What I Give Thanks For in 2010:

I missed the “post something you are thankful for on Facebook every day in November leading up to Thanksgiving” boat that everybody seems to be aboard this year.  So, in lieu of that, I present a list of (at least) 25 things for which I give thanks, one for every day I should have been posting to FB.  I know, it won’t develop a daily habit of thankfulness, but I prefer my moments of self-reflection in large, separate doses anyway…

• First and foremost, as always, I am thankful for a God that loves me enough to send his unique son to die and suffer for my sins in my stead.
• I am thankful that God has consistently seen to my provision, even when I did not see His hand in it.
• I am thankful that God provides for me daily to teach me to rely on Him rather than my own wisdom and preparedness.
• I am thankful that I have a God-fearing wife.
• I am thankful that I found someone to share my life with that loves me enough to endure my idiosyncrasies, help me in my brokenness, and fight for our marriage.
• I am thankful for shepherds and ministers who are committed to equipping our church body for that fight.
• I am thankful for shepherds and ministers who are not afraid to tackle to difficult topics, that know it is worth ruffling a few feathers if it can save even one marriage, one life, or one soul.
• I am thankful that I have found in our life group Christian brothers and sisters with which I feel my family is accepted, mentored, held accountable, and spiritually fed and challenged.
• I am thankful that I have found a group of Christian men to be my “band of brothers,” and that my actual brother can be a part of that.
• I am thankful that God is using numerous circumstances in my life to teach me about the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
• I am thankful that I am, finally, beginning to learn what it really means to be a Christian – to not just follow rules, but to truly walk with God.
• I am thankful for Christian mentors that show me through their example what it means to give up control and live a God-led life.
• I am thankful that my son decided to give his life to Christ this year.
• I am thankful for my two vibrant, beautiful, intelligent, and challenging children.
• I am thankful that God chose to open our hearts and bless us with another pregnancy - with all the hopes, fears, excitement, and promise that entails.
• I am thankful that the most serious health issue we have had to face with our children has been epilepsy, and that God has shown me through that experience how much of a blessing that truly is.
• I am thankful that God has given me opportunity to use my experiences with my son’s epilepsy to minister to other fathers dealing with similar circumstances.
• I am thankful to be part of an extended family that stands by and supports one another.
• I am thankful that I live close enough to my family that my children can grow up with their grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins -at least on one side- being a part of their day-to-day lives, and develop the strong sense of family that I was blessed to grow up with.
• I am thankful that God has worked in my sister-in-law’s business to allow my wife to work for her part time and be a stay-at-home mom, more or less.
• I am thankful that my wife working for my sister-in-law has given her a chance to develop a closer relationship with both my sister-in-law, and our niece and nephews.
• I am thankful that when I tell my son that he cannot see a movie, play a game, read a book, listen to a song, or be exposed to some other form of media because of its content, he accepts that my decision is based on my love for him and concern for his spiritual well-being.
• I am thankful that there are Christian artists to provide me with an alternative to popular music, and Christian radio stations so that I can be encouraged by my entertainment and not constantly exposed to the negative messages in mainstream media.
• I am thankful for organizations like Focus on the Family that provide me with information and tools to evaluate media from a Christian worldview.
• I am thankful that my son has a love of reading, and sets an example for his sister that reading is something to be enjoyed.
• I am thankful that I work for an ethical company that values its employees.
• I am thankful that most of the biggest problems in my life involve inconveniences regarding items most people in world would consider luxuries, if they can conceive of them at all.
• I am thankful that I live in an age of such technological wonders that virtually any information I could need or want is readily available to me at any time (say, to check Webster.com and make sure I’m not misusing a word in the course of being overly verbose).
• I am thankful for all the old friends that I have been able to re-connect with on some level in recent years due to social networking. 
• I am thankful that I live in a country where I can worship God without fear of persecution, where I can disagree with my government without fear of retribution, and where I can change that government if I so choose.

Here's hoping you all have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.