“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:20‬ ‭- The Holy Bible

It seems to happen more and more often. People rush past the Thanksgiving Day holiday to get to Christmas – to buy and expect gifts, to decorate, to attend “holiday” parties, to dress up. You name it.

Retailers help push Americans along – skipping right past the holiday. One store had their huge beautifully decorated Christmas trees up and posted at its store entrances, well before Halloween.

Don’t get me wrong. Christmas is a wonderful time of year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

But if there was ever a time we collectively needed to pause and “say grace” to God it’s now (although as the scripture above says, we should always give God thanks for all things.)

Everyday, we can find something to thank God for. Somebody needs to hear this: Despite all that you think is going wrong in your life and in our world, you can find something to thank God for.

If you’re reading this, tell the Lord thank you: It’s a new day and you’re still here. I am a firm believer in this saying: When praises go up, blessings come down. Why? Because when you take your focus off yourself and your issues and turn your focus onto the goodness of the Lord, your heavy burdens are lifted, peace of mind take over, you look and feel better (Take it from Kirk Franklin – You look so much better when you smile.)

Heard a preacher from my church say recently that you can always thank God for his unspeakable gift – his only begotten son, Jesus,  who came, died and rose again covering the sin of every man, woman, boy and girl in the world…that we may have eternal life and abundant life while here on earth. Words can hardly explain the love of our Heavenly Father.

The best we can do is continue to give him praise, for what he has done, is doing right now and will do for us.

Think about that.

I pray you enjoy some quality time with the family and friends that God gave you. Serve someone, if you can, in the community who may need a hand up.

Let’s all slow down, bow down and praise the Lord!

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for your continuous support of this online publication!

-Trish Martin, Editor & Publisher, OCN