Archives For thanksgiving

Thankful

Jason Petermann  —  November 28, 2013 — Leave a comment

ThanksgivingI am thankful!

Thankful today for so many things… We take so much taken for granted in our day to day lives. It is in moments of quiet and purposeful thought that we really understand just how blessed we are. I am grateful for this holiday that purposely makes us stop and think about giving thanks; about how much we really have. I have to believe it would help us if every day we would give thanks a bit before heading out the door.

  • I am thankful for a God that loves me so much that He pursues me. I am daily made aware of my inability to do anything that would make Him stand up and take notice of me, yet He still chooses to because of His love for me.
  • I am thankful for my wife. She extends me a lot of grace as I strive to love her well. She is my best friend.
  • I am thankful for my children and grandchildren. They are a source of joy and bring a lot of laughter to our home. They are pretty good kids too!
  • I am thankful for parents that loved me, taught me about Jesus and put me in a place where I could come to know Him.
  • I am thankful for the calling to be a pastor. I am not sure why God chose me, but He did, and I cannot think of anything I would rather do.
  • I am thankful for the mentors that I have had in my life. Men like Bruce Humbert and Richard Boland have had a huge impact in my life both practically and spiritually. There are many others that have poured in to me. May I do the same for others.
  • I am thankful for my church. This week marks 2 years that I have pastored Christ Community Church. I am blessed to pastor this group of people that love Jesus and love people and have a great desire to see life change happen in our community. They are a joy to lead!

I am glad that we have this day. A day to be together with family and friends, to enjoy good food and even to watch football. May this day also serve to remind us of a God that has blessed us with more than we ever deserve!

 

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Jason Petermann  —  November 25, 2010 — Leave a comment

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for so many things that God has blessed me with.  A new blessing this year is this little one.  God is so good!

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ThanksLiving

Jason Petermann  —  November 26, 2009 — 1 Comment

thanksliving

I enjoy this time of year more than any other time.  I love the holidays, and really enjoy the extra time I get to spend with my family. Thanksgiving is a day that really should be a reminder of how we are to live each and every day of our life. With thanks! We take so many things for granted on a daily basis. Sometimes there are reminders that we do this: We lose our job, a family member dies, a close friend moves away, the money runs out and we buy food according to necessity and not by preference of taste and desire.  When these things happen to us or someone we are close to, we all of a sudden are reminded that we are one of the lucky ones… better yet, we are one of the blessed ones.

Here is a quick 5 things that I am blessed with and thankful for this day:

  1. A God that desires a relationship on a day by day, moment by moment basis. His love and forgiveness drives me to love others even when it is hard to do.
  2. A family that loves me (or at least they say they do!) even though I make mistakes (a lot). The older I get, the more I love and appreciate them.
  3. A wife that I adore! I know, she is family and belongs in #2, but she deserves a special mention all to herself.  She is the most important thing in my life (outside of God Himself).  Marrying her was certainly a good move on my part!
  4. A church to serve in. I cannot imagine doing anything else but serving in a local church. Seeing people takes steps towards Christ is rewarding in and of itself!
  5. Food and football!  How can I not say that on Thanksgiving day!

Make Thanksgiving a way of living!  Make it ThanksLiving!  We are so blessed!

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Giving Thanks

Jason Petermann  —  November 27, 2008 — Leave a comment

thanksgiving

I know everyone else will likely have posts on their blogs about the things they are thankful for.  There is nothing unique about me posting my “Thanksgiving List.”  But this week, as I was contemplating everything and making my list, I was just overwhelmed by God’s goodness.  There is so much that we could and should list.  God is a great God, and does so much for us that we just overlook every day.  My list should just go on and on… as should yours!  So, here is a part of my list of things that I am thankful for:

  • I am thankful that God loves me so much that He wanted to be involved in my life.  Not just in the big things, but in every detail.  That love was made visibly evident when He allowed Jesus to take my sins as His own.  Then, Jesus died for me so that I could come into a relationship that God longed to have with me.  To this day, I cannot wrap my mind around why God would do that for me… but he did!
  • I am thankful for my wife.  She is the most important person to me in the world.  I love spending time with her.  I love watching her.  I love her now more than I ever have!
  • I am thankful for my children.  With five kids, it gets hectic and crazy.  But each one of them has brought a joy into my life that I would not have known without them.  They are precious to me.
  • I am thankful for God’s call on my life.  I literally have no other desire or passion in my life other than to serve God in the capacity that I do.  I love being able to serve God by serving people.  It is awesome to see lives changed as people take their next step towards Christ!
  • I am thankful for my church.  It is such a blessing to serve with a people that are interested in loving God, loving people and serving both.  There is something happening at our church… and I cannot wait to see where it leads us!
  • I am thankful for the team I get to work with.  My pastor and the staff are just that… a team.  It has been refreshing to come into a church that has that spirit and approach to ministry.  They are awesome to serve Christ next to!  Gotta say that I love all the volunteers I get to work with as well.  They are part of the team!  Without them, the ministry would just not work at Glenville!  You people rock!
  • I am thankful that God takes care of us the way He does.  This has been an unusual year.  Though we did not understand why God was doing what he was doing while we were going through it, we are so thankful that we were led to the place we are now.  His ways are higher than our ways, and for that I am thankful.

Yes, there are other things that could be mentioned, but this is a good start for my list.  I hope you have taken the time to contemplate what God has done in your life.  Today is a day that we set aside to give thanks.  I am glad that we have this day and the things that go with it, like food and football, but I hope that each day we practice a little thanksgiving to the God that loves us!

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