New Kelley Profile

Silas Rhett Owen Kelley

Born: 1-21-2008

Weight: 8lbs. 1 oz.

Interests: Mommy, nursing, sleeping all day, and staying awake all night.

Hobbies: Making poopy diapers and looking cute.

Baby Arrived and Contest Ended!

My new son was born this afternoon at 4:07 pm!!

Mom and baby are doing well.

He weighed in at 8 lbs. 1 oz.

His name is Silas.

Contest results:

Kelly Jack of Statesboro, GA. is the winner of the book contest! He guessed an even 8 pounds.

I really appreciate everyone who participated.

For those who didn't win, you may still obtain a free copy by clicking here! They currently have about 2000 in stock and they are giving them away -just pay postage!

Catechizing the Kids

I am my continuing quest to use my Sunday posts to highlight Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms. Today I want to touch on the topic of teaching children by the means of a catechism.

Catechism is a word that has become very familiar to the Kelley family because it is one of the ways we instruct our children in the things of God.

I'm almost certain that the mere sound of the word "catechism" strikes fear into the hearts of many modern Evangelicals. Baptists in particular probably think a catechism is some sort of skin disease one catches from associating too closely with Presbyterians, but I assure you, there's nothing to be afraid of!

A catechism is simply a way of teaching by the means of a question and answer format. The teacher asks a question, and the student answers it. Most catechisms have Scripture proofs so the teacher and student can go to the Bible to see what it says on each topic. We were first introduced to this method of instruction in our children's home school curriculum which is Bible based and from a Reformed/Presbyterian theological perspective.

From what I understand, the use of catechisms was once very common in early America, but much like Creeds and Confessions, catechisms have fallen on hard times as well. As much as I appreciate programs such as AWANA and Sunday School, I'm afraid that with the advent of such programs, the majority of Christian families have relegated the theological instruction of their children entirely to the local church. In doing so, they have forsaken their duty to rear their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Using a catechism in the home on a daily basis would be a great way for any Christian family to begin to follow the principles God commanded to His people in Deuteronomy 6:5-7:

"And thou shalt love the Lord they God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt rehearse them continually unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou tarriest in thine house, and as thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up:" -1599 Geneva Bible (emphasis added)

I have found this method of instruction to be very rewarding and profitable to my children's theological training. Because all my children are young (under 9), we use a simple Catechism designed especially for them. Not only are they learning important truths about God and the Christian faith, but I've have found this practice to be something that the children and I enjoy doing together.

If you have young children, now would be a great time to get started using a catechism. In fact, getting started won't cost you anything but a postage stamp. You can obtain a FREE Reformed/Baptistic catechism created especially for young children by writing to the following ministry:

Mt. Zion Chapel Library
2603 W. Wright St.
Pensacola, Fl. 32505
http://www.mountzion.org/

Ask for a copy of "A Catechism for Boys and Girls" by Erroll Hulse.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

New Baby, Eschatology, and a Book Contest

What on on Earth could a new baby, eschatology, and a book contest have in common?

Let's see if I can tie them all together...

As I write this, my wife is pregnant with our fourth child (our 3rd son) and she's in the early stages of labor. She's already experiencing minor "birth pangs" so our child's arrival is immanent. In fact, the doctor has said that if the baby isn't here by Monday morning, they will be taking her in for an induction procedure.

To celebrate the arrival of my 4th child. I want to give away a book called The Day And The Hour by Francis X. Gumerlock. This book contains hundreds of false predictions of dates for the Rapture and Christ's 2nd Coming, myriad speculations of the identity of the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation, as well as a host of other eschatological tomfoolery that has been taught within the church by prophecy prognosticators of the past and present.

The chapters chronicle the details century by century. Of course, when the reader gets to the 20th century he will encounter the cream of the date setting crop with the rise of Dispensational Premillennial eschatology.

How can you win a copy of this book?

I will mail a brand new copy of The Day and the Hour to whoever guesses the exact weight of my new son, or comes the closest to the correct weight. It's simple as that!

You may leave your guesses in the comment box or email them to me at rhettswhips at yahoo dot com. Whatever method you choose to use, just be sure I there's a way for me to get in touch with you if you should happen to guess correctly.

Keep this in mind: Our smallest child weighed 7 lbs 12 ounces at birth and the largest was 9 lbs, 9 ounces. So I think the safest bet would be to stay above 7 lbs.

