Happy Thanksgiving!

O hai!

Well it’s Thanksgiving Day, and I’m doing the unthinkable…. Posting something on the day it’s supposed to be posted. Amazing, I know!

Since it is a day of giving thanks, I have spent some time thinking about what I am thankful for. There are a lot of things ranging from the unique to the mundane, so I’ve put together a “best of” list for you guys.


The first thing I am thankful for is my family. My brothers and sisters have made growing up a time of my life I’ll look back on fondly. Even though I may not see eye-to-eye with my parents on a lot of things, we still love each other – and for that I am exceedingly grateful. They have encouraged me in my spiritual life and in my academic studies and life in general, and it’s been a tremendous blessing.

I am also thankful for my church. Like any church body there are those who you may not get along with as well as you would like, but those I know at church are warm, friendly, and are willing to encourage everyone in their spiritual walk. They’ve always been there for my family and me, and it’s been a great blessing.

Item number 3 on the list is my job, as well as my coworkers and supervisors. They have helped take a job that would normally be the ideal job to complain about and helped to make it an experience that I have yet to find a problem with. They have given me several witnessing opportunities, and I’ve gotten to learn a lot about people simply through technical support.

I am greatly thankful for my friends, saved and unsaved. My saved friends are always there for me when I’m working through a spiritual issue, and they’re always ready to encourage me through my trials. I am thankful for my unsaved friends, mostly because they’ve given me ministry opportunities I wouldn’t normally get in my usual circles (that, and they’ve made college much more enjoyable). :D

I am thankful for my country, the United States of America. While I may not favor everything the country does, I am thankful for the religious freedoms we have. I pray that I never take it for granted.

Most importantly, I am thankful for my God and His gift of salvation to me. I am thankful for the missionary who preached that night, emphasizing the folly of a works-paved salvation. Through that message God helped me to realize my need for a savior, and that evening, in that fall of 2000 (kind of fuzzy on the year…), I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, and I’ve never looked back.

I am thankful for the trials I’ve had, both past and recent, as they have shown me things about myself that I would not otherwise have seen. The fire purges the dross from our lives that we may be pure gold for God and His Kingdom – and I am glad to see that work happening in my life. It comforts me to see that the unpleasant events of life have a glorious purpose!


As I said, this is more of a highlight reel than a comprehensive list of what I am grateful for, but I thought I’d share it with you guys. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving (or have had, seeing as it’s almost ten :D ) and I pray that God continues to work gloriously in your lives.

-Kylo