Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is American Thanksgiving Day!

I am so thankful to God for His many blessings! Especially His salvation through Jesus Christ!

I am so thankful to God for my family! My wife is a wonderful friend, help-mate, soul-mate, and ministry partner; my children are beautiful young women of God of whom I am thrilled to be their father!

I am so thankful to God for my church family! I couldn't ask for a better church to pastor than Immanuel Southern!

I am so thankful to God for my country! What a wonderful Christian heritage we have! What wonderful freedoms we enjoy!

I am so thankful to God for my friends! God has surrounded me with Godly people to encourage me and keep me going!

I am so thankful to God for my health!

I am so thankful to God for so many other things, too numerous to mention here!

Thank you, Father, for your many blessings!

Fixing Pies and such

For Thanksgiving

Making Progress

For those of you who know me personally, you've know that I've been on a quest to shed some pounds lately.  I've been making pretty good progress.

But then came Thanksgiving.

I weigh myself on Thursday mornings, bright and early.  I did so a week before Thanksgiving, but didn't bother last week, as I wasn't home that morning and it was Thanksgiving Day...

Well, the moment of truth arrived this morning and I am pleased to report that I lost about three pounds in the last two weeks!

That brings my total lost to just under 57 lbs!

That makes me very happy.

Yes, I still have quite a way to go; I've been much too overweight for much too long.  In fact, I've struggled with my weight since puberty.

But, for today, I weigh a bit less than I did when I got married nearly 18 years ago!  In fact, I haven't weighed this amount since I lost weight to pass my physical to become a missionary 12 years ago.

The difference, I think (I hope) is that I'm doing it because I want to, not because I "have" to.  I realize it is going to be a life-long struggle against being overweight and I think I've finally come to grips with that.

That doesn't mean I like it; I don't.  Not at all.

But, for your viewing pleasure, here is a little photo montage of my weight loss journey, so far.

Happy Birthday, Sally!

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John, Sally's Mom, Juanita, and Sally Photo by big sister Mary circa 1968

Sally playing in the snow on furlough in 2002

Birthday Surprise in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in 2001.

Sally driving her 1975 Toyota in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Fixing Thanksgiving turkey in Thailand 2005

Sally at OBU in Shawnee, 2010

Happy Birthday, Sally!  I love you!

More family

The group in the living room.

Emily and her cousin, Kaylee in the game room.

Audrey and her cousins, Nick, James, and one of the twins. (I can't tell from this picture which one.)

Brent needed a little nap with Barney. Awwww.

Good Food and Good Fun!

A "creative" picture with half of the table in the picture, the other half in the mirror!


My nephew, Brent, enjoying.


My sister, Pam, showing off her pies.

Dad carving the smoked ham.

Saturday Thanksgiving

Mom and Dad.


Me and my Meme.


Aunt Patsy, Sally, Mom & Meme

Fun at Grandma's

Sally's Aunt Jeannie spent Thanksgiving with us this year.


Sally and her sister, Mary, enjoyed a game of Scrabble.

Audrey and Emily put up Grandma's Christmas tree.

Thanksgiving Day at the In-Laws'

We spent Thursday with my wife's family in Vinita.


Sally cooked the turkey this year. It was GOO-OOOOD!


Sally's mom made her famous "Parker House Rolls" - my favorite bread!

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord for:

• My family: Sally & the girls, my parents, my sister, my grandmother.
• My church: from the tiniest baby in the nursery to Mabel, the oldest member.
• My friends: Martin, Randy, Bill, Todd, Tim, Becky and too many others to name.
• My blog buddies: Steve, Kevin, Art, Quinn, Michael, Camey, Dorcas, Neil, Debbie, Terry, Les and others.
  
• My former colleagues whose names I cannot mention because of their security status in foreign lands.

But most of all, thank you for Jesus Who gave His life that I might live.

May God truly bless you who read my blog! Happy Thanksgiving!