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| The True Origin of Thanksgiving By by Roy Milam Suffering persecution in England for their beliefs, a group of "separatists" fled to Holland in 1608. There, they found spiritual liberty in the midst of a fledgling economy that failed to provide adequate compensation for their labors, and they found a corrupt culture that tempted their children to stray from faith. Determined to protect their families from such spiritual and cultural dangers, the Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620, sailing for a new world that offered the promise of both civil and religious liberty. After a grueling journey, they first arrived at that cold and rocky spot now called Massachusetts. The place would become their Plymouth Bay Colony.
On December 11, 1620, they signed the Mayflower Compact, America's original document of civil government. It was the first to introduce self-government, and the foundation on which the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were built. In the Mayflower Compact, they tell us plainly why they came, "For the Glory of God and the Advancement of the Christian faith, and the honour of our King and Country." They wanted to worship the Lord in the way their consciences and their understanding of Holy Scripture led them, which included building a community in which they could daily live out their faith in Jesus Christ. They called their dangerous effort "an errand into the wilderness."
In the first year of their arrival, the pilgrims braved a harsh winter filled with starvation and sickness. Sadly, many of them died in that first terrible year. Hunger and disease took their toll. The Pilgrims are honored because they persevered through hardships.
But with the following spring season, came an abundant harvest. They declared a three-day feast in early December to celebrate all that the Lord had given them. Pilgrim Edward Winslow on that first Thanksgiving festival said. "Although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are far from want."
This Thanksgiving is a good time to remind our children of the many blessings that Our Lord has showered upon us in the past year. Even in this time of war and of deepening economic hardships, the harvests of our fields are still abundant. Our nation has been spared further terrorist attacks, and we passed through a hotly contested election without the violence that too often accompanies political conflict in other less fortunate lands.
Most of all, we give thanks for the blessings and joys of family life. When we gather around a holiday table, the faith, love, and commitment of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers bind our family circle. Let us also remember to give thanks to God for the brave young men and women who stand guard for us and our blood-bought freedoms in distant lands. And let us resolve in this season to live as "living stones [who] are being built into a spiritual house." (1 Peter 2:4-5)
God bless you and Happy Thanksgiving.
Why do marriages fail? While the answers to that question are many and often complex, there is a growing body of research suggesting that there are four negative risk factors- four negative behavior patterns that create barriers in a marriage and increase a couple's chances for marital failure. In one key studiy, researchers followed a sample of 135 couples for twelve years, starting before they were married, and were able to differentiate those couples who do well from those who do not, with up to 91% accuracy.* Crucial to the success of any marriage is for couples to eliminate or reduce the occurrence of these four risk factors. Previously we discussed Escalation* and Invalidation. Now, let's take a look at a third one - Negative Interpretations. "And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27).
God did a wonderful thing when He created man and woman so differently. The differences between man as male and woman as female were intended to usher in many special blessings (Genesis 1:28). Unfortunately, because of the fall, the blessings of the sexes became the battle between the sexes. The unique qualities with which God endowed each, now give rise to misunderstanding and conflict rather than completion and harmony.
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