The Miracle of Thanksgiving

Can you feel sorry for a holiday?

Poor Thanksgiving. It is overlooked in the overcommercialized holiday season. Many even call it Turkey Day. It is thought of as a day of parades, overeating, and football. I don't think it is what our forefathers pictured when it was first celebrated. Of course, many people today don't even know the history of it, or at least the TRUE history....due to some politically correct history adjustments.

Religious freedom in the 1600s was a very scary movement. For the state, it was because they feared it and losing power for the Church of England. For the "Separatists", it was because they feared the consequences and punishments for going against the state religion. In order to worship God and stay true to His ways, they left for Holland. Holland gave them the freedom to worship, but the culture around them went against everything they believed in. They decided that the New World would be their new home.

If you look back at writings from this time from William Bradford, they fully understood what they were doing. It was not a life of luxury they wanted, nor a promise of an easy time. Bradford wrote, "They had a great hope and inward zeal of laying a good foundation, for the propagating and advancing of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea though they should be but even as stepping stones unto others." They fully expected to begin something that they would not finish, but lay the foundation for future generations.

This reminds me of Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith chapter. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and many others knew they were laying a foundation of faith for the next generation. It was up to the next generation to keep building on this foundation, or to walk away. We see some that did continue to build, and some that did walk away.

We all know that the trip on the Mayflower was not a joy ride. It was a long, cold, and miserable trip. Many on the ship died and most were sick. It is worth taking a look at on your own to see the faith these people had, and how they looked to God for everything.

The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth and praised God. Can you imagine? All the death and destruction they had seen. They landed somewhere they did not want to. They did not know anyone and had no food. But they prayed and celebrated by reading Psalm 100! We can't even go on a three hour trip without complaining about hunger or getting lost!

The days ahead got even worse. By the end of the winter, more than half of the people had died. When spring came, Natives came to help them. The one whose story I am constantly amazed by is Squanto. He is their Joseph.

Squanto's tribe, the Patuxets, once inhabited the land the Pilgrims were living on. The tribe had been wiped out by a plague. Squanto had survived because he had been kidnapped and taken as a slave to Spain and then England. He knew English, and had been taught about God by some monks that had helped him. Out of the evil that had been done to him, he was able to help the Pilgrims.

Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to grow food and harvest it. It was after this harvest that they celebrated what we think of as Thanksgiving.

This is not a holiday of overeating or spending lots of money. It is not a holiday to forget. It is a holiday to teach our family about...to add to the foundation that was laid before us.

We remember the sacrifices made by those first Pilgrims, laying a foundation for a Christian land. We remember the Natives, that helped them. We remember the Sovereignty of God. We remember that God is in control.... and we are thankful that He is.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him; bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting,
And His faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100

Pluck it out!!

Are you a tweezer or wax girl?

Sorry any men reading, but stick with me..

I really didn't give it much thought until about the time I got married. I look back at my bridal portraits and cringe. It must have been some time after that when I first had my eyebrows waxed. It would take me years to tweeze them!

It is a personal preference. I would rather have lots of hair ripped out by the roots at one time, than to deal with each hair being plucked out at once. (Bless your heart if you are still reading!) And you have to stay on top of it too. You can be fine one day, and then look in the mirror and think those eyebrows are going to take over! So, do you pluck one out at a time before it gets too bad, or do you wait and have it all pulled out at once. Decisions, decisions.

So, when it comes time to deal with the sin in your life. How do you deal with it?

WHAT!! Yes, I am making the analogy, just go with me.....

When is the last time you took a look at your life through the lens of God's Word. Did you see some out of place things? Are there things in your life that keep it from being a life that glorifies God? Even if it is stuff that no one else knows about. He does.

I have lived most of my life as a Christian. I have spent the past couple of years dealing with the fact that I may not have been a Christian as long as I thought I had. My close friends have been with me through these long theological discussions. I have one friend I must continually annoy with the types of things I get her to discuss with me, but she sticks around anyway.

One of these ideas, is how have I allowed God to deal with sin in my life? I could tell you that 4 years ago, it would be let it go until I have to deal with it. My life was too much of the world. God decided to make me deal with it by ripping a lot out at one time. Ouch! Did it hurt! But, He had a plan that He needed me ready for, and my life needed "waxing". It was not a fun process, but it was worth it.

Since then, I have taken the "tweezer" approach to sin in my life. Pluck it out! When I have something in my life that does not honor God, it is time to pluck it out.

So, are you watching something you shouldn't....pluck it out! Are you saying things you shouldn't....pluck it out! Are you WEARING things you shouldn't....pluck it out! I could go on, but you get the idea.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

Go get those tweezers!!

A new twist on pumpkin!!

I love pumpkin recipes! I am willing to try any new pumpkin one I find. I make a pumpkin dip for gingersnaps that I really like. And I have a new favorite, a pumpkin cobbler.....it is wonderful!

I am sharing the recipe in hopes of changing your traditional pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving to this easy dessert.

Pumpkin Cobbler

1 large can pumpkin pie mix (with the sugar and spices in it)
1 large can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 box spice cake mix
1 stick butter
2 cups chopped pecans/walnuts (your preference)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the pumpkin pie mix, eggs, and evaporated milk together. Pour into greased 11x13 casserole dish. Melt butter and mix with dry cake mix and nuts. Crumble mixture over pumpkin in casserole dish. DO NOT MIX TOGETHER. Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm with Cool Whip or ice cream.

Enjoy!

I am still here.................

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated"...............stealing a quote from Mark Twain.

I am diagnosing my problem as "scared to blog without pictures." I had someone tell me once that they looked at the blog once, but since there were not a lot of pictures, they didn't bother going through and reading it. Well, what do you say to that? So, now I have a fear of writing a post with out wonderful pictures to go along. I think I need to get over that.

Here is another idea.....there has been so much in my head to write about all the political things going on in our nation, and that might not have been best. I do plan on posting about it, but it will be much different than if I had been too emotional.

So....expect more from me soon......next time it won't take Carmen yelling at me from Tennessee!