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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS (Don't write about the song) (04/16/15)
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

To me a blessing is something showered upon me as a gift of some kind? There are probably not enough numbers to place upon all those blessings God has given but also those others have laid on me for no other reason than love.

Let me see now! One blessing is at seventy-five years young God has seen fit to allow life to still flow through me. Speaking of seventy-five I can look back and find there are much too many to count. I am alive, have good health and still love life.

Seriously though one such great blessing is what follows. After twenty-two years of growing small churches we had nothing in the way of physical things. We lived in parsonages. Our income was below poverty level. God blessed us all those years raising two boys, sending them to college never knowing we were poor in an academic way. What would we retire with? Nothing was the answer. Then was when God felt good enough to shower us with more blessings. He had given me a talent. I was a journeyman carpenter. He cleared the way for my youngest son and I to begin a general contracting business. For the next fifteen years He continued blessing us in a physical way. Blessing after blessing just seemed to flow.

Retiring again more blessings came. Financially we could afford to join the ranks of the “snowbird.” Eight years pass and feeling we owed God more we searched for a ministry work. Churches no longer wanting an “old” pastor, God blocked that way. Then one day He would bless us again. While talking with some friends one mentioned an organization called Mission Builders. We could travel helping to build churches across the nation. What better blessing could He lay upon us? We could travel while still serving the Lord. We could live free in our fifth wheel and enjoy the company of others with the same intentions. What a great God we have! He blesses us and at times we don’t even realize we are being blessed.

Can I count the many blessings? Yes I can. He brought my wife back to life and healed her several times. He removed a cancer from my prostate. He has blessed our children and He has given us two granddaughters to love.

The greatest blessing of all is that He chose me to be one of His children. He sent someone to tell me of Jesus and the Holy Spirit went to work on me. He removed my sin and gave me everlasting life. Tell me, is this gift of salvation the best blessing any of us can receive? When counting my blessings the first one I see is the cross. Jesus laid down His life for me. His blood covers all my sin and I am sealed with His Holy Spirit. Is that a Blessing?
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This article has been read 662 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
C D Swanson 
04/23/15
What a wonderful life and, yes "you are indeed blessed" and have been your whole life. Thank you for sharing your journey with us...and may God continue to bless as you go forward to do His will.

God bless~
Kristine Baker
04/25/15
You have truly been blessed.

One thing I noticed in your writing were missing commas.

Thank you for your story. Keep writing; keep sharing.
Loni Bowden-Horn 
04/25/15
Thank you for sharing all your many years of blessings. God certainly has provided your every need. You provided much wisdom that we can learn from.
Toni Babcock 
04/25/15
Amen - thanks for sharing your powerful grace-filled testimony.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/26/15
This is beautiful. I felt like I was talking to an old friend because your words and attitude were comforting and welcoming.

The one red ink I have is one of my pet peeves--using I instead of me. A trick is to take away my son and. You wouldn't say, He cleared the way for I. So it should be He cleared the way for my son and me to...

You did a wonderful job of writing on topic. I liked the way you showed what some might consider something bad as a blessing. If we let him, God will always give us what we need.