Gratitude

Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director, and producer whose notable career spans more than three decades providing breathtaking imagery for feature films, television shows, documentaries and commercials.

This piece includes his short film on Gratitude and Happiness. Brother David Steindl’s spoken words, Gary Malkin’s musical compositions and Louie’s cinematography make this a stunningly beautiful piece, reminding us of the precious gift of life, and the beauty all around us.

Gratitude springs from acceptance of the gifts and the conditions and the circumstances that God gives. Are you grateful for the place that you live? Are you grateful for the job that God has given you to do? How many of you have thought today of thanking God for the work that He has given you to do?

What makes a holy woman or a holy man. One characteristic is gratitude. I think we might divide up all the people in the world into two classes-the complainers and the thankful. Which are you? There’s a difference between a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and a peaceful and a happy one. I think that it does not depend nearly so much on what happens as it depends on your attitude and your response.

If you dwell on your own feelings about things, rather than dwelling on the faithfulness, the love and the mercy of God, then you’re likely to have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Our feelings are very fluctuating and ephemeral, aren’t they? We can’t depend on them for five minutes at a time. But dwelling on the faithfulness and the love and the mercy of God is always safe, because He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Now I’m one who is having to learn this lesson of gratitude. Not that I don’t have thousands of things to be grateful for, but I also happen to be born with an extremely critical mind. It’s very easy for me to pick on the one thing that’s wrong rather than to concentrate on the ten things that were right. That goes for a lot of different areas of my life.

I realize that I don’t spend nearly enough time praising God. I try to begin my quiet time with acts of praise. Very often, it’s helpful to use somebody else’s words to do that. I think hymns are a wonderful help, so let me just make that tiny suggestion that you begin your day with thanking the Lord. There are a lot of things you can think of yourself. The very fact that you’ve had a good sleep in a comfortable bed and that you’re able to get out of bed and the measure of health that you have and the work that you have to do-all of those things you can thank God for.

But it’s great to use the exalted words, perhaps, of the Psalms. Psalm 138 would be a good one to start with. “I will praise Thee, O Lord, with all my heart. Boldly, O God, will I sing psalms to Thee. I will bow down towards Thy holy temple. For Thy love and faithfulness, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast made Thy promise wide as the heavens.” Psalm 138. Try that one. It would be a good idea to memorize it, an act of praise to God.

There’s always plenty to complain about, I guess, if your life is controlled by your feelings. But there’s always much more to thank God for if our lives are controlled by our dwelling on His faithfulness, His love and His mercy.

I had a very encouraging letter from a lady who had listened when I interviewed my friend Gail Sommers. She says, “Gail Sommers spoke the truth as few Christian women have the boldness to do. The wonderful fact is that Gateway To Joy was equally daring to air it. I grow so weary of middle-of-the-road stances on this issue.” Gail had been talking about working mothers, and Gail herself is a part-time working mother.

This lady who writes says, “I am 47 years old, a mother who gave up a professional career to stay home.” She goes on to say that she doesn’t find the care of children easy, as Gail Sommers herself admitted. It’s a tough job. But she says, “Nonetheless, having the opportunity to be a homemaker and mother gave me true fulfillment. As I was reminded of this during the week’s broadcasts, I was able to go to my husband and thank him for having given me that opportunity and blessing.”

Let me say here that those of you who are able to stay home to take care of your children because your husband is willing to let you stay home and doesn’t insist upon your getting a job to supplement the family income, have you thought of thanking him? This was a good reminder in this letter. This lady went to her husband and thanked him.

She goes on to say, “There is no explaining the contentment I felt as I mothered. Though I knew we had to do without some material things and though I knew there was always the awareness in my husband’s mind that some things we could not afford, I had not ever specifically thanked him for enduring the pressures as provider and for keeping the value of his wife being at home.”

To you men who endure the pressures as provider, may I say thank you, especially those of you who are willing to make sacrifices in order to allow your wives to stay at home. And of course, the wife has to be willing to make the sacrifices of not having the material things that would be possible with a double income.

I go on with the letter. “As I shared with him my gratitude for the intangibles of fulfillment as a woman and contentment as a wife, I could see that he was blessed. He was happy with our family style, but yes, he did regret that he couldn’t provide for all the things we needed. Telling him as I did, and anchoring it in the thinking I did as I listened to your programs, gave him a broader view of the true provisions he had made for us. Your program blessed me and my husband.” I do thank you.

She goes on to say that she had home schooled for six years. She was glad about my open-mindedness on that subject. She says, “For all your labors to produce this program, know that this woman is deeply appreciative.”

