Thankful:

Pronunciation: \ˈthaŋk-fəl\

Function: adjective

1 : conscious of benefit received <for what we are about to receive make us truly thankful>
2 : expressive of thanks <thankful service>
3 : well pleased : glad <was thankful that it didn’t rain>

This Thanksgiving I am thankful….

…for a relationship with the Triune God who has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

…for the salvific work accomplished by Christ on the cross according to the plan of the Father that is being made a reality in my life every day by the Holy Spirit.

…for the church of God that provides us with a global family.

…for my wonderful wife, Miranda Jane, whom I married this year on August 1st in San Francisco, CA.

…for marriage (a wonderful state of being)

…for my family: my beloved mother, my one-and-only, precious brother and his wife, for my amazing grandmother, for my father as well as for aunts, uncles, cousins, and family abroad that may not always actively participate in my life but have at some point.

…for my new extended family: my mother-in-law, Sara; father-in-law, Al; sister-in-law, Amanda; brother-in-law, Tim.

…for the health and well-being of all my loved ones. There have been no serious illnesses nor deaths this year. We did have a close call when my sister-in-law was in a car wreck, but thus far it has served as a reminder of how precious is life.

…for Western Seminary, an amazing educational institution that also is a hub for thinking about what it means to transform the world with the gospel and it happens to be my place of employment (for which I am grateful in our current economy).

…for the Imago Dei Community that has become our new church family. We have been welcomed with open arms and we are excited to be part of what God is doing in and through this church.

…for our new home here in Portland, OR.

…for our new Toyota Matrix that I often gives thanks for after I remember my previous modes of transportation.

…for opportunities to travel to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; San Antonio, TX; and Chicago, IL (where we saw U2, live, in Soldier Field).

…for food to eat, clean water to drink, warmth in the cold, and provisions that many across this planet do not have the opportunity to experience.

…for my own health and well-being.

…for another year to give thanks to the living, true God for all these things being reminded that our God gives rain to the righteous and the unrighteous, our God is impartial, He loves all, especially His redeemed.