ThAnKfUl Beyond Imagination!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day. You remember...it's the day when the stuffed turkey is consumed and the consumers are stuffed. It's the day when football overwhelms even the most fanatic fan and afternoon naps become mandatory activities. It's a day for family, friends and friends and family. And it's a day to remember all the ways we have been blessed...even when there are things in life that don't seem like such a blessing.
As I reflect on all that I have to be thankful for I am quickly overwhelmed. I have an amazing wife who, for almost 35 years has made sure I've been #1 in her life. I've watched as she cared for our children, consoled friends and laughed at my stupid jokes. There is not a man alive that has been more blessed by his wife than I have! It's true...I married WAY above my head!!!
I have three children who, in spite of my best efforts and poor parenting skills have become GREAT people. Each one contributes to the welfare of their community and works hard on a daily basis. They are awesome aunts and uncle and even better parents. But more than that, they actually think I am a great dad.
I have siblings that still talk with each other and actually share the same parents. Each one of them has lived a life full of giving and honoring our parents in the only way we know how.
My aged parents (91 & 90) celebrate their 71st wedding anniversary today, the day before Thanksgiving. They passed on to me a fundamental faith in God and respect for authority that has kept me out of prison and gainfully employed for the 53 years of my life. Their example of how to love gave me the foundation for my own marriage and parenthood mistakes.
But above all of that...I have a God that loved me enough to die for me. Instead of striking me dead for defying Him, He became a man so He could better understand why I do what I do. Then He allowed Himself to be killed so that He and I could have a relationship!
I'm telling you...life does NOT get any better than that! Friends and family, family and friends...all brought together because God gave Himself. Thank you Jesus for loving me in spite of myself!

Answers

Someone has correctly said, "Be careful what you ask for!" Well, I asked for an answer and I got it...unfortunately it wasn't the answer I was expecting OR wanting. But it is an answer and I will find a way to "rejoice and be glad in it". I trust that my God has something else in store for me, perhaps right where I'm living and working...and whatever it is will be better than what we ever imagined.
I had to smile when I got the call that they had chosen someone else. It's almost as if we had made an assumption that there wasn't anyone but us that could fill that position. As I look back on it I see the folly of that notion. There was nothing else that I could have done to make the outcome different. Oh sure, I could play the game like Abraham did and force the answer I wanted (even though that sounds very arrogant as I write it), but then it would have been my answer instead of God's.
For all of you who have been praying for and about us, thank you. Keep the prayers going as you move through your busy schedules. Keep on talking with our great God about my attitude and my work. I need your prayers just as I'm certain you need mine. And if you happen to be in the Rockford, IL area, we'd love to see you!

Waiting...waiting...waiting

What an amazing weekend we had! We got to meet Christians in Lewisville, TX who opened their arms to us and made us feel very much at home. They listened intently, asked great questions and didn't seem intimidated to answer our questions at all. We got to spend time looking over the area AND even got a few minutes with Crystal! What a blessing to hear what's going on in her life and her EXCITING news. Congrats my dear daughter (You can check her blog to get the news...)
Now we get to wait a little longer to determine what's next in our life. It could be that God has chosen for nothing to change for us...or it could be that there are changes in store. Either way I have been blessed beyond measure by getting to spend some time getting to know even more Christians.
Thank you Lord for giving us such an AWESOME family!