In Romans 5:3-5 we read, “Let us be full of joy now. Let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance; and endurance, fortitude, develops maturity of character; that is, approved faith and tried integrity. And character of this sort produces the habit of joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Thank God even in the midst of your troubles. Remember who it is who writes this way. It’s Paul the Apostle, who had been through a good many trials and tribulations that most of us know nothing about. Things like floggings and shipwrecks and imprisonments. But he says, “We can be full of joy here and now. We can rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.”

Some of you are experiencing difficult pressures today. Hardships. Can you be grateful for those? Not because of the hardship in itself, but because God’s promises that they can produce patient and unswerving endurance. But they’re not going to produce that patience and endurance unless you accept them. So gratitude springs from acceptance of the gifts and the conditions and the circumstances that God gives.

Are you grateful for the place that you live? Are you grateful for the job that God has given you to do? How many of you have thought today of thanking God for the work that He has given you to do? Maybe you’re ambitious for another job, a different kind of a job, or a promotion. Maybe you’re ambitious to get a job and you haven’t gotten one yet. Can you accept the fact that today this is the will of God? Wherever you are, whatever you have or don’t have, this is the will of God for you today.

How do I know that? I don’t know you. I don’t know your circumstances. But I do know what the Word says. “Everything that happens fits into a pattern for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” His purpose in you and me is to make us holy, to shape us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is this particular set of circumstances in which you live, the particular events of today, that give you the opportunity to say, “Thank You, Lord. I know that You’re at work in this and I know that Your purpose for me is thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give me a future and a hope.”

-Elisabeth Elliot

20 Tips for a Positive New Year

20 Tips for a Positive New Year (Updated for 2012)

1. Stay Positive. You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can trust that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible.

2. Take a morning walk of gratitude. I call it a “Thank You Walk.” It will create a fertile mind ready for success.

3. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

4. Zoom Focus. Each day when you wake up in the morning ask: “What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?” Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions.

5. Instead of being disappointed about where you are, think optimistically about where you are going.

6. Remember that adversity is not a dead-end but a detour to a better outcome.

7. Don’t chase success. Instead decide to make a difference and success will find you.

8. Get more sleep. You can’t replace sleep with a double latte.

9. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

10. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.

11. Live with the 3 E’s. Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

12. Remember there’s no substitute for hard work.

13. Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.

14. Implement the No Complaining Rule. Remember that complaining is like vomiting. Afterwards you feel better but everyone around you feels sick.

15. Read more books than you did in 2011. I happen to know of a few good ones.

16. Don’t seek happiness. Instead decide to live with passion and purpose and happiness will find you. www.Seed11.com

17. Focus on “Get to” vs “Have to.” Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift not an obligation.

18. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:

I am thankful for __________.

Today I accomplished____________.

19. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants.

20. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it.

-Jon Gordon

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Thanksgiving – A Day Of Freedom

As the Thanksgiving Holiday comes to a close, I’d like to share one more post about my favorite holiday! Below is a composite of several Thanksgiving themed blog posts and articles from Voice of God Recordings and Young Foundations. Check out all the videos, audios, pictures, and even recipes. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving – A Day Of Freedom Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Tomorrow marks the memorable day of Thanksgiving. It’s a day to not only reflect the thanksgiving of the free nation that we live in, but the thanksgiving in our hearts of the resurrected Jesus Christ that gave His life on Calvary to give us Eternal freedom.

As you bow your heads around the table to thank God for your freedom and the natural food that He has grown and fixed for you, remember that something had to die so that you could have those things. Millions of soldiers died so that you could live under freedom of religion. The very food you’re eating had to die so that you can live. If something doesn’t die, you do not live, and if Christ had not died, you could not live.

How can we give thanks to God for so many blessings? For His Life. For His Love. For His grace. For our families. For our freedom. For this Message. We are a blessed and free people! Free from sin. Free from bondage. Free from sickness. Free from death.

The Son has made us free, and we are free indeed to serve our Lord and our Father. We thank Thee. Talk about a thanksgiving day for freedom, we’ve got a real… Every day’s a thanksgiving day; every hour’s a thanksgiving day. I, who was once blind can now see; I, who was a sinner am now saved. O God, how free we are, how we can give You thanksgiving, thanksgiving from our heart that Jesus Christ the Son of God is not dead but He’s alive among us tonight…William Branham 1959-11-26

To view past Thanksgiving articles, follow the links below:

Thanksgiving 2007:

(Click the picture or Title to be taken to the full article and audio story)

The Persecution Thursday part 1, November 01, 2007

The persecution has begun. The papacy and British Government want complete control of the people. Protestants around the countryside are refusing to give up their religious freedom without a fight. But it is a fight and stand that will most assuredly end in death and persecution for many of God’s children. For years to follow, the insurrection would continue with much fighting and intolerance. Hundreds, if not thousands are martyred for the cause of free worship. The “Puritans” are fleeing whenever the opportunity arises. Many don’t make it out of the country alive, but small groups are making their way to Amsterdam, where they hope to find peace.

