My thank-you list

Hello to all! It's been awhile since I've made my way 'round here, but I kind of fell into a personal writing slump (which I didn't like) and nothing came to mind, or random ideas came to mind but nothing that I thought would produce a quality column. Nevertheless, I'm back!

Take a look at this week's column, as I'm sure you'll relate to it. And if you like it, pass it along to others! Thanks for supporting my writing adventures!

P.S. And if you're reading this, I ask that you would please pray for me. I alluded to it in a past column, but fear and anxiety and worry have been something I've been dealing with lately (another reason for my lack of writing) and my prayer is that God would replace those emotions with His Word and His love, peace and joy. Much love.

Original publication date: Friday, November 20, 2015
Random Writer
My thank-you list

A couple of weeks ago at church, our guest speaker for the day spoke on something that has resonated within me since that time. It’s taken me some time to really gather all my thoughts, but with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, the timing is finally right to compose these thoughts into words.

The guest speaker, in his 30-plus years of pastoral ministry, met scores of people and built relationships. He talked about some people end up being a blessing during a particular season in life, but even after so many years have passed, they still held a special place in his heart.

He listed the prayer warriors of his church, the faithful volunteers, the teachers, and others who were a blessing to his ministry. He even mentioned how in many of his epistles to the churches, the Apostle Paul rounded out many of his New Testament books with “shout outs”, if you will, of people who had been a blessing to him--the ones who opened their homes to him, the ones who stood by him in the midst of persecution, the ones who ministered with him for a moment--yet their impact made an eternal imprint.

And when we think about it, we all have a list like that. There have been people in our lives who reached out to us in a particular way or helped us with a particular project, and their actions or even affirming words have stuck out after all of these years.

In my lifetime, I can recall the Sunday school teachers and children’s church teachers who took time out of their own learning experience every Sunday so that I and countless children could learn about Jesus.

I remember the music directors that had enough faith in me and my talent to give me the opportunity to sing in church as a means of worship.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the people who joined me in that worship experience by accompanying me, either on guitar or piano or even as a vocalist.

I remember those youth leaders who managed to find that balance of teaching us about Jesus while providing us with some fun fellowship in a church setting.

I recall the folks who made a financial investment in me and my family by helping us to pay our way for church camp--whether it was by working for that money or by being a blessing and anonymously providing those funds.

I remember the people who drove that giant church bus or church vans to provide a way for me to learn about Jesus. And if that one bus driver never came by our house to tell my family that church existed beyond Vacation Bible School, I can’t even imagine how my life would have ended up.

I remember the couple who took on the responsibility of teaching our college Sunday school class after my first year of college and the way they opened up their home and hearts to me. And on that same note, I’ll never forget the elderly couple who showed their love by feeding us college kids lunch every other Sunday, which was such a blessing to us.

I recall those pastors who gave me the opportunity to minister in so many different ministry programs--teaching Bible lessons to students, leading the kids choir, directing VBS, facilitating outreach programs. To add to that, I’m so thankful for the folks in the church who decided to join me in executing these programs so children and their families could learn about Jesus.

I could list names one by one, but I’m scared that I’d miss somebody. But I’m just so thankful that God has given me people beyond my bloodline who have been a blessing to my life. I thank Him for them, and I probably need to take more time to thank those people in those moments, because we never know if we’ll get the chance to see them again. Last week, one of the people who allowed me the chance to raise money for church camp--by going around the park and picking up aluminum cans--finally succumbed to his years of health problems, and part of me wondered if he knew how much that simple task meant to me.

We all have that thank you list. But don’t just limit that multitude of thanks for when late November falls on the calendar. We are provided with ways like social media, text messages, and old-fashioned letters to tell these people thanks. We can even go up to a person and simply say thank you. Let’s show our thankfulness to those people, and then thank God for those people as well.