⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 3 min read
Finding Gratitude in a Year of Grief and God’s Faithfulness
By Dave Jenkins, Executive Director, Servants of Grace
As I reflect on this past year, I’m reminded how much can happen in a short span of time. This year began with my dad still on hospice care a journey that began in June 2024 and ended when he went to be with the Lord on January 15, 2025. I remember sitting with him in August 2024 to say goodbye. He didn’t remember me at that point, but that wasn’t the point. The point was being there sharing what he meant to me. Those moments remain precious.
Twelve years earlier, my dad had asked if I would do his funeral. I’ll be honest there were times during those years when I dreaded the day, I would be called to keep that promise. But when the time came, the Lord sustained me and strengthened my faith in ways I’ll never forget.
Then, just eight days after burying my dad, I received the call that my older brother had passed away in his sleep and gone home to the Lord. The first months of this year were a whirlwind of grief, shock, and dependence on God’s grace.
Yet even in that season, God was kind. After my dad’s burial, the burden I had carried for so long lifted, and the Lord gave me a renewed joy and energy for the ministry of Servants of Grace. Since then, I’ve poured myself into the work—redesigning the website, revamping all our podcast processes, restructuring major areas of the ministry, and redesigning our Theology for Life magazine. And by God’s grace, there’s more coming. I’m already deep into another major redesign I hope to complete by the end of 2025, Lord willing.
Despite the pain of early 2025, there is so much to be thankful for, and it all begins with the Lord. His goodness and faithfulness are sure because they are rooted in His everlasting and sufficient Word, which points us to our Savior-King, Jesus. Today, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all He has done this past year, and I cannot wait to share more in my end-of-year report. I believe you’ll be amazed by God’s kindness.
For now, I simply want to say: thank you. Thank you for reading, listening, watching, praying, and walking with us. I am genuinely thankful for each of you across the country and around the world who engage with Servants of Grace in so many ways.
May the Lord bless you and your family this Thanksgiving. Please continue to pray for our ministry and for the continued spread of God’s truth through Servants of Grace.
With gratitude,
Dave Jenkins
Executive Director, Servants of Grace
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
