I Thank My God for All of You

 What a blessing it is for me to be associated with each of you in one way or another! There are people from all of the churches in which I have served who still keep up with me and are still my faithful Christian friends. You are all dear to me. My North Henry family is also such a blessing to me as it has been for the last 25+ years. I thank God for everyone who is a part of our church family and for those who have gone on to glory. My life is so much richer because of each of you. Thank you for all you have done for me and are doing for me now.

Paul was thankful to God for the Christians in Rome, even though he had never met most of them and never been to Rome. He wrote them a letter expressing his thanks and his desire to come to them. (Acts 1:8) "Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being talked about all over the world." The church at Rome must have had strong faith and a great reputation, but I don't think their faith was any greater than the faith of the dear brothers and sisters in my churches over the years.

The world may not be talking about the faith of North Henry Baptist Church or the other churches I have been privileged to serve, but I have seen it with my own eyes. I have experienced their faith through the trials of this life. The staff members and deacons with whom I have served have been such a help to me and the churches, because of their faith. The teachers in every church have been faithful to the Lord and the church because of their faith. The nursery workers might be some of the most faithful people in any church. I thank God for the faith I have seen in all of you.

Your faith has strengthened me through the weddings and the funerals. We have rejoiced together and cried together because of our faith in Jesus. Our fellowship is a rich blessing, and our fellowship is fueled by our common faith in Jesus and the fact that we are all part of God's family. As I pass the baton to Pastor Josh, I am thankful to God for your faith that will keep serving and moving the church forward into the future. I love you, and I always will love you and be thankful for you..

Tomorrow, I intend to read Romans 4-6.