Giving Thanks

By now I’m sure many of you have stuffed yourself with turkey, gravy, and various desserts. It is after all Thanksgiving in America. And if you like sports there will be a few football games which have already made you smile and be angry. Such is the nature of the day. But lost in all of these things is the real meaning of the holiday, which is summed up with this quote from one of the pilgrims from the Plymouth colonists on the first celebration in 1621:

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you, partakers of our plenty."

It wasn’t always like this from year to year, but the concept of celebrating God’s grace was not an uncommon thing to do. President George Washington made it official as we read more from the above referenced source:

The National Thanksgiving Proclamation was the first presidential proclamation of

Thanksgiving in the United States. At the request of Congress, President George Washington declared Thursday, November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God", calling on Americans to "unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, " and to "be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be." President George Washington made this proclamation on October 3, 1789 in New York City. On the day of thanksgiving, Washington attended services at St. Paul's Chapel in New York City, and donated beer and food to imprisoned debtors in the city.

The following presidents did the same more or less until the holiday became a national one when President Abraham Lincoln declared it to happen on November 26th of 1863. That actual date varied until Congress made it officially the fourth Thursday in November starting in 1942. What people see it as is as varied as the dates it was celebrated on. As for me, it is a time to remember and give thanks to God for the many blessings He’s bestowed on us during the previous 12 months.

Hostages Are Back Home

I’ve spent a lot of time detailing the war in Israel which is now in its 783rd day and counting. At the very beginning Hamas took 250 hostages which they would use for leverage to withstand the Israeli response. So far the strategy worked as they are still fighting in Gaza, but the good news is that all the living hostages were returned and all but 2 of the hostage remains are back in Israel. Although Israel doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving they are giving thanks for the hostage ordeal to be finally over. Two families are waiting on the resolution to their painful journey, but as of today those 21 families who got their loved ones back are rejoicing and the remaining bodies that the terrorists murdered are being buried. It goes without saying that these hostages should never have been taken in the first place, but now Israel must finish the job and defeat Hamas once and for all. Hopefully by this time next year the whole landscape of Israel and the surrounding areas will look much different with the terrorist threats all being eliminated so they can live in peace and safety without the four walls standing around them now. That peace may be short, but it will be nice for Israelis to not have to live in constant fear of missile and drone attacks as they do now. This Thanksgiving let us who don’t have to deal with that danger pray for those that do so that they can have the same security we live with.

J6R’s Back Home

If you don’t know what I mean by the term “J6rs” it refers to those people imprisoned for simply being in attendance at a really held by President Trump to encourage then Vice President Pence to not certify the presidential votes and instead allow a period of review to investigate the election results to ensure they were accurate and valid. Of course what happened is still debated by both political sides, but newly elected President Trump issued 1,500 pardons and commuted the sentences of 14 others who had to endure years and years of unconstitutional incarcerations in what is unaffectionately called the DC Gulag. Some never made it back as they died from the harsh treatment they received in prison and some after they were released with as many as 25 innocent people who perished from it. Some people were pardoned and still the justice system holds them. But many are finally back home and this day they are thankful for the Trump pardons and commutations. While I understand there are those who still call it an insurrection and think these people deserved the treatment, I know people who were there and their friends were snatched up in the federal drive to intimidate them for merely being there that day. Trust me when I tell you this whole thing needs to be investigated and exposed for the crimes against humanity it was. But today I’m giving thanks for those who are finally finished with the ordeal and thankful for President Trump doing what he promised to do.

The Ultimate Blessing

I end this podcast with giving thanks for the forgiveness of my sins given to me in February of 1973 when I asked Jesus into my life. Over 52 years later I’m still amazed by all the goodness I’ve received since. I have a lovely wife who I married 33 years ago and a beautiful daughter who was born a year later. My daughter met and married her husband in 2022. All of these are blessings I continue to thank God for giving me. I’m certainly not alone in these blessings, but they are just a few of the ways God is moving in my life and that I’m taking time to thank Him for today. If you are a Christian I encourage you to take stock of your life and let Holy Spirit remind you of even things you never knew He did for you. I’m certain there are angels who intervened to protect us in a myriad of ways. We will never know this side of Heaven how many times they did things to keep us from harm’s way, but if we ask He may just point out one or two to remind us He truly is involved in our lives. And I also pray we ask Him how we can serve Him going forward. For those who follow Bible prophecy we know that we are living in the last of the last days and the end of the end times. It is then incumbent upon us to make sure that others share in the blessings we have by becoming Christians ourselves. I pray that if the Lord tarries we will see others next Thanksgiving who will be thanking God for turning their lives around and securing a place in Heaven at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Now that will be a feast we all want to share in.