The Journey Friday part 2, November 09, 2007

It’s time to go. Preparations have been made, and the weather is cooperating. The pastor is giving a sermon out of the book of Ezra. Spirits are high, but nervous. Some people are laughing, some are crying. People are separating from family and friends, but they are doing it willingly. They have decided to make this journey by their own free will.

The First Winter Friday part 3, November 16, 2007

The Pilgrims arrive in America under fair weather. Many men fall on their knees and bless God for delivering them from the perils and miseries of their past.

The First Thanksgiving Wednesday part 4, November 21, 2007

It's March 16, 1621. The Pilgrims are amazed when a friendly native named Samoset approaches them. He speaks broken English, but tells them of a man from the Wampanoag tribe that speaks good English and can help them. In a few days the Pilgrim leaders are introduced to the native called Squanto. He speaks amazingly well and introduces them to the local Wampanoag tribal leaders. The two groups of men talk all night, and agree to live in peace. A treaty is signed that will remain in place for 50 years.

Thanksgiving 2008, November 26, 2008

We often ponder the many blessings in our lives during the Thanksgiving season and all the things we ought to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving 2009, November 26, 2009

What are you thankful for? This was a common question that we asked many people over the past several weeks. You’ll see in the video above that the answers we received varied from orange juice, to kitty cats, to family, and most importantly, God.

Thanksgiving 2010 – Freedom, November 22, 2010

"If it's worth something, it's worth dying for." It was religious persecution that our forefathers fled from. It landed them on Plymouth Rock where this great nation of ours was founded on freedom of religion. As Brother Branham said, "And according to the Bible, of Revelations the 13th chapter, God had promised them an oasis and a place, for the woman was carried into the wilderness where she was fed for a time, time, and a dividing of time. God had made the promise to America, or to the church (to the woman) to come into this country."

 

Thanksgiving Recipes:

Apple Butter | Honey Butter | Cranberry Orange Muffins |

Sister Jeans Cranberry Relish | Broccoli Casserole | Mashed Potato Casserole |

Turkey Stuffing | Sweet Potato Souffle | Dutch Apple Pie

At the 2009 Giving Thanks dinner for the elderly, there were many delicious recipes that the sisters made. Even though some of these are family secret recipes, we've decided to let a few of them out for you to use in your holiday baking. Don't tell anyone!

 

President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation:

 

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

A Day of ‘Public Thanksgiving and Prayer’

A letter from the president of The Heritage Foundation:

11/24/2011

A Day of ‘Public Thanksgiving and Prayer’

Most of us have heard or read at least part of Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation at some point. But even those who have heard it many times can overlook two important aspects of this important document.

The first is its timing: October 3, 1863. The nation had already endured two years of appalling carnage on the battlefields of the Civil War. And although Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg seemed to mark a turning point in favor of the Union, there was no clear light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, much more blood would be shed in the months ahead.

And yet President Lincoln paused at this time of unimaginable crisis not only to urge Americans to give thanks, but to note how blessed our nation is. “The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies,” the first sentence reads. He lists those blessings in terms so strong and soaring one could almost forget this was one of our nation’s darkest hours.

Nearly 150 years later, this is a perspective check. If Lincoln could encourage his fellow Americans to give thanks at such a bleak time, how can any of us complain about our lot? How can we read about polls that suggest our best days are behind us, that all we can do is manage our “inevitable” decline? What nonsense.

That’s not to say we don’t have difficulties. We do — serious ones. And no, the answer isn’t to crack a phony smile and pretend everything’s great. We need to do what past generations have done: look our problems squarely in the eye, roll up our sleeves and get the job done. We make mistakes, but we learn from them. But to give up? No. Such a defeatist attitude is unworthy of a free people.

The second aspect of Lincoln’s proclamation that’s sometimes forgotten is the reason given for the holiday. To give thanks, yes, but not just in general — to give thanks to God. “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things,” he writes. “They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

Whoa — hold on there. Somebody get the ACLU. How un-PC can a president get? Wasn’t Lincoln worried that he might offend some of his listeners?

Hardly. He was following in the hallowed footsteps of George Washington. Notice the date of Lincoln’s proclamation: October 3. On that same day in 1789, the nation’s first president gave his Thanksgiving proclamation. And like Lincoln, he was clear about who deserved our gratitude.

Washington called that day on all Americans to observe a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted to “the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”

This shouldn’t surprise anyone. “Of the many influences that shaped the American concept of liberty, the first and most formative was faith,” writes author and Washington scholar Matthew Spalding. The Founding Fathers knew the First Amendment didn’t forbid public mention of God. It simply meant there could be no official state church.

