What I am Thankful For on Thanksgiving 2024

1. That on March 1, 1991, at 9:15 am the Lord opened my eyes to the wreckage I’d made of my life and those of others, and to my need for Him as my Lord and Savior. I literally cried out “Please Help Me, Lord!” and He replied in the most peaceful, reassuring voice I’ve ever heard, saying “I was always there.” And He was, every step of the way. And from that moment to now, He has blessed me, changed me, guided me, taught me, corrected and disciplined me, comforted me and provided for me in more ways than I can even recall. Jesus is so good, He is my Lord and Savior, my protector and my best friend who is always there. Thank You, Jesus!

2. And I am thankful that when that moment came in 1991, I knew who to call out to because my Mother, Willie Jewel McFarland Tapscott, took me and my sister Cindy and my brother Kyle to the First Baptist Church of Moore, Oklahoma. She also prayed for me endlessly, knowing what a horrendous mess I was making of my life, despite the outward appearances of professional success. Mother, you are a Saint in so many ways and I know you are praising Jesus now forever, with Dad.

3. My wife, Claudia. This coming April, we will celebrate our 30th anniversary. What an amazing blessing she is in my life. Claudee has the biggest heart of any person I have ever known. She does so much to bless me, to help me, to make me laugh, and to support me. She becomes more beautiful in my sight every day, and there is not a day that I don’t thank God for putting her in my life, for keeping us together through some very, very hard times and molding us into the couple we have become. Claudee, I love you so much, I am so thankful for you and I would die for you if need be.

4. For my son, Marcus Tapscott, and my daughter, Ginny Clendenin. Marcus had a rough childhood because of me, but he grew into the kind of man, husband and father that I so wish I could have been for him when he was growing up. He is smart, hard-working, incredibly loving to Morgan, Tyler, Brooks, Beckett, Gundy and Boone (I’m not forgetting Dempsey and Penny, either!). Most important, Marcus knows Jesus as his Lord and Savior. There just are no words adequate to express the pride, the joy and the love in my heart for my son, Marcus.

Ginny, oh Ginny, my sweet daughter. When she was about 3 years old, I picked her up to put her to bed and, as she was facing me in my arms, she said “Daddy, I love you. I will always love you.” Then she kissed me. To this very moment I treasure that memory.

5. My sister, Cynthia. She is six years younger than me and so much smarter than me, it hurts! In a good way, Sis! She has had a rough life in many respects, and there isn’t a day goes by that I don’t pray for her. When I see what she has done in her life despite it all, I stand in humble admiration. Sis, you are so remarkable and I love you so much.

6. Friendship Baptist Church in Sykesville, Md. We’ve been at Friendship for a decade and it is the church home that has been one of the anchors of our lives. Mark Massey is a remarkable preacher who has been used by the Lord to build a congregation that genuinely reflects what a fellowship of Christians ought to be. Mark Klimovitz and Thom McKee have been my brothers in Christ in so many ways that I long ago lost count.

7. HillFaith. Thank you, Lord, for calling me to this ministry to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the 12,000+ congressional aides working on Capitol Hill. And thank you for blessing me with fellow workers Jan Duncan, Bret Bernhardt and Peggy Nienaber, a brother and two sweet sisters in Christ whom I treasure.

8. That I was born in America where I am a free man, blessed with an education, the opportunity to work for Ronald Reagan, and given a career in journalism to shine light in dark places.

Understand that I deserve none of these blessings. To the contrary. But Jesus loves me so much in spite of my countless sins, that He allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross, to suffer and die on that cross, to be buried in a stone grave, and to be resurrected to eternal glory on the third day. And day by day, He teaches me a little more of what His word means at Romans 8:28 when He tells us that “all things work to the good for those in Christ.”

Happy Thanksgiving 2024! May God bless you.