Highlight of this past Thanksgiving

My brother Steven came to visit us from Austin this past Thanksgiving weekend. It's been the most consecutive number of days I've spent with my bro in probably more than 10 years. We cooked together, studied together, went to Walmart together, went to the mall together, went to church together, played with the kiddos together...it was a great weekend! (I'll put pictures on http://www.tangsgivings.blogspot.com)

As I reflected on this past weekend, I have to say that worshipping God alongside my brother was the most awesome experience. The reason I say that is I've never worshipped with my brother sitting next to me since when I was in junior high. And I am not sure either of us really worshipped God when I was 13. I think it has been more than 15 years since we've been in church together.

What was awesome about the whole experience was my blood brother is now also my spiritual brother -- and we are able to share in this experience of being able to show love to our great God together. I get a little emotional when I think about this.

For those of you who might not know, Steven is the prodigal son of my family. He returned to God and God welcomed him back. It is amazing to see how God has transformed him through and through. Sometimes I feel that he is more spiritually mature than me even though I've been a Christian longer. In some sense I know he is more spiritually mature than me because of what he has gone through -- he has had to trust God more.

As I reflected today, I gave thanks to God, the awesome, mighty, great, glorious, holy, good, loving, kind, grace-full God. I don't know enough adjectives to describe how great He is. He changes lives. Steven's. Mine. My family's.

How great is our God!