Thankful Thursday

 

 

For the past 3 weeks or so, I have been studying intensely and preparing for an examination for certification as a code enforcement building inspector

 

The code book that I needed to familiarize myself with is about 3" thick

 

The examination is open book, but it is a timed exam, so knowing where to look for answers is essential

 

On Tuesday morning, I took the exam.  As I started reading the questions, I realized that my preparation had been somewhat misdirected

 

I became a bit more nervous than I already had been, but continued to ask God for peace and persistence.

As I reached the end of the questions, I hit the link for ending the test with a bit of trepidation.

I was guided out of the room by the proctor, who told me that I would be given a printout at the front desk.

I am very thankful to say that when I turned over the sheet of paper that was handed to me, it said that I had passed!

I'm thankful for the support of my family and friends, who encouraged me along the way.

This is a first step in moving toward a possible transition from actually doing the physical work of construction to evaluating the work of others to insure that quality is maintained.

I'm thankful for the endurance God provided in preparing, and for the wisdom He supplied in the midst of my nervousness.  It had been nearly 30 years since I took a test like that!

I've been working on a challenging project this week as well.  Trying to restore an old barn that has been compromised in many ways.  I'm thankful for God's provision of work and His hand of safety in that work.

I'm learning to trust God.  His ways are always good.  He is faithful and true.  Even when the way is unclear, He knows the path ahead and continues to guide.

I'm so thankful that I can put my trust in Him without any reservation.

Thankful Thursday

 

 

It's almost midnight on this Thursday

 

But I have a few minutes to reflect on how much I truly have to be thankful for

 

Are my circumstances perfect?  No.

 

I could sit here and let you know what I wish were different

 

But that's not what God desires from me

 

He wants me to recognize that every good and perfect gift is from Him

 

And I am very thankful that God is a generous giver

 

He knows me; every little detail

 

and He is able to meet all my needs

 

amazingly, He sometimes gives me some of my wants as well

 

but I'm glad He doesn't always do that

 

some of the things I want aren't really good for me

 

and because God loves me so much, He withholds those things that would be detrimental to me

 

I'm thankful God is a protector

 

He guards my life

 

I'm thankful He gives me strength for each day

 

thankful He continually invests in me as His child

 

I'm thankful God speaks through His word

 

it is living and active; relevant for all of life

 

I'm thankful I have a warm and dry house; especially yesterday when the weather outside was very miserable with snow and rain falling and then the temperatures doing the falling

 

I'm thankful for a comfortable couch to sit on at the end of a long day

 

and thankful for a bed to sleep in

 

I think it's time to head there!

Thankful Thursday

 

 

It's been an interesting few weeks

 

I'm thankful for friends; I've been getting lots of calls with job suggestions

 

I am grateful for the love expressed in those calls

 

As I've talked with a number of people about my job situation, the one thing I've asked people to pray about is that God's direction would be clear

 

I have seen Him answer that request in a couple situations. 

 

I've had two interviews, and in both cases, there were things that came up in the interview that provided me with information which indicated these were not the job for me

 

I'm also thankful for the ways God has shown His faithfulness as a provider during this month.  One of those is work I have been able to pick up.  This is a blessing on a couple fronts.  One thing is that it gives me something to do to keep busy.  And it also supplies some income for meeting our financial obligations.

 

I've been spending time in the Psalms recently.  They give me lots of examples of honest expression, whether joy, sorrow, disappointment, frustration, or praise.  I know that God is an emotional being, and He has created us in His image as beings with emotions.  He doesn't want me to hide those emotions, or try to deny them.  He knows me completely anyway. 

 

I'm thankful  I can come to Him in whatever state I am and know that He is waiting with open arms ready to reveal more of Himself.

 

I'm so grateful He has a plan and purpose He wants to fulfill in me.

 

He is for me.

 

He invites me to let go of fear and trust Him.

Thankful Thursday

 

 

Pausing for a few moments on this Thursday evening to express my gratitude

 

I recently spent some time in the first part of Genesis, looking at beginnings.  It was a reminder of what an awesome God I serve.

 

I'm thankful that God is:

the Creator of the ends of the earth

The Maker of the sun, moon, and stars

powerful

personal

instructive

a pursuer

forgiving

understanding

exemplary

all powerful

a planner

merciful

redemptive

loving

 

"There is no one like our God"

 

a line from a song that has motivated me to look beyond the moment

 

God isn't locked into time and space like I am

 

He sees the beginning and the end and everything in between all at once

 

I can't fully get my mind wrapped around that, but it is reassuring as I go through these days of uncertainty.  God is moving and directing to bring His will to pass in my life.  And I can trust Him.

 

I'm so thankful for who He is

so grateful He has purchased me and adopted me into His family

 

He is worthy of praise

 

His love is everlasting

 

His faithfulness is immeasurable

 

Have you taken time recently to be still before Him and express your gratitude?



