Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is a day we traditionally gather for lots of food, football and maybe even a little sleep. We celebrate all that we are thankful for and, at least for me, that has usually been just the good things in my life. To some degree, Thanksgiving has even been a day of excess at times but this Thanksgiving, I'm also going to think about the tough times that have strengthened me and pulled me closer to God and pray more for those who have nothing or have losses they are struggling with - a prayer that in what seems like the worst of times, they find a God who loves them and will give them all they really need. I remain thankful for family and friends who have blessed me in so many ways and I will be extremely mindful of my Savior and the gift He gave me but also want to be more mindful of those who will have trouble expressing thanks on the day our country sets aside for that idea.
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The following is worthy of it's own space but I think it fits well with the idea of thanksgiving. It's from a blog written by Josh Ross and something that is so appropriate for me to remember. I have grown up in a country of plenty but as I thought about these words, it reminds me that the financial crisis, the new President and any other thing I can come up with doesn't go my way is really not relevant to the greater power I serve. Maybe it will help you, spur you to deeper thinking or just lay thoughts on your heart that might bless you.

From Rob Bell's new book Jesus Wants to Save Christians:

Most of the Bible is a history told by people living in lands occupied by conquering superpowers. It's a book written from the underside of power. It's an oppression narrative. The majority of the Bible was written by a minority people living under the rule and reign of massive, mighty empires, from the Egyptian Empire to the Babylonian Empire to the Persian Empire to the Assyrian Empire to the Roman Empire.
This can make the Bible a very difficult book to understand if you are reading it as a citizen of the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. Without careful study and reflection, and humility, it may even be possible to miss central themes of the Scriptures.