You've got to hurry if you want to have a chance:

The contest ends when the baby is born, so get your guesses in soon!

Surely he comes quickly!!

(If you are a Dispensationalist, you might have interpreted that the "immanent" arrival of my next son means that the baby could arrive within the next 5 minutes or in the next 5000 years, but I assure you, he really is coming quickly so get your guesses in ASAP!)

Green Pond Baptist Church: Articles of Faith and Principles

Today I am featuring the founding Articles of Faith and Principles of the Green Pond Baptist Church in Polk County, FL. This church was organized in 1894 and a few of my ancestors had a hand in it. This church is historically the home church of most of the people on my mother's side of the family. None of my immediate family is active in the church at this time.

Green Pond Baptist Church Articles of Faith

1. We believe in one true God, The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Equal in ever divine perfection.
2. We believe the Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is a perfect Treasure of Heavenly instruction. That it reveals the principles by which God will judge us.
3. We believe in a converted and regenerated church membership.
4. We believe that Baptism by immersion is the only Baptism of the New Testament and believers are the only ones it should be applied to.
5. We believe the Lord's Supper is a Church and not a Kingdom ordinance and none but believers Baptized are entitled to it.
6. We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all people, through the Gospel. That nothing prevents the Salvation of the Greatest Sinner on earth, only his own voluntary refusal to submit to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Principles of Green Pond Baptist Church

1. The Church is designed to be composed of regenerate persons, who have professed Faith in Christ and have been baptized (immersed).
2. The New Testament is the only rule of Faith and Practice
3. The entire Separation of Church and State.
4. Civil and Religious Liberty be granted to all people.Church Government.
5. The Brethren and Sister[s] Rule and Not Preachers.

These Articles and Principles come from the 110th anniversary (2004 Homecoming Service) booklet I received when I visited the church a few years ago during a trip to Florida. The church is SBC, but in the booklet, it says it was organized under the "Missionary Baptist Denomination."

Here is an article about an event held at Green Pond in 2006. The cowboy holding the Bible in the article is a Deacon named Dale "Shorty" Boyette. Shorty is a friend of the family, a godly man, and a real honest-to-goodness Florida Cowboy!

The Great Baptism Debate!

Though we Southern Baptists don't baptize our babies, it's plain to see that we're really big on "baby dedications". Ironically, J.I. Packer has written that these dedications could be viewed as "dry baptisms".

Southern Baptists may decry paedobaptism as administering the ordinance of baptism to the unregenerate -and I agree. However, I also think the fact that the SBC has 10 million missing members should help us to realize that we have been busy baptizing our fair share of unbelievers too!

One paedobaptist theologian I enjoy reading is R.L. Dabney. Dabney was a committed paedobaptist. In his Systematic Theology, he writes at length on the issue. He had something interesting to say about us "Immersionists" and our "inconsistencies" on this subject. When I first read the following quote, I had to smile and chuckle a bit:

"The Immersionist says that our communion is only saved from utter corruption by our own inconsistency; that while our constitution calls our children Church members, we fortunately treat them, as they do, as not Church members. Whereas the Immersionist charges us with a wicked inconsistency, I will retort upon him the charge of a pious one: Those of them who are truly good people, while they say their children are not Church members, fortunately treat them as though they were. They diligently bring them under the instructions, restraints, and prayers of the Church and pastor. Happily, the instincts and influences of the Christian family are so deeply founded and so powerful, that a perverse and unscriptural theory cannot arrest them. These Christians discard the Bible conception of the visible Church, as an organized body whose integers are Christian "houses," and adopt the unscriptural and impracticable theory of a visible Church organized of regenerate individuals. But, blessed be God! the light and love of a sanctified parent’s heart are too strong to be wholly perverted by this theory; they still bring the family, as a whole, virtually within the Church. And this is the reason that true religion is perpetuated among them." (R. L. Dabney, Systematic Theology p. 795)

I can see that though we disagree on what constitutes the visible Church, as well as the mode and subjects to be baptized, there is at least one similarity between paedo and credo Baptists.

Whether we have baptisms or dedications, it seems that what's consistent about true Christian people is that we believe there is a need to have our children presented to the Lord with a promise to rear them to fear and honor Him -and I believe this is a good thing.

