I’ll elect to give thanks — will you join me?
OK, I’m not perfect. But you knew that already.
And imperfect people make mistakes. I’ve made many this week, but none bigger than a pair on Tuesday evening. In this order:
I watched the presidential debate. (For an hour, at least. That’s all the bickering I could handle.)
I went on Twitter afterward. (Oh, boy.)
Here’s some of what I encountered as I scrolled down the page:
“He’s a rich old white guy.”
Fact check: True
“He spent the night ridiculing his opponent and offered nothing of substance.”
Fact check: True
“He contradicted himself on the handling of COVID-19.”
Fact check: True
“He lied.”
Fact check: True
I wasted 20 minutes of my life reading comment after comment like that.
I’m still shook.
But there is a bright side. The people making these accusations were:
From both major political parties
Male and female
Gay and straight
Black, white and from many different ethnic backgrounds
Amazing, isn’t it?
They ALL agreed on those four takeaways from the debate.
But here’s what I found fascinating: The tweets were making the EXACT same arguments against the “Other Guy.”
So I’ll say it again, and I’ll shout this time: WE REALLY CAN ALL AGREE!!
Just not in the same way.
Now what? Should we all dig our heels in deeper and continue the standoff? I vote no.
I say we move in a new direction. Let’s try something different. Let’s replace the usual anger and hostility with an attitude of gratitude.
I’ll start.
If you’re reading this on Thursday, October 1, we all can agree on one more thing — we can start fresh. We can make better choices. We can build new habits that cast a ballot for who we want to become.
We can use words that build up, rather than tear down. So for the remaining Thursdays in this month, I’d love to help you do that. I’m willing to give this digital space over to you and call it “Thankful Thursday.”
That’s because we’ve all got people in our lives who have influenced us in special ways. True leaders who’ve never held office or assumed a high-ranking position. Yet they’ve been there for us when we’ve needed it most. They’ve encouraged us. They’ve inspired us. They’ve told us we can do better.
And I’m sure you are grateful for the impact they’ve made on your life.
So to counter the deluge of doom you’ll see everywhere else until Election Day, let’s use the month of October to go public with our gratitude. Would you be willing to send me a paragraph or two expressing thanks to someone who’s influenced you in a positive way. It could be a teacher, a coach, a bank teller, a baby sitter or a garbage collector. Anyone who’s helped you at some point through the years.
I firmly we believe we become what we behold. If we’re constantly reading vile junk, we’ll become more vile and nasty.
So let’s flip the script. Let’s become the change we want to see. Let’s become the people we want to be. And let’s take a moment to thank those who’ve shown us how to do it.
Simply write a couple of paragraphs to express your gratitude to someone special in your life and email your note to me here. If you have a photo of the person or persons, please send that, too. Each Thursday, I will post your note so you can publicly thank them in this space. Let’s make them famous for making us better.
Each week in October, we’ll take a small step toward changing the dialogue. Changing our culture. Changing the world. One brief note at a time.
Today, I’ll Go First …
As some of you know, October is Pastor Appreciation Month, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank a couple of pastors who’ve had a huge influence on my life in recent years — Jeff McNicol and John Westurn.
Jeff is the senior pastor and John is the executive pastor at Pathway Church in Chippewa Township. I’ve known Jeff for more than 20 years and John for nearly 15, and I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with them for the past five.
Jeff McNicol, senior pastor of Pathway Church, and executive pastor John Westurn.
Dear Jeff and John:
I was told long ago that I would be the same person five years from now as I am today, except for two things: the books I read and the people I meet.
Well, it’s been five years of serving alongside of you at Pathway and I thank God I am not the same person I was in 2015. I’ve got a few books to credit for that, but more important, I’ve got the two of you to thank.
I’ve had the privilege to be in the “front row” and watch the two of you lead.
Selflessly.
Passionately.
Relentlessly.
I am continually amazed at what God can do when two faith-filled men allow His spirit to flow through them and impact our church family, our community and far beyond. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.
Each day I’m taking notes on courage, integrity, vision, patience, and humility. And over the past few months, you’ve both taught a master class in unity. Even though we haven’t all BEEN together because of COVID-19, you’ve still found ways to KEEP us together.
And I have no doubt you will lead us out of this unique time in history.
Together, of course.
Thank you both for the unique influence you’ve had on my life, my family, and on our Pathway family.
I so deeply appreciate you both more than you’ll ever know.
But I hope this note gives you a glimpse.
(If you’d like to publicly thank someone for the impact they’ve had on your life, email me your brief note and a photo of the person at this link. Let’s elect to turn each Thursday in October into “Thankful Thursday.”)