Today is the final day of our ThanksLiving Treasure box! The topic is provision, and a very fitting one as we so often and easily overlook the blessings of the Lord upon our everyday lives. The pilgrims rejoiced when spring arrived, and they were able to finish raising the necessary buildings for their settlement. They were surprised by an unexpected visit from a friendly Indian, which in turn led to them meeting another Indian, Squanto. Through Squanto’s help and advice, the Pilgrims learned to grow healthy gardens, hunt, fish, and a number of other useful things they would need to know to survive in this new place. Again, they were blessed by the Lord’s abundant provision to their needs, and thus they set aside a special time of giving thanks to God! Thanksgiving was a time for them to gather with family and friends, and to worship the Lord – with grateful hearts.

Family Insights ~

God as provided us with a beautiful home that truly lends itself to ministry and hospitality; He has faithfully provided us with food and other blessings each day; God has provided for our spiritual needs, even giving us men and women in history that we can look back at who inspire us toward faith, courage, and a closer walk with God; God has given us a large family – and we love each other! God has provided wonderful godly friends for us to fellowship with ; God gives us wise and godly authorities through which He works to counsel us and lead us in the proper path – our parents, church leaders, etc. God has provided us with a godly church, where we can sing and worship in a way that is pleasing to Him – with people that love Him! God provides hope, joy, comfort, peace, in Himself – because He is the ever faithful and true friend, the One that will never leave us or forsake us; He provides for ALL our needs, and far above and beyond!

“And my God shall supply all your needs, according to His riches in glory.” – Philippians 4:19

Today’s topic is Salvation! As the pilgrims endured a season of sickness, suffering, and death, one of the young men who served as a ship’s officer observed them – a man who had been unkind to them, often sneering at them and cursing them. When a wave of sickness swept through the colony, many of the ship’s crew became ill as well, including this man. Through the Christ-like love and forgiveness he received from these men and women of God, his heart was softened, and his life changed. In the midst of their sorrows, this gave the Pilgrims hope. They gave thanks to God, the giver of salvation.

Today we considered this question: “Why and how am I thankful for God’s gift of salvation?”

Family Insights~

I a grateful that my wife and children know Christ; we have opportunities to share the gospel with those around us; We have had the privilege of watching the Lord work in many hearts, drawing them to Himself; God is merciful and does not give us what we deserve; I am free from sin and have freedom to tell others about God’s love and grace; I can ask God for forgiveness and also have an intimate personal relationship with Him; God has blessed me so I can grow up in a godly home and environment; I am grateful for the eternal rewards that are stored up in heaven for us; I am a new creation in Christ! I have the ability to say no to sin and choose to walk in freedom – in Christ! I can be joyful in all things, even the more difficult trials throughout life – by the grace of God.

Praise God for His unfailing love, His faithfulness, His mercy, His grace! That we could be redeemed, rescued, forgiven, and loved by the King of Kings is a glorious thought! He has not only purchased our freedom, but empowered us with His Spirit, given us a purpose worth living and dying for, and made us His adopted children. Let’s thank Him today for the gift of Salvation!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth…” – Romans 1:16

GeorgeWashington’s 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 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 grand unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. 

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

[George Washington]

“Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil of which thanks naturally grows. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.”

[Henry Ward Beecher]

“We tend to take all the gifts and pleasures and happiness and the joy without saying much to God. We take our health and strength, our food and clothing and our loved ones, all for granted; but the moment anything goes wrong we start grumbling and complaining and we say ‘Why should God do this to me, why should this happen to me?’ How slow we are to thank and swift to grumble.”
[Martyn Lloyd-Jones]

Give thanks! What does it cost us to choose to be grateful? And yet what joy is robbed from us when we instead murmur and complain! We are blessed far above and beyond what we deserve, and someone somewhere does not have as much in some area where we think we lack.  Today is a day to remember all that the Lord has bestowed upon us so graciously, out of His mercy and compassionate love. We possess freedom to worship God in our land; we are granted another day of living and health; we have purpose, and something worth living and dying for; we are the adopted children of God, and are empowered to walk in the freedom of His truth; we are protected from evil and from danger; we have food on our table and a place to live – not  everyone does! The list is endless – try coming up with just 5 new things each day, and you will find throughout the year that so many blessings – the huge and the seemingly insignificant – are too often and easily overlooked. How hard it would be to do without the smallest things we possess, that God has so graciously chosen to grant us! Give thanks – not only because it is Thanksgiving, but because it is another day, filled with the blessings of the Lord. We ought to make EVERY DAY a day of thanksgiving.

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

Today’s topic is health! The pilgrims faced a deadly winter as they hurried to build their new colony. Without proper tools, much human strength was required to raise the necessary buildings. With each passing day, they became more and more weak, exhausted, and sick. Throughout the winter, 47 would die from sickness – almost half the colony! Yet, they continued to trust the Lord, finding comfort in the knowledge that their loved ones had gone to be with the Lord.

