What I'm Thankful For

What I’m Thankful For

                It’s finally here – one of my favorite weeks of the year. There will be plenty of food and football, what could be better than that? I’m ready to find out if this is finally the year that Michigan can top Ohio State. Just a couple months ago, this wouldn’t have even been a question. Credit to Jim Harbaugh and the coaching staff for making something of a season that could have imploded quickly. While I’m thankful to be a Michigan football fan, it’s pretty far down on the list of things that I’m thankful for. This year, I decided to make a list of a few of those things:

1.       I’m thankful for a great job. Being an accountant may not sound like a blaze of glory to most people, but I eternally grateful for my role. I’m surrounded with positive people and a management team that always strives to put its employees first. Management has put me in a position to allow my relationships and spiritual life to flourish. I know that this isn’t the case in every workplace. I hope to never take this aspect of my career for granted.

2.       I’m thankful for a wonderful girlfriend. I’ve been dating her for almost a year now and it’s been the best year of my life. I’m thankful she’s a strong Christian woman that keeps me on the narrow path and growing in my faith (Her group has a brand-new album out – check out www.highroadmusic.com). In the rare instance I have a bad day, she’s always there with her trademark smile, a warm fruit pie, and a British baking show (check it out – it’s a lot better than it sounds!). She’s everything that I could have ever hoped for (it doesn’t hurt that she has an awesome dog, either!).

3.       I’m thankful for my faith family at Church. Moving to a new town and Church can be daunting for anyone. However, I was taken in by the young adults at my new Church from the beginning and I haven’t looked back. I thankful for this community that keeps me grounded in Biblical principles and engaged in the Word each and every week. I hope I’ve blessed this group half as much as they’ve blessed me.

4.       I’m thankful for Grace – Grace that abounds and is limitless. Grace that always brings me back to God when I fall. It happens much more than I’d like to admit – it will happen many more times in the years to come, I’m sure.  I’m thankful that the God who loved me even before I was born still loves me to this day and will always continue to love me – no matter what!

5.       I’m thankful for His Word. I strive to be in the Word as regularly as possible. It’s amazing what living in the Word has done for my life. Each time I read the Bible, I feel more at ease and relaxed than when I started. This is what the power of God can do for all of us. The Word humbles me and continually reminds me that I am not in charge. While instructing me in the Christian life, the main edification in my Bible study comes from the constant reminder that I need a Savior. What I could never do on my own, Christ did for me because I am a child of God. That mindset should define our lives as Christians!

6.       I am thankful for Jesus Himself – nothing else needs to be noted here.

7.       Finally, I am thankful for all of you who read this blog. Writing this blog has blessed me tremendously. I truly love doing this. As this blog moves forward, it would love for it to become much more interactive. I’d love to hear from you and get your thoughts on my posts – even if I’ve never met you before (or if you disagree with me)! I am truly blessed by all of you!

In Christ,

Kendal May

An Advent Challenge

           Happy Tuesday! I hope this week has started off well for you. It’s been busy for me getting things taken care of before the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. I’m really looking forward to taking some time away from the office. We all need some rest every now and then.  Even in the most hectic seasons of life we need to take time to slow down and discern the things that are truly important to us and those around us. If you’re reading this blog, hopefully God is alone at the top of this list.

              I find that as I get older, the years pass by quicker and quicker each time around the sun. It’s hard to believe that Advent starts in less than two weeks already. I don’t yet feel prepared to enter this time of preparation to celebrate the birth of Christ. Even going back to my time as a youth in Catholic schools, I have always felt a strong sense of God drawing me nearer to Him during the Advent season. I am starting to feel that same pull again this year.

              As I’ve tried to stay disciplined in regularly reading in the Word this year, I’ve noticed a troubling trend in my studies. Given my interest in theology, I’m naturally drawn to studying the New Testament – particularly Paul’s letters that are filled to the brim with theological wisdom. I realized that I’ve neglected the Old Testament in many ways this year. That means there are 39 (46 if you’re Catholic) divinely inspired books filled with the Word of God that I’ve missed out on this year.

              Luckily, the Old Testament is a great place to be for the impending Advent season. Preparation is a key theme in both the Old Testament and the upcoming liturgical season. Both are meant to point us to the reality that we as humans need a Savior to rescue us from our inherently sinful nature (thanks Adam!). I’ve made myself a promise – one that I intend to keep. Over the course of the Advent season, I plan to get through Ezekiel and Isaiah. I’m really looking forward to reading what these two major prophets reveal about the coming Christ.

              My hope is that you too will be motivated by my resolution. Maybe you will even join me in reading through Ezekiel and Isaiah? Even if you don’t choose these particular books, I challenge you to try to find 20 minutes a day to dig into the Word of God this Advent season.  In a preview of my reading assignment, Isaiah 55: 10-11 reveals to us “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” There you have it – God promises that His word will impact your life and help to achieve His sovereign purpose.

              Please comment below if you plan to try out an Advent reading program. I’d love to be an encouragement to you and you an encouragement to me. I hope this Advent season is one of much fruit bearing and blessing for you. Have a great Thanksgiving.

