Thanksgiving is upon us again. Awesome!

And the question arises:

What am I most thankful for?

And my answer is simple:
I am most thankful for what I am experiencing right now.

Let me explain. Yesterday afternoon, I threw the frisbee with my oldest son. I was thankful for him & our relationship. Last night, I watched my youngest son score 18 points & lead his basketball team to victory. I was thankful to be a dad who wants to attend his son's ballgames & does. This morning when I got up, it was about 30 degrees. So I was thankful for a warm & secure house, a bed with two blankets, and a wonderful wife that likes to sleep next to me, & not on the other side of the bed. This morning when I arrived at my office, I was thankful to have a job during a time when hundreds of Americans have lost their jobs. I got home & ran four miles. I was thankful to have hips, knees, ankles, muscles, lungs, etc. that work properly and allow me to run. And then when I got home & took a relaxing shower, I was thankful to have a shower. I wondered, "How many people in the world have lived their whole life & have never had a nice relaxing shower?" Probably millions of people. But I have. And I am grateful for it.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. I am most thankful for the experience of the moment. I am a very blessed man. I have lots of experiences that cause me to take just a moment to turn my mind heavenward & thank God.

And it motivates me to give that others can do the same.
"Men will praise God . . . for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else."
2 Corinthians 9:13, niv

Happy Birthday, Dr. Graham

Many people will not know this, but today is Billy Graham’s birthday. He turned 90. When I realized today was his birthday, I took a moment to pray for him and to thank God for him. He’s a well-known and much publicized preacher. He’s highly respected by people all around the world. Over the decades, people of different faiths and cultures and backgrounds have been able to look past Billy’s faith in Christ and welcome him into their homes. How? After all, he never has backed away from God. Dr. Graham has always stood strong on Jesus Christ. So why have atheist leaders as well as Catholic priests and American presidents welcomed him? I think the answer is simple. People like Billy Graham. He has been able to relate to people of all walks of life for all his life and the response to the message of faith in Christ has been overwhelming.

It’s a great model for all of us who are Christ followers. One of the most important ways we can communicate the good news of Jesus is to be kind and respectful to people regardless of their color, economic status, nationality, political leaning or anything else. Billy has shown us the way. I’m challenged to follow His example.

Thank You, God for Billy Graham. His 90 years on earth truly have changed the world. He has preached the Gospel to more than two billion people! Millions have followed Jesus because of him. He’s been an ordinary man following an extraordinary God!

Change

Congratulations to Barack Obama. Our new president ran on the promise of change. And I agree with him on that point. We do need change. What we have been doing is not working. America is in a REAL MESS!

And that leads me to a larger question: Will change happen because we have a new president? A democratically controlled congress? My own honest (& humble) opinion is that deep & lasting change does not happen because of who is in the spotlight. True change happens where there is no spotlight – like the home, the schoolyard, or the church. And it is not the celebrities who make the difference. It is the common person who changes the world. All of history’s change makers were ordinary people. Many of them faced struggles that are common to most of us.

Did you know that DaVinci’s dad was a drunk? Einstein was divorced? JK Rowlings was a single welfare mom? Van Gogh suffered from depression? Jonas Salk had an absentee dad? Beethoven’s mother had syphilis? Mother Teresa never held political office?

They were common folks like you and me just earning a living. Until something inside of them took hold & it became a passionate pursuit of something larger & greater than they were. And yet they had all kinds of reasons to sit back & do nothing. But their passion was too much.

The real change in America is not with the guy in the White House. The real change in America is in you and me. It’s with parents and singles, old and young, wealthy and poor. Across the spectrum, lasting change will come when people do more than just vote. Change is a result of people following the passion of their heart to do good. Change will happen when we refuse to offer excuses why we can’t do something and decide that nothing will keep us from the good we can do.

What is the good you can do today? Do it.

And change your world . . . And someone else’s.