Today we asked the question, “During the past years, how has the Lord blessed my health?”

Family Insights ~

God provides natural vitamins and medicines to cure our sickness; God has given me health so I can travel to visit my family (Grandma’s insight); He has given us a wealth of health knowledge and physical healing as a family, through various doctors, research, and special diets; He kept me from getting sick last winter; God has protected me from getting sick often, so I can focus on my responsibilities more diligently; God has healed me from many headaches, and given me some understanding as to what has caused them; He protected us from our house mold problem, by providing an ozone machine to use for a time, free of charge!

Be grateful today – not only for the gift of another day to live life – but for the ability to walk, talk, travel, and do special things together as a family. The gift of health is a blessing from the Lord!

“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord…” – Jeremiah 30:17a

Today’s topic is Freedom! The pilgrims finally reached America. A last, they were free to worship the Lord without compromise!  God has given us freedom in so many areas, and He delights when we praise His name and bless Him – from a grateful heart!

I’m grateful for freedom to… sing aloud to the Lord; Praise God and worship Him in public; Share the gospel with others who are lost without going to jail; Pray in public places; Freedom in Christ over sin and bondage; Home school; To own multiple copies of the Bible in our language; To raise up our children in the way of the Lord; to attend gatherings that are centered around Christian principles; To attend a church of our own choice and live according to our standards and convictions; To be outside during school hours (as they were trying to pass a law against this in one state); To own our own business and be entrepreneurs! Freedom from the law of sin and death – victory in Christ Jesus!

Give thanks to the Lord today, for the freedom He has given us! Our freedom was bought with a price. Men and women risked their lives and gave their lives so that we might speak the name of Christ and worship Him publicly. Jesus Christ shed His blood and gave His life, so that we might have victory over the darkness of sin and bondage. Praise the Lord!

“As free (men), and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.” – 1 Peter 2:16

He protects me from bad influences; He preserves me from evil and from Satan by equipping me with truth and the weapons of Christian warfare (Ephesians 6); He watches over us when we are travelling; He has protected our health; He has watched over us in many instances where incidents occurred that could have led to serious bodily damage; He protects us from losing our freedom to do what is right – from the public school system; He has prevented us from getting bitten by snakes we have seen around the house; He has kept the tree in the front yard from falling on our house He has all power, might, and dominion and assures us of His trust-worthiness – so that we do not need to fear man but yield ourselves to God alone!

“God is our refuge and our strength; a very present help in trouble.” - Psalm 46:1

In what ways are you grateful for the Lord’s gracious protection?

As a family, we look forward to the time each year, when we can pull out our ThanksLiving treasure box and gather around the family area for a time of gratefulness and remembering. It has been thoughtfully said, “A nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it.” And another true statement, by Calvin Coolidge, “The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.” We take advantage of the time around Thanksgiving to read again the historical account of the Pilgrims, and their journey of faith to this land, where they could freely worship the Lord. We came across the ThanksLiving box at a Christian book store many years ago, and have faithfully brought it out again and again, year after year since that time.

The ThanksLiving box includes the story of faith and freedom that we know very well today. But we also enjoy the little trinkets and picture/paintings that go along with the chapter for the day. A tablet of paper is also included, with sheets that are divided into 6 categories – one category to be studied and thought about each day as a family. As we go throughout the week, we will read a chapter, discuss thought-provoking questions, and then take time to write something in the day’s category on our sheet – something that we are grateful for in that area.

As this is day one, the topic for gratefulness is The Word of God. The pilgrims chose to leave their homeland and journey to a place where they could freely worship the Lord without compromise; as a result of their courage and determination to do right in the sight of God, we are able to freely own and study the Word of God. We took a few minutes as a family to jot down our ideas – for each one to ask, “Why am I personally blessed by the Word of God? And what are the specific ways that it is most special to me!?” We then shared our ideas… It is sufficient to guide and direct me; it encourages me throughout difficult times in life; It holds precious promises and truth to set me free; It tells me who I am in Christ; It gives me wisdom to make wise decisions and teaches me to live in a way that is pleasing to God; It is living and powerful, a light and a sword; It is filled with practical examples of other people and encourages me that God is always with me… These are some of the ones that our family came up. It is really a very special and encouraging time of sharing, remembering, and being grateful to God for the incredible blessings He has given us! And what a joy it is to be reminded yet again of God’s MERCY, the faith and courage of our forefathers, and those who went before us to defend the faith, risking their lives for the sake of the gospel and the freedom of the generations to come.

As thanksgiving week approaches, let’s remember the history of our nation, those who went before us, and the great God we serve Who is ruler over all! And let’s choose to be grateful!

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” – Psalm 119:105

A few years ago, our dear friends the Staddons introduced a very fun game to us – Settlers of Catan! We first played it with their family, and LOVED it! Exciting…action packed…and of course a little friendly competition thrