10 things I'm thankful for

As I read Rob's blog this morning, I liked what he did, and I'm taking it to heart.

10 things (I'm sticking with people) I'm thankful for:

1. Jesus; He ruined my life, and I love Him for it.
2. Janelle; I'm blessed to have an incredible wife I get to walk through this life with.
3. Mom and Dad; I've said it before, but they cared most about what God's plan was for my life, not how "successful" I might be. The SHOWED me what a Christ Follower was more than they told me.
4. My teammates... Terry, Jason, Jeremiah, and Chris; I love coming in to work because of the people I get to work with. I only named four, but there could be so many more. These guys encourage and challenge me. We laugh together. We get frustrated together. We dream together. We serve together.
5. Students; I love students. I'm thankful for High Schoolers. They keep me on my edge. They remind me what it is to be idealistic. They frustrate me. They give me hope. They make me lose hope. They are my passion, my life calling.
6. My In-Laws; They are an incredible support. They have been a huge blessing on so many occassions it's ridiculous.
7. Critics; I hate Criticism, but I'm thankful for critics. They make me think, and they remind me that I'm human. Now I'm going to have to come back and read this next time I get criticized, and see if I still believe it.
8. My Church; I love NMC. More specifically I love the people of NMC. They're imperfect, flawed, full of struggles... normal. And yet we're taking part in something so much bigger than ourselves. I love the journey.
9. My Prayer Warriors; I don't even know who they all are, but I know they're praying... at the risk of sounding cheesy... I can feel it.
10. Barnabas; My dog. He's not a person, but he's one of my best friends. I love my dog, because he loves me. We don't have to talk. We just sit together. He's just there.

I know there's plenty of "things" to be thankful for (freedom, a house, food, a bed, etc.), but I'm most thankful for the people of my life. I think I could make it with most any of the material things I could name, but it's the people (and dog) above who have given me life worth living!!!!