Mount of Olives Church

Thanksgiving Day THE POWER OF GIVING THANKS Something to reflect on as you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner: If you had been a Pilgrim, would you have given thanks? Consider what they had been through; the men and women who broke bread together on that first Thanksgiving in 1621. They had uprooted themselves and sailed for America, an endeavor so hazardous that published guides advised travelers to the New World, "First, make thy will." The crossing was very rough, and the Mayflower was blown off course. Instead of reaching Virginia, where Englishmen had settled 13 years earlier, the Pilgrims ended up in the wilds of Massachusetts. By the time they found a place to make their new home - Plymouth, they called it - winter had set in. The storms were frightful. Shelter was rudimentary. There was little food. Within weeks, nearly all the settlers were sick. "That which was most sad and lamentable," Governor William Bradford later recalled, "was that in two or t...

One cold winter day a snail started climbing an apple tree. As he inched slowly upward, a worm stuck its head from a crevice in the bark to offer some advice. “You're wasting your energy. There isn't a single apple up there.” The snail kept up his slow climb. “There will be when I get there”, he said. During these challenging days, it is vital to have this kind of attitude and outlook. Living in such an instant society, we find it difficult to be patient and take the long view. However, in this season, being patient and having an upbeat outlook is exactly what we need to do and can do. And the reason we can do this is because God is giving us His strength and promises to see us through these days. 1 Chronicles 16:11ESV Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Pray with me: Heavenly Father, the world teaches us that strength comes from within us. However, true and lasting strength comes from You. Help us to look to You for strength. For when we do, we find...