THANKSGIVING: Dr. Charles R. Solomon A time is set aside each year To thank the One we hold so dear. Though this should be our attitude, We forget to show our gratitude. When in life’s sunlight we do bask, There are few petitions that we ask; But when things begin to backward go We make our Lord our needs to know! And so it is with dearest friends That, too, we need to make amends. We forget how much they mean So long as life is quite serene. But when we meet conditions vile And every day are under the pile, It’s such a comfort to confide In a friend who’s by our side. Not only have you known our care But to our God you’ve gone in prayer, And when we had an urgent need The Spirit’s prompting you did heed. As partners with us in the work,
You did not your giving shirk. Without your reaching a helping hand, We could not have followed His command. As we abide in God above And, with you, know His constant love, How we praise Him for our mothers, Our fathers, sisters and our brothers. And for the children He has given Along with goals for which we’ve striven. But when all is said and done, All glory goes to God’s dear Son. We’d love to see you face to face And give you each a big embrace— To return the love shown through the years Amid sorrow, laughter, joy and tears. But miles prevent our love’s display, And we’ve had to take another way; So with this verse our love we send And thank our Father for you, our friend. Used by permission.
"Thanksgiving, the Real Story" I hate to be a downer, but Truth must make a stand during America's "fuzzy" historical times of revisionism. Plus, I'm not sure my readers would expect anything different. First, I would like to state that Thanksgiving for me has nothing to do with the true historical record you are about to read. Thanksgiving, for our house, is a day we set aside to remind us of a biblical mandate: “Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father” (Eph. 5:20, NASB). Secondly, I would like to say on behalf of the Board of Directors, our staff (all two of us), and our many volunteers, we are eternally thankful unto the Lord for all those who have been a part of our ministry and personal lives. Only the Lord knows just how thankful we are. Finally, I would like to say to all the American Indians, "I was wrong for not researching the "real story" of Thanksgiving much earlier in my life." Once I took the time to research it's history—I was appalled. You must know that as I eat my Thanksgiving, from this day forward, I will tell my children, grandchildren, and guests the real story in honor of you. UNREVISED HISTORY: Most of us associate the holiday with happy pilgrims and Indians sitting down to a big feast. And that did happen—once. The story began in 1614 when a band of English explorers sailed home to England with a ship full of Patuxet Indians bound for slavery. They left behind smallpox, which virtually wiped out those who had escaped. By the time the pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts Bay, they found only one living Patuxet Indian—a man named Squanto who had survived slavery in England and knew their language. He taught them to grow corn and to fish, and negotiated a peace treaty between the pilgrims and the Wampanoag Nation. At the end of their first year, the pilgrims held a great feast honoring Squanto and the Wampanoags. But as word spread in England about the paradise to be found in the New World, religious zealots (called Puritans) began arriving by the boat load. Finding no fences around the land, they considered it to be in the public domain. Joined by other British settlers, they seized land, captured strong young Natives for slaves, and killed the rest. But the Pequot Nation had not agreed to the peace treaty Squanto had negotiated and they fought back. The Pequot War was one of the bloodiest Indian wars ever fought. In 1637 (near present-day Groton, Connecticut), over 700 men, women, and children of the Pequot Tribe had gathered for their annual Green Corn Festival, which is our Thanksgiving celebration. In the predawn hours, the sleeping Indians were surrounded by English and Dutch mercenaries who ordered them to come outside. Those who came out were shot or clubbed to death, while the terrified women and children who huddled inside the longhouse were burned alive. The next day, the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared "A Day Of Thanksgiving" because 700 unarmed men, women, and children had been murdered. Cheered by their "victory", the brave colonists and their Indian allies attacked village after village. Women and children (over 14 years) were sold into slavery, while the rest were murdered. Boats loaded with as many as 500 slaves regularly left the ports of New England. Bounties were paid for Indian scalps to encourage as many deaths as possible. Following an especially successful raid against the Pequot (in what is now Stamford, Connecticut), the churches announced a second day of "thanksgiving" to celebrate victory over the heathen savages. During the feasting, the hacked off heads of Natives were kicked through the streets like soccer balls. Even the friendly Wampanoags did not escape the madness. Their chief was beheaded, and his head impaled on a pole in Plymouth, Massachusetts--where it remained on display for 24 years. The killings became more and more frenzied, with days of thanksgiving feasts being held after each successful massacre. George Washington finally suggested that only one day of Thanksgiving per year be set aside instead of celebrating each and every massacre. Later, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln decreed Thanksgiving Day to be a legal national holiday—on the same day he ordered troops to march against 2
