I never anticipated writing one of these Connextions articles, on this date, June 25, 2008, in the quiet of a town library in Sturgis, Michigan! But here I am. Why write it so much earlier than the date you are reading it? (July 5 or 6) Because of circumstances... good circumstances.
You see, I am with seven of our King of Glory kids at "Confirmation Camp" at Camp Lutherwald, near Howe, Indiana. The closest "big town" to our camp is Sturgis. I was looking for a nice quiet place to write in, and found the library. I have to finish this little essay before we get home from camp on Friday (June 27) and go the next day with my family to the Smokies. I need to get it to Leslie June 27th so that she can print this while I am gone. Circumstances, you see, make me get this done "early," but I don't mind. In fact, I'm thankful. Thankful for a lot of things right now.
> I‘m thankful that my 2 kids and all the KOG kids are learning a lot and enjoying camp. I'm thankful to God that Lutherwald has dedicated administrators and counselors. I'm thankful that we are having lovely weather. I'm thankful for my loving wife and that I can serve a fantastic congregation like King of Glory. I am thankful that, here at camp, I can catch up on my spiritual reading and peruse books like Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell, and read 2 Civil War books and explore a great DVD series on "Absolute Truth" with my KOG kids. I am thankful to God that I could see this DVD on a laptop computer that someone else so graciously let me borrow. I am thankful that I have time here to go hiking a bit among the lovely trees and babbling brooks of northern Indiana. I'm even thankful that this pen works!
And I'm thankful I live in a country that allows me to do these things freely, and march in a parade celebrating that, on July 4th.
I would like to be so thankful all the time. God certainly blesses me - AND US - at least this much, every day. But I'm especially reminded to be thankful because of the featured Scripture for today - Psalm 145. In that psalm, David praises and blesses God over and over again - he never runs out of reasons to be thankful - AND - even in the most difficult times in our life - neither should we run out of reasons to be thankful. "All Your works," David said to God, "shall give thanks to You, O Lord."
Yes, all Your works, Lord, should thank You - even this work called David Lane Hewitt. - - DLH - -
