Cleaning up after holding a garage sale a couple of weeks ago, I got caught up in the spirit of throwing things away. You know how it is. At first you don’t really want to throw out anything unless you’re absolutely confident that you’ll never use it again, or find that it’s broken beyond repair, meaning that even duct tape won’t do. Personally, I have a pair of mowing shoes that have nearly disintegrated right out from under my feet, but I can’t bring myself to toss them, even though my wife has pleaded with me to do so.
But then once you get started pitching stuff, you get on this roll where you start thinking there’s nothing you really need anyway. Before long, the thought of getting rid of everything and just living in a camper begins to look pretty appealing.
Unfortunately, I got rolling and threw away one of Amy’s cookie sheets. The reason it was in the garage in the first place is too long a story to include here. Suffice it to say, by the time said cookie sheet came up missing, garbage day had come and gone – and so was her cookie sheet. Now I know the mowing shoes are soon history.
I’m not immune to doing stupid things. A week ago I mentioned this dumb move during church, along with two other really stupid things I’d done that week, things which would require columns of their own. I remember bringing these up in order to make a point, but would probably have to go back to the audio recording to see whether or not they did.
Anyway, I bring it up now to say that on the Monday morning after I’d told this story, I walked in to my office at church and there was a large gift bag on my desk. An accompanying unsigned note held out hope that perhaps this gift would get me out of the dog house with my wife. So with curiosity piqued, I opened the bag and there was a brand new Pampered Chef cookie sheet! Wow! I did a little happy dance right there in my office. And thanked God for a church who is generous and loving in so many ways.
It’s almost embarrassing to tell you how richly the church has blessed me – especially during Pastor Appreciation Month. Rather, I should say how the Lord has blessed my family and me through His people in great abundance. And I don’t mind at all boasting about what God has done! I only say “embarrassing” because I know I don’t deserve it, yet God has been so gracious and kind through the church that I have to give Him praise.
That particular Monday was not an exception. Every day this month when I’ve come in to work there has been a special note of encouragement or thanks along with a unique variety of thoughtful gifts. Just to give you some of the highlights, one day a note directed me to the kitchen freezer where I discovered a container of Edy’s Double Fudge Brownie Ice Cream. Someone knows me really well. On my birthday there was a package of Starbucks Coffee, a coffee mug, two breakfast danishes and a piece of décor for my shelf with a Bible verse that reads: “Give us this day our daily coffee!” Not sure which Scripture translation that is, but that’s probably how it read in the original Greek.
Did I mention the Third Day CD/DVD set I received one day, along with a gift card to LifeWay Christian Bookstores to pick up Third Day’s new release on Oct. 19? Then there was the “creation” tie I wore to church yesterday. It’s a beautiful black tie with a design of the planets and the verse from Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth.”
This morning I found a card with a great word of appreciation and encouragement, and a note to say use this money to take Amy out for lunch! All of these gifts have arrived anonymously, so while I don’t know whom to thank personally, I will offer thanks to the Lord for His great grace to me and my family, and hope the church reads this and knows that “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:3-6).
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