10 Things of Thankful: There is A Revival Going on Here!

By Mary Hill

This week my faith has re-energized. I came full circle as I attended a youth rally in my upstate South Carolina. The rally was at a church that I attended as a child. The church since changed location but the pastor and his family of my youth still lead the congregation. 

C.T. Townsend preached the old fashioned camp style meeting.  His wife and band sung song after song and the spirit moved. I wept openly as they sung, “He Knows My Name.”

As they sang the song, I recalled the time that the church’s pastor baptized me at age seven. I have already written about my salvation experience with my mom and how she lead me to Jesus in our living room.  I was proud the night I got baptized in the old sanctuary located across town. I knew Jesus loved me and had saved me. 

The pastor had me cross my arms and said, “My sister, because of your confession of sins and belief in Christ as your savior, I now baptize thee in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”  I closed my eyes tight and held my nose as the pastor gently laid my back into the water and my head submerged briefly. I came back up quickly. 

When I renewed my faith as a teenager, I decided to be baptized again to signify my stronger faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. My faith has come full circle through years of struggle, failure, and doubt.  Jesus never left me once even when I left Him for a time during college. He was always there calling me, urging me to return to Him.

My daughter walks with Him now and was baptized too at age seven.  She sings for Him now. Tonight, she took part in our local children’s choir play about creation and God’s great love for us. She played a star in space who talked about how God created us in His image and how Christ loved us so much that He died for us.

My husband and I are committed to ensuring that she continues to walk and serve God. We pray as a couple for her daily that she grows to love God and places Him at the center of her life.

I am so thankful that I have :

1. A family that walks with God.
2. A son that pastors a church
3. A father that served God too in the ministry and has two of his own grandchildren to play with in heaven. My sister and I both miscarriages the same year. 
4. I have a husband who loves the Lord and leads our family through a good example.
5. I have grandchildren that will be brought up in church because we as a family are determined to take them every service that we can.
6. We have a wonderful church lead by our son.
7. Our son loves God with an unquestionable faith and is an incredible leader.
8. My daughter-in-law is a beautiful example of a Christian mother.
9. My middle daughter shines with her love for Christ. She was at the rally last night and when I looked over to see how she was enjoying the service, I discovered her weeping and praising God with this beautiful look on her face. I blame her that I started to cry too.
10. I love the Lord with all my heart and soul.