new thanks

Lamentations 3:33 “Great is His faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.”

This Thanksgiving, I want to focus on some things I have this year that I didn’t have last year. Of course I am grateful for all the old stuff, too, but these additions are especially close to my heart.

A new baby is coming to our family. Our daughter Jessica and her husband Josh are expecting a child in early June. Life is precious and a gift from God. This will be our first biological grandchild and we are humbled by the gift.

Jess and Josh have been appointed as directors of Casa Shalom, an orphanage in Guatemala. This is a significant step for them and we are blessed by it. We are proud of and thankful for them.

My nephew Richard joined our ministry staff this year as Missional Pastor. He and I have always been especially close and I have wanted to work with him for years. We finally have that opportunity and I am grateful. It’s good to live by family, the first time we have in many years.

I had the honor to visit Haiti this summer. I now have an open door to do more work there in the future. We plan to work in an orphanage in Dufailley. I am grateful for the new opportunities.

Our non-profit organization became legal this year. In fact, we are weeks away from the public launch of International Orphan Support. Thank God.

We were able to change the name of our church. The name Cross Community Church becomes effective next week, December 1. It was a long time coming and we are celebrating.

I have some new young friends, church planters and pastors that we are able to help a bit. It is great to be able to be an encouragement to people who have a ton of years of effective ministry ahead of them.

I am able to serve my “tribe” in some new ways. I was selected to be in a mid-level leadership position in our denomination, the Church of God. While I don’t aspire to climb the religious/corporate ladder, I am honored to have a voice in our efforts to turn around a diminishing organization.

New friends, new influences, new additions to an already very full life. New answers to prayer, old and new. God has been good to me.

Thanks, God!