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On Faith, Blessings, and God’s Gifts

Two Local Pastors Reflect on How Thankfulness Impacts Their Lives and Congregations

In this season of gratitude, two local pastors share their heartfelt reflections on the power of thankfulness. Lakeside Lutheran’s Pastor David Dahlke offers insight into how gratitude shapes his ministry, while First Baptist Church’s Pastor Tom Hodge reflects on how faith and thankfulness transform life’s challenges. Their thoughts remind us of the profound impact of living with a grateful heart.

 

Blessed and Highly Favored

First Baptist Church of Venice’s long-time leader, Pastor Tom Hodge, shares biblical insights and personal reflections on the power of thankfulness.

Q: How has thankfulness shaped your life and ministry?
A: The Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." (James 1:17). I am thankful to God for everything we have—life, family, friends. I especially thank God for my parents and grandparents who poured love and meaning into my life, and for my wife, Tassie, the mother of our four sons, who supports me and my ministry.

Q: How does the concept of thankfulness align with the core teachings of your faith?
A:
 Three scriptures come to mind:

  1. John 3:16 – "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." I’m thankful that God gave us Jesus, and when we trust in Him, we have everlasting life.
  2. Romans 8:1-2 – "…Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." We are set free, despite our sins, and that’s impossible not to be thankful for.
  3. Psalm 100:4 – "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." We stop and take inventory of the blessings God has given us as we come into His presence.

Q: How do you encourage thankfulness in times of hardship or challenge?
A:
 Romans 8:28 says, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Even in times of trouble, God will make things work out for the best. He just will. An example: I recently spoke with a man I’d prayed with 20 years ago. Then, he’d lost his job when the company went bankrupt. But through that experience, he met someone who led him to a new opportunity out of town. Today he has a thriving business and has moved back to Venice. He told me, “What was the worst day of my life at the time has become the best day of my life.” When we stay faithful, God takes what looks like a curse and turns it into a blessing.

Q: What makes Venice a special place for you?
A:
 Venice brings people together from all over into a community. Many of us don’t have family here, so we become each other’s family. If you go to a Venice High School football or volleyball game, you can see how supportive this community is, and I’m very grateful for that.

Q: As Thanksgiving nears, what message do you hope to share with your community?
A:
 Thanksgiving is a time to focus on how wonderfully blessed we are. When someone asks, “How are you doing?” we could start answering, “I am blessed and highly favored” or “I am so blessed.” Gratitude and bitterness cannot coexist. When we practice gratitude and thankfulness, bitterness goes away. Imagine a world where all people are kind and generous, just like Jesus.

The Multiplication of Thankfulness 

Pastor David Dahlke’s reflections offer a glimpse into how gratitude shapes his life, ministry, and the lives of others.

Q: How has thankfulness shaped your life and ministry?
A: Personally, thankfulness is a response to having received God’s gifts: the people He’s put in my life and the blessings I’ve received through them. How that has shaped my life is that all those blessings come through me and then enter the lives of other people, as I try to bless others as I’ve been blessed.

Q: How does the concept of thankfulness align with the core teachings of your faith?
A: It’s the same thing! Being people of faith, our core value system is to respond with thanksgiving, back to God and with other people. Part of our identity is to be thankful people because we are in thankful circumstances and, to take it one step further, to help those other people deliver their thankfulness beyond themselves. I’d call that the multiplication of thankfulness. It comes through me and gets passed on to others, and they pass it on as well.

Q: How do you encourage thankfulness particularly in times of hardship or challenge?

A: I encourage thankfulness in our congregation by helping people gain clarity on their mission, purpose, identity, and direction in life in Christ. When they understand who they truly are and find themselves in a healthy place, gratitude naturally flows—not just for themselves, but it overflows into the lives of others. And we don’t just focus on the serious aspects; I believe it’s important to have fun while doing this! It’s about building self-confidence, showing kindness, and understanding that these actions come back around, bringing great joy and fulfillment.

Q: What role does gratitude play in a believer's relationship with God?
A: Gratitude is a proper response to the gifts given to us. Gratitude is less intentional (thinking it through) and more supernatural because it’s coming from God, without intentionality—coming from our heart, from our soul, and our identity. It organically flows out of our lives into the lives of other people.

Q: As we approach Thanksgiving, what message about gratitude do you hope to share with your community?
A: The message of gratitude is seeing who God is, what role He is playing in your life, and where He’s sending you to live that out, or to whom He’s sending you to live that out. It’s the concept of gratitude, emulating and reflecting what God has already done for us in Christ Jesus, and reflecting it back to others.

NOTE - 2 pull-quotes for page 1 as described in production notes

"When we stay faithful, God takes what looks like a curse and turns it into a blessing." — Pastor Tom Hodge, First Baptist Church

"(Thankfulness) is about building self-confidence, showing kindness, and understanding that these actions come back around, bringing great joy and fulfillment." — Pastor David Dahlke, Lakeside Lutheran Church 

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