Falling Off the Wagon

I know, I know...I'm a terrible blogger. I've only been doing this for a week and I've already skipped several days. So, although I posted my "Thankfulness" on Facebook, but I'll make it official on my blog here :)
So, here goes Numbers 14-16 :)

I'm Thankful for:

14. Quiet Time in my Car - I truly value the time I spend alone in my car. It may seem very simple, but sometimes you just need to be alone and take a little time for yourself. It's necessary to sit in 40 minutes of traffic on the Expressway (Yeah, that's an oxymoron) to make it to work, so I may as well make the best of it. Sometimes, I sit quietly. Sometimes I speak my thoughts out loud. Every now and then, I crank up my music and sing as loud as I want. But, to be honest, I spend a lot of my alone driving time praying :) Don't worry, I always keep my eyes open and at least one hand on the wheel!!!

15. Dinner with Friends - Like I mentioned in a previous post, I love my new home. So, I'm trying to get into the practice of inviting people over. There are a few benefits (1) gives me a reason to clean my house (2) let's me appear friendly (3) forces me to expand my cooking skills (4) gets my Mom to help me rearrange, clean, inspect...whatever! So, last night I had two friends over for dinner and I just really enjoyed myself and decided I'm going to do this more often. No reason not to, right? I have to eat, they have to eat, and when I cook lots of food, I feel like making dinner was a worthwhile effort. So, if you'd like to be on the Musial's dinner rotation, hit me up :)

16. My Church Family - My Dad was teaching at church tonight and first of all, he was hilarious! But, he was talking about the story of Joseph and how Joseph suffered through many disasters, tribulations and just terribly discouraging circumstances. The purpose? To save Joseph's family from a time of great famine. God did all of that to save ONE family. My Dad said that's what Pastoring is...standing in the gap for other families, and although Pastoring comes with its trials, pains and heartache for our whole family, it was worth every bit. He would relive every moment, every struggle, every broken heart to meet the individual families in our church...I absolutely agree!!

My life is so much better because of the people in my church. Some incredible people have walked through the doors of our church with talents, dreams, visions, and the biggest hearts I think I've ever seen. They really are a family to me - from the oldest to the newest. When I go to church I feel loved, welcomed and supported and I get more than just a relationship with God - I get a family to lift me up and make me a better person. Every day I pray for the families in our church that God will provide for them, bless them, prosper them.

When I see my church family grow in numbers, grow in spirituality, or even grow in the strength of our relationships, I realize how blessed I am. God promised my church an ABUNDANCE...and that's what my church family is - the abundance we've prayed for, the one we were promised and the one I intend to cherish for as long as I can.

We are growing, becoming better, and changing the World we know...little by little...one backpack, Missions offering, Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas gift at a time!

I would sacrifice anything for my Church Family...any of them. I am blessed beyond measure!