As we prepare for the busyness of the holiday season, Thanksgiving seems to get closer and closer to Christmas each year. I have driven by a few homes in the area with blow-up turkeys in their yards. The funny twist on this decoration is that the turkey is sitting on Santa with a sign that reads, “Wait your turn, fat boy.”

Even though I might question the choice of words, the sentiment hits home. It is striking that our culture moves ever so quickly to Christmas and commercial consumerism and seems to blow right past Thanksgiving. Black Friday deals aren't just saved for the day after Thanksgiving, they now run all month long! Don’t get me wrong: I look forward to Christmastime, but I also like to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and dwell on all the things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for the Valley Bible Church family. It is amazing how giving you all are, from your time to your financial resources. As a church, we filled over 1,000 shoeboxes that will be shipped to kids around the world. We put together 40 Thanksgiving baskets for two local schools and Life Services of Spokane, helping families who need a meal from the Valley to the north side of Spokane!

I am thankful that this church family was able to get one of our congregants to Spain for a crucial surgery. This church family has also made it possible for families to adopt children.

I am thankful that you welcomed David Harsh and his family this past weekend and made him feel right at home. It was a blessing for our music team to be encouraged and challenged by him.

I am thankful that God has blessed each of us with gifts and talents. We are a family that helps each other in times of need and celebrates together in times of joy!

I am thankful for the upcoming Advent season, when we remember Jesus coming to earth as a baby and experiencing all that we experience in His humanity. He is our High Priest who can sympathize with us and can say, “I know how you feel and what you are going through” with total sincerity.

However, this time of year can be hard for some families, as well, and some may ask how they can be thankful during this time. A song by Keith and Kristen Getty, "My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness," helps redirect this perspective. As believers, we can be thankful because the God who spoke this world into existence took on flesh and kept all of God’s laws perfectly. He then suffered and died as a ransom for us so that we can know true peace and be in a relationship with Him. Our hearts can be filled with thankfulness because God crushed the curse of sin and clothed believers in His righteousness.

Let us take time this weekend to thank God. Be specific when you name the blessings! As Thanksgiving draws to a close and we look forward to Advent, thanksgiving does not stop, but continues all the more throughout the year!

Listen to "My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness" on Spotify.

Passages on thanksgiving: 2 Corinthians 12:10; Galatians 3:13; Isaiah 53:4; Jeremiah 31:33; Luke 24:15; Psalm 69:30