Thanksgiving Day

A lot of the bloggers I read are in the States, and so these days I'm reading lots about Thanksgiving Day. Is Thanksgiving Day an apologetic for God? Doug Wilson thinks so in a post I really enjoyed.

Well, I just sent a link of Mr. Wilson's post to a sister in our assembly because she had shared a warm anecdote with me of a touching interchange that took place during our last prayer meeting--when every one's eyes were supposed to be shut. I closed the email saying "I smell a blog post coming." Then, moments after sending it, my wife came in and placed a juicy cluster of grapes, wrapped in a napkin, on my desk. "A gift for you," she said. My heart overflowed with gratitude to God for those grapes. And then I read the word written on the napkin: "Thanks".

"You ask me how I know He lives." He lives because of grapes.

[Note from the picture the thing my wife is thankful for: that she could find room on my desk to place some grapes!]

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

We just had a blast. Literally.

Being married to a Brit makes you do crazy things like having bonfires on November the 5th. But in England that's just what you do on Bonfire Night, a.k.a. Guy Fawkes Night. Guy Fawkes was involved with the famous Gunpowder Plot on this very night back in 1605. Every year the Brits commemorate the fizzling out of this attempted treason against King James 1.

So we decided to have some folks over with British connexions (is that how they spell it in Britain?) for the Canadian (read "colder") version of it. Helen's family came with a big box of fireworks and sparklers, and everyone brought food, lawn chairs, and lots of warm clothing. Helen made some delicious toffee apples, sausage rolls, and baked potatoes with sausages embedded in them.

While sitting around the fire with family, both natural and spiritual, I couldn't help but reflect on what joy it was to be alive in God's family, and to know Him from whom all blessings flow. I didn't deserve one ounce of the fun we had tonight. It was yet another blessing purchased dearly by One who hung for my treason long ago.

Top: Mom with a sparkler. Bottom: Toffee apples. The tray has pictures of Devon area on it.