My Thanksgiving List...

To God...(lyrics from "Death In His Grave" by John Mark McMillan):

Though the earth cried out for blood
Satisfied her hunger was
Billows calmed on raging seas
For the souls of men she craved

Son and moon from balcony
Turned their head in disbelief
Precious love would taste the sting
Disfigured and disdained

On Friday a thief
On Sunday a king
Laid down in grief
But awoke holding keys
To hell on that day
The firstborn of the slave
The man Jesus Christ laid death in His grave

So three days in darkness slept the morning son of righteousness
But rose to shame the throws of death and overturned his rule
Now daughters and the sons of men will pay not their dews again
The debt of blood they owed was rent
When the day rolled anew

He has cheated
Hell and seated
Us above the fall
In desperate places
He paid our wages
One time, once and for all

On Friday a thief
On Sunday a king
Laid down in grief
But awoke holding keys
To hell on that day
The firstborn of the slave
The man Jesus Christ laid death in His grave

Jesus conquered death and therefore we have great hope! I am supremely grateful to Jesus for his sacrificial death so that we may live with Him both now and into eternity. One day...we will be reunited with all that cheated death before us!

Penny - I think about you every day. Your mark on my life is eternal. I love you and can't wait to see you again.

Gretchen & the girls - I can't imagine life without you. You are my life! Gretchen - you are a rock and I am grateful for your patience and commitment to me. You pursue Christ with all of your hear, soul, and mind and your neighbors are constantly more important than you. You are a daily testament to the 1st and 2nd greatest commandments.

Family - I am blessed to have family on both my side and Gretchen's side that truly desire to follow Jesus. We miss all of you while our lives are primarily lived in MN but I know this life is just the beginning of an eternity where we will celebrate God together.

Ministry - I wake up every day knowing how blessed I am to be called into a life of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. There is no other way I would want to live my life. To have the privilege to lead people into a greater fullness of God is the most satisfying life I could ever imagine.

Basketball - A sport I have always loved has become a strategic exercise for Kingdom building. Through playing & coaching I have met many that need Jesus in their lives that I would have never met without this sport. I love the game and I love teaching it!

Mom & Dad - Thanks for your support. Dad - Your countless hours behind the scenes with Consumed is such a great assistance to me. I would be lost without you. Mom - your prayers for 36 + years have guided me into the man I am today. I will never understand fully the love of a mother but your actions have demonstrated them to me. I love you both!