work with Braxton, a young man who lost almost everything in the storm, and yet was giving his time to serve others in his community

 

thankful for dry roads and clear skies on the days we were traveling

 

I'm thankful for the flexibility my company has which allowed me to go, on short notice

 

I'm thankful that God is using what was an awful thing for so many to draw people to Himself

 

I'm thankful for the hope found in Jesus

 

Thankful for opportunities to share that hope with others

 

I'm thankful God invites me to partner with Him in the  ministry of reconciliation