I am grateful for people who do not use foul language but find other ways that are more appropriate to express themselves.

I am grateful for whipped topping.

I am grateful for hearty laughter.

I am grateful for an article by Philip Yancey that I read about our gradual drift towards a post-Christian world, and this quote struck me:

Although post-Christians do not oppose a spiritual search, they will listen only to Christians who present themselves as pilgrims on the way rather than as part of a superior class who has already arrived.

I am grateful for an absence of hypocrisy in this season of my life.

I am grateful for a dining room full of new friends enjoying time together.

I am grateful for people who genuinely care, and I am grateful that I can shake my head and move on when someone doesn’t.

I am grateful for this addition to my church devotion this morning that reminded me of Sam and the way he has chosen to treat those who called themselves Christian and were less than kind to him:

Mercy triumphs over judgment in the Kingdom of God. I tasted the fruit of this truth in the life of a mentor.

My mentor and I still meet weekly for coffee to encourage one another in our efforts to walk in the way of Jesus. Soon after we began meeting, my friend lost his job due to the false allegations of employees he managed, despite a track record of meeting performance objectives and strong evaluations. As the sole bread winner for his wife & children, he was angry & remained so for months.

Then, one day, I noticed a lightness in his tone when I asked how he was doing. He explained that he had started praying for his former co-workers and sending them anonymous gifts because of the unmerited mercy Christ had freely given him.

I’m not sure how my buddy’s co-workers ever fared, but I do know this. My mentor began growing again and moved forward with a new lightness, ready to meet his accusers with kindness should the occasion ever arise. Mercy definitely triumphed over judgment in the heart of my good friend. – Mike Wilhoit

I am grateful for the beauty of a butterfly.

I am grateful for the warmth of our home on a cold, blustery evening.

I am grateful for access to Sunday’s message.

I am grateful for my boots.

And I am grateful for a sunny cat nap in the car, in the middle of the afternoon. Still catching up…