They also knew that, whatever church an American belonged to, he ought to give thanks to Almighty God. Not because we’re living in some heaven on earth — that’s impossible. But because despite our problems, we’re incredibly blessed. We live in a land that recognizes our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In a world beset with death, tyranny, disease and famine, that’s nothing short of a miracle.

We need to act like we believe that. And the best way to start is to say thanks.

Edwin J. Feulner
President, The Heritage Foundation

Seven Important Quotes to Read at the Thanksgiving Table

1. The Old 100th: The Thanksgiving Psalm of the Pilgrims

It was their deep devotion to God, commitment to sound doctrine and the pure faith which primarily motivated the Pilgrims to endure great trials and hardships for the hope of a multi-generational vision of victory. In obedience to God and to strengthen their spirits, the Pilgrims became known as people of song. They loved to sing and did so often, not only during the meeting of the church, but in the course of daily life. The Psalms were in the forefront of their musical repertoire for life, and few Psalms were as beloved as “The Old 100th.” Because books like psalters were precious and rare, they practiced a form of congregational singing in which one line would be sung or “called out” and the congregation would sing it back in unison. Here is the Old 100th, from the Geneva Bible, set to verse, Pilgrim style:

Shout to Jehova all the earth,
Serve ye Jehova with gladness,
Enter his gates with singing mirth,
No that Jehova, he God is.

It’s He that made us and not we,
His folk and sheep of His feeding
Oh with confession enter ye
His gates, his courtyards with praising.

Confess to him, bless ye his name,
Because Jehova he Good is.
His mercy ever is the same,
And his faith unto all ages. Amen.

2. The Greatest Quote Concerning the Resolve of the Pilgrims

The simple sentence below by William Bradford is one of the most powerful in all of Christian literature, for it is a commentary on the meaning of holy risk-taking and the pursuit of righteousness and the kingdom of God:

So they committed themselves to the will of God, and resolved to proceed.

3. William Bradford’s Multi-Generational Vision

Just over fifty Pilgrims survived the first winter. But from them came more than thirty million descendants and a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. More importantly, their vision was one of holy, Christ-centered, multi-generational faithfulness.

Last and not least, they cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least making some ways toward it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work.

And also:

Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.

4. The Mayflower Compact: The Document That Shaped American Freedom under Christ

It has been persuasively argued that the Mayflower Compact, signed just prior to the Pilgrim’s arrival in Plymouth, was not only the critical step to quelling unrest and ensuring the unity and success of the Pilgrim society, but it became a foundation for the covenantal understanding of government under God embraced by the colonies and later the Founding Fathers. Significantly, this document appears to be an inspiration for later charters like the Declaration of Independence. It was a document signed by male heads of household and drafted with the goal of establishing a holy and orderly civil society. It begins with the awe-inspiring words — “In the name of God, Amen” — which is arguably the most powerful introduction of any document in the history of Western Civilization.

In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Dom. 1620.

5. The Eyewitness Accounts of the Thanksgiving Story from Gov. Winslow’s Mourt’s Relation, and from Governor William Bradford’s Of Plimouth Plantation

There are two and only two primary source accounts of the first Thanksgiving. They are presented below in the original English. They must be read in the context of the larger record given by Bradford and Winslow concerning the Pilgrim story.

The Thanksgiving Story as Told by Edward Winslow

Our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours ; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others. And although it be not always so plentifull, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plentie.

The Thanksgiving Story as Told by William Bradford

They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; For as some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no want.  And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees).  And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, &c. Besids, they had about a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corn to yt proportion.  Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their friends in England, which were not fained, but true reports.

6. The Great Declaration of Praise and Thanksgiving Offered by William Bradford for the Providential Deliverance of the Pilgrims

May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: “Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice, and looked on their adversity, etc.” Let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good, and his mercies endure forever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, show how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry, and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men.

7. Pastor John Robinson’s Wise Words of Counsel to the Departing Pilgrims on Their Duties in Building a New Christian Society

The letter of John Robinson to the departing Mayflower Pilgrims ranks as one of the greatest pastoral letters with the most far-reaching influence in all of history. Robinson made the difficult decision to stay behind with those members of the congregation who would not or could not make the journey.

The letter is brilliant for its precision and the powerful concepts communicated, but most importantly, it really embodies the wisdom and holiness of the life and worldview of the Scrooby congregation. Some of the concepts of this pastoral letter were actually incorporated into the Mayflower Compact, a document which itself was built upon themes articulated in the Scrooby Covenant of 1607. Below is a quote, but make sure to read the letter in its entirety.

