Bridgeway Christian Church

I am writing this because I have a desire to share lessons and blessings that God has used in my life.  I am thankful for all of His Fatherly guidance even when it is not joyous at the time.  Here are some other things I am thankful for, not in any particular order:

I am thankful for the apartment we live in.  It is the only one on the property with such a large patio with a low wall so we can see outside and have additional light.  Also, it is facing the middle of the property so it is quiet.

I am thankful for my job.  For 22 years I have been able to earn a pretty good income without having to work hard physically.  Since I have bad feet and legs, this is definitely a plus.

Our church is one to be thankful for.  The preaching and music are great but we also actually reach out into the community to make an impact.  

Our health—Jeanie and I and the girls.  None of us has had any really serious health issues.  I know that can change at any time and I don’t take it for granted but it has been a blessing.  Some of us have allergies and the achy bones now and then but that’s about it.

I am thankful that we are nearly out of debt.  It has been a long, twisted journey but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am very sure it is not an oncoming locomotive.

I am also thankful for three or four brothers in the Lord who loved me enough to push me into doing something about my debt.  It wasn’t fun or easy but they helped me do the right thing.

I am thankful that the Lord is exposing my pride to me and helping me to change and not be as prideful.  I realize that I have done much of my ministry over the years with a tip of the hat to myself.  It has taken several years of being humbled and taught to help me realize this and hopefully change for the better.  I want to serve the Lord for Him and Him only.  One day while we were having communion at church and I was reflecting, I thought about and asked the Lord to continue to help me with pride.  Right after that Lance preached on giving God all the credit for what we do…not taking the glory and putting 10% in our pocket and handing Him back the rest…AMAZING!!!

I am thankful for this computer I am typing on.  About twelve or so years ago, friends gave us our first computer.  We learned on it and ever since then, other friends have kept us updated and upgraded.  This computer was a gift from some of those friends about five years ago.  

I am thankful for the cars the Lord has let us drive.  For years I had nothing but trouble with a former car.  Then we were able to get Toyotas and the problems have been minimal and far between.

Our oldest daughter has a job teaching and loving on kids and a nice place to live and I am thankful for that.  Our younger daughter is married now to our great son-in-law and I am so thankful for him.  I have prayed in the past for the guys in my girls’ lives and he seems to be an answer to those prayers.  He isn’t perfect but then who is?  Not me for sure!

I am thankful for my wife’s job and how hard she works.  She gets great insurance much cheaper than I can so we are saving a bunch.  She works harder than most anyone I know and I don’t just mean at work.  I mean at everything she does.  

I am thankful for all the beauty of nature.  Not long ago I had the joy of seeing a mama and baby duck in a small pool of water at the side of the road, a field of cows, and a marsh filled with egrets, poppies everywhere and many other wonderful evidences of God’s Creation.  Thank you Lord.

I am thankful for good books and for laughter; for music and all it’s variety and
for good food and great friendships.  

I am thankful for prayer.  I can’t imagine going through this life without the Lord and the ability to talk with Him whenever and wherever.  Some of my best worship is while driving singing and praying.

God’s Word is something I am extremely thankful for.  I have been reading through the Bible, five chapters at a time in “The Message”.  I just finished the Poetical Books and I am into Isaiah.  If you have never read “The Message”, I encourage you to give it a try.  

I hope we are encouraged to be thankful for what God is doing in each of our lives daily.  Sometimes they are BIG things to learn from and sometimes they are small things to enjoy.  Just keep looking for all He is doing and has done shaping us to be exactly what He wants us to be!