MY THANKSGIVING TOP TEN LIST

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

It's just around the corner—the day we celebrate as Thanksgiving.  Isn't it interesting that we designate ONE DAY out of the year to give thanks to our God who so richly blesses us 365 days a year?  We should say, "Thank you" every day of the year!

It would be impossible to list everything I have to be thankful for, so I will just list what I will call My Thanksgiving Top Ten List.

10. My house – there are many people in this world today who have no place to live.  Many of them sleep on park benches and under bridges.

9. Food - we always have plenty to eat at our house.  Many people don’t.  Every day as I drive home from work, I see people standing beside the road holding a sign that says, “Will work for food.”

8. Clothes – I never have to worry about whether there will be clothes in my closet for me to put on each day.  Many people only have the clothes that they are wearing.

7. Health – I am thankful that I am blessed with good health.  Many people have a serious illness which keeps them from enjoying a full and happy life.

6. My country – I am thankful that I live in a country where I enjoy great freedom.  In many countries you don’t have much freedom.  In some countries you can be put in prison, or even put to death, for telling others about Jesus.

5. Teachers – I am thankful for the teachers that I have had in school and in church who have taught me the things I needed to know to live a happy and successful life.

4. Friends – I am thankful for my many friends.  In times of trouble, I have always had friends who were there to help me.

3. Family – I am thankful for my family.  God has given me a wonderful wife and son and many other family members whom I love very much.

2. Parents – I am thankful that God blessed me with wonderful parents who loved me, cared for me, and taught me about Jesus and his love.

1. Jesus – Jesus is number one on my list of things for which I am thankful.  No one ever loved me like Jesus.  He loved me so much that he was willing to die on a cross so that I can have everlasting life.  Thank you, Jesus.

Well, that is my Thanksgiving Top Ten list. I have been so richly blessed! The Bible says,  “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." It is my prayer that I will begin to share generously of the bounty with which I have been blessed.

Freedom Isn't Free

On holidays, I fly an American flag on the lawn in front of my house.  I do this is a reminder to all who pass by of the freedoms that we enjoy as Americans. July 4th is, no doubt, the most important holiday to us as Americans. It marks the birth of our nation which was founded on the principal of "Liberty and justice for all." In our country we enjoy a lot of freedom. Our constitution guarantees us the right of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." We are blessed to live in a nation where we enjoy that freedom.

This might come as a surprise to some, but freedom isn't free!  Someone had to pay a price for us to have the freedom that we enjoy. That price was paid by men and women who have served in the armed forces—the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard. Many of you who are reading this have helped to pay the price for our freedoms. Many of you have had loved ones who paid the ultimate price—they gave their life fighting for our freedom.

You and I have a lot of freedom, but the greatest freedom that we have is the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus. The Bible teaches that the penalty for sin is death, but you and I have been set free from this penalty. We have been set free because Jesus paid the penalty. The Bible tells us that Jesus died to set us free from the penalty of sin. Instead of death, we have been given eternal life. This freedom wasn't free, Jesus paid the price.

This week as we celebrate Independence Day,  I hope we will all remember to stop and thank God for those who have paid the price for our freedom. But even more important, let us remember to thank God for Jesus, who has set us free from the penalty for sin, because he was willing to pay the price.

Dear Father, we  thank you for the freedom that we enjoy in our country. We are thankful for those who paid the price for that freedom, but even more important, we thank you for the freedom we have because Jesus was willing to pay the penalty for our sin. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

"PLEASE" AND "THANK YOU"

They may be the most important words in any language—do you know what I am talking about?  I'm talking about the words "please" and "thank you."  Barney, the big, purple dinosaur that I see on TV sings a song called "Please and Thank You."  He calls them "the magic words."

 He's talking 'bout please and thank you,
 They're called the magic words,
 If you want nice things to happen,
 They're the words that should be heard, [1]
 
When I was a child and asked my mother for something, she would often remind me to say "please" by saying, "What's the magic word?" Then, after she gave me what I asked for, she would remind me to say "thank you" by saying, "Now what do you say?" I knew what to say, but sometimes I would forget.  We all know what to say, but unfortunately, we sometimes forget to say it.

In 2007, I wrote to Standard Publishing Company and asked permission to use coloring pages from their Thru-the-Bible Coloring Pages.  To my surprise, I received a letter from the Rights and Permissions Consultant, Joann Van Meter, and she said, "Yes." So, for the past nine years, we have been using their coloring pages.

On March 7, 2016, I received an email from Ms. Van Meter and she informed me that Standard Publishing had been sold to David C. Cook and the coloring pages would need to be removed from our website.  Even as I began to think about how I would accomplish this task, I began to pray, "Please, Lord, help me to resolve this problem.  Open doors and make it possible for us to continue using these coloring pages."

I wrote back to Ms. Van Meter and asked if she knew of someone I could contact to see if it would be possible to continue using the coloring pages with the permission of the new owner.  She gave me the name of Sondra Rymer in the Rights and Permissions division of David C. Cook and suggested that I start by contacting her.

I wrote to Ms. Rymer and shared information about Sermons 4 Kids, sent her a copy of the agreement we had with Standard Publishing regarding  the use of the Thru-the-Bible Coloring Pages, and asked if we might be able to continue to use the coloring pages.

On March 10, 2016, I received a reply from Ms. Rymer granting permission to continue using the coloring pages.

Thank you, Lord, for the answer to our prayers.

Thank you, David C. Cook and Ms. Rymer, for allowing us to continue using the Thru-the-Bible Coloring Pages.

Would you like to help me say, "Thank you!" to David C. Cook?  Here's how.  Go to their online store and buy one of their coloring books, craft books, puzzle books, or any of their many fine products. CLICK HERE!

[1]  (Words & Music by Phil Parker © 1992 Shimbaree Music)