This morning as I drove to work, I thought about some of the blessings I have and how thankful to God I am for various people and places.
- I am thankful for Charlotte (my wife), for Christine and her two boys, Brody and Lincoln. I am thankful for Jamie and Cal and their little boy Sully. To have three grandchildren is such a blessing!
- I am thankful for the years of preaching to congregations in Florence, Ala.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Waco, Tx. To this day, there are people in these places who are some of our dearest friends.
- I am thankful for the privilege of serving at Harding School of Theology (Memphis). This school has served students well for decades. (Have you ever considered taking a course at a school like this? You can do this in the privacy of your home or office through HST Live. Contact Matt Carter – mrcarter@hst.edu) I am also grateful for the wonderful people whom I have met and worked with at Harding University.
- I am thankful for the opportunity to grow. I read books and articles. I listen to audio books. I regularly listen to podcasts and recordings of sermons and talks. More than ever, I have a great hunger to grow.
- I am thankful for churches who invited me to speak and teach. I have been with some wonderful groups of people this past year. I am honored to be invited. In particular, I am grateful for the Millington Church of Christ where I have been preaching once a month for over two years.
- I am thankful for the ministers who I talk with across the country. I regularly talk with ministers over coffee, on the phone, or by way of Zoom. These conversations often bless me more than them. I am thankful to know such g00d people.
- I am thankful for unexpected moments of encouragement. The unexpected phone call or note. The unexpected conversation. These moments are often great times of joy and satisfaction.
- I am thankful for good, sweet people who spend their lives doing good. These are people who often need little maintenance themselves and who bless others through giving their time and resources. At the moment, I have in mind some of the donors who invest in the students at Harding School of Theology.
- I am thankful for God’s help in navigating through life’s messiness. Sometimes, life is just hard. People can disappoint and even hurt. Nevertheless, God is faithful.
- I am thankful, most of all, for God’s goodness, love, and holiness. When I ponder these aspects of God, I quickly realize that he is much larger than my problems or my concerns.