The “dog days” of summer are nearly passed and soon we will be enjoying the refreshing days of fall. This is one of my favorite times of the year. Nature seems to pause and take a deep breath between the extremes of summer’s oppressive heat and winter’s bitter cold.

In many places, the colors of fall are nothing short of breathtaking. For me, it is a time to reflect and give thanks. In some parts of the world, people celebrate the harvest with moments of thanksgiving in remembrance of God’s faithfulness and providence.

The psalmist believed in giving thanks and in celebration, and he calls us to such a time:

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all his benefits.

Psalm 103:1–2 (NKJV)

I am at the stage in life when I give more time to reflecting and remembering. I have much for which to be grateful and for which to give praise.

God has blessed my wife, Patty, and me in ways we could never have imagined. We have two wonderful children, seven delightful grandchildren, and a host of dear friends. We were both blessed to grow up in homes where Christ was honored and our parents led us toward faith in God through both word and deed. Wonderful church families nurtured us, loved us, encouraged us, mentored us, accepted us, and birthed in us a desire to follow Christ.

Eventually they made a place for us to respond to God’s call in our lives. I cannot imagine where either of us might be had it not been for the Church, specifically the Church of the Nazarene.

I am grateful that church is more than a memory.

The Church remains the living, vibrant Body of Christ in a broken and troubled world. She is not perfect, but she is the Body of our Lord, a visible presence of God in our communities.

In my present assignment I have been privileged to experience the Church around the world. Interestingly, I have found the people of God to be strikingly alike wherever I go. God’s people continue to nurture, love, accept, encourage, mentor, and birth in others a desire to follow Christ. The hearts of God’s people continue to reflect the heart of God. God has not given up on His Church, and I choose to follow His lead.

We experienced such a moment of God’s grace at work in in Armenia. We were in a little town in the mountains for district assembly where a relatively small group had gathered to celebrate and give thanks. It was a cold day with some snow on the ground, but our hearts were warmed by our fellowship in the Spirit.

In the course of the day, I heard them speak of the people in Moore, Oklahoma. Moore, Oklahoma! It seems that they received the news that their “brothers and sisters” in Oklahoma had suffered great losses in a tornado.

Knowing they must act, they, in their own words, “took a little offering” for their brothers and sisters in Moore.

I confess that I was moved to tears. I was born in Durant, Oklahoma. Here we were in a small village nearly 10,000 miles away from Oklahoma, and a small group of Nazarenes felt led of the Spirit to “take a little offering” for people in my home state. As I wiped the tears from my eyes, I was deeply moved with thanksgiving for the Church of the Nazarene and her global presence.

When I stood to speak, I thanked them on behalf of my fellow Oklahomans and told them that there are no “little offerings” in the kingdom of God.

When we give to His purposes, it is a “big offering.”

I guess what I’m really trying to say as summer slips away is that I am grateful for the Church of the Nazarene. I am very grateful for you—you are the Church. Her past, her present, and her future belong to God, and I have been greatly blessed to be a small part of the people called Nazarenes.

J. K. WARRICK is a General Superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene.

Please note: All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of original publication but may have since changed.