Thanksgiving... already?

It's been a strange year. Thanksgiving seems to have just come out of no where, but here we are 2 days away. The irony is that there hasn't been a year in recent memory that I have had more for which to be thankful. First and foremost God's love and the gift of His Son, some would say that should go without saying, I say that should never go unsaid. I am thankful for family and friends, my wonderful daughter and my beautiful wife.

Those are personal. While looking back over the year we have had at Cornerstone I can say with confidence that we have truly been blessed. In a year when most churches have had to cut programs and ministries because members have lost jobs due to a lagging economy, and not been able to give like they have in the past, our giving has increased. Our baptisms have increased. Our membership has increased. Our attendance has increased. And while all of those things are wonderful, more than all of that I have seen remarkable growth in the love and compassion our members have shown to one another. I told our congregation at the beginning of the year that this was going to be a year when we would be tested to see if we were going to bond together and be there for one another and I thank God that we have been tested and more so, that, in my humble opinion, we have passed the test.