the starving Sioux in Minnesota. This story doesn't have quite the same fuzzy feelings associated with it as the one where the Indians and pilgrims are all sitting down together at the big feast. But, we need to learn our true history so it won't ever be repeated. Next Thanksgiving, when you gather with your loved ones to Thank God for all your blessings, think about those people who only wanted to live their lives and raise their families. They also took time out to say "thank you" to Creator for all their blessings. With His Humble Thanks, The Phinney Family
A SPECIAL THANK YOU: Friends of the Ministry, It is with great honor and privilege that we are able to share with you the opportunities and ministry developments that our Lord has blessed us with to steward. We have had a busy year with the advancements of an Initiative that God gave our ministry—the Exchanged Life Global Initiative, which became the basis for the International Fellowship of Exchanged Life. IFEL is dedicated to helping members of the body of Christ to experience, mature in, and communicate effectively the message of identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension in their various spheres of influence. This proposal was founded by IOM America, which has provided the ministry with a proactive pro-vision, in order to revitalize the worldview of uniting Exchanged Life workers throughout the entire world. We currently are in our 14th year in working toward the building of this Initiative. In addition to our existing strong partnerships, we welcome the partnerships of other ministries that focus on the message of the Exchanged Life—Not I, but Christ! Our Purpose Statement: To help members of the body of Christ to experience, mature in, and communicate effectively the message of identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension in their various spheres of influence. Our primary objective is to equip individuals for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ and to assist in empowering men, women, children, and families to have a greater impact on the communities they serve. This is accomplished by making use of the experiential knowledge of each individual’s identity in Christ by way of the indwelling mind and life of Jesus. We press forward to show individuals worldwide their freedom from enslaving mental, emotional, and spiritual conflicts by placing a special emphasis on IDENTITY MATTERS. This is accomplished by unifying pastors, teachers, counselors, and workers who practically minister the truths of the Exchanged Life. This unifying process is to provide an e-community that will provide Exchanged Life workers throughout the world with a single online community. None of this could be done without our volunteers, which God provides for us worldwide—particularly my managing editor, Kathy Hill. For without these volunteers, we simply could not do what we do! I thank each and everyone of our writers, editors, readers, IFEL Partners, designers, technical advisers, Board of Advisers, Executive Board of Directors, and last but not least, our donors. The numeric list totals to over 20,000 individuals and ministries. A hearty thanksgiving to all of you! Gratefully In Christ,
Editorial Comments: Kathy Hill, CO editor@iomamerica.org Entire content of this publication is under © supervision of IOM America 2013
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Thank You, Abba My Father and my God, here I am to worship You this day as a deliberate act of my will. I declare that You and You alone are God. I praise You far above all created beings on the Earth And above every created being in the Heavens. You are the Almighty, All-powerful, and All-knowing God that I humbly come to. You are THE awesome God of the Bible who fills the totality of my being. You hold me in Your hand and You are my Strong Tower that I run into. When I am down, You are the Lifter of my head. Thank You for being my Shield and the Defender of my soul--my mind, My will and my emotions. Thank you for healing my damaged emotions thereby Allowing me to display the Fruit of the Spirit, Thank You for allowing me to be the receiver And the display of Your pre-existent, uncreated Life. Thank You for loving me when at times I feel so unlovable. Thank You for Your well-thought-through plan of Salvation. Thank You for Your consistent, faithful, and firm chastisement, O' Elohim, Who loves me more than any other lover, I awake to Your Righteousness and Your unprecedented mercy today. Thank you for reminding me of who You are IN ME and who I am IN YOU. Without You, I am nothing. With You, I am the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, my Lord and my Life. I choose to live forgiven, blessed, and victorious this very day. I choose to proclaim loudly through The Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am the Righteousness of Your Son. I cannot thank You enough for Your written Word, For saving me--spirit, soul, and body. Thank You for giving me Your Life And that I can choose to have more abundantly each and every day. Flow through me as Rivers of Living Water And let those around me see the otherwise invisible God at work in the World today. It is only in the Lord Jesus that I can even bow before You. Thank You for that privilege.
Your Servant, Stephen 4
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