Lastly, whereas you are become a body politic, using amongst yourselves civil government, and are not furnished with any persons of special eminency above the rest, to be chosen by you into office of government; let your wisdom and godliness appear, not only in choosing such persons as do entirely love and will promote the common good, but also in yielding unto them all due honor and obedience in their lawful administrations, not beholding in them the ordinariness of their persons, but God’s ordinance for your good; not being like the foolish multitude who more honor the gay coat than either the virtuous mind of the man, or glorious ordinance of the Lord. But you know better things, and that the image of the Lord’s power and authority which the magistrate beareth, is honorable, in how means persons soever. And this duty you both may the more willingly and ought the more conscionably to perform, because you are at least for the present to have only them for your ordinary governors, which yourselves shall make choice of for that work.

Robinson also wrote:

This holy army of saints is marshaled here on earth … under the conduct of their glorious Emperor, Christ. Thus it marches in this most heavenly order and glorious array, against all enemies … peaceable in itself, as Jerusalem … terrible to the enemy as an army with banners, triumphing over their tyranny with patience, their cruelty with meekness, and over death itself with dying. . . . The gates of hell, and all the principalities and powers on earth shall not prevail against it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

by: Vision Forum Ministries’ Doug Phillips

Happy Thanksgiving | O Praise Ye The Lord

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:34-40

“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:14-17

“And Father, someday, may we have Thanksgiving together when You’re crownded the Kind of king and the Lord of lords. That great Thaannksgiving day, when all the saints shall rally together, God, help us to work for that day while we’re here on earth, and may You give us Divine strength. This is an American holiday: Thanksgiving Day.
Tonight I want to say that there’s so many things that I’m thankful for. I don’t know how to give thanks to God for so many blessings. If your church has service, attend. If you don’t have church service, then at home, get the family together, sit down, take God’s Word, read it. Tell your children about it. Tell them that this nation was built upon such as that. Our forefathers who fought to bring this freedom to us and left the other country so that we could have freedom of worship, and freedom of speech, and freedom of press, and so forth. And we’re thankful yet for it. We don’t know how long it will last that way, but I say this, “Long may our lands be bright with freedom’s holy light; protect us by Thy might, great God, our King.” ~ William Marrion Branham

Thanksgiving is here, and we are thankful for your support, your comments, and your emails and letters. Most importantly we are thankful for our Heavenly Father and His abundant Mercy and Grace, for the Revealed Word of the Hour, for the freedom to worship Him in Spirit and Truth, for Family, and for The Family of God.

Thanksgiving is a time to remember that the source of all our blessings and amazing liberties is God.

In his official proclamation in 1863, President Lincoln wrote;

They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).

“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5-6).

O PRAISE YE THE LORD!

By Henry W. Baker, 1875

O praise ye the Lord! praise Him in the height;

Rejoice in His Word, ye angels of light;

Ye heavens, adore Him by whom ye were made,

And worship before Him in brightness arrayed.

O praise ye the Lord! Praise Him upon earth,

In tuneful accord, ye sons of new birth;

Praise Him who hath brought you His grace from above,

Praise Him who hath taught you to sing of His love.

O praise ye the Lord! All things that give sound;

Each jubilant chord re-echo around;

Loud organs, His glory forth tell in deep tone,

And sweet harp, the story of what He hath done.

O praise ye the Lord! Thanksgiving and song

To Him be outpoured all ages along!

For love in creation, for heaven restored,

For grace of salvation, O praise ye the Lord!

O praise ye the Lord and sing a new song,

Amid all His saints His praises prolong;

The praise of their Maker His people shall sing,

And children of Zion rejoice in their King.

With timbrel and harp and joyful acclaim,

With gladness and mirth, sing praise to His name,

For God in His people His pleasure doth seek,

With robes of salvation He clotheth the meek.

In glory exult, ye saints of the Lord;

With songs in the night, high praises accord;

Go forth in His service, be strong in His might,

To conquer all evil and stand for the right.

For this is His Word: His saints shall not fail,

But over the earth their pow’r shall prevail;

All kingdoms and nations shall yield to their sway.

To God give the glory and praise Him for aye.

 

Pilgrims and Puritans

Embarkation point

They came out of the same Biblical Christianity. The Puritans were, (and are today), politically engaged. They were committed to work within the world system and to change it. The Pilgrims were dubious about this. They were,(and are today), separatists and not as politically engaged as the Puritan Christians on the right and the Ecumenical Christians on the left. Down through the centuries they have always affirmed the teaching of Jesus, “No man can serve two masters.” Accordingly, while attending to their civic duties as good citizens, Pilgrim Christians have been primarily committed to a life of personal consecration to Jesus Christ, the Gospel witness, and missions abroad.

