... giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ...

Ephesians 5:20

How many minutes does your family spend eating their Thanksgiving dinner? American humorist, Erma Bombeck answered this question with the following quote, “Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Football half-times take twelve minutes.” In the rush to eat and get back to the football game, some very important parts of the Thanksgiving meal are forgotten. One of these is spending time together with family or friends sharing memories of the past. Another important part often forgotten in the rush is as Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:20 — taking time to give thanks to God publicly for everything he provides. So, this Thanksgiving, turn off the football game to have an enjoyable, memorable, and longer than twelve-minute Thanksgiving meal.

Stan Tordsen
Stewartville, MN

Dear Lord, you have given me so much, I have thanked you so little. Forgive me. Amen.

Reflect: Write a Thanksgiving prayer to use at your Thanksgiving meal. Then volunteer to use it!

Read: Psalm 107:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18