Dear Fam,

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's"  Psalm 103:1-5 (ESV). I’m thankful for a Heavenly Father who satisfies my life with good things. I am thankful for:

• Diane.  Being married to a preacher is hard.  Being married to this preacher is doubly hard.  “An excellent wife who can find?  She is more precious than jewels.”

• The Briarpatch Gospel

• Rustic Ranch’s 2 for 1 BBQ Rib Special

• My grandsons – Reid, Barrett and Samuel and my 4th grandchild on the way!

• MORE campaign giving

• Greek God’s Honey Yogurt

• The DR team

• No hurricanes in 2013

• Stalwarts at SRPC who have been faithful for a long time like Ross & Gladys Kuntz, Lyn Contopoulo, Valerie Fedor, Gene Allen, and Eleanor Marsac

• Soldiers who serve us and their spouses who serve them

• Our fountain

• Staff babies – Noelle Lauranzon, Hatley-Grace Cates, Iva Jane Hill

• Dunkin Donuts Coffee

• Ken & Ruth Wackes

• Asparagus on the grill

• I’m thankful for people as perpetually joyous and Donna Nelson, Tricia Marble and Sue Winship

• Denzel Washington

• Getting to daily work with and learn from Adam and Brandon

• Kale smoothies – really!

• The deacons, and the deacons fund

• Nina Childs, Ruby Gaunt, Ella Joy Loughridge and all our “broken” precious ones

• A new preschool building

• Gene Parrish, Rebecca Hickey, Mark Blowers, Francis Spalti, Jackie Iwaniec, and all the behind the scenes teammates at SRPC

• People who are suffering with such tenacity and character like Tim Ott, Margaret Christensen, Roy Carr, and Bob Oldnettle

• Johnnie & Barbara Gregory

• Beignets

• Southwest Airlines

• Tako Cheena restaurant in Orlando (get the panko-crusted cod taco)

• Our worship musicians and long term volunteers like Aimee Kelso and Lindsay Tozer who keep serving us so well

• Panera Bread coming and the Propane tank that was across from SRPC on Maylen Ave leaving

• Wendy Busk – my assistant at SRPC for over 20 years!

• Great golf courses in Citrus County

• Steve Saint’s recovery

• The “young guns” on SRPC staff – Chad Robison, Marty Cates, Adam Hill and Brandon Lauranzon

• Great people who passed through SRPC on their way to heaven like Harry Frazee, Joe McGlothlin, Garnet Miller, Peaches Cooley and Ma Hacking

• An SRCS Varsity Football team that lost every game (by a lot) and not one kid quit.  Amazing!  (Thankful too for a SRCS Jr high team that went 7-1!)

• My children’s spouses – Ashley, Bibb and Eric.  My children chose so well!

• Martin Luther King, Jr

• The Oxford Exchange Bookstore, Coffee shop and Restaurant in Tampa

• Brad Young’s 6th hip surgery being behind him

• Our Messiah and Handel’s Messiah, too!

• Dana & Sheila James’ school leadership (Scott Jackson and Gary Dreyer, too)

• Pumpkin pancakes

• Paul & Heather Manuel coming to Seven Rivers to help us get healthier

• Teen MOPS

• Tai Phoon restaurant

• Tim Keller

• Small groups and their leaders

• Dan & Robyn Shipes

• The way children are welcomed and loved on weekends and our high performing children’s ministry team

• The paving of W Horace Allen Sr

• Nelson Mandela

• Bacon

• Goldie Anderson, Laura Hayes, Randy Parks

• Sue Winship and our café team, and Robyn Lauranzon and our bookstore team

• High School students that lead The Edge and Children’s Church

• Austin Roth – US Army Blackhawk pilot who grew up at SRPC & SRCS

• Peanut Butter Pie

• Our Trinitarian God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Great is they faithfulness Lord unto me!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Ray