You know, we had a couple of Thanksgiving gatherings as I'm sure some of you did.

You kind of go from place to place and you know at our house we just kind of did one and we went around and just shared like what are you most grateful for what you most thankful for and as I thought about it

Man I was just sharing how I don't know that I've ever been this thankful for the church

This church, I mean just my church experience of all these years, I go,

gosh, right now it's just good, it's good, you know, even worshiping with you guys today

was just, it was awesome.

Seeing Jonathan up here with the team leading

and it was just, I don't know, it just,

things just feel right coming in the presence of God as I thought of different ones of you I've just been so grateful because I you know when I read scripture all these years I mean been a Christian for like 30

something years and and I'd always read about the love that was supposed to be in the

church and I just didn't get it because there was such a gap from going to a church service to what I would read in the Bible.

But then as we've grown together, I'm seeing that gap narrowed and going, wow, I'm starting to see that love that the Bible talks about.

Not just, oh, I love you brother, I love you, you know, but like practical love where you're letting people

into your home, you're giving up your evenings,

you know, the pastors here, you know, just giving up their free time to shepherd others and care for them

and just hearing more about how you're caring for one other and loving each other.

And it's so cool to be a part of a church that's known for that and growing in that.

I was thinking about how grateful I am that so many of you are not ashamed of the gospel.

And it's not like a group of five people that go out and share their faith, but it's like you all do.

You know, like on a weekly basis, it just seems like, wow, people are not just saying, hey, come to church, but you're actually telling people about God

and about Jesus and about your relationship with him.

And it's natural to you.

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