Giving Thanks

Praise the Lord, O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 106:1

One of the greatest gifts in life is the gift of being thankful. All of us, no matter what our circumstances, can be grateful. This year God continued to bless me beyond all expectations. One of the greatest blessings for which I am most thankful is the blessing of being called by Lord of Life as an associate pastor. It gives me great joy working with such a professional, dedicated and fun bunch of people. I have served in a lot of places in my life but LOL is one of the most blessed congregations I have experienced. The amount of talent and resources available at LOL is truly amazing. One of the themes of the Bethel Bible series is: Blessed to Be a Blessing. I believe the reason God continues to bless LOL is because you are so willing to share your blessings with others.

I have been fortunate to serve in places like New Guinea, Colombia, North Dakota, New Jersey, Panama, Germany, and now in Northern Virginia. As different as all of these places and people have been, my goals have always been the same. There are three things that I promise as your pastor. I will (1) love you, (2) forgive you, and (3) share the Good News of Jesus with you. In return I desire three things from you. I would ask for: (1) your love, (2) your forgiveness, and (3) the sharing of the Good News of Jesus.

One of my favorite parables is where the master tells his servant, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” It has always intrigued me that Jesus did not say, “Well done, good and successful servant.” When all is said and done we may not always be successful, but what God is looking for is our faithfulness. God truly is good and His mercy lasts forever.

May you be blessed beyond expectation,

Pastor Burslie