Thankful Thursday

 

 

A lot has happened since my last post

 

Life has taken an adventurous turn for me

 

I found out on January 2nd that my job with Vision Property Renovations had come to an end

 

I'm thankful for the time I had working for them

 

thankful for the learning and growing that job provided

 

I'm also thankful for the assurance that God is sovereign

 

this has not caught Him by surprise

 

thankful for the confidence that He will continue to guide and provide

 

this has been an unusually cold and snowy winter

 

so the timing of the unemployment meant I didn't have to be out working in that weather

 

one more thing for which to be thankful

 

While my daughter Allison and her husband Carl were here we recorded some of the songs I've written over the years

 

Allison has a special microphone for recording, and we had a lot of fun doing that together

 

I'm thankful for the gift of music

 

One of the songs we recorded is titled, "More Like You"

 

I still remember God giving me that song back in 1991

 

I was sitting in my vehicle eating lunch the day after I was informed that I was being laid off from my job

 

Lord I believe that You are in control

And I believe You are pushing me toward the goal

To be more like You, to be more like You

 

You are the potter and I am the clay

Help me to trust You to show me the way

To be more like You, to be more like You

 

I may not understand the way You're leading me

But I know that's not my responsibility

Help me not to question why

Help me to say "Lord, here am I!"

 

Lord I believe that You are in control

And I believe You are pushing me toward the goal

To be more like You, to be more like You

 

Those words still ring true

 

there have been many times throughout my life when I haven't understood the twists and turns of the path

 

but I've always had that assurance that my God is in control and that He uses all things for the good of conforming me more and more into the image of His Son

 

so I am thankful for this path I'm on right now.  I can't see very far ahead; I don't know exactly where it is leading.  But I want to be listening to the voice of the Shepherd and following Him.

 

I'm thankful for His promises

 

Thankful that He is faithful and true

 

Thankful He never changes

 

Thankful that even now, Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father making intercession for me.

 



Thankful Thursday

 

 

I missed posting last Thursday evening because I was picking my daughter Abigail up from the airport, got caught in some road construction delays on the way back and needed to go to bed when we got home at 1:30AM  :)

 

But I have much to be thankful for, and wanted to make sure I took the time to express my gratitude today

 

It's Christmas time, so at the top of my list is thankfulness for God's amazing gift in sending His Son to be the Savior of the world

 

The baby born in a humble stable, grew into manhood, and was crucified as a common reprobate even though He committed no crime.

 

But the good news!  He rose from the dead to live eternally with God the Father, and because He lives, He offers life to all who believe in His name.

 

I'm thankful for this expression of God's love and for His forgiveness offered to a sinner like me

 

I'm thankful all our kids were able to come home to spend time together over the last week and a half.  Although they didn't all come at the same time, there was overlap so that we could celebrate together.

 

Thankful too for extended family that was in town for Christmas, and for our neighbor's generosity in allowing us to use her home to house out of town guests while she was visiting her daughter in Florida

 

Our kids would be nonexistent if it wasn't for God showing me favor in a huge way by giving me my wife, Chris, with whom I get to celebrate 33 years of marriage tomorrow!!  She is a gem, for which I am extremely grateful

 

When I looked at the temperature outside this morning, it made me very thankful for a roof over my head and a furnace that works. 

 

I'm thankful for time spent this morning playing piano and guitar and singing together.  Grateful for the gift of music.  It has filled our home even more than usual these last few days

 

One of the big events of this past year has been relocating Chris' parents and getting their home of 50+ years ready to put on the market.  Our prayer was that God would provide a buyer who would want to purchase it before the end of the year.  We are thankful for the way He answered that prayer.  The house went to settlement last Wednesday, the 20th.  So glad to have that behind us.

 

The God of grace has shown His faithfulness over and over again in our lives as we walked through 2017, and so on this last Thursday of the year, I pause to give Him praise.

 

As the angels declared so many years ago, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men..."

 

May you know His peace in the coming year and give Him the glory He alone deserves 

Thankful Thursday

 

 

Been reading through the Psalms recently

 

they remind me that I share similar struggles with others

 

I easily begin to feel alone at times, wondering why I find it so hard to live victoriously when others seem to have their act together so much more

 

I know satan uses this tactic to isolate not only me, but other brothers as well

 

This morning as I read through Psalm 68, I was encouraged by verse 20

 

"God is to us a God of deliverances;"

 

That's why Jesus came, 

 

He became the sacrificial Lamb to deliver me from the power and penalty of sin

 

In this advent season, I thank God for

 

His unfailing love

 

His extreme sacrifice

 

His grace and mercy

 

His Son, my Savior

 

a baby born 2,ooo years ago who was fully God and fully human

 

the cross

 

the empty tomb

 

delivering me out of darkness into His glorious light

 

His patience with me

 

His calling on my life

 

His power

 

His glory

 

a warm and cozy house on a cold winter day

 

good food to eat

 

music

 

daily reminders of His presence