Thank You for loving me!

Today at Common Ground we looked at Luke 17:11-19. It is the healing of the 10 Lepors. If we look at the passage all will see that only one of them returns to Christ and thanks Him for what He has done. Christ provided the man's salvation and healing. Throughout the service we thanked God through verbal statements, through communion, through meditation and through His Word. We as Christians forget that we were once that lepor who walked upon the road asking for healing and after we have been healed we thank not God, but things in our life. It is only through His Son and His grace and mercy that we receive salvation and healing. It was healing for our family. It helped us remeber that even during the hard times He is refining us for His glory and kingdom. His perfect will is always at work in our lives. We need to be able to thank Him even during the hard times. In fact these are times we need to draw closer to Him and that is what He desires from us. I want to take the time to thank God for somethings at this moment because I did not in front of everyone today. I thought this would be a bigger place to do it.

I want to Thank God for my family - my wife and my two boys - they help me remember His love for us.

I want to Thank God for His Son who died upon that cross so that we can be reconnected with Him for eternity.

I want to Thank God for healing this soul and mind each and every day.

I want to Thank God for His creation that reveals His artistic nature.

I want to Thank God for those who has put in my life to nurture and grow my faith into the man He has desired.

I want to Thank God for moving me to places I needed to be to learn and grow.

I want to Thank God for His continuous protection.

I want to Thank God for hearing my words.

I want to Thank God for providing our daily needs in so many ways.

I want to Thank God for all the experience He has given me in my life.

I want to Thank God saving me.

Most importantly I Thank God for loving me for who He created me to be. I thank you, I thank you and I thank you for your unfailing love!

Gotta Love Charlie Brown!

The other night I sitting and watching Charlie Brown with Stacey and the boys. Abe wanted to watch "The Great Pumpkin," but of course after watching for the past two weeks leading up to Halloween I suggested that we watch "Charlie Brown Christmas" to prepare for the coming month plus we wanted to watch something different. As we sat there watching the movie I kept thinking what value does this have in our lives, then it hit me the tiny Christmas tree scene. Charlie Brown has been given the task of picking out the tree for the Christmas pageant. Of course we all know that when Charlie Brown is given a task it turns out slightly different from what most would expect. Well if you have seen the movie he picks this tree that look like that it may last for about 5 hours before it dies. If not here is a glimpse of this tree. As one can see it not exactly the tree you want on Christmas day in your living room. This is the tree some of buy the night before Christmas because we were too lazy weeks before or for some two months before. This tree to Charlie Brown seems perfect because he seems someting in it that most do not see, what I do not know. As I sat there and watched him carry it back to his home with Linus, his best friend, he talks about how commercialized Christmas has gotten to Linus and things like that. Of course Linus reminds Charlie Brown that most of the other kids are going to give him a hard time. Well as they approach Charlie Brown's house he sees Snoopy's dog house decorated out the wazoo and commercialized to the fullest. Charlie Brown sets the tree down and gives out an Ugggg! and walks away. Of course Linus stays there and all the gang come by and start laughing when a big red bulb is all that is hanging on it. Linus states all it needs is some love and with that the whole gang grabs all the decorations off Snoopy's doghouse and put it on the tree. Well as they all back away the tree is transformed into what Charlie Brown saw within it. Charlie Brown saw the beauty and splendor that could come from it. After watching this scene, I realized to myself that we are that first picture of the tree. We look small and tiny. We look like we are on our last 5 hours of life, but it is when we realize how God sees us or others see us through Christ's eyes that we look like the second picture of the tree. Decorated and beautiful to all around us. It is the love of Christ that allows us to shine bright to all around. It makes me think of a song we sang this past weekend at church. In the song it mentions that Christ will shine to the world. It is through us that Christ can shine. He is the one that has called like that tree that started out as a tiny stringy tree and became something beautiful after it was shown love. Gotta love Charlie Brown!