Day 7 of 24 Days of Thanks

I'm digressing here just for today....but truly...there's no way most people could possibly understand my love for Pizza Hut. It's been like this since.....forever. And recently when our local chain decided to get their act together and provide really great service, it just motivated me to visit them more often! 

But my reasons for liking Pizza Hut go beyond their service or their deep dish. The thing is that most of the time when I'm there eating a pizza pie, I'm there with friends and family. The fellowship is better than the pizza, the conversation more lively than the game that's usually on the flat screen and the hilarity that usually explodes is funnier than any sitcom on the TV. We usually gather after church or for a GNO or a birthday and the buzz can be about anything from church to kids to sports. There have even been more serious topics discussed -like a friend who whispered her pregnancy secret, tears shed over an impending departure and even just plain old life getting the best of us. 

The thing is....maybe it's not really Pizza Hut that I love so much (although I do). Maybe it's what happens at Pizza Hut...the friendships, the fellowship, the laughter, the family. Either way...I'm thankful!

What are you thankful for today?

Day 6 of 24 Days of Thanks

This Sunday morning I'm thankful for bus ministries. The bus ministry of one local church helped to change the course of one woman's life over 40 years ago. That woman was my mother.

My mom was raised in a home where there was chaos. A bus ride to church, a couple of hours in air conditioned rooms, a loving Sunday School teacher and the story of Jesus helped her see life from a different perspective. This perspective eventually became her perspective when she accepted Christ and began her walk with Him. I'm thankful that someone cared enough to get up early on Sunday mornings and drive a bus down the dusty Patch Road in Orlando, Fl and take my mom to church. I'm sure the job was no more glamorous than it is today. But it changed a life. Because my mom was taken to church, she met my father. They dated and were married 5 months after high school graduation. Because of their shared faith in Christ they raised their family to love the Lord. And now, I'm raising my kids to know the Lord. And hopefully the dominoes will continue to fall in that direction for generations and generations.

So, remember whatever ministry you are called to do...bus, nursery, children's, music....it's important! It could be the tool that God uses to bring a soul to Jesus. It could be the tool that changes the course of a family!

What are you thankful for today?

Day 5 of 24 Days of Thanks

Home...Our's is a 1970's, brick, ranch style. A green front door on the front and a large covered porch on the back welcome guests from either direction. It's not fancy. In fact, there are a few updates that need to happen, a few things that need to be fixed, popcorn ceilings that need to be scraped and on any given day...there's a layer of laundry by the laundry door- but it's home. It's the place I love on my family. It's a refuge from a cold world. It's the gathering place for meals. It's where we talk openly. It's the safe place. It's a place to get refueled...built up...loved on...embraced. It's where you can be yourself....completely....comfy clothes that don't match, bare feet and all.

I realize every home is not like ours. And while not perfect (by a long shot) I know that what I have is a gift. Materially speaking, we live comfortably. That is a gift. My home provides shelter, warmth, defense against winds, rain and lightening. That is a gift. But even more importantly than that I know that our home is a place where God has first place. Where there is peace and security. Where people know they are loved. Where our children are being raised to know God. Where we share our deepest concerns, our funniest moments and our heartaches and at the end of the day we know there is no other place on earth we want to be...no place like our home.

In a world where hurting children, abuse, divorce, manipulation, harsh words, arguing and other damaging behavior is prevalent in the home, I'm thankful our home is a place of comfort, rest and encouragement...not because of anything we have done....but because Christ is the builder.


Psalm 127:1 - Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.


What are you thankful for today?

Day 4 of 24 Days of Thanks

Who doesn't like something new? While I love antiques and primitive decor, I don't particularly like the dirt and grime that often accompanies them. In fact I have a few things in my shed that I won't even bring in the house until I have the opportunity to clean them up and give them a fresh coat of paint. I love the look....but not the dust and decay that so often sticks. 

