Day of Thanks, 02.15.09

This week, I am thankful for:

1. The chance to preach. I got to preach tonight at church. I didn't get asked to preach until this morning (yeah, not a lot of preparation), but I was glad to get the chance to. I preached out of 1 Corinthians 4. The sermon went really well, I thought. It was encouraging and challenging to me, anyway. Thank you, God, for letting me preach tonight. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. Thank you for giving me a message this afternoon, and thank you for giving me the words to say in such a short amount of time. I give you all the glory. May you use the preaching of your Word to further your kingdom.

2. Valentine's banquet. The youth hosted a Valentine's banquet for the senior adults at our church this past Friday. We had a great turnout, the food was good, and we had a great time. The youth served dinner, and we played Family Feud for entertainment. It was really fun. The youth did a good job, and the adults were very appreciative. All in all, it was a great night. Thank you, God, for the Valentine's banquet the other night. Thank you for helping me get everything together. Thank you for the help of my volunteers, and thank you for how smooth everything went.

3. East Asia. As I posted on Monday, I'm going to East Asia in July on a mission trip. I'm so excited. I'm really thrilled about the opportunity and truly grateful for the chance to go. Thank you, God, for allowing me to go to East Asia. Thank you for giving me the chance to take your name to the other side of the world. Thank you for working everything out so that I could go. Please be preparing my heart to do your work. Please already be working to open up doors for us to share your name.

4. Going home. I'm going home this Thursday. I'm looking forward to seeing my family again and hopefully getting together with a couple of my friends. I always enjoy the chance to get home, even if it's only for a couple of days. Thank you, God, for letting me head home for a couple of days this coming week. Thanks for letting me see my family again. I pray that you will give me safe travel and that you give me a productive trip home.

5. Cory. I've gotten to know Cory a lot better over the past couple of weeks. He's the BCM campus minister at LaGrange College. We've gotten to talk some and hang out a bit, and I really enjoy his company. We've talked a lot about ministry and about the workings of the Lord, and he's truly been an encouragement to me. Thank you, God, for Cory. Thank you for allowing us to meet each other and get to know each other better over the past several weeks. I truly appreciate the encouragement that he is to me, and I am grateful for his friendship.

Thank you, God, for these blessings, both significant and trivial. You are God, and you are good.