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Gratitude and Thanksgiving

by Barry Rice
3 replies
On this special day, I want to extend my thanks and gratitude for all that I have read and learned from so many of you here on Warrior.

But, I hold my highest level of gratitude up to God, the One who continues, day after day, presenting tremendous opportunities to live, love and be of service to others. Even on days with clouds of confusion and the economic turmoil swirling around us all, there is God presenting new opportunities and a helping hand to lead us through to our self-defined future.

God's sunrise of opportunity will never fail you. Just look around you at the people who have made clear choices for their future from the horizon of the sunrise, are willing to make changes as change happens around them, are happy and have true peace of mind. It makes no difference that most will not share your definition of "success", it's THEIR success that they are LIVING. And, it's those people who truly understand that Thanksgiving is a year-round thing - giving thanks to the One who has so lovingly presented the opportunities and even more importantly, to reach out a helping hand to others.

For those of us so blessed to live in the Unted States of America - we continue to have a special blessing. The blessing to have the freedom to identify new opportunities, to pursue them and to live in the most blessed nation on earth.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and thank you, God, for the blessings and opportunities You continue to bestow on all of us.
#gratitude #thanksgiving
  • Profile picture of the author tommyp
    I don't mean to rain on your parade (actually I do but not with any particular malice) but this special day you think God wants thanks for for giving you opportunities to live, love and be a service to others is rooted in paganism.

    I don't know if you know that or whether or not it's your thing but if so and you don't care then carry on and nevermind. But if you're talking about the God of the Bible you're really not.

    You've probably already heard of this man, since he is right in your hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee whose name is Jim Brown.

    If you want to know the truth then I would recommend you listen to that man who you can most likely catch on public access TV.

    web site: Grace and Truth Ministries

    address: PO Box 1109 Hendersonville, TN 37077

    phone: Local: (615) 824-8502 | Toll Free: (800) 625-5409

    PS. the United States is not blessed. It's cursed. The year round Thanksgiving you are talking about is giving thanks to pagan gods and goddesses like the Egyptian Isis and there is no self defined future because God has determined the end from the beginning.
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    • Profile picture of the author Barry Rice
      Originally Posted by tommyp View Post

      I don't mean to rain on your parade (actually I do but not with any particular malice) but this special day you think God wants thanks for for giving you opportunities to live, love and be a service to others is rooted in paganism.

      I don't know if you know that or whether or not it's your thing but if so and you don't care then carry on and nevermind. But if you're talking about the God of the Bible you're really not.

      You've probably already heard of this man, since he is right in your hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee whose name is Jim Brown.

      If you want to know the truth then I would recommend you listen to that man who you can most likely catch on public access TV.

      web site: Grace and Truth Ministries

      address: PO Box 1109 Hendersonville, TN 37077

      phone: Local: (615) 824-8502 | Toll Free: (800) 625-5409

      PS. the United States is not blessed. It's cursed. The year round Thanksgiving you are talking about is giving thanks to pagan gods and goddesses like the Egyptian Isis and there is no self defined future because God has determined the end from the beginning.
      tommyp, actually you can't "rain on my parade". I support your right to have whatever beliefs you have, and I certainly won't put you down for having them. When I listen to/read from someone who "attacks" me for my beliefs, actually I gratefully accept it as another gift of learning about my fellow man. Thank you for your post. I did learn from it - I just don't have to agree with your beliefs.

      Whether you believe in God or not (which obviously you don't) is of no matter. What is of "matter" is that neither I, nor you - nor anyone else I'm aware of - has the power to make the sun rise each and every morning. Now, it's perfectly okay that you believe some power other than God makes the sun rise, I just happen to believe that the sunrise is a daily gift from God, even on days when clouds may hide its rays. Clouds of confusion, sadness, financial difficulty, loss of a loved one, et al.

      When I look around me, I see many, many people who are busily and happily living their personal choices from the tremendous opportunities presented by the sunrise. They are happy and have peace of mind about where they are and where they're going. These are the folks who do not allow the opinions of others to rule their lives. These happy folks are residing on the left side of the horizon as I look for my opportunities, my gifts, upon the horizon of the sunrise

      Then, I also see folks who are maybe unhappy, maybe don't have two nickels to rub together, maybe are homeless, maybe addicted to this or that, maybe are looking to blame others for their unhappiness or lack of success, maybe have broken family relationships or maybe a negative attitude and see no brightness being delivered by the sunrise. These folks are living on the darker, right side of the horizon. And, they're there by choice. They chose those opportunities.

      When I think about the United States of America, tommyp, consider this. Over 200 years ago when early American settlers began drawing up a constitution to govern themselves, the pursuit of happiness referred to the involvement of each and every citizen to determine their own laws of living. It also represented the joy each individual felt in holding their fate in their own hands.

      The rugged individualism of those early settlers guaranteed the freedoms and opportunities we still have access to today to achieve our own fate. Whether we take advantage of our freedoms and opportunities - with a heavy dose of rugged individualism - is a personal choice - yours and mine.

      Without rugged individualism and reaching for the greatness within, could you be destined to live in a dense fog of waiting for your unplanned tomorrows to accumulate and become a long list of wasted yesterdays, and a waste of your living experience?

      Think about it.

      The basic truth of having the freedom to make decisions, hold beliefs and the responsibility that you are charged with to choose your future, and to be joyful - or not - in the process, is still true today! You still have to "catch" your happiness yourself, from whichever side of the horizon that "floats your boat".

      Just as I will continue to "catch" my opportunities upon the left side of the horizon of the sunrise (presented by the God I believe in - and am forever grateful to), I celebrate your right to reside on whichever side of the horizon you choose as you "catch" the results of your choices.
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  • Profile picture of the author Norma Holt
    Barry, I can sense the love in your heart and the truth you feel in the words above. To me peace of mind is peace and love for everyone.

    As for America being a blessed country I think the opposite is closer to the facts. What of all the Indians whom the settlers killed? Wasn't it their country that was stolen and they who were almost wiped out because they objected?

    In my research I found that they, like many indigenous people, had beliefs very similar to Christianity. They even crucified men as saviors and devoured their flesh and drank their blood. In fact the crucifixion of their Christ was celebrated every year in the sun dance festival of the Cheyenne. They had crosses woven into their regalia and a great Queen of Heaven image of a woman with a child in her arms. The preparation and conduct of the rituals reminded me of the Christmas festival that so many get carried with at this time of the year.

    The Christians went to church on Sunday morning and killed Indians on Sunday afternoon for the bounty they brought. Their scalps were handed into government officials who paid for them.

    What too of the African slaves that are portrayed so often in American movies as servants in households whilst white Americans profit from them. My blood boils every time I see this and the families involved are always wealthy with money they gained from the suffering of others. What too of the dreadful Hollywood films that influence so many young people into violence, crime, drugs, wars and other things around the world. the celebrities that drug the young into believing that to be successful you have to be like their idols. Its disgusting.

    You see, as an outsider looking in, I see Americans in a different light to you. Some of you are wonderful, genuine people who live good lives and want to do well for others. But, unfortunately, it appears that a fair number can only think of money and wealth and that is not from God.

    Sure, they can generate wealth. Anyone can if you are prepared to take instead of give. Your words echo giving and taking in almost the same breath if you are thinking of opportunity as related to wealth.

    Having said that of Americans it applies also to other countries and the people within them who are now becoming so like each other that individual cultures are dying out.

    In my mind money is unimportant in the scheme of things because we were richly provided for but since man changed everything to his way of thinking its no longer the case. The world is drying and us with it so where is the sunrise in a few years time?

    I had better stop here before I go on too much.
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