Words of Wisdom
“When you have eaten and are full, remember to bless the Lord your God for the good land that He has given you. … Lest your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord, … and you say in your heart that it is by your own power that you have obtained all this wealth … and you walk after other gods, and worship them.” (Deut. 8:10-19)
Personal Reflections on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Beyond
This is a wonderful in-between season when we are still savoring the memories of Thanksgiving past while at the same time getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the joys of Christmas future.
In our Crossroads program this weekend, cohost Rita Peters and I will take one more look back at Thanksgiving. It must be important because “Thanksgiving” in its various forms is mentioned 139 times in the Bible. And as we mentioned last week, and also noted above, God reminds us in Deuteronomy 8 not to become so proud of our achievements and our riches that we forget to thank Him for making it all possible.
To do that, we’re going to play a little word game that you can play along with us. We will take each letter of the word “Thanksgiving” and attach to it something for which we are especially thankful.
This is a game that my family has played together over the years to help us keep the spirit of Thanksgiving alive, so put your thinking caps on and join us. I’m sure you can think of many more things than we have.
To get us started, attached below is a sample of some of the things we came up with.
T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G
T – is for this special season of “Thanksgiving” itself, dedicated to thanking God for all of our blessings. and also for the “Time” that He has given us to spend with our family and friends.
H – is for the promise and the Hope of “Heaven” that God has prepared for His people, for the Judeo-Christian “Heritage” on which America was founded and still stands, and for the “Health” we can still enjoy, even in our advancing age.
A – is for “America” itself, land of the free and home of the brave, an exceptional nation founded on the ideas of Faith and Liberty, and for the “Abundance” that we enjoy from God’s hand. Laus Deo! (Two words on top of the Washington Monument) “Praise be to God”.
N – is for the many good “Neighbors” we have here in the Shenandoah Valley. Jesus emphasized the importance of this by commanding that we love our neighbors as ourselves.
K – is for “Kin”, which includes our extended families, past and present, near and far. This is a reference to the indescribable joy and love that we’ve had for and with our families.
S – is for our “Sovereign” God, and for our “Savior”, Jesus Christ, whose birth we will celebrate at Christmas. It is also for the Holy “Scriptures” that light our way, and for the “Safety and Security” that are provided for us by our military, law enforcement personnel, and other first responders.
G – is again for God and for the Grace that He extends to all of us. As President Reagan said, “If we ever forget that we are One Nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
I – is for “Industry”, – the ability, the drive, and the desire to work and to succeed. It also stands for the “Independence” that our Founding Fathers fought and died for. Yes, we stand on the shoulders of giants.
V– is for the Shenandoah “Valley”, for the beauty of our lands, for the common faith of our people and ourchurches, and for every “Victory” we achieve for Truth over Lies and for Good over Evil.
I – is again for the “Inspiration” of our Founding Fathers in establishing a nation with Christian values and on Constitutional principles, and for the “Intellect” that God gave us for the thought and reason God gave us for establishing, maintaining, and defending our wonderful Godly, heritage.
N – is for the many “Nice” people all around us, and for the “New” ideas and “New” mornings that greet us every day with “New” opportunities and New challenges that invite and encourage us to explore New frontiers every day.
G – is for the good news of the “Gospel” and for the good “Government” of the people, by the people, and for the people with its inspired Constitutional system of limited Government, with its checks and balances, and a separation of powers.
Crossroads: Where Faith and Culture Meet
For more on all of this, please join Rita and me on our Crossroads radio program this weekend. It will air on WBTX (1470 AM and 102.1 FM) today (Saturday) at 4:00 p.m. and again on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., followed by WSVA (550 AM and 92.1 FM) at 8:30, ESPN (1360 AM and 106.9 FM) at 9:00. If you miss the program, or would like to hear it again, you can also listen online by clicking on the Crossroad’s menu shown on the home page of our web site at www.valleyfamilyforum.org.
Crossroads is almost entirely listener supported, and we deeply appreciate your prayers, your encouragement, and your financial support of these programs. If you would like to help, please send your check to Crossroads at PO Box 881, Harrisonburg, 22803. All donations are tax-deductible.
Thank you all, from Dean with a grateful Spirit and joyful Hearts on behalf of our Crossroads Team,
Yes, Working and Walking Together, We Can Make a Difference for God and Country!