Preparing For The Thanksgiving Holiday
"Since 1863, on the fourth Thursday of November, families and friends in the United States have gathered to commemorate an old tradition linked back to the early European settlers.
You know the story: The pilgrims and Native Americans came together for a happy feast to celebrate the harvest and forge new friendships. A few hundred years later, this event became a legislated holiday and got Norman Rockwelled into the fabric of American life. We call it Thanksgiving." - Jonathan Parnell
Hope and Desire
This time of year is always a joyous time to gather as family and eat a ton of food. And this year we want to give everyone practical helps to make this Thanksgiving enjoyable but also very fruitful and intentional. Below we linked a few blog posts that will be helpful for you this holiday season as you prepare for the madness. Enjoy!
Thanksgiving Opportunities | Remembrances
5 Simple Ways To Have A Missional Thanksgiving: These five things will help you and others understand what thanksgiving looks like. Doing the things on this list will lead you away from a me understanding and into a we understanding. How can I not just say thank you to God but learn to walk out that thankfulness in the everyday. The principles above in this blog post can start to be walked out in many ways that don't have to happen just at Thanksgiving.
Who Are You Inviting to Thanksgiving?: In order to fulfill the Great Commission, we need to know whom Jesus wants us to invite to our Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving on Mission: What if God had more for our kin this Thanksgiving than the Macy’s parade, tryptophan-induced naps, and NFL football? What if we saw our gatherings with extended family not as a chance to check out, but as an opportunity for Christian mission?
TensionsHow to Deal with Holiday Family Tensions?: Here are a few quick thoughts on what followers of Jesus ought to remember, especially if you've got a difficult extended family situation.
Rethinking Thanksgiving: I’ve always thought of Thanksgiving as a day to count my blessings, to take an inventory (at least a partial one) of what I’m grateful for, to try not to take God’s providence for granted. This year I’m wondering if there’s a risk in blessing-counting, at least when those blessings are things...