Another day of thanks

As all of you know I write to expose my thoughts to you about religion, family, and life. Throughout my time at Liberty I have learned a lot about Theology, religion, Christianity, etc. and I love to share all that I am learning. But now and then I have to step back from my studies and look at my life, who I am as a servant, husband, father and friend. I give thanks to the Lord above for the blessings in my life and all the things that He has given me. So, here is a list of some of the things I am thankful for.

1) God's Grace: Grace defined by Merriam Webster's dictionary is "unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification." God's grace to me is unmerited. I don't deserve God's love and abundant flow of blessings. God has provided me with what I need and more in life. Just being able to attend classes at Liberty has been a huge blessing and I have grown so much because of it. I wouldn't be able to go back to who I was before I started attending classes for God has provided a strength in me that I didn't feel last year.

2) My wonderful family: My wife Amanda and my daughter Lorelai. The Lord has given me such an amazing and beautiful family and I feel so blessed to have them. God has put them in my life for me to provide for, love, and cherish. It is my responsibility as a husband and father to be there for my family and provide for them, to laugh with them, to play with them and comfort them. It is a huge responsibility as a man, but one that God has given to me.

3) Pastors: Pastor Ernesto and Pastor Jayson have been a huge help to me as I have been attending classes. I am able to go to them and throw things by them that I don't understand and they give me what they think. They are my spiritual mentors. They are the ones I go to when I am struggling with some theology ideas. It is so important to have those people in your life that you can go to for spiritual guidance and these two men are so strong in the Lord, and I am incredibly blessed and thankful to have them in my life.

4) Friends: Pastor Jim always says that he can name about 5 friends or so that he can truly count on and that will be there for him when he needs them, or he can go to for guidance. I have about the same. These people are the Cromp's, the Lyman's, and the Beebe's. These three couples are some of the most important people to me and I feel that God has placed each of them in my life for the long run. You always have those friends that will come and go, but you also have friends that will be there for you through out your life. These three couples are those friends I know that are there for me. To you I say thanks for putting up with me and some of my crazy ways.

These are just a few of the things I am thankful for in my life. Have a great November everybody. Look for a blog in the next couple days on the study of evil.