Even though I don't agree with their practice, I am thankful for my paedobaptist brethren and their commitment to rearing "covenant children." Perhaps I'm a bad Baptist, but I simply will not anathematize someone over this issue.

Some of you who've read my blog for a while know that I'm not often so charitable. So why do I have such an irenic spirit toward paedobaptists you ask?

Well, I happen to love one in particular with all my heart...

That's right.

I love my wife!

You see, there's very little my wife and I disagree about theologically, however, we do differ on the subject of infant baptism. She believes babies born to Christian parents should be baptized as "covenant children". I disagree with her based upon the absence of a didactic Scriptural foundation for the practice.

With a new baby on the way, this topic has started to be debated around the house once again...

When it comes to theological disputes, she's one tough cookie and she won't cut me any slack. She's even jokingly threatened to have a Presbyterian minister come baptize the new baby in the hospital when I'm not there!

Please pray for me during these trying times!

(photo: Infant baptism from Wikipedia and my eldest son just before his credobaptism earlier this year.)

Happy Anniversary!!

Today I am celebrating the 11th anniversary of my marriage to Diana.

Next to Salvation, she has been the greatest gift that God has bestowed upon my life...

A Lesson in Gratitude

Sometimes you don't realize how much you are blessed.

I know I didn't.

Until this week, I looked at my job with Wal-Mart Logistics as a burden, something I had to do to make ends meet. I confess: I wasn't thankful for my job, nor did I have a particularly humble Christian attitude while I was on the job. In fact, I walked in the door every morning disdaining the fact I was about to spend another day working for Wal-Mart.

Like many of the other spoiled logistics associates -with more than 10 years with the company- I had grown tired of what I perceived to be a downward spiral of perpetual silliness and nick-picking regulations conjured up by managers whom (I thought) had nothing better to do than sit behind a desk and figure out new ways to make my job more aggravating with each passing hour. Other than that, I really liked being a Yard Driver.

Like I said, sometimes you don't realize how much you are blessed...

...that is, until you almost lose that blessing in which you've taken for granted for the better part of 12 years!

That's what happened to me on Tuesday morning.

I made a couple of mistakes which resulted in my pulling a trailer away from the dock that was in the process of being loaded. Nobody was hurt during the event, but in the history of Wal-Mart Logistics, people have died due to such incidents, so they are taken very seriously.

In Wal-Mart Logistics speak, what I did is known as an "unauthorized trailer pull out". To Wal-Mart Yard drivers, it's a nightmare scenario. For about an hour after the incident, I didn't know if they'd fire me or not. Thankfully, I later found out that through God's good Providence, the "automatic termination" provision was changed at the beginning of this year. Now Yard Drivers may continue to be employed, but be put on a 6 month probation called a "Step 3".

During the time I was thinking my career was coming to an early end, it caused me to do some hard thinking. Where would I go next? Who would pay me what I was making at Wal-Mart? How would I support my family and/or maintain our same standard of living?

In rural Georgia, these are very serious questions. Good paying jobs are very hard to find. (And having a vehicle payment, a mortgage, 3 kids, and a pregnant wife who teaches our children at home seemed only to compound the problem!)

Suddenly I realized the error of my ways. God had blessed me so much in allowing me to have a good job, making good money, yet I was wholly ungrateful for it. I had taken my job for granted for so many years that it took me almost losing it to see how blessed I have been.

Wednesday Wal-Mart gave me a "Decision Day." It's not one of the benefits I had ever hoped to use. It's a full day off -with pay- so you can think about your future with the company. It's given to all associates who manage to find their way up the to lofty disciplinary heights of a "Step 3".

I used my Decision Day to think about my future with the company and what I need to do to prevent any future incidents on the yard. I also used my day off to think about much God has blessed me...

And to repent for how I've acted all these years...

After lots of retraining and signing mountains of paperwork, I climbed back into the cab of my Yard Tractor around 10:00 AM on Thursday. Things were different somehow. I certainly paid more attention to my surroundings, yet in the midst of it all, I felt a keen sense of God's presence and peace.

I know that this was no "accident". God allowed it to teach me a lesson...

Sometimes you don't realize how much you've been blessed until God almost takes it away.

