Dear Friends,
Let me begin by simply wishing you all a joyful, blessed Thanksgiving. Even though I am not a big fan of cold weather, I do love this time of year. There is something very special about this season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tomorrow, as we celebrate thanksgiving, I hope we will all pause to consider the many blessings in our lives. So let me ask you this question. If I were to sit at your Thanksgiving table, as we went around and each shared something for which we are thankful, what would you say? What are the top one or two things in your life for which you are most thankful?
Personally, I'm thankful for a home in which to live and food on our table. I'm thankful that I get to do work that I love and find meaningful. I'm thankful for good health and the strength that God gives me to serve Him. But if I had to narrow it down to the top two, that would be pretty easy. First, I am thankful for the people in my life. I'm thankful for my family. For a wife who loves me (in spite of myself) through 37 years of marriage, for my sons Chris and Sam that I am so very proud of, for my mom and the gift of being able to live under the same roof, and for my brother Bill and his beautiful family. Under that same blessing of people in my life, I am also thankful for good friends with whom I get to share life, for a team of amazing leaders and pastors that I have the privilege of co-laboring with in the work of Christ and for all of you, our Rock Church Family. I love you all and thank God for you.
Secondly, I am thankful for the gift of faith. I would be hard pressed to fully express my thanks for the gift of knowing the hope of Christ and his Lordship in my life. There is no greater blessing in this world. Jesus gives my life meaning and purpose. He is the source of all hope. He brings a peace that cannot be found anywhere else. And as I think about it, I realize that there is a point at which these two blessings, the people in my life and my faith in Christ, intersect. So, on this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the people who, in my youth, helped me come to know Jesus; people who invested in me and poured into me in order to lay a foundation upon which my faith could be built. And I am grateful for every person since then that has helped me to grow in my faith.
How about you? On this eve of Thanksgiving, what are you grateful for? I hope everyone of you can join us this Sunday for the final week of our "Blessed" series where we will continue this conversation about blessing, Thanksgiving and gratitude.
In Christ's love,
Pastor Steve