Thanks for Everything . . . Even That

Thanksgiving morning came and went. The day was unseasonably warm with just enough wind to keep the air fresh and keep leaves on the ground. The neighborhood was quiet, as some slept in and others left early for the Turkey Trot race. Don’t even ask about the circumstances, but that morning, as I was reflecting on the things for which I was thankful, I became thankful that I lived in a house with more than one bathroom. Hard to believe, and uncomfortable to remember, that for the first ten years of our marriage, we lived with one bathroom in our house. Thanksgiving should be a time to give thanks for the benefits of life, but not necessarily the fringe benefits. While one bathroom per house is often enough, one per person is better. I am also mindful of those who didn’t even have a bathroom on Thanksgiving Day. Hopefully, they found something in their life for which to be thankful. For me, I was grateful for the fringe benefit of multiple bathrooms. For those of you who think my thanksgiving thoughts are a bit weird, just remember what the Apostle Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks,” and I’m sure his bathroom facilities were not near as nice as mine.

Join me today in praying for the following global concerns:
• Pray for missionaries who are saying good-bye to national leaders and friends this week as they prepare for their early retirement departure.
• Pray for early retirement missionaries still in need. I know of seven needing vehicles and four needing housing.
• Pray for Dano & Melinda as their stay in the states has been extended for medical reasons, and thus postponing their return to Indonesia.
• Pray for safety for Christian families and individuals who are refugees, as they seek a safe country in which to settle.