I'm not out of the woods yet. Being on a "Step 3" means that, if in the next 6 months, I violate even one safety procedure or have an accident (regardless of fault) that results in over $500 worth of damage to products or equipment, I'll be out the door... It's a real tight spot for a Yard Driver; and sure to keep the lesson I learned this week in the forefront of my thoughts and prayers. I covet your prayers as well.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Ditching the Television?

A few of my conservative Christian friends have decided that they should no longer watch television... Often that fact will slip my mind, so whenever I ask them if they watched a particular program, they will quickly remind me that they did not watch the program because they don't watch TV anymore.

The decision to get rid of TV in the home is probably not the worst idea I have ever heard. I believe many of us Christians could do much for sparking revival and Reformation if we would just cut down on our TV time and pick up the Bible a little more often. I believe also, as an article by American Vision indicates, Americans are increasingly being indoctrinated with Liberal propaganda through watching Television. Even still, the decision to totally do away with a TV in the home of a Christian concerns me a bit.

I've given it some thought, and here's 4 reasons why the Kelley home will not ditch the "Hellevision" anytime soon:

1. Current Events: . If ever a category 5 Hurricane is heading our way, I think I'll let my anti-TV friends track it via newspaper and see how that works...!!! No, not really, but even though much of the programming is slanted to the Left, I like being able to watch the News and keep track of what's going on in the world. (I mean, how else will I be able to keep up with the latest high speed chases in L.A. or the lame brain shenanigans of Paris Hilton?)



2. Christian Programming: Not TBN mind you... I'm referring to broadcasters who might actually be saved! Take for instance the NRB Network on Direct TV. This network has some really awesome -and theologically sound- programs: R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, and Ravi Zacharias are just a few big timers you will find there...
   


3. Educational Value: I seldom watch TV, but when I do, I normally watch the Military Channel, the History Channel, the Learning Channel, or the Discovery Channel. I have found that these channels often have decent programming that is helpful in supplementing our homeschooling program. Believe it or not, one of my children's favorite shows is the Discovery Channel show called "How It's Made," which as the name indicates, is a show that teaches how all sorts of everyday items are manufactured.



4. Teaching Discernment: Even though "offensive programs" are not viewed in our home, we have trained our children to be able to discern themes that are objectionable to our worldview and (if we are out of the room for some reason) how to change the channel or turn the tube off if they need to!

Let me be clear: I fully support a Christian family's right to get rid of a TV if that is their heart-felt conviction. If a family feels that is what God would have them to do, I would never try to stand in their way. However, I cannot imagine how a parent will expect their child to be able to discern the good from the bad if they totally do away with the TV in the home. I realize some may disagree with my strategy here, but I am not naive enough to believe that totally barring children from watching TV is somehow going to better prepare them to make good choices in the real world after they are on their own.

Ohh... I gotta go! A new Spongebob is about to come on!!

States' Rights? I Don't Think So!

As an Southerner who's ancestors fought valiantly against Lincoln's "Grand Army of the Republic", I still believe in "States' Rights." Though it may sound like treason to say it, I believe that if any one of the 50 States in the Union decided that they no longer wanted to be a part of the United States, they ought have the right to seceed peacefully and go their seperate way. The South was brutally conquered and subjected to years of terrible military occupation (Reconstruction) because of their decision to do just that.

Though I support States' Rights, my support of these rights is not absolute. I do not believe in Statism. There are some things that no State has the right to stick it's nose in, and one of those things is how a parent wants their children educated about homosexuality!

In Maryland, the State Education Board has determined that a parent's right to control the upbringing of a child is, "...not absolute. It must bend to the State's duty to educate its citizens."

This determination was made so that Maryland could push ahead with a controversial sex-education program that teaches a favorable view of homosexuality and will not allow for views to be taught that oppose the sinful lifestyle.

Just another one of many reasons to consider educating children at home with curriculum that teaches a solid Biblical worldview!

To see the Washington Post article on this: click here.

For the American Family News Network article: click here.


Historical Trivia:

Before the Civil War, Maryland was a "slave state." Lincoln feared it would seceed and leave Washington D.C. in Confederate Territory. Therefore he declared martial law and had the mayor of Baltimore and Maryland State Legislators imprisioned! For more myth-busting info: click here!

Memorial Day Tribute

Today I would like to pay tribute to my grandfather:

MSG George Washington Kelley (21 Sep 1924 - 26 Nov 1990).

