Brittany McCoy makes a practice of daily taking a picture of something for which she is thankful—a friend, dental floss, something new each day. Cool! What a healthy and creative practice.

(Brittany attended and volunteered at Bethlehem when she was a student at the University of Minnesota. She has since graduated and moved to Chicago.)

Joe & Julie Kreckelberg have taught the budget portion of Bethlehem’s Pre-Marriage class for as long as I have been on staff here (1997). More than teaching the class, they have met with individual families and couples to work on monetary matters, contentment issues, principles of frugality & generosity, and self-discipline aimed at helping people glorify God by living within the means he has supplied. Joe is also a profound help to the Helping Hand committee that assists Bethlehem folks in financial crisis.

Having grown up at Bethlehem and married at Bethlehem, Keith Anderson now serves as Coordinator for Senior Adult Ministries.

We would like to present Pastor John and Noël Piper with a gratitude book at their April 14 Thanksgiving Service. If you would like to write a note to be included, please send your submission following these guidelines:

At a recent elder council meeting, Mitch tendered his openly anticipated resignation after first leading us in devotions. Since widowed by the passing of Mary 2½ years ago, Mitch has sensed a growing desire and need to give more focus to family and business. We regret to accept his resignation.

I thank God for Mitch’s …

What if God gave us today only what we were thankful for yesterday?

Count your blessings. Name them one by one. See—pause and see—what the Lord has done.

He gives us more, so very much more
Than what we pause to thank him for.

At the most recent elder meeting, Jon Bloom, President of Desiring God, brought devotions and gave a report on the ministry, including the following excerpts:

Black Friday: Because only in America do people trample others for sales less than a day after being thankful for what they already have.

(In fact, many retailers are this year opening on the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day, calling it Brown Thursday. Walmart will be open all day.)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
─Colossians 4:2

The Campus Outreach staff put this video together to celebrate Ken Currie’s investment of 20+ years with CO (and 9 of those years at Bethlehem Baptist Church).