Our Thankful Top Ten

by Reba Collins and William Cowles

Here it is – Thanksgiving! It’s the one day a year everyone feels compelled to be thankful, whether or not they are. Looking back on this past year, we have so much to be thankful for in our ministry. Here are our Top Ten Thankful highlights from a year truly blessed by God’s love, grace, and guidance.

1.       Our God – for calling and preparing us to be witnesses to the ongoing ministry of His Son, Jesus Christ, through the local church and His followers everywhere.

2.       Church Searchers – for taking the often painful and brave steps to find new faith communities that will welcome and celebrate you as you are, nourish you on you spiritual journeys, and support you without judgment as you pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus and his followers.

3.       Good Church Choices – for knowing your God-honoring purposes; understanding the differences between Vision and Mission; showing a clear path to discipleship; helping people connect with others, and practicing intentional leadership.

4.       Shepherd of the Hills UMC – for trusting us to guide your visioning process; for doing the hard work to discern a clear vision and compelling mission; and for the friendships we’ve forged in the sacrificial work of following God’s will.

5.       The Gathering UMC – for caring more for those outside the church than inside, and for inviting us to journey with you in ministering to the rejected, marginalized, and disadvantaged in your urban core.

6.       Northpoint Community Church and Church of the Resurrection – for your generous sharing of creative, innovative models for effective ministry, and for freely sharing so many tools and resources with any church that wants to get better.

7.       Willow Creek Association – for pioneering and promoting leadership development for church leaders around the world, because “We all win when a leader gets better.”

8.       Courageous Pastors – for your passion to live into the Great Commission; to take risks; to challenge contentment; to lead our congregations toward meaningful discipleship; and to be the church in whatever form, style, and place is needed to reach out to the unchurched and dechurched in your communities.

9.       Church Leaders – for always giving more of yourselves than needed or asked; for constantly working to be better at everything you are and do; and for building up and equipping other leaders who are driven to create, sustain, or restore your churches to be healthy choices for church searchers.

10.   Bloggers and Authors and Coaches and Mentors and Speakers and Teachers and Trainers – for studying and reporting on the many idiosyncrasies of humans and our religious foibles; for focusing your microscopes on issues that matter; and for serving it up in copious free quantities.

And, yes, of course we thank our families and friends - for your unselfish love, encouragement, support, patience, sacrifice, and commitment to helping us grow spiritually and to be in service. For all this, we give thanks in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let the feasting begin!