Thanksgiving Blessings

A few days late, but here are some broad categories of things I am thankful for -

1. God - He loves me and He has saved me. He forgives my sin and heals the wounds of my heart. He gives me instruction that leads to happiness and guides me on the paths that lead to life. Without Him in my life I am nothing and I cannot truly help anyone. He gives me strength, wisdom, and vision. All good comes from Him for my betterment.
2. Family - They encourage me and stretch me. They provide opportunities for growth and learning. They support me and help me as I search for truth and look for ways to serve God.
3. Work - It gives me accomplishment and self respect. It provides the resources for my families survival and keeps me out of trouble.
4. Home - It provides comfort and protection from the elements. It is where my body is nourished and sleep is acquired for the refreshing for another day.
5. Today - New opportunities and new challenges. New chances to serve God and help those around me. A chance to start fresh and put behind me the mistakes of yesterday. Today I can give my heart anew to God and let Him guide me where He knows is best for me. I can make good choices today that will lead me closer to God. Today I can be wise and forsake the ignorance of myself.

5 things I am thankful for on Novemeber 23, 2009

Today I am thankful for -

1. People who share their love of God with me to encourage me.
2. The rainbow (like the beautiful one I watched as I traveled home from Chattanooga for several minutes yesterday) to remind me of God's love for me.
3. Standard item #3.
4. A warmer November than the same time last year when lows were in the teens and highs were in the 30's for a couple of days around the same time as now.
5. Seeing my niece Amy blossom as she grows while at college.

5 things I am thankful for on November 18, 2009

I am thankful today for -

1. A loving wife
2. Children who love and follow God
3. A nice home
4. A job that supplies me with funds to live on and challenges to aspire to
5. A world to explore and consider the beauty God gives my life

A path of fire will cleanse the heart

I am thankful that God loves me enough to take away my sin. He loves me enough to take the punishment for my sin and He loves me enough to forgive my sin. He also loves me enough to put a fire in my life to burn away the impurities and sins. When I allow Him to guide me, He sets the paths of His way before me and leads me towards the home He has made for me.

Thank you to all veterans

I am thankful for the veterans who have served honorably in the armed forces of the United States of America. The men and women who have sacrificed so much to preserve freedom for my family are greatly appreciated. I do not pretend to understand the feelings that they had as they became part of the military and stood in the face of hardships and before enemies both within and from afar. Many sacrificed their body, spirit, and too many even their life to preserve the freedom of our great land. Their families also sacrificed much as they watched their loved ones go into harms way, without a sure knowledge of the results of the hardships endured. While we are grateful for the majority who returned home after their time of service and contributed so much to the strengthening and building of our homeland, we especially honor those who never returned or who returned broken in body or spirit. I hope that I will never forget the service they rendered to me and that I will always be thankful for each one who did so much to preserve freedom in the United States and around the world, so that a better life is within the reach of all.

5 things I am thankful for when I am sad

1. A kind word from a friend
2. Someone who is sad with me or for me
3. A serendipity (something unexpected that happens that is good, so that I know God loves me despite)
4. An encouraging word from someone
5. Bright sunshine and a gentle breeze whispering in the trees

Hopefully I can provide a kind or encouraging word when someone else is sad, or just be with them and be sad for them. God will have to handle the serendipity and the sunny day.

5 feelings I am thankful for

1. Hope (there is always the opportunity for something better happening soon)
2. Relief (it is never as bad as it seems when it is happening bad)
3. Excitement (even though excitement is usually bad, but when you see a soaring eagle excitement is good)
4. Interest (as in learning something about something, not the wrong kind of interest, you define your wrong kind of interest and I'll define mine)
5. Sadness (when the event is sad, it is better to feel sad than happy, otherwise you are callous)

5 things to be thankful for on 11/7/2009

5 things I am thankful for -

1. Tullahoma wants me to do a PBA Invitational.
2. The weather is extremely nice today; warm, sunny, low humidity, gentle breeze.
3. An excellent sermon today that was clear and easy to understand, yet brought the conviction of truth.
4. Standard thankful item #1.
5. Friendly people were friendly to me today.

5 things to be thankful for on 11/5/2009

I am thankful for -

1. A lady at work is who good to work with. She is unusual in that she is reasonable. She wants things to be done right and is willing to work towards a good solution with letting her ego get in the way.
2. standard thankful item #4.
3. A good lunch. Was hungry all morning. A friend gave me a banana, which was nice. But lunch was really good and now am ready for a nap. Too bad I'm at work.
4. My study of Jeremiah is helping me see some things about God and how I relate to Him in a new light. Doing a journal helps me focus.
5. David Hartman who back in July talked about how his daily journal that he had been doing for years helped him get more blessings from his Bible study. Now that I have tried it I understand what he meant. I am thankful I listened to him instead of ignoring the idea like I had done so many times before.

Not ready to rumble

I am thankful for family peace. Most of the time we do not have a lot of bickering and sniping amongst the people in my family. We seem to be able to get along without destructive words and hurtful comments. I am thankful for the love and support my immediate family members give me. The absence of constant arguing and undercutting is appreciated.