As we prepare to fill our faces with turkey and all the trimmings, our eyes with parades and football games, and our most comfortable chairs with our sated carcasses this coming Thursday, here’s a list — far from exhaustive, mind you — of things for which I will express my gratitude this Thanksgiving Day.

I’m thankful for (in no particular order):

Saints of Christ in faraway places — like those in El Salvador, of whom we learned last Sunday evening — whose simple faith and enthusiasm reminds us how blessed we Americans are, and how much we take for granted.

The avenue of prayer, and knowing that my God is never too big or too busy to listen when I call upon Him.

Vanilla lattes from Starbucks. On a cold, foggy morning, there’s nothing on earth better.

A DSL connection.

My daughter’s laughter when we share a joke or funny story together.

God’s grace — He gives me so much that I don’t deserve. Which includes pretty much everything He gives me.

God’s mercy — He doesn’t open the earth and swallow me when I disappoint Him, even at times when, were I He, I probably would.

My wife’s continued remission from cancer — four years and counting. Here’s to forty-four more and beyond, if the Lord wills.

That electric shock that snakes up my spine when the three other guys in my quartet and I lock a seventh chord just right, so that the sound expands to fill and vibrate the room.

A charcoal grill on a warm summer afternoon. Just call me Iron Chef Barbecue.

Comfortable shoes that last for years.

The excited shiver in our dog’s tailbone (she doesn’t have an actual tail) when a member of the family comes home. No matter what dreadful occurrence happened at work or school, your dog always loves you.

The inspired wisdom of Solomon. Meditating upon the great king’s words in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and now the Song of Solomon over the past three years has been a powerfully enlightening experience. I’ll be a little sad when we start studying Isaiah in a few weeks.

Cheese.

The air-pressure machine that enables me to sleep more or less normally at night and be rested during the day, despite my sleep apnea. I probably wouldn’t be alive today without it.

The example of humble people of faith: Tabitha; the servants of Naaman; Barnabas; Mary of Bethany; Gideon; the one grateful leper of the ten who were healed; the widow who put her whole living into the temple treasury. I pray that I can become more like them.

The example of a humble, loving Lord: I pray to become more like Him, too.

Good preaching done by someone else.

The encouragement of knowing that, like Peter, and David, and John Mark, I can fall short of the goal and still be both forgiven and useful, if I repent and mend my ways.

Health insurance. Life without it would be both scarier and more expensive.

The daily news. Knowing what’s going on in the world around is often unsettling and often quite sad, but as is true of most things in life, knowing is better than not knowing.

The hope of heaven. Whatever “here” looks like, “here” is not all there is.

Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Nothing on earth lifts the spirits more quickly than singing a few songs of faith and joy. Try it sometime if you think I’m kidding.

Elders who care about the Lord’s people and the Lord’s work, and have the courage, compassion, and foresight to move the first to accomplish the second.

Self-adhesive postage stamps.

Old-school comic art, like the Spider-Man portrait by artist Alex Saviuk that graces my desk. “With great power comes great responsibility.” Jesus said it long before Spider-Man did: “For everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48).

As that picture of Spider-Man reminds me daily, I have been given much in this life. I thank God every day for all that He has, by His grace, permitted me to enjoy. But because I have been given much, much is required of me. I dare not ever forget that.

This Thanksgiving, I should be grateful not only for all I am and have, but for the opportunities to serve God that those blessings represent. If I am truly thankful for opportunities to serve, I will use them wisely. You should too.