Testifying Goodness
Happy first Saturday of November! It’s finally starting to feel like fall here in the blessed land of South Carolina … the leaves are changing, the days are getting cooler and shorter (I’m actually wearing a flannel shirt this morning!) … fall is definitely in the air and I love it!
At my home, we are getting into fall mode. Fall decorations are going up in the house, pumpkins and mums sit on our front stoop, the outdoor fireplace is getting a lot of use. We are also getting ready for Thanksgiving. As an adult, I have come to realize that the Thanksgiving meal doesn’t just happen - it takes a lot of planning! We are planning out the menu, that, this year, will revolve around a fried turkey … I can’t wait to spend Thanksgiving afternoon out on the back patio, fire roaring in the outdoor fireplace, some boiled peanuts on hand, frying the turkey for the evening meal! We start the day with cinnamon rolls, coffee and milk, watching the Macy’s Day Parade, and end it with a feast … I love this holiday!
The older I have gotten, and, Lord willing, the more I have been sanctified, the more I have come to love Thanksgiving. Growing up, it meant time out of school, gathering with family, see who could eat the most turkey, taking a nap, watching football, and gearing up for Christmas. It was just a day of family, food and football … not much time was spent thinking or talking about being thankful for anything (besides homemade mac n cheese, made either by my grandmother or my Aunt Shirley - we were all very thankful for that dish!). Over the years, the Lord has softened my heart to the thankful part of Thanksgiving. Yes, a day of family, food and football is wonderful. But, what is more wonderful is this opportunity to be thankful.
We find the theme of thankfulness throughout God’s word. From the Psalms to the Prophets to the Epistles, we find thankfulness saturating God’s word. It’s almost as if God is calling us to be a thankful people! What a wonderful holiday we have where we are called to slow down and deliberately think about what we are thankful. Like the hymn says, for us to count our blessings, knowing they come from the good hand of our good God.
In some church traditions, they have a time of “testifying” during the worship service - a time to publicly testify to God’s goodness and to declare thankfulness for God and His work. In this spirit, I’d like to testify to God’s goodness in my life - maybe to help us do the same thing:
- I am thankful for Jesus Christ, who is my Lord and Savior.
- I am thankful for salvation that can only come from Jesus.
- I am thankful for the faith that has been entrusted to me.
- I am thankful for my wife of 20 years -and her never-ending patience with me.
- I am thankful for my 3 children, who are truly a blessing from God (there are times I have to remind myself of this).
- I am thankful that God has called me to be a Presbyterian.
- I am thankful that God has called me to be a Southern Presbyterian, in both location and convictions.
- I am thankful that I am a born and bred South Carolinian ;)
- I am thankful that I have found a home in the ARP, a denomination that I dearly love.
- I am thankful for my brothers in the ARP, who encourage me - and will call me out when needed.
- I am thankful for the church I get to pastor, Bethel ARP in Winnsboro SC … they are truly wonderful people who love me and my family well.
- I am thankful that I have been called to be a pastor.
- I am thankful for my life - it has been a really good life.
There are many more things I can put on this list. God is truly good and there is so much I am thankful for.
Allow me to encourage you to take these next couple of weeks to think through all of God’s goodness and blessings in your life. And, take time on Thanksgiving to lead your family in a time of testifying to God’s goodness … before you tear into the turkey, mac n cheese, stuffing, greens and the rest of the feast, gather your family together and testify to God’s goodness to you and yours. What better way to spend this holiday!