Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving All!

On this day of thanks let us not forget our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and thanks forever and ever. Amen!

Here are some verses of thanks to celebrate with.

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!

1 chronicles 16:8 (NIV)

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

Psalm 7:17 (ESV)

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalm 28:7 (ESV)

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonioans 5:18 (ESV)

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colosians 3:17 (ESV)

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 5:20 (ESV)

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Psalm 136: 3 (ESV)

Verse of The Month

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.But anyone who does not love, does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4: 7-21 (NLT)

Thoughts

Love is a powerful force. It is God's love for humanity that propelled Him to give his only son for us, so that humanity can have a second chance. It is the love of Christ that enabled the disciples to spread the Gospel despite the hardships they faced. It is the love that we as individuals have for one another that enables us to forgive and co-exist with each other. If we love one another than the rest of humanity who does not know Christ's love will seek to find it.

May the Lord teach us how to love. Amen

Verse of the Month

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

Matthew 6: 12 (NIV)

Thoughts:

This verse is an excerpt from the Lord's Prayer. It is a very well known passage that people recite by memory without taking time to absorb the words being repeated. This verse is stating that we wish for God to forgive us our "debts"(sins committed ),as we forgive others, who hurt and disappoint us. Interesting huh?Digging deeper in to the verse one sees that if an individual is bad at forgiving than their sins will not be as easily forgiven by God. Forgiveness is crucial to the Christian walk. An unforgiving heart leaves too many baggages which blocks the route to God and as a Christian we must fight to remove all blocks that keeps us from Him.

May the Lord Help us to forgive. Amen.

Celebrating Black History Month

Man of The Week

Booker T Washington

For information on Booker T. Washington

Links:

http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/washington/bio.html

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1978/2/78.02.02.x.html

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/WASHINGTON/cover.html

http://historycooperative.press.uiuc.edu/btw/volumes.html

http://northbysouth.kenyon.edu/1998/edu/home/btw.htm

Books:

Booker T. Washington: Volume 1: The Making of a Black Leader, 1856-1901 (Galaxy Book: 428) (Paperback)

Up from slavery : an autobiography, By Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington, By Jan Gleiter and Kathleen Thompson

Turning south again : re-thinking modernism,Re-reading Booker T. by Baker, Houston A.

Black History Month

Person of The Week

Martin Luther King Jr.

He had a dream....

Here is a Link to his speech in text and audio: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Here is a link on the story of his life:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_a_Dream

Poem Of the Month

A Preparative to Prayer

by: Robert Southwell (1560-1595)

When thou dost talk with God--by prayer, I mean--

Lift up pure hands,lay down all lust's desires;

Fix thoughts on heaven,present a conscience clean:

Such holy blame to mercy's throne aspires.

Confess fault's guilt,crave pardon for thy sin,

Tread holy paths, call grace to guide therein.

It is the spirit with reverence must obey

Our Maker's will, to practise what he taught:

Make not the flesh thy counsel when thou pray;

'Tis enemy to every virtous thought;

It is the foe we daily feed and clothe;

It is the prison that the soul doth loathe.

Even as Elias, mounting to the sky,

Did cast his mantle to the earth behind;

So when the heart presents the prayer on high,

Exclude the world from traffic with the mind:

Lips near to God, and ranging heart within,

Is but vain babbling, converts to sin.

Like Abraham ascending up the hill

To sacrifice, his servants left below,

That he might act the great commander's will,

Without impeach to his obedient blow;

Even so the soul,remote from earthly things,

Should mount salvation's shelter--mercy's wings.

For information on the life of this poet you can check these links out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Southwell

http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/southwell.htm