The Pilgrim Separatists: They Differed from those Other Non-Conformists – the Puritans

The Puritans and the Pilgrim separatists came to America together. Both of these communions were Christians on a mission. The Pilgrims were Separatists. They were similar to the Puritans in their enthusiasm for Biblical Christianity. But the Pilgrims did not have the Puritan political zeal for hammering out a Christian church-state system. They simply saw themselves as sojourners in the land. They were travelers on a pilgrim pathway leading onwards into history. Their ultimate destination was the Holy City and a destiny far more glorious than anything that the systems of this present world could ever offer. The Pilgrim dream was a holy one and one that would give meaning to their journey through life, even right through to the end of the age. For the Pilgrims their dream was not something that could be attained in this present world system. No political machinations on their part could bring it into being. Pilgrims believed that all their efforts to sanctify their nation, (or any of the kingdoms of this world for that matter), would have only limited success until Messiah came. The city they sought was the one that Abraham looked for. They were looking for a city not made with human hands. They were fellow heirs of the same divine promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So the Pilgrims would walk by faith just like the patriarchs of the faith who,

“waited for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Heb.11:10

In England during the 1600′s, the Puritans and the Pilgrim Separatists suffered together. They were persecuted by the state and by the church that had been hired by the state. And yet the Puritans believed in the state and had faith, hope, and love for the state. The Puritans believed that they could work within the system and turn things around. But the Pilgrims were under no such illusions. Because of what they saw in the scriptures, and because of the history they had seen, they were more radical in their Christianity. Many of them believed in the separation of church and state. Pilgrim Non-Conformists had some sharp disagreements with their fellow travelers, the Puritans. And Puritans sometimes saw the Pilgrims separatists as unpatriotic.

Pilgrim separatists, however, had good reasons to be suspicious of entanglement with politics. The Anabaptists, the Amish, and the Mennonites had suffered severely in central Europe during the Reformation wars, Pilgrim separatists in England were also feared and hated by the church-state system. And they were persecuted very severely by their fellow Christians who had become established in the system. The reason is quite clear. Pilgrims showed an unwillingness to “work with” the system. For this they were despised. They were imprisoned, they were burned, and they were hanged. Many were fined to the point of financial ruin. John Bunyan, who had served in Oliver Cromwell’s Puritan Army was forbidden to preach without a license. He spent many years in prison at Bedford Jail in England. There he wrote the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress‘ which is still a best seller. Their was no doubt that Pilgrim separatists suffered more than did the Puritans. They were committed to stay within the Church of England. They believed that they could refine it or “purify” it from within.

 
The Pilgrims and Puritans had similar dreams. Both wanted to see their country blessed. But each had different views of how to go about it. In serving their God they had a different set of priorities. Fortunately the New World was a big land. And America provided a lot of elbow room for people of different persuasions to go about their business. It also offered many new opportunities. And so when they came to America the Pilgrims and Puritans began to flow together and complement one another.

Pilgrims were glad to see their Puritan friends making the effort to set up a Christian nation. In fact, many of the Pilgrims would become politically involved and join the ranks of the Puritans. Many of them signed political covenants and contracts when they reached the New World. A classic case of this was the signing of the Mayflower Compact. The Pilgrims and the Puritans were destined to go out and tame the wilderness together.

Mayflower Compact

 

The Pilgrims would benefit greatly from living alongside their politically active Puritan friends. They were companions together in the Christian faith. But politics was a secondary issue for the Pilgrims. It did not have the same priority as the Gospel. Politics was not their main burden or motivation. They believed that no matter what the political system was, the country would only be as good as the moral integrity of it’s individual citizens. National politics, to the Pilgrim, was like an egg omelet. The quality of the resulting dish was not so much how the ingredients were mixed as on how good the eggs were. As evangelicals they were going to live peaceably within whatever system they found themselves. They would go along with the politics of the land as much as their consciences allowed. If insurmountable problems were to arise the Pilgrims would not make waves or take up arms in protest. They would quietly step away from all the fracas and move on. They were prepared to pack up and leave the land of their present encampment if they felt that God was calling upon them to do so. Their hopes were not bound up in the land in which they found themselves living. Nor was their ultimate hope to be found in the flags and standards they saw raised before them. After all, they were Pilgrims. They were sojourners in the land. Theirs was not the yellow brick road and a pathways made by men. They were Pilgrims. As evangelicals they were called to a difficult passage through a strait gate and along a narrow way up onto a highway of holiness. They knew that it would not be easy. But in their Pilgrim devotion all this extra effort was no burden at all. In fact it was a joy. Because they were on the road to glory.