One of the things that I'm thankful for is how that God says, "Behold, I make all things new"(2 Corinthians 5:17 and Revelation 21:5)....because, let's be honest, who doesn't love new things? In my life there has been a lot of old....Old habits, old memories, old hurts, old sin, old skeletons in my closet, old disappointments, old burdens. Yet, God reminds me often that He is making all things new. He's capable of replacing all these old things with things that are new and beautiful and lovely. His plan is for us to walk in newness of life. It's a gift I don't know how to fully grasp. It's a struggle between my flesh and my spirit to embrace the new....Not because I don't want the things that the new offers, but because my flesh is comfortable in the old....in the grief and the heartache and the sorrow and the hurt. A short walk in the light of His newness reminds me that He offers new mercy, new peace, new grace, new life for each day. 

How thankful I am that His newness is fresh every morning (Lamentations 3:23). It's not only new, but sufficient. Enough. Adequate. Provisional. He doesn't leave us lacking. He is making all things new.

What are you thankful for today?

Day 3 of 24 Days of Thanks

Whether it's family game nights, going to the movies, sitting in church together or eating a meal on the go...I am thankful for the time my family gets to spend together. One of the hazards of any job, but especially the ministry is that at the end of the day, you've spent your energy on everything else but those who are the dearest to you. I'm glad for a pledge that Bruce and I made to each other when we marriage....God first...family second...ministry third. We haven't always been perfect about this and we surely don't have an exact formula for making it happen...but we aim for it!

I'm thankful for the way God uniquely fashioned our family. A fun dad, a go-getter-mom, a smart fashionista, a mischievous boy....God balanced out our personalities, our gifts, our talents, our smarts :), our energy, our emotions. He designed us to perfectly fit.

Spiritually speaking, I'm thankful for the godly leadership Bruce provides for our family. He truly is the best man I know. He is kind, hardworking, loving, honest, wise, provides. Savannah is growing in her faith....learning to trust God with thunderstorms and the dark and learning to deal with pre-teen stuff and friendships. She'll take her first Lord's Supper at Thanksgiving. Tucker-man is asking all sorts of questions about God and sin and how could God love us....and I pray it won't be long before he calls on Jesus....a day I've praying for since his birth.

So today...and every day...I'm thankful for this wonderful family God designed. Thank you Lord!

What are you thankful for today?

Day 2 of 24 Days of Thanks

I'm thankful for God's Word and the way it has changed my life. To think in a small leather bound book, God has given me the words that I need to be equipped to live my life on earth. His instruction book has the answer to every question I have, it's the play book, the planner for every little thing I encounter. It's wisdom goes far deeper than the well meaning advice of a friend. It's correction is longer lasting that the rod of a loving father. It has the power to convict, train, admonish, encourage and change people. It's the words He wants us to live and love by. It's full of commands and adventures and romance and advice and love and grace and mercy and forgiveness.

These past few months I've learned how important it is to stay true to the plays that are outlined in God's Word. It's hard to do what's right. It doesn't always feel good. It's sometimes the least convenient thing to do. It violates my human fleshly desires. But God has a plan..and our responsibility is to obey and do the things He has commanded.

I'm grateful His word measures everything. His very word...spoken to me!

What are you thankful for today?

Day 1 of 24 Days of Thanks

It's Journaling Gina's 3rd annual Days of Thanks! 

I'm counting down to Thanksgiving...24 days from today. Join me?

I am thankful for the gift of salvation that is continuing to radically change me. It's not that it didn't do it's complete work when I accepted Christ as my Savior...it's that it is the gift that keeps on giving....reminding me of the beauty of the cross, the complete sacrifice, the shedding of blood, of a perfect Savior that wanted a relationship with a lowly sinner. It reminds me of an unblemished love, a grace that is deeper and farther reaching than any song that can be sung. It's personal, it's relational. And when I think about all the things that I can be thankful for....none of them mean anything to me without this first thing that changed everything. How could I not be continually changed by this? 

Feel free to leave your thankful list here or write your own in a journal or on a scratch napkin....the point is ....be thankful!