We had an amazing Veteran’s Day weekend at ABC! Our Wall of Honor proudly displayed 108 heroes that faithfully served our country, our music ministry led us well in worship, and Ken Wallingford did an incredible job sharing his story as a POW in Vietnam. I’d like to thank Ken for sharing that powerful testimony, and for teaching us what it means to truly pray in submission.
Our church’s momentum continues to grow, as we saw yet again another record attendance for this pandemic season. God is at work in our church family and we indeed have much to be thankful for. It’s important for us to pause and give thanks for the things that He has done, and is currently doing, in our midst. If we do not force ourselves to stop and reflect, it’s likely that we will overlook the clear gifts of grace that He has generously placed in lives.
My three children all have different personalities, but they also share some commonalities. For one thing, their first words were all alike. As toddlers, I remember when they began saying those sweet first words such as “mama” and “da-da.” However, I also remember that they all shortly thereafter transitioned to less pleasant words such as “no” or “mine!” I didn’t have to teach them those words, they just seemed to come natural to them. This is because selfishness is not a learned behavior; it’s something that comes naturally to all of us due to the Fall (Genesis 3, Psalm 51:5 ESV). Because of that, all parents try to chip away at this vice in their children’s lives. One of the primary ways is by teaching our kids some simple, courteous words such as “please” and “thank you.”
As adults, we too sometimes need a gentle reminder to say “thank you.” We live in a world that is easy to pick apart, criticize, and complain about. It is easy to cast stones in politics, in our families, and yes, even in the church. And if we are not careful, we will overlook the countless blessings that God has bestowed on each of us. We’re told, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34 ESV). In the New Testament, Paul goes on to say that our thankfulness to the Lord should never be contingent on any outward circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV). This is because His love for His people does endure forever. Our Father has richly blessed every believer with the saving grace of His Son, and the common grace of countless blessings on this earth (James 1:17 ESV). It’s a fair question to ask then: have you stopped to give thanks for those things this week?
To help us do that, we are going to pause and gather as a church family on Wednesday, November 18th. We are pressing forward with our annual Thanksgiving event, however this year we are going to scale it down to dessert-only due to COVID complications. This event will be a wonderful opportunity for all of us to come together and celebrate the blessings that God has poured out in our individual lives, as well as in the life of our church. Please make plans to join us, and consider making a contribution that will go towards The Trotter House ministry: https://www.austinbaptistchurch.com/thanksgiving
This Sunday, I look forward to returning to the pulpit to wrap up our mini-series on the Lord’s Prayer. I hope you make plans to join us, and I encourage you to invite someone that needs to experience the life and ministry that can only come from His local church. I look forward to giving thanks with you this Sunday.
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