I’m Thankful

Its Thanksgiving morning. I got up early, brewed a pot of coffee spent some extra time reading my favorite Bible and thinking about how good the Lord has been to me.

From my desk at work I can look out through a beautiful arched window on the campus of the Institute in Basic Life Principles Headquarters. The building is in a park-like setting with ponds, and waterfowl, trees, a footbridge and a lighted walk. The last leaves of autumn have been blowing from the trees over the last few weeks.

On the hour hymns chime from the clock tower as young men and women stroll to lunch up the undulating walk from the main building. One of the young ladies who strides up the walk every day is my daughter Heidi. She is nineteen years old now. The sun glows off her long, blonde hair. She is not the little fat-cheeked girl she was just yesterday. My heart wells up with thanksgiving for her. Outside my door my oldest daughter works as my secretary. We have hours of fellowship together every day.

Hannah has dinner ready ready when I get home and often cookies.

Daniel and Charles drop in for a minute to talk. They are fine, strong, handsome, Christian sons. The fragrance of good food wafts up every day tugging me downstairs for lunch. Every day I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God to me. Monday I had breakfast with Wes, Tuesday with Daniel, and Wednesday with Charles. I love them, they love me, and we all love God. Hope is seven and a continual delight to my heart. She is full of lively conversation until the last hour of every day.

My cars don’t always run well, but I have blessings that will never wear out or rust or go out of style.

Last Sunday I asked the family to come and help me close my Thanksgiving message by singing:

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.
Christ Our God to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

I am thankful for the beauty and variety of the seasons.

I am thankful for abundant food, abundant clothes, warmth and many luxuries almost every day of my life.

I am thankful for the people that God has put in my path through the years, especially those who have helped and supported and encouraged me, even when I didn’t deserve it.

I am thankful for those who have opposed and misunderstood because they have made me closer to God and confirmed my faith. They have stimulated God to compensate for their injuries in with gifts no one can ever take from me.

My heart is full of thanks for my wife and the eight children that God has given us. They are a continual happiness to me. They are healthy and each of them know and love the Lord.

Our oldest son has taken a wife who loves the Lord. We hope soon to have the beginning of another generation of Pierponts.

Most of all I am grateful for the forgiveness and cleansing of Jesus. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Psa 32:1) The older I get the more conscious I am of the fact that I deserve to be in hell, but God in mercy has forgiven me and he is making a home in heaven for me.

I am thankful for thousands of people who, for some reason, put up with my ramblings every week – Thanks for reading what I write. I hope it tugs you godward.

What are you thankful for?

Ken Pierpont
Brook Place
Hinsdale, Illinois
Thanksgiving Day
November 23, 2006

On top of all of that the Buckeyes beat Michigan… again!