My grandfather fought in World War II against the Japanese. He fought at the battle of Iwo Jima and other battles in the South Pacific as well. MSG Kelley went on to serve at many other duty stations and later retired from the USMC, eventually becoming a Postmaster.

It is my personal opinion is that the Americans who stood up to tyranny during 1940's are one of the greatest generations of Americans to have ever lived.

A Special Day

Last Sunday was a very special for my family because my eldest son (Cordell) was baptized!

To be only seven years old, I am amazed at what God has done in his life already. He has a hunger for God's Word and can be found reading his Bible everyday (and praying) without anyone telling him to do it!

God has granted Cordell an amazing sense of spiritual discernment and a desire to see his friends and family to be saved as well.

Soli Deo Gloria!

My Beloved...

You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. -Song of Solomon 4:9 ESV

I want to dedicate this post to one of the greatest gifts that God has seen fit to place in my life: my wife Diana!

In addition to being a great wife, she's also a wonderful mother. She has dedicated her life to rearing and educating our children.

I never cease to be amazed at the mercy of God in allowing me to have such a wonderful wife. She also happens to be 100% Reformed too!!! So it doesn't get any better than that!!

(I love you Diana!!)

Christmas Edification

Taking a trip to Florida to see my wife's family during the holidays is nice, but normally it's a real spiritual drain... I like seeing everybody, but it gets my schedule all messed up. I usually find myself unable (or too distracted) to faithfully keep up with my devotional reading and other spiritual things. I normally come back with my soul vexed and feeling like a big slacker.

This trip was much different. I think this past weekend was the most edifying trip we have ever taken to Florida. For starters, my mother-in-law gave all of us tickets to the Holy Land Experience in Orlando. It was great! Let me encourage you to go if you are ever in the Central Florida area. You won't regret it.

If you visit, I especially recommend touring the Scriptorium. I left the tour in tears. It was a very moving experience. The tour is 55 minutes long, but I wish I could have spent all day looking at all the ancient scrolls and Bibles. There are many things in the Scriptorium worth mentioning, but I was especially moved by an old Bible in which the pages are stained with the blood of an English Protestant martyr. Too often we take our English Bibles for granted, but English Protestants bled and died that we might have the Word in our own tongue -let us not forget!

Second only to the Scriptorium, was the experience I had on Christmas Eve when my family and I attended church at St. Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, FL. It was during that church service that I got to sit under the preaching of -and actually got to meet- one of my theological heroes: R.C. Sproul! Though I am not a Presbyterian, I love Dr. Sproul's teaching on the Doctrines of Grace and on many other topics. The worship service was awe-inspiring.

All these things and the fact that I got to experience it all with my wife and children made this the most edifying Christmas holidays I can remember. I hope you had a great holiday weekend as well!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Mythological Creatures

When I was a child, Christmas was my favorite holiday. Each year I looked forward to looking under the tree to see what Santa brought me. For me, the holiday was all about Santa Claus, reindeer, and lots of presents and nothing about the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Until I was much older, I did not understand why people put up manger scenes and sing songs like "O Come All Ye Faithful". All of that stuff seemed like nonsense to me.

When I inquired as to the nature of, and facts concerning, Santa Claus, my father would always tell me "Santa Claus is a mythological creature". The reply that Santa was indeed some sort of "creature"confirmed his existence to my young mind, but because I had no clue what "mythological" meant, my father's reply was clever enough to avoid ruining Christmas while also telling me the truth that Santa was not real!

Though Santa was the main part of the Christmas tradition in my family, Santa will not be visiting my children -ever. In fact, none of the traditional mythological creatures will be "coming to see" our kids! My wife just posted a blog article about this topic on her Myspace Blog. Because she basically states my general feelings on the subject, I am going to save myself some time and post her article below instead of typing out my own:

"Here it is.... I can feel it. Another time of the year, that makes me and my family so different. Another season of the year of people thinking we are so peculiar. Not just worldly people, but also amongst other Christians. It happens around every Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.

Many people, already this season, have asked my 4 year old, Summer, "Is Santa coming to see you?". They all have had the same answer from her, "There is no such thing as Santa Claus!" Then Rhett and I get a disapproving glare from the
recipient. I'm sure many people know that Rhett and I are very unconventional in our child rearing, and you may wonder why we don't teach our children about Santa. There are many reasons, but here is my top 3...