In Christ,

Kendal May

Looking for God in All the Wrong Places

           Another week has pushed past its midpoint. As I mentioned in my last post, it’s been budget season for me at work. As such, I’ve been extremely busy with little time to catch my breath. I presented my budget to management in Grand Rapids, Michigan last week and all that remains now is some final tune up on the file. I managed to make it back home last Thursday after a frustrating day of travel (Are there any travel days that don’t include frustration?), I’m really looking forward to the holidays and spending some much needed time with friends and family. It’s hard to believe that the holidays are here already. Advent will be here before we know it. I promise to do a future post outlining the seasons of the liturgical calendar.

              Over the past few weeks, I’ve settled into a new Church and Sunday School group consisting mainly of young couples. I feel blessed that God continues to put positive people in my life to help me persevere in my faith. Community and fellowship is truly the lifeblood of any congregation. I’ll have to do a post on that as well (my list of to-do posts is getting pretty long!).

              Our group recently had a discussion regarding the ways in which God makes Himself manifest in our lives. Most of the discussion trended towards extraordinary moments in which God revealed His presence to various members of the group. We tend to label these occurrences as “God Moments”. These experiences are certainly valid. I’ve had them and you likely have as well. However, as the conversation began to unfold, I began to wonder if we often look for God in all the wrong places.

              At one point in the discussion, a question was posed. “Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to us in this way (meaning “God Moments”) all the time?”. I was initially struck by the question, but soon found the answer to be quite obvious, yet profound. If God revealed Himself in the extraordinary on a consistent basis, then it wouldn’t require to us to have any faith. For those called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, faith is what bridges between God’s revelation on Earth and God in Heaven. As Christians, too often we look for God to show up in extraordinary ways. In doing so, we neglect the ordinary means of Grace as ways in which God perpetually reveals Himself to us. The ordinary means of Grace are gifts instituted by Christ to lock us into a faith that perseveres until the end. I’m reminded of Matthew 24:13, which tells us “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

But what are these so-called ordinary means of Grace? You can easily remember the 4 W’s:

Word

Wheat

Wine

Water

Or if you prefer alliterations using the letter B, try this one:

Bible

Body

Blood

Baptism

              These four tangible items should be the very foundation of our Christian practice (even today!). If you have doubts or trouble conceiving that God comes to us in tangible ways, consider that there is a precedent for this happening. God came to us in a tangible way when He sent His only son Jesus Christ to dwell among us. 

              The four items in the alliteration above can be broken into two categories: Word and Sacrament (heard that before, possibly?). Bible is grouped alone as “Word” while body, blood, and Baptism fall under “Sacrament”.  I previously wrote a post outlining in detail what Word and Sacrament are and why they are so crucial to Christians. See that post in the link below:

https://kendalwordandsacrament.blogspot.com/2019/06/word-sacrament-and-tradition.html

              I did want to reiterate a few quick points with regards to the Sacraments of Holy Communion (Body and Blood from above) and Baptism. At their lowest level, both Sacraments can be considered to be symbols. But they are not merely symbols – not by a long shot. Sacraments are distinguishable from other symbols in the Christian life in that they are effective in wholly conveying that whch they symbolize.

              Take Baptism for example. Baptism symbolizes renewal and becoming a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states this clearly “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Additionally, Romans 6:4 reveals “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” However, Baptism doesn’t stop at the symbolic level.  Baptism actually accomplishes something! In Baptism, God initiates a relationship with us. What a comfort it should be that the God of the universe wants to pursue an intimate relationship with us! Somewhere along the line, Baptism in practice became more about our choices rather than the mercy of a sovereign God. Through Baptism, we are incorporated into the mystical body of Christ. We pass through a sort of registration table for the Christian life. In Baptism, we receive the Grace to begin our Christian walk. No, Baptism certainly doesn’t guarantee entrance to Heaven and the beatific vision, but that is a discussion for another day.

              In a similar way, Holy Communion is also a symbol of Christ’s redeeming death on the cross at Calvary. But it’s so much more than that. Scripture is clear that Christ is actually manifest in the elements of wheat and wine. John 6: 55-58 state “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Christ mystically makes Himself manifest in Holy Communion while also remaining present at the right hand of the Father. While this concept may seem complex and beyond comprehension, we must have faith in what God has revealed in the Word.  This Sacramental understanding of Holy Communion is paramount to us as Christians. It’s so important that 16^th century Protestant reformer John Calvin insisted that a proper understanding of the Eucharist was necessary for salvation! Evangelicals sure have come a long way from the time of Calvin and the Continental Reformation!

              There’s so much more that could be said about Baptism and Holy Communion, but I’ll stop there for tonight. Look, I’m all for God moments, but let’s all resolve to shift our everyday focus back to the ordinary means of Grace. The ordinary means were God’s plan from the beginning of time. Next time you need to feel God in a tangible manner, pull out that ragged, old Bible or attend a Communion service. Otherwise, our spiritual life might more closely resemble a Johnny Lee song than the Christian life God intended.

In Christ,

Kendal May