Happy Thanksgiving!!!

As we celebrate the time honored tradition of Thanksgiving Day here in the USA, I wanted to take a moment to express my thanks for a few things. As I read the inimitable words of Paul in Ephesians 5: 20 "Always give thanks to God the Father for everything..." I would be remiss not to begin by saying: I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father for loving me even when I'm unlovable.

I'm thankful for my precious parents who shaped my values and ideals.

I'm thankful for my wife who has been my compass for character and integrity, and my warmth in the coldest moments of my life.

I'm thankful for my brothers and sisters who constantly challenge me to become a better man.

I'm thankful for my wife and kids who have somehow convinced me that I'm the greatest husband and father on planet earth (even though it defies logic).

I'm thankful for my extended family who believe in me even when I have struggled to believe in myself.

I'm thankful for my staff and team at The Well who serve selflessly from day to day, believing in our calling and our purpose.

I'm thankful for the precious people that call me their pastor (I still marvel at why that is), encouraging me to keep doing what I do because of the difference it is making in their lives.

I'm thankful for the friends in my life who have proven themselves true friends in the midst of the greatest adversities I've faced.

I'm thankful for the Mast family, and for Ron in particular without whom I would be doing something different today.

I'm thankful for the friends that left in the midst of the greatest adversities I've faced. They taught me true character.

I'm thankful for Dennis, Steven, Steve, Ron, Chris, Jeff, Femi Obaweya and all the guys who speak into my life on a constant basis, assuring that I don't miss the calling.

I'm thankful for my bicycle that allows me to burn off the calories from all the over-eating that is prone to happen between Thanksgiving and New Years Day.

I'm thankful for the turkey that "volunteered" to make my Thanksgiving Day memorable.

And I'm thankful for you, the reader, that graces my blog with your presence when you could be anywhere else.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said: "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." What are you thankful for today?