Giving Thanks

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and there is much to be thankful for. It’s always good to write down the things for which we are grateful be it in a journal or a more public place like a blog post. We can be thankful for things big and small, and writing them down helps me to ponder things that I too often take for granted. So, here’s my list:

I’m thankful for my wife Renee and the forty-five years of marriage that we will celebrate on December 2.

I’m grateful for theological schools that train Christian pastors, apologists, and scholars for service to the church.

For the many friends I’ve made over the course of my life across the country.

For C.S. Lewis who died 60 years ago today. He found Christ and God used his amazing intellectual gifts to write books and essays that have impacted many throughout the world, including me.

For the opportunity to visit Maui four years ago and experience one of the most beautiful places on earth on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

For the good books that I can pull down out of my library that teach me more about life, about history, and about God.

For magazines like The Atlantic Monthly, Christianity Today, Christian History, Comment, and The Economist that keep me in touch with daily life and help me to think better.

For the San Francisco 49ers who have brought much joy to my life over 65 years and for Brock Purdy, a Christian believer who came out of nowhere to become the Niners starting quarterback. He reminds me that there is a world where good guys overcome great odds to succeed.

For blocked punts, safeties, two-point conversions, and plays that make football so interesting to watch.

For the ocean, a place for long walks on the shore with the water in your feet.

For the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City, NC.

For Bruce Bochy, the best manager in major league baseball.

For the Santa Cruz, CA beach and boardwalk.

For a lazy afternoon at home with a bowl of popcorn reading or watching sports.

For the Civil Rights movement in mid-20th century that helped Americans see that slavery and Jim Crow were deep moral wrongs and that African Americans were fully human like everyone else. Thank you MLK, Fred Shuttlesworth, John Lewis, and others for your sacrificial work.

For presidential libraries and museums and the great tours and insights into history that they offer.

For the congregations we’ve been part of: Parkside Community Church in San Francisco, Granada Heights Friends Church in La Mirada, CA, Dulin’s Grove Advent Christian Church in Charlotte, Forest Hill Church in Charlotte, and our current congregation, Calvary Church in Charlotte. I’m thankful for churches large and small of every denominational stripe that practice faithfulness to the message of Christ.

For Charlotte, our adopted city, that in our 41 years here we have watched grow into a major metropolitan area.

For Jimmy Buffett and Gordon Lightfoot who gave us such great music.

For good Mexican food, biscuits, and scones.

For independent bookstores like Main Street Books in Davidson, and Park Road Books in Charlotte.

For coffee shops near and far, especially the independent ones that serve unique coffee and coffee drinks.

For Rosalyn Carter who just died at age 96.

For good mental health practitioners and especially those who know how to integrate Christian faith with the practice of mental health.

For my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who conquered death and is alive today.

For this opportunity to write on my computer and to share with you what I am thankful for.

I hope you have a good Thanksgiving with family and friends.