TheGospelGeek.com

Wow!  Where did 2011 go?  I am learning that some things that people tell you are true,  for example, the older you get the faster the time goes.  So I now find myself at the end of another year and the beginning of a new one.  Time for looking back and looking forward. 

I had a good year at the church, home, and work,  though marked with great sadness.  I had to say goodbye to my niece Amy and father-in-law Howard, however I rest in the assurance that I will see them again.

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13)

 I am excited about what God has in store for 2012.  I can’t help but feel that the church is on the edge of something wonderful.  I also have great hopes for my home life in the coming year.  Stephen should be back home late in the year and I have promised Bonnie a healthy husband for Christmas next year.  Christopher is the happiest I have seen him in years and I hope and pray that God continues great things in his life.

Yep, 2011 was good, but I can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store!

As Mark took a stand behind the pulpit he asked if anyone had a great day. As I waited anxiously for testimonies about the wonderful things God had done for those in our congregation, it hit me. I had a plain old ordinary day.

I had awoken that morning and ate my breakfast, prepared for the AM Church service, brushed up on a few thoughts regarding the message for the day, and caught a few minutes of Cal Ray’s message on the television. My wife and I then attended the service, ate a good dinner, and spent the day relaxed at home where I studied and watched a bit of football. We then went back to church that evening, which is where this all started.

So I had slept in a warm bed, had a warm dry place to stay, attended a church service with people I love, worshipped the God of the universe, and had plenty to eat. I have a good job, a healthy body, and a healthy family. On top of all that, I live in a free country with unlimited opportunities. Listing all of the blessing God has bestowed upon me would be an impossible task. Yes, I had a plain old ordinary day!

Thank God for all of his blessings.

The old song says that we have “so much to thank him for” and that is so true.  I could not even begin to thank God for all the good things he has provided for me.  Family, friends, love, health, it all comes from God.  The bible tells that all good things are from him.  Most of all I just want to thank him for salvation.  The knowledge that my sins are forgiven, and the peace that comes with that knowledge, is priceless.  Everything else is just icing on the cake.