Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 26th, 2009READ Psalm 100:1-5
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 100:4
On this Thanksgiving Day, we Americans are encouraged to pause and give thanks to God. In his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863, President Abraham Lincoln wrote: “The year that is drawing toward its close has been […]
And Don’t Forget to Thank People Too!
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009I’ll never forget something I heard at the baccalaureate service that was part of my graduation from college. As I sat in the Memorial Church of Harvard University, the President of Radcliffe College (part of Harvard) said something like, “The baccalaureate service is a traditional ceremony of thanks and praise.” Wow, I thought, that’s surprisingly […]
A Brief History of Thanksgiving
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009For several years, it has been my history to put up a bit of Thanksgiving history during the week prior to the holiday. So, once again, here is a brief history of Thanksgiving.
Severnal years ago I asked my six-year-old nephew, “On Thanksgiving, to whom do we say thank you?” He quickly responded, “To the native […]
Finding the Heart of Thanksgiving
Monday, November 23rd, 2009As you know, on Thursday we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Yet for many of us, that day is so full of activity that we actually have little time for intentional, extended giving thanks to God. So, as has been my tradition for many years, I will put up several posts in anticipation of Thanksgiving Day in […]
A Great Thanksgiving Tradition
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009In this post I want to tell you about a great Thanksgiving tradition. Yes, yes, I know Thanksgiving Day comes a week from Thursday. But I’m putting up this post in the hopes that there still might be time for some of you to act on what I’m about to recommend.
I’ll admit to a not-so-hidden […]
Thankful for the Beauty of God’s Creation
Friday, November 28th, 2008Wherever I have lived during my adult life, I’ve learned to be grateful for the beauty of that slice of God’s creation. When I lived in the Boston area, I loved the turning of the leaves in autumn and the sun shimmering on the Charles River in summer. Moving back to Los Angeles, I enjoyed […]
Be Thankful in All Circumstances
Thursday, November 27th, 2008Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
On this Thanksgiving Day in the United States, I want to reflect on a verse from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ […]
Wholehearted Thanksgiving
Friday, November 23rd, 2007Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the LORD,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of honor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the LORD is gracious and […]
Thanksgiving Inspiration from Pray the Gospels
Thursday, November 22nd, 2007Excerpt
Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return […]
How Can I Be Thankful When . . . ?
Wednesday, November 21st, 2007The Bible instructs us to be consistently thankful. In writing to the Thessalonian Christians, the Apostle Paul said, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess 5:18). This sounds nice enough, until you find yourself in difficult, even painful circumstances. Then inspired biblical truth […]
A Brief History of Thanksgiving
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007For several years, it has been my history to put up a bit of Thanksgiving history during the week prior to the holiday. So, once again, here is a brief history of Thanksgiving.
A couple of years ago I asked my six-year-old nephew, “On Thanksgiving, to whom do we say thank you?” He quickly responded, “To […]