#1 First and foremost, we do NOT lie to our children. Never, Ever! As Christians, we are to raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, so being and example is part of that. We are not hypocrites, that teach our children not to lie, or that it is a sin to lie, yet, do it ourselves.

#2 Lying to my children might make their faith unstable. Lets say, I tell them of this man (Santa) who always watches them, knows if they are being "naughty or nice", and rewards them justly. Then one day, when they find out it is not true, he is not real... Do you think they will believe me of all I tell them about Jesus? Here is a scripture that warns us about causing a child to sin... "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." -Matthew 18:6 So, it is a very dangerous thing to mess with the faith of a child. (People prey on their great faith, for their own selfish reasons and delight. How much better it is to gain delight in knowing that your child's faith is in someone that's REAL.)

#3 We always want our children to be able to trust us. If you know your parents lie to you, do you trust them as much? If my children can't trust me in little things, will they trust me in bigger things? So many families have been torn apart because of lies, deceit, distrust, etc. With so much of that in the world today, I don't want it in my own home. My children will know that they can count on whatever Mom and Dad says. And I hope that they will in turn, give us the same respect.

One day, Rhett and I will give an account for how we raised our children. Not you. Or anyone else. The handbook we try to raise our children by is the Holy Bible. It seems odd to me that people are respected when they choose not to teach their children about Jesus, yet you are looked at as cruel to not teach them of Santa".

I encourage all Christians to re-think the traditional "mythological creatures" that so often trump Christ as the so-called "reason for the season". Most see no harm in it and think I'm crazy for the stance I have taken. It may all be fun and games -and I know traditions are hard to break- but how much better would it be if we all placed the sole focus on Jesus Christ and did not allow His glory to be shared with any other creature? I think we need to address these issues in our own homes before we get upset over whether or not the clerks at the Wal*Mart are required to say "merry Christmas" or "happy holidays"...

UPDATE 12/15/06:

Just to help illustrate my point, I want to quote a comment that my wife recently received on her Myspace blog from a family member:

"I can't speak for anyone else but you can be sure that you will never get anything like a 'disapproving glare' from me. You and Rhett have full say in how you raise your children and everyone Else's opinion should just roll off your backs. I fully support a Christmas without the jolly all knowing fat guy. I can clearly remember what it was like coming to the conclusion that my parents had been lying to me(easter bunny, tooth fairy and santa) and for a time it did have an impact on how much I trusted my Mom and Dad".

Happy Thanks-for-Giving Day!

Instead of posting a Thanksgiving message of my own, I decided to post the article from my wife's Myspace blog:

Happy Thanks-For-Giving Day!

by Diana Kelley

If you have ever heard my 7 year old, Cordell, speak of Thanksgiving, you'd notice that he pronounces it, "Thanks-for-giving". We didn't teach him that, it is just how he has always said it. I do not correct him on it, though, because thinking about it, maybe he is the one that is right.

As we all should know, Thanksgiving day is in remembrance of the day the Pilgrims, joined by the Native Americans, gave a feast of thanks and praise to God for His blessings, provision, and protection. You see, the Pilgrims came to America from England to start a new life free from the persecution of godless people. They were in search of freedom of religion. (Many of the people who sailed to North America followed the teachings of the Reformers and tried to live by the Bible.)

No, we are not Pilgrims, having to set sail to another country in search of religious freedom. No, we are not persecuted, or made to worship in any certain way, or made to own any certain Bible version. We cannot know exactly what they went through, but we can share in their spirit of giving thanks unto God.

The Bible tells us that ALL things were created by God.(1) Do you enjoy oxygen to breath or food to eat? Laughter, family, the beach, or the night sky? Yep, it was all created by Him who also made us. Thank Him for those things this Thanksgiving day.

If you are born again, we have even greater reasons to be thankful... because God has chosen us, from the beginning, for salvation.(2) Wow! That truely is something to be thankful about. Salvation and ALL the benefits that come with it. They are too numerous to count.

To sum it up, we can all be thankful this "Thanks-for-giving" day. Thanks to God for giving His many blessings, provision, and protection. Thanks to God for giving us His Son, to provide us with salvation. And thank you, Cordell, for altering my vocabulary.

(1)Colossians1:16,17.
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

(2) 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.