Arriving in the New World

 

The Pilgrims had a long view of history. They believed that they were in a continuous stream of faithful Christian believers extending all the way back to the Apostles. When they were arrested by Roman Catholic or Reformist church authorities, this was the usual testimony they brought. Even under torture, the attempts to find ringleaders among Pilgrim Separatists usually led nowhere, except to Jesus Christ Himself. But He was a radical that church dignitaries could hardly come against. The Pilgrims also pointed to the Gospel as their over arching mission. And they had been commissioned by Jesus Himself in the Great Commission. That commission had been given to the early Church back in the first century. And it extended right on up to the very last day of the age. Even if the political climate of their land turned against them the Pilgrims were going to remain steadfast. They would still keep their peace and operate in the graces. Pilgrims were loathe to pick up the sword against their fellow man.

Many evangelicals were Pilgrim separatists. They had committed themselves to a lifestyle of Christian consecration. Many of them, having gone through the Reformation Wars in Europe, were not impressed with Church politics. They had seen enough Christian blood spilled in the 1500′s to last several lifetimes. They also had a collective memory of past history. Established religion had persecuted devoted Christians during the 4th century after the Council of Niceae. Persecutions of true Christians by the state and by their hired church authorities was the sad legacy of this compromise. So, the Pilgrim Christians were not easily moved by the passionate appeals for the support. That came from the earthly powers. They were wary of religious party spirit and those who came in to manipulate the fears of Christians. Pilgrims were just not trusting of politicians at all, whether they were making their play from within the church or from the outside. Nor were they convinced that the state would deliver on its promises. So Christians of Pilgrim devotion were wary of the political agents of the nation. The knew that the land of their present dwelling was not their ultimate security. It was just their present encampment. The country they now found themselves in was not their final destination. It was historically important, to be sure. But in the long view it was still just a waypoint on the epic journey of the saints toward the Holy City.

 

It is important to realize that the John Bunyan’s book, ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’, was, and is today, the second most popular book in the history of the English speaking people. It was published in the late 1600′s and came out to America onto the frontier with the early English settlers. Like the main character in “Pilgrim’s Progress,” the American Pilgrim separatists were not too embroiled in earthly politics. They had a higher agenda, even the high calling in Jesus Christ. They were headed for that Holy City, the New Jerusalem. And as they grasped their Bibles and walked on their eyes had that faraway look, the ‘thousand yard stare.’ The Pilgrims had chosen the Way of the cross. And they knew what it meant. If a situation arose that called upon them to do so they were not going to get angry or rise up and kill. They had a collective memory of being among people who did that in the past. And they were not going to do it again. They were willing to suffer persecution for their faith, even to the point of laying down their lives for their Redeemer. During the Reformation wars they had seen enough of so-called Christians taking up the sword and spilling blood. And after all the horrors the Pilgrims had seen they were not going to repeat this. Many of them had come through a passage which led through the haven of the Netherlands. And they had found the Prince of Peace. As they came on through England and on to America they had gone through further awakenings. So for the Pilgrims the Way forward was clear. The Gospel mission was now their number one priority.

In this context, the story is told of an incident that occurred during the English Civil War. It was at the Battle of Marston Moor that the Puritan Army had taken their standard, ‘In God we trust’ and their yellow ribbons onto the battlefield against the king. In that decisive battle, the Puritan Army of Parliament had defeated the King Charles I and his royalist Army had been forced to retire. As the battle was coming to its end Oliver Cromwell came upon a young Puritan soldier as he lay dying on the battlefield. Here is an excerpt from the book ‘A Short History of the English People’ by 19th century Oxford scholar John Richard Green.

 

“A young Pilgrim who lay dying on the field told Cromwell
as he bent over him that one thing lay on his spirit.
‘I asked him what it was’, Cromwell wrote afterwards.
He told me that ”God had not suffered him to be anymore an executioner of His enemies.”

The interface between Pilgrims and Puritans has always been porous.
In that moment of epiphany that young Puritan underwent a transformation.
He crossed over a spiritual threshold to become a Pilgrim.

The Pilgrims and the Puritans came to America together. These twin streams of Biblical Christians can still be seen in the USA to this day. It is the thesis of this series or articles that the Puritans and the Pilgrims are still with us. The two groups overlap to some degree. They are not watertight at all. Many Christians operate in both camps at different times. But the categorization as ‘Pilgrim’ or ‘Puritan’ still provides a helpful way to differentiate Christians in America today. The spirit, essence, and character of the two communions have really not changed in their passage through the centuries.

There was no doubt that the Pilgrims were different from the Puritans. Their main priority was the spreading the Gospel. This was the Good News of personal salvation by faith in Christ. But the scope of the task they had been given went far beyond their own community. The Pilgrims had a responsibility to take the Gospel to the heathen out in places beyond their own shores. They had been commissioned personally by Jesus Christ Himself. He had charged them personally with the Great Commission. They were to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, – and even to the end of the age.

For the Pilgrims there could be no higher calling than this. Their mission assignment was not limited to the land of their present encampment. They were on a pilgrimage. And their journeying would go on. They would go on beyond this New World in which they now found themselves. They would continue their witness even through the New World Order that would follow.

