Tag: blessings
THANKSGIVING:
Posted on November 26, 2015 in Family, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
I never cared much for Thanksgiving. That’s a funny way to open a post about Thanksgiving but, the truth is this day never really had a lot of meaning to me. For whatever reason I never saw this day as more than a day off, a day to relax, eat, and play or watch football (or both). Then something happened.
The natural process of life: getting married, having kids, getting older began to change my attitude about Thanksgiving. I saw a desperate need to foster an attitude of thanks and gratitude in my own life. Instead of constantly pursuing more I wanted to be grateful for the many blessings God has given to me and my family. In fact, each night when our family prays we thank God for His “many blessings, like food, clothes, and a warm bed.” And why shouldn’t we?
Taking a quick glance around our world I see hungry people, men and women and kids with no homes, people being forced from their homeland for one reason or another, war, abuse, violence, and sin. The truth is, our world is not a very pleasant place. There is much to be discouraged and disheartened about. But, there is also much to be thankful for.
Kids That Whine About What They Don’t Have Should Meet Kids Around the World
Posted on February 14, 2014 in Family by Nathan Cherry
Have your kids ever been sitting in the middle of a huge pile of toys, watching one of their 83 DVD’s, after they just got done playing on one of their game systems while they waited for the batteries in their Nintendo DS to charge so they can go on the Internet from their computer to get game codes, and whined “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do!”
In that moment, have you wanted to yell, “When I was a kid we played with sticks and rocks and we liked it!”
Kids have the craziest ability to find a way of whining about what they don’t have in the middle of enjoying the things they have been blessed with. We’ve all seen it. While swimming at a friend’s house they lament the fact they don’t have their own swimming pool. While riding the neighbor’s go-kart they complain about not owning one. While playing dress up at a slumber party they whine about not having more shoes.
But there are two very important things I want to point out when it comes to whining and complaining in our kids.
A Worthy Proclamation: President Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
Posted on November 28, 2013 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
On this historic day of thanks we pause for a moment to look back and remember the blessings we have been granted by Almighty God over the past year. It is customary for the sitting president to issue a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, a tradition that has endured for many years.
One of the most memorable proclamations was offered by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Though Thanksgiving had been officially recognized and celebrated before 1863, celebration of the day was dwindling. It was revived in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln once again officially recognized the day and called for all Americans to celebrate on the last Thursday in November.
Lincoln made faith in God a central part of his proclamation in recognizing the providence and provision of Almighty God in the blessings experienced by America. President before and after Lincoln would similarly recognize the central role faith and the providence and provision of God played in American history.
Read the text of Lincolns historic proclamation below: