the Thanksgiving Proclamation

Happy Thanksgiving!


May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.
...Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.  God will bless us, and the ends of the earth will fear Him.

                                                                   Psalm 67:4,6,7

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Thanksgiving Proclamation

 

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

George Washington

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

 

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"Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King;
His love endures forever!
For He is good, He is above all things;
His love endures forever.

...Forever God is faithful,
forever God is strong.
Forever He is with us--
Forever and ever!

With a mighty hand, and an outstretched arm,
His love endures forever.
And by His strength we will carry on;
His love endures forever.

...Forever God is faithful...
Forever and ever!"
                                                               (--Chris Tomlin, Forever)

"...That God is just..."

"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever."

                                                                                              --Thomas Jefferson

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

                                                                                             --Abraham Lincoln

"It is impossible to govern a nation without God and the Bible."

                                                                                               --George Washington

A thought for the upcoming election...

I know this is a touchy subject, but I just read something in an article, and thought it was worth sharing.

      No, I'm not attempting to tell you how to vote, but only to remind all of us that:

' The only thing required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. '
                                                                                         —Edmund Bruke


' ...if, rather than casting your ballot for Romney/Ryan, you vote for a third-party presidential candidate like the Libertarian Party’s Gary Johnson or the Constitution Party’s Virgil Goode, or write in some name like “Jesus” or “God” or “Ron Paul” (I cite these examples since some people are claiming this is how they will cast their vote for president), or if you refuse to vote, you are knowingly contributing to the continued reign of Barack Obama, the most catastrophic president in history, whose actions of late have bordered on treason and who has almost destroyed America in four years and will complete the job in four more.

As I said at the outset, this is a very close election. Every vote counts. Your vote counts. A few ballots in a few key states next week may well determine the destiny of America for all time.

God forbid that good people, believing they are honoring God, upholding higher principle and refraining from supporting evil, would be deceived through their own anger and pride into doing the opposite and betraying all that they love. '

                                                                               (—David Kupelian, World Net Daily)


Remember that on this day, many years ago, (October 31st, 1517) one man, Martin Luther, decided to stand up and do something  to change what he knew was wrong.  He nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany.  And that sparked the Reformation.


Let us say, as Luther did,
  ' Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Amen. '

A look at cowboy common-sense

While listening to a seminar of sorts, related to filmmaking and film genres, and a discussion of "what happened to the Western," (what happened to "the Good Guy [often in that famous white hat] vs. the Bad Guy" [with the bandanna over his face] —i.e. the real and worth-your-time stories— as compared to the "not-so-Good Guy" vs. 'unimportant laws,' the natives, the towns folk, and the "not-so-Bad Guy" of today's Westerns) I heard this piece read;  The Cowboy Code, written by "the singing cowboy" Gene Autry.

I'd never heard Autry's Code before, partly since I really haven't seen many Westerns, (I know, bad me... :P) and very few people state their beliefs so clearly and honestly as this anymore.  But apparently it's very well known.  Or at least it was.  I'm inclined to think it's less so today, though it would be a great turn-around to see little boys of today looking up to a real hero again, like the characters Autry played.


Gene Autry wrote his Cowboy Code for all the young fans that wanted to be just like him.  His Code reflected the characters he portrayed in his hugely successful film and radio career:  Men of high moral character, who were God-fearing, honored women and children, respected authorities, and stood for everything that was good, decent, and fair.

The Cowboy Code  By Gene Autry

1. The cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.
3. He must always tell the truth.
4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
6. He must help people in distress.
7. He must be a good worker.
8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.
9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws.
10. The Cowboy is a patriot.

Pretty straight-forward, no?  Strange we don't hear (or sometimes even live by) simple truths like these very often anymore.  Partly due, I'm sure, to the fact that "modern" films and stories don't always deem it necessary to have a 'hero' to lead the story, just a protagonist (usually with very confusing morals, little idea of right and wrong, and no respect for those in authority, let alone God) for the viewer/reader to follow.  Hmm.

  But still, God knows, and He is in charge.  And boy, am I glad He is — if I was in His place, I would've thrown up my hands in exasperation long before now!  XP

"The more I see of the world, the more I am dissatisfied with it."
                                                                                     --Elizabeth Bennit
                                                                                (Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice)
...I know the feeling...  :P


"God is God and I am not;
I can only see a part
of the picture He's painting.

God is God, and I am man,
so I'll never understand it all—
for only God is God."
                                                  (Steven Curtis Chapman, God Is God)