I like to think that I am a pretty good guy. I am a Christian.  I love Jesus and I am thankful for the relationship that I have with Him.  He really has changed my life and I know that my eternity is safe in His hands.  I love God and I love people and I really do enjoy serving them both.  I am a faithful husband, a very involved dad and a committed friend.  I work pretty hard to be a good guy, but being a good guy is not enough!

I was a sinner, but God’s grace changed that! I still mess up!  I still miss the mark!  I still don’t measure up!  In fact, I don’t even come close.  I often fail to do the right thing and I don’t even realize that I am failing.  I sometimes do the wrong thing and hate to admit it.  I don’t mind admitting this – in fact it is very freeing when you realize it, admit and seek God’s forgiveness and restoration.  Because of God’s grace, I get to make the choice to do the right thing.  I want to make that choice more consistently and in more areas of my life.

I’ve got a lot of work to do. God is showing me areas of my life that I have neglected.  While I have paid attention to some areas and they are growing and beautiful, there are some areas that I just haven’t given the attention that they deserve.  God is opening my eyes to these areas and I am working to make them right for Him.

Let’s face it – not a one of us is perfect! What areas of your life do you need to pay some attention?  Trust me – they are there – realize it or not!  Ask God to reveal to you the things that are hard to see and you will find Him ready to grow you in ways that you had never even given a thought!

It was a rough, but good night! Last night I get up as I do on most Wednesday nights to receive prayer request and praise reports and we are having a very good time of praising God and sharing our concern for loved ones and friends.  We had a very good group of people who showed up last night and everyone seemed to be in a really good mood.  I noticed as I was sharing that everyone seemed to be paying extra special attention to me.  I did not think much of it, because I am the Pastor and I am standing in front of all of them.

Things were shaping up and looking good! After a nice time of sharing, I prayed a very beautiful and serious prayer.  I took time to acknowledge God’s holiness, thank Him for His faithfulness, ask for His forgiveness and plead for His interaction on behalf of all of the request that had been mentioned.  It was a very nice time of prayer!  As I finished praying and walked to the side for the music to begin, one of my members walked over to hand me a note.  I opened the note and it said “ZIPPER?”  As I made my way to the back sure enough – I was having a “wardrobe-malfunction!”  I immediately took care of the problem and after the singing stepped back up to deliver the Word.  I thought it best to say nothing of the zipper incident.  The Word was powerful and spoke to all of us and I think we left church challenged in more ways than one.

At Home! Later when I got home and was telling my wife about the incident, she quickly spoke up and said “oh yeah – I heard all about it from” and began to share a list of names.  She then reached over and turned down the waste of my khakis and said “and you are wearing your red underwear!”  I’ve thought a lot about this episode through the night and I only have one thing left to say:  “I love Christmas!”

What are you grateful for? You should be able to come up with a pretty long list of relationships, events, possessions and blessings.  The truth is that most of us that live in the United States have an abundance that usually far outweigh our memory.  I think that sometimes I allow all of my many blessings to get in the way of my being thankful.  I hate to admit it, but I have at times allowed my much to get in the way of my being thankful.  It was not on purpose.  It’s just that I have so much to be thankful for that I sometimes get to focused on the wrong stuff and forget where it all comes from.

I sometimes forget to be thankful! I want to be full of joy and I should be full of joy and thanksgiving.  God has been very good to me.  Even when I have a problem, I never have to face it by myself, because God is always right here with me.  When I really stop to take the time to think about being thankful, then God fills me with his joy.

Thank You God for the good and the bad! Thank you for being with me in all situations and circumstances!  I love You and I am so glad that you allow me to be Your child!  Thank you for reminding me to be thankful and help me this month to grow my “THANKS-GIVING!”