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Your partnership is making a difference... Last Saturday, after a busy travel schedule early this fall, I had one of the best days I’ve ever had with my family. It was jam packed with fun things to do for me and my son Jonah (who will be 4 in December). The day started with a couple hours of visiting garage sales – he was looking for little trucks, which he treasures. We followed the shopping spree with a trip to the Donut Hole for breakfast, but the restaurant was so full we end We then watched the Gators beat Vanderbilt; actually I watched the game, Jonah played with his new prize trucks from the garage sales. On the way home to take a nap, Jonah made the comment that this was one of his favorite days ever. However, sometime between the trip home and actually taking the nap, we had a meltdown because he wanted more dessert - he seemed to forget all the wonderful things we’d done all day. I was just “mean dad.” I tried to remind him of all the things he had to be thankful for, but apparently his frustration over the lack of more candy was all he could process at the moment. As I was looking at my son, I was reminded of myself just two days earlier. Isn’t that really a picture of how we all act sometimes? I had a couple of dozen things to be wildly thankful for at DSM—a growing church plant in New Orleans, a great school year so far as Desire Street Academy, Bryan Kelly was finally able to move into his house in the Washington Park neighborhood of west Montgomery AL, and we got a major gift from a donor which is especially encouraging this time of year. Yet in the midst of all these positive things, there was one troubling thing that seemed to completely overshadow them all in my mind. Maybe that’s w That’s one of the blessings of Thanksgiving. We all intentionally take some time to be thankful for our blessings. We’ll always have things that press and discourage us, or we can find things to fret about, but if we develop a spirit of thankfulness, because in the great words of the prophet Junior Asparagus from the children’s Veggie Tales series, “A thankful heart is a happy heart.” At least that’s what my son Jonah says. Serving with You, |
ed up at the Waffle House. We went from there to my Mom and Dad’s house where we took turns riding (and giving Jonah rides) on the motorbikes around the front yard, and we even took a ride in the kayak in the bayou. 
hy God constantly instructs us to remember. (That word is used 166 times in the NIV Bible). He tells us to remember because we get so caught up in the emotion of the moment (especially if the emotion is negative) that we lose our perspective, and we act like a whining three-year-old who really needs a nap. 
