This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving. I love the meal, the time with family, the whole process. I love to cook and so in some ways, Thanksgiving is my Super Bowl. It's fun for me. It is also a day when I will try my best as a Christian to share the blessings I have been given by making a donation to the church and getting some presents for our Giving Tree. I will try to practice gratitude.

Gratitude is a Christian discipline. Gratitude is not just a mindset but also an action, something we are supposed to live out. One of the great things about Thanksgiving is that it is a day entirely dedicated to giving thanks. I wonder what it would look like if that day spread to two days, three days, and beyond. What would it look like if Thanksgiving was a springboard into a practice of enhanced gratitude?

This Thursday is of course Thanksgiving, and this Sunday is the first day of Advent, the season in which we are called to prepare for the birth of Christ, God's greatest gift to the world. This Advent I plan to prepare by taking on a practice of gratitude. Starting on Thanksgiving I plan to take some time each day to give thanks.

Today I will give thanks for all of you! Thank you for being a part of our church community. Thank you for your prayers, your faithfulness, your service. Thank you for helping our church to grow. Thank you and happy Thanksgiving.

In Christ,

Mitch