5 Things I’m Thankful For

This Thursday in the United States (and a few other countries) is Thanksgiving Day, an annual holiday marked by religious observances and a traditional turkey dinner. It’s definitely a good time to count your blessings. In this article, I will describe five things I’m thankful for. Hopefully, this will inspire you to do the same, especially if you’re going through difficult times. We should never lose an attitude of gratitude. 

1) I’m still alive. In 1978, I almost got killed in an accident. While in my early teens, my parents had property on Big Sugar Bush Lake in Central Minnesota. During the summer, we’d go there every weekend. One Sunday in mid-September, we went waterskiing. While taking my turn around the lake, my sister stood on the dock. I tried to get close enough to spray water on her. Unfortunately, I misjudged my distance and slammed into the side of the dock! All I suffered were surface cuts on my arm and leg. Although I wasn’t born again at the time, God’s angels protected me from greater injuries.


2) God’s mercy. During my early to mid-twenties, I lived a hedonistic lifestyle. I frequented bars and parties plus slept around a lot. Once I got arrested for drunk driving. I plea bargained to a lesser charge to avoid a court trial. It convinced me to be more careful with my drinking. Eventually, I quit alcohol altogether and stopped fornicating. I’m fortunate not to have contracted an incurable venereal disease. I’m also thankful I didn’t cause any drunk driving deaths. There were occasions I drove home when I shouldn’t have.


3) Praying relatives. I came to know the Lord on March 19th, 1991. At the time, I had started going to Living Word Christian Center. Coming from a traditional Lutheran background, I was initially uncomfortable in a Full Gospel atmosphere. Knowing my sister and her husband were committed Christians, I decided to talk with them. For over three hours, they cleared up many misunderstandings I had about Christianity. Soon my brother-in-law invited me to pray with him and led me to ask Jesus Christ to come into my heart. I later found out that they prayed for years that I would recognize my need for the Lord.


4) The freedom to attend church and evangelize. Here in America, our Constitution has the First Amendment, which guarantees our freedom of speech and to peaceably assemble. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted political leaders to impose varying levels of lockdowns. That included forbidding churches to meet. Thankfully, other ministers like Rodney Howard-Browne resisted the governmental tyranny. Politicians are supposed to work for us and not us working for them. In Acts chapter five, the disciples were instructed by authorities not to preach in the name of Jesus. Peter replied in verse 29, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, take a stand. God will back you up.


5) Provision. During my missionary travels, God has given me food to eat, clothes to wear, and a roof over my head. Even before I answered the call to full-time ministry, God proved His faithfulness to me. During the mid-1990s, there were several occasions when I had to find a new place to live. Within 24 hours of my needing to move, alternative housing manifested without me initiating that. God has provided other blessings that make life more enjoyable. This article was written and uploaded with a MacBook Pro laptop computer. It’s the fourth one I’ve owned. All of them were given to me or purchased at a significant discount. 


So what are you thankful for? If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you have the assurance of going to heaven someday. Until that happens, you can be thankful for knowing a God who saves, heals, protects, provides, and gives wisdom when we are unsure what to do.


“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:57

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Gospel Soul Winning Script

Image
During my early days with evangelism, I developed an approach called the Survey Technique . By asking short direct questions, you can maintain control of the conversation and find out quickly what a person’s spiritual beliefs are. Although the Survey Technique has helped me lead thousands to the Lord, I’m still open to utilizing new methods in reaching people with the gospel. Rodney Howard-Browne 's ministry uses a tool called the Gospel Soul-Winning Script , which originated during their Good News New York campaign in 1999. I became familiar with it a few years later during evangelism outreaches with Rodney’s church in Tampa, Florida. At first, I resisted using the script. I found it restrictive and thought sinners wouldn’t be receptive to me reading the whole thing to them. Then while taking part in a 2009 outreach with Rodney’s ministry in Washington, D.C., my team leader asked me to “stick with the script.” Wanting to maintain unity, I complied with his request. Initially it fe...
Read more

Toking the Ghost Revisited

Image
Back in February 2007, a fellow missionary I was traveling with started talking about “smoking the weed from heaven.”   He would pretend to have a joint of marijuana between his fingers and have “smoke breaks with Jesus.”   He also encouraged other believers to take “hits.”   I was a bit uncomfortable with this idea but didn't contest it. Then in October of that year, I heard John Crowder preach on “toking the Ghost” at a church in my hometown of Fargo, North Dakota.   I was inspired to make a video with John to share with my missionary friend.   During the filming, I experienced much laughter. I decided to make the video public figuring other people might enjoy it also. Two weeks later at a church in Minnesota, I heard Benjamin Dunn share testimonies of people getting healed from “toking the Ghost.”   This was just before he and John Crowder started ministering together.   I believed this was God confirming His word in the mouth of ...
Read more

A Tribute to Al Best

Image
October is Pastor Appreciation Month. This tribute is for one who went home to be with the Lord last Sunday. Al Best oversaw Light in Anoka Church in a northern suburb of Minneapolis. Originally from Florida, Al first gave his life to the Lord at 17 but then backslid. Meanwhile, he served 21 years in the Navy and worked various jobs. That included selling Rainbow vacuum cleaners. I would eventually get to know his sales manager. Eric Gonyon became an associate pastor at Rodney Howard-Browne ’s church (I usually attend services there when in Tampa).  A few years after recommitting his life to the Lord, Al became a pastor. In 2007, the Lord directed him to head north to Minnesota, where his wife Jean is from. First, they ministered in the small town of Dassel. What started as a youth mission transitioned into regular services for all ages. Then in 2016, Al and Jean moved to Anoka to take on a church originally called New Day Fellowship. To counter the city’s motto as the “Hallowee...
Read more