I give thanks in this moment for each of you
Greetings to the wonderful people of the South Georgia Annual Conference, both clergy and laity!
You are such a wonderful blessing to me. It is hard to believe this is my third Thanksgiving with you. I want to give thanks in this moment for each of you. The blessings that you have given me keep coming.
There's the hymn we are all familiar with: “Count Your Many Blessings.” When you get down and you get discouraged, name them one by one, and then give thanks to the Lord. That's what I do.
I give thanks for this opportunity to walk alongside you to see the wonderful ministries that are taking place all across the South Georgia Conference. It is amazing what you're doing in your communities and your churches and how you are proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. And, so, on behalf of Nancy and myself, we're so thankful to be on this journey with you.
As we walk this journey and move toward thanksgiving, we'll gather around tables with family and friends. We’ll remember those that won't be with us this year that were with us just a year ago; so, for some of us it will feel different. But we are thankful people because we have hope. We have hope in the risen Savior. Every day we know that we are God's people, and that we can count our blessings.
May we also pause this Thanksgiving and as we look across the world continue praying for peace in war torn areas like Ukraine and in the Middle East. Those images that we see on television every day of innocent people on both sides of this conflict are heartbreaking. Let us pray that those who have the ability to begin to cease what is going on will come to know the peace that passes all of our understanding that comes from God.
My prayer today for you is that you will lean in to the great gifts that God gives us every single day. Even when there are difficult days and hard days, we know the Lord is with us. I believe – and you've heard me say it many times – we can give thanks because we know the best is always yet to come.
Happy Thanksgiving!
In Christ,
David Graves
