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I would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving from the Martin Family.  I hope you have a great time with friends and family.  Enjoy your time together.  We have much to be thankful for.  Praise God for His many blessings!

10 years ago I started at Hesston MB as Associate Pastor of Family Ministry.  Many things have changed over 10 years including my title, Pastor of Children and Family, myself, my family, and the church. Here are 10 things I praise God for and give Him all the glory: Individuals and families we have met over the years Equipping teachers/leaders for children's ministry Ministries started including D6 Dads, fuzion, prayer team and Equip Me Classes Change of heart and attitude about preaching (used to dread but now enjoy) Staff  and volunteers that I have worked with and friends who pray with and for me. God's provision through a home not on the market, selling a house (even though it took longer than we liked), vehicles provided by generous donors Opportunities to teach families through classes, adults in Go Deeper Hour, summer studies and preaching. Kids I have watched grow up and grow as disciples over the years. Celebrations of parent/child dedication, baptism,...

Today, I am posting over at 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting.  Head over  here to see my thoughts on being thankful. 

Today marks my 8th anniversary at Hesston MB Church.  I am thankful for being called to this church and community and look forward to the future together.  Many things have changed since I started here on November 1, 2008.  There have been joys and struggles.  God willing, I will be here for many years to come.  I love this town and love the people in our church family.  Celebrate with me by either reading a book or drinking a good cup of coffee.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Martins! We have much to be thankful for.  Thank you God for the many blessings we have received.  Enjoy time with family and friends today.

Today marks my 7th Anniversary at Hesston MB Church as pastor. I am thankful for the journey that brought us here and look forward to many more years.  As I begin my 8th year, I am seeking the Holy Spirit's lead as we consider how to minister to kids, families, church, community, and world.  Thankful for the calling to Hesston MB and ask for God's grace and empowerment as I continue as pastor for the years ahead.

Tomorrow is my first day back at work after my 3 month sabbatical.  It has been a great time of rest, relationships, and reflection.  I plan to write posts about all three of these over the next week.  Today, I am going to list names of people that I am thankful for that impacted my Sabbatical.  All of you were important and I appreciate your part in shaping me spiritually.  If I forgot you, I am so sorry.  In no particular order: Andrew, Jason, Jason, Byron, Robin, Marci, Arnie, Paul, Brandon, Josh, Sarah, Brian, Ken, Mickey, Anne, Matt, Russell, Carl, Paul, Tullian, Hank, Tim, Les, Amy, Juan Carlos, Rita, Carl, Deb, Seth, Hugo, Jack, Felis, Pedro, God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  I am thankful for the great mother and mother-in-law I have.  I am also blessed to have a wonderful mother to my children.  Saying thank you doesn't seem to be enough for all you do and have done. I love you all!

Wishing you a great Thanksgiving today! Enjoy your time with family and friends.  Remember we have much to be thankful for.  Thank you Jesus for your provision! Happy Thanksgiving from the Martin Family

As I mentioned yesterday, I am sharing Psalms in preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Yesterday was Psalm 23 and today is Psalm 100. Psalm 100 A psalm. For giving grateful praise. 1  Shout for joy to the Lord , all the earth. 2       Worship the Lord with gladness;      come before him with joyful songs. 3  Know that the Lord is God.      It is he who made us, and we are his;      we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4  Enter his gates with thanksgiving      and his courts with praise;      give thanks to him and praise his name. 5  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;      his faithfulness continues through all generations.

As you prepare to travel for Thanksgiving, I will be sharing two Psalms (one today and one tomorrow) as a reminder of our thankfulness and how God is the One who deserves the praises. Psalm 23 A psalm of David. 1  The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2       He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3       he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths      for his name’s sake. 4  Even though I walk      through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,      for you are with me; your rod and your staff,      they comfort me. 5  You prepare a table before me      in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;      my cup overflows. 6  Surely your goodness and love will follow me      all the days of my lif...

Tonight at the dinner table, we talked about thankfulness.  I decided it would be fun to see how many times we could go around the table and share what we are thankful for.  The only rule was that we could not repeat what someone else had said.  It was a great opportunity to show the many things we have to be thankful for.  So, what are you thankful for today? Have a great Thanksgiving!

I wanted to share some highlights from the last week.  I continue to want to practice thankfulness for the many blessings in my life. Date Night Hesston  Supper & Ice Cream with college friends Faith @ Home Training in Wichita last weekend Daddy Day with Molly Church meetings looking to the future Visits with church members throughout the week at the Perk, in my office, around town & at hospital D6 Dads Family Movie Night Soccer games

This morning, I was reading from Numbers 11 where the Israelites complain about life. Why don't we have tastier food? This manna is getting dry and a little old day after day. God was not impressed by their complaints. It reminded me of another Scripture in Philippians 2:14 which says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing." This is a some great advice from Paul, but sometimes difficult to live out. So, are you a complainer? I tend to be a positive person, but occasionally I begin to complain to myself or to my wife. My kids (like most kids) complain about food and other things off and on throughout the day. As I read God's Word this morning, I started to wonder why we complain (we are no different than the Israelites--we would have been complaining too). What makes us complain? Here are a few things that came to mind. I complain when I feel like I am not getting what I deserve. It usually has to do with being selfish. I want something, don't g...

As you gather around your table this Thanksgiving, I hope you cherish your time with family. This is a great time of year to think back on the last year and remember God's faithfulness and provision. Take some time to share with your spouse why you are thankful for them. Have your kids share about what they are thankful for. Share with a friend how they have blessed your life this year. Call or talk with a family member (grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc.) and share how God has blessed you this year. Let's not forget to thank our awesome, holy, almighty, loving, forgiving, providing, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, just God for who He is and what He has done and will continue to do. Make sure Thanksgiving is a day to say "thank you" to God for all your blessings! Check back on Black Friday for a post about ideas for Christmas devotions with your family!

Last night, we had a great time during family worship. We did our usual singing and prayer. But we added a game into our time of learning. I had each of three oldest read the following Scriptures: Philippians 1:3; Colossians 3:15-17; Philippians 4:11. We talked about Thanksgiving coming up and our need to be thankful and content. I then had prepared 4 questions for a "Family Feud" type game. The kids had to work together as a family. Any points on the board after three strikes went to the Unthankful Family. All of the questions had to do with being thankful. Here are the questions with answers (you can change them to fit your situation): Thankful for Hesston : Church (42), School (21), House (17), Parks (11), Arboretum (6), & Friends (3) This Thanksgiving I'm Thankful For: God (33), Spouse (21), Parents (17), Kids (9), Family (8), Food (7), & House (5) Things I'm Thankful About My Family: Love me (36), Take care of me (20), Play with me (16), Help me...