The geographical scope of the Pilgrim task was a global one. It extended out beyond the Puritan agenda which was set by the Monroe doctrine. Theirs was a global mission. If they were questioned on this by their Puritan friends the Pilgrim Christians would simply point to the book of Acts and the church celebration of the Day of Pentecost. This was also the birthday of the nation of Israel, the day Moses brought the Law down from Mount Sinai. As the New Covenant unfolded on this fourth of the Seven Feasts of the Lord, the birthday of Israel, it would also become the birthday of the Church. Pilgrims would say that the Church was not just a national entity. The Church, and their primary identity, was with a people who went global from that first epic day nearly two millennia ago.

Through the Pilgrims the Christian message was destined to go out beyond the nation. The Pilgrim vision extended out across the mountains and beyond the comfortable valley of their present dwelling. During the 20th century, American Christian believers of both Pilgrim and Puritan persuasion would busy themselves in the Gospel outreach. And after World War II, they would initiate the greatest evangelical outreach this world has ever seen. It would even eclipse the remarkable explosion of missionary activity seen during the former era of the British Empire. The Gospel would go out towards the far corners of the world.

Everyone was required to carry their gun to church.

This may have included the pilgrims.

 

Pilgrims and Politics
For the Pilgrims the exercise of politics to uplift the Christian faith has always been a nice thought, but a questionable one. For them the job at hand was simple and straightforward. They had been given their marching orders in Holy Scripture. Their priorities had been set by Jesus Himself in the Great Commission. If there was any ‘Kingdom of the Church’ to be set up then Christ Himself would be the One to bring it into being. And He would do that when He came back. He Himself would establish His Millennial Kingdom. This would be after the judgment of the wicked and His second coming. Only after His return in judgment and deliverance would Christ’s Kingdom on earth be established. Messiah Himself would officiate in this matter. Only Christ would be capable of establishing a Millennial Paradise. Any attempt by the Church to do so was doomed to failure.

The Pilgrims have been proven to be correct here. History has demonstrated repeatedly that humanistic Utopian Christians, whatever their political flavor, tend to pick up the sword. And when they do so a lot of innocent men, women, and children get hurt and many die. And in those days Christian grace dies with them in the street.

From the Pilgrim perspective it seemed that Puritan Christians, in their politicking, were risking serious compromise. They felt that the Puritans could push too far and probably would. Usurping Messiah’s role as the God-man and King of Kings was a real worry to them. For the Church to try to rule the world before the Second Coming seemed a tall order to Pilgrim Christians. As they read their Bibles the whole idea seemed very dark and dangerous. Jesus Himself said that it would be after the Tribulation that He would return. (Mat.24:29-31) He and He alone, would judge the wicked. He and He alone, would establish His glorious Millennial Kingdom. And His reign upon the earth would last for a thousand years. ~ Rev.20

For the Pilgrims these were fairly simple and straightforward observations. Any diligent Christian could draw these conclusions from a plain reading of the Holy Scriptures. So, job #1 for the Pilgrims, was the Gospel. They had been commissioned to do a job. And that task was to spread of the Good News of salvation across the world.

~This is an excerpt from the article “Pilgrims and Puritans” from the End Time Pilgrim webpage as taken from Kindred Spirits Sisters

11-20-11 | Thanksgiving Month

GIVE THANKS
TO THE LORD,
FOR HIS LOVE
ENDURES
FOREVER.

11-2-11 | Thanksgiving Month

A LIGHT TO MY PATH

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. Psalm 119:105

The world is dark. It is in a constant state of moral and intellectual darkness. We have more education today and less wisdom. People make foolish decisions. The world is also dark spiritually. Satan has numbed people’s minds. They don’t want to see the light of the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

The way is definite. How do we make it through this dark world? God has marked out a definite path for each one of us, and we don’t have to be afraid of where it leads. It is a path of life, blessing and righteousness.

Our walk is deliberate. As we take each step, we see more of what God has for us. Sometimes I would like to have a spotlight that shines for miles down the road. But God says, “You’re going to learn to walk by faith. You’re going to learn to walk by patience, by My promise.”

The Word is dependable. That lamp of the Word will not go out, and it will not lead us astray. When you read your Bible and let its truth shine on your path, God will show you what He wants you to do. 

* * *

Because your walk is by faith, you can see ahead only a step at a time. Be encouraged that the way is definite and deliberate and that God’s Word is dependable. Let it be the light of life that guides you as you walk through this dark world today.

 

I read that this morning, and was inspired to give God thanks for the Light of His Word as revealed today. I am thankful His Light has come, and I no longer have to wander in darkness! Thank you Lord, for Your Light has come!