“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” — Psalm 69:30
When I think back to my childhood in Joseph, Oregon, I remember those early mornings that began at the crack of dawn. I’d wake up in the old parsonage, where Native American pictures covered the bedroom wallpaper, and the chill in the air seemed to pull me from the covers. I’d jump out of bed and race down the stairs—until I heard my dear grandmother call out, “No running on the stairs, Timmy; it’s dangerous!”
Downstairs, the warmth of a crackling wood fire in the old stove would greet me, mingling with the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven and bacon sizzling on top. From the sitting room, the steady ticking of my grandparents’ old clock filled the air. But the sound I remember most came from my grandfather’s study. Every morning, there he was, on his knees, his face turned toward his old, well-worn Bible, singing hymns with a heart so full it seemed to overflow into the entire house. He began each day like this—with hymns of thanksgiving and praise.
Even in his 90s, when he couldn’t remember his own name or his lifelong calling, he’d rise each morning and sing hymns for an hour, thanking God with a heart of praise. That memory of his voice still echoes in my mind, calling me to live a life of thanksgiving.
My parents shared this same spirit of gratitude, their voices lifted in song as though inviting me to join them. Even now, as I glance at their picture on my desk, their twinkling eyes seem to say, “Come, join us in thanksgiving and praise.” And I remember Pastor Dick Sanders, singing hymns at the top of his lungs as he drove me and his son Rich in his old pickup truck—singing as if nothing mattered more than these moments of pure praise.
The truth is our thanksgiving doesn’t end. It lives on beyond us, continuing like an endless song of praise. We’re invited to be part of something that stretches beyond life’s bounds, an echo of gratitude that carries us into eternity.
This Sunday, I invite you to join us as Pastor Mark shares the secret of “Thanks-Living”—a life that glorifies God with each moment of gratitude, praise, and joy.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White