November 2015

Here we are in November. It seems that I just turned my calendar to the year 2015 and already I am preparing for 2016. Different months mark various milestones in our individual lives. For some, like my wife, it marked another year that God gave her life, how many years that may be I will, in the spirit of survival, not share with you. In Pam’s and my life November stands out in another special way. November first marks the second anniversary since we became part of the South Lakeshore Christian Church family. A common question from friends of mine is, “how are things going for you guys there?” I normally say, “Well . . . no one has thrown rocks yet.” That is just a silly way of sharing that things are going well. I believe they have gone more than well from our family’s point of view. A regular prayer of ours was that when the time came to leave the foreign mission field, God would provide a place you like calling home and where you feel part of something bigger than yourself. SLCC has provided both of those things through the wonderful way the SLCC family has made us feel. God answered our prayers in a big way through all of you. 
November is also a month that in North American culture challenges us to recall things we are grateful for. This cultural tendency is linked to our Thanksgiving celebration that occurs this month. I have a plethora of things that I thank God for, not only in November but on a regular basis. Some of these include having our grandsons only a two and a half hour drive away, having our sons close, being blessed with a great home, and being part of the SLCC family. I cannot put to words how much joy I get from watching the smiles and soaking in the ambience of our greeting time on Sunday mornings. I confess that sometimes I act selfishly and rather than walk around greeting folks, I stay back and get energized by what I see happening. 
Enough about me, I am sure that each one reading this also has ample reasons to be grateful. I realize that at times it may not seem like it but when a person is a child of God, the glass is way more than half full because we are assured that our God walks with us not only on the mountaintops but in the deepest valleys of our lives. As we move forward this month and perhaps wonder “what will I say when I am asked what I am grateful for?” think of 2 Corinthians 5:17-20. We are not only a new creation in Christ but we have been given a ministry. Not just any ministry but His Ministry! It is a ministry of reconciling the lost back into a saving relationship with a loving Father. How great is that? What we are to be the most grateful for is not something we get but for something we get to do! To top it off, we are doing it for none other than the Lord of lords and King of kings. Reason to give thanks for sure. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year and contemplate the things we are thankful for, let us put the fact that we are children of God and that God has declared “I will work through you” on the top of our list. 
Have a blessed November, 
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Vic