Thankful for...

So, 8 days until Thanksgiving (or 5 days until deer season here in WV). Sometimes I wonder which is the bigger day....

Anyway, I just wanted to make a quick list of things that I am thankful for. Of course, I have all of the "usual suspects" when it comes to praises, and then some that are more specific to me and where I am in life right now. Obviously I am thankful for my family. I have the greatest wife and the three best kids in the world. I thank God for them every day. I am thankful for my freedom. Regardless of what we think of any election outcome, most Americans should be ecstatic to call this land home. I am thankful for my needs being met. Food, shelter, clothing, transportation.....for the most part, no worries there. I have a great church family, an amazing extended family, and three jobs that I like (yes, I have THREE jobs, and I really like all of them). So, there is my list of "usual suspects".....more specifically to me now.....

I am thankful that God never stops listening, and never stops guiding. I have been praying recently for His leading in an area that I thought was going to be an easy thing. Everything within me saw what I wanted to see...an open door into a ministry opportunity that seemed like a no-brainer, but through prayer and a couple of situations that He used to cause even more prayer, God showed me that it wasn't His will. At least right now. Maybe not for a long time. Then He reminded me of an answer He had given me a few months ago, that I had not acted on. God is so good, and loving, and kind, and patient (REALLY patient). I don't deserve for Him to even care about my prayers, but He does. He waits for them. He covets them. He WANTS to talk to me.

Psalm 40 tells us that God THINKS of us. Let that sink in......YOU are on HIS mind. Amazing.

Zepheniah 3 tells us that God loves us so much that He joys over us with singing. God loves me so much that He SINGS about me!

If you can't be thankful for that, just throw the turkey away and do something else next Thursday.

Happy Thanksgiving.

A Bit of a Gap.....

So, there's a bit of a gap, between my third and fourth posts on this here blog. One day shy of two and a half years........

Over this time, I have thought many times about getting back here and writing some more. The thing that finally led me back was seeing that my daughter had started a blog of her own. So, I figure, if I agree to follow her blog, she'll probably be nice enough to follow mine, which will increase my audience by 50%. (yay)

So, for now, I'm back.

Now to think of something to say..........

every day?

I really have no intention of posting every day. Still, here I am. I guess it's the novelty of finally doing this, along with the myriad of ideas and thoughts in my head that compels me to be here yet again.

After reading yesterday's post again, I realize that it sounded a little heavier and more cynical than I expected. Which is not necessarily a problem since only two people read it (one of those was me). I want to be introspective and maybe even a little challenging from time to time. But, for the most part, I am a cheerful, funny guy, who loves to laugh and loves to make other people laugh. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind shedding a tear....but I HATE making other people cry. And I really, REALLY don't want to be perceived as angry or bitter.

So, I probably won't be posting about politics or "religion." I will write about America, God, and my relationship with Him that has been made possible by the supreme act of love that His Son Jesus made for me. That's why I put quotation marks around religion. I hate religion. I believe that God hates religion. I think that religion is responsible for more harm than good. Love God. Love my relationship with Him. Love Church. Hate religion.

So much for not sounding cynical.

Stay tuned for more humorous insights and intriguing observences from the "great" mind of your "favorite" gringo.

Have a day.

John

Cinco de Mayo

Happy May 5th everybody!

As a "caucasian-American" who is married to a beautiful Mexican woman (hence the word "gringo"), there is a special place in my heart for this date. Sadly, I do not know as much as I would like about the origins of it. I do know that it is the day of Mexican independence. It has always been explained to me as "the Mexican fourth of July" which to me is inappropriately presumptuous on a level that boggles me. I think it is "funny" that we use our holidays to define the holidays of other countries. Like that episode of the Office where Kelly describes Dawali as "Indian Halloween"....funny, but sad.

Anyway, all seriousness aside....Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody. Enjoy something Mexican today.

John

Here I am....where is this???

So, here I am. A complete newbie to this thing called blogging. But I am here and going to make the best of it.

Maybe, I will use this as a forum to cook my way through a Julia Child's cookbook in a year....already done? OK so maybe I'll try something else.

Anyway, hello blogosphere! I've enjoyed you from a distance for some time now, and have decided to join you. Be gentle.

John