Thanksgiving is right around the corner. This time of year reminds and encourages us to look at the gifts the Lord has given us and offer our sincere gratitude to Him from whom all blessings flow. Concordia Lutheran High School has much to be thankful for, both on the large scale and the small scale. As I go through my everyday calling of raising up the next generation of believers both in the classroom and on the basketball court, I see blessings abound. Here is a snapshot of the things I am thankful to the Lord for at Concordia.
I thank the Lord for:
- The donors and staff (particularly Greg Rehberg) who graciously gave of their money, time, and efforts to gift Concordia new bleachers in the gym.
- The workers who are spending many hours to put in the new bleachers.
- A classroom with a size large enough to transform it into a makeshift half court basketball court to use while the gyms are being used or worked on.
- The boys who put themselves out there to try out for the basketball team, even if they didn’t make it in the end.
- A school that allows and encourages a faith-focus in sports, leading to my JV boys basketball team’s theme for the season, “Win Glorify Christ At All Costs.”
- My Fellowship of Christian Athlete (FCA) student leaders who weekly sacrifice an extra 1.5 hours of sleep to arrive early and develop their faiths and Christ-centered leadership.
- Coach Ron Brown, former University of Nebraska football coach, who has crafted a video devotional series exploring how you can incorporate your faith into your sport- something we have been using throughout the semester in FCA.
- Gracious donors who supplied funds for an excellent sports devotional book that has been used by FCA leaders routinely over the last year.
Gratitude is contagious- the more you offer thanks to the Lord, the more you see all the various blessings He has given you. As we approach Thanksgiving, I encourage you to look at your own life, find the gifts the Lord has granted you (they can be large or small), and thank Him. Then do it again the next day, the day after that, and the following day and see just how much the Lord has provided for you. What a great God we have!