That's an easy question to answer, isn't it? Everybody knows that Thanksgiving, the national holiday featuring tasty food, family gatherings, and the launch of the Christmas season is on a Thursday. But wait a minute! Let's see ... is it the final Thursday of November, or ... no, wait ... the fourth Thursday. But we still need to contact the calendar, since we're not quite sure of the exact date.
So let's offer two responses to the question. First of all, the current date for the Thanksgiving holiday celebration is the fourth Thursday of November; in 2010, that makes the date November 25. And, in case your mind (like mine) enjoys trivial calendar knowledge, the latest date on which Thanksgiving can occur is November 28, while the earliest possibility is November 22.
For the other answer, we look to the Scriptures ... 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to be precise. These are brief, yet powerful, verses, the kind that invite memorization, and which beg to be displayed where they may be readily seen. Just as the proper combination of food items form that delicious holiday meal, these three directives work in concert to create a thanksgiving blend vital for each day of the year. That's right! When it comes to living as believers, our true thanksgiving, comprised of gratitude, together with continual joy and prayer, is our way of life. These ingredients function together; they are inseparable. This lifestyle is not to be confused with some kind of "feel good, great mood" approach. Indeed, the only reason that believers may practice such a lifestyle is because of the message of the resurrected Jesus. The three verses of 1 Thessalonians call us to live prayerfully, joyfully and gratefully despite the frustrations and tragedies which beset all of us.
So, when is Thanksgiving? Well, the official holiday this year is Thursday, November 25. For the believer who has life in Christ, it is everyday.
Examining our own lives, are we indeed living prayerfully, joyfully, gratefully? We thank our God ... for the holiday, and for the challenge and opportunity of the lifestyle demanded of believers.
Pastor Barry
"Feelings vs. Intellect"
OCTOBER 2010
The perception of the relationship between feelings and intellect has taken some interesting turns throughout the years ... would you not agree? When I was seventeen, our family Cocker Spaniel, Laddie, died at the ripe old age of ten years (I suppose that's about seventy years in dog reckoning). Each of us in the family had, I'm sure, our own special attachments to Laddie. For me, he was the friend who was always happy to see me when I burst through the door at the end of my school day. The day's bad grade in algebra, a scolding from Mom (I think I was beyond her infamous fly swatter by then) or a nasty cold didn't seem to matter to Laddie; I mattered to Laddie, and his paws on my legs and wagging tail always told me that he was glad to see me. Intellectually, I understood the reason for Laddie's passing: His old heart simply gave out, and the vet's medicine had done all it could do. Still, when he died, no one wanted to talk about it. My Dad, Laddie's true master, had a keen engineer's mind for math and science; he surely must have missed the dog terribly. But, you see, Dad, for the most part, "toughed it out" in life, not allowing for much emotional expression. And, when Laddie died, Dad's stoic nature set the tone for the family.
In our practice of faith, we often battle with our feelings, wondering what role they ought to play. Some would argue that emotions are of little value; that it's the intellect which governs. After all, the intellect allows us to know about God, and to ponder ideas about him and his word. Perhaps there is a degree of truth here: Relying solely on feelings of the heart may result in a roller coaster ride, since emotions can fluctuate wildly in some instances from moment to moment. If the truth of God's word were based on emotions alone, it would contain no stability. As it is, we may indeed give thanks to God that on our darkest days, his promises remain, unchanged by our mood swings. On the other hand, intellect by itself is dry and lifeless. It is food without flavor: It may nourish, but who wants it? With our feelings, we experience the fullness of God as breathing, living humans. Perhaps the way to approach the whole matter is to look for balance, using both intellect and emotion to work in a bond of togetherness. In this way, we are then able to derive tremendous benefits from both, without being ruled by either one. I believe that God intended for both intellect and emotion to be fully expressed and fully enjoyed, with an appropriate dose of discipline and self control applied to each.
May God bless you as you freely and enthusiastically think and feel, and may this result in a faith which satisfies, allowing you to mature into the fullness of Christ.
Pastor Barry
"Time Alone with God"
In the decade of the 1960's, my parents got hooked on camping vacations. During the two weeks of my Dad's annual vacation from his job in the steel mill, we would head for Cook Forest in western Pennsylvania. This venture always met with mixed reviews on the part of my brother and me: No TV or telephone or playing rock 'n roll on the drums and guitar ... and no indoor bathroom in the cabin, either. My brother and I hoped that our folks wouldn't turn into real hermits while enjoying the woods and decide to stay there!
My father loved fishing and hiking. What he enjoyed most, however, was the solitude: An opportunity to turn off the everyday noise and clatter of traffic and deadlines and expectations. Dad could spend hours gazing at the birds through his binoculars, or watching the raccoons move about the forest area around the cabin. And III have to admit that all of us would leave for home at the end of the two?week period refreshed and grateful for everything that we had.
No matter what our tasks in life may be, it's good to "get away" for a time in order to recharge and refuel our emotions and thought processes. Vacations (for those to whom they apply) are great; what works wonders, though, is setting time aside to be alone with God. At these times, we may pray, or meditate, or simply wonder, and imagine the greatness of our Maker. The neat thing is: This may be accomplished on a daily basis; or, it may occur a few times in a given day. In fact, it should be an essential part of the life of every believer. In so doing, we reconnect with the Lord of our salvation. Our mind passages are cleared, our feelings are refreshed, our life's purpose is restored. Some may argue, "But I'm too busy for that" However, if we do not make available such alone time with God, we do ourselves a regrettable disservice, and are deprived of the very refreshment to our souls, which is better than such essentials as sleep and food.
Don't miss the opportunity to experience time alone with God. You won't regret having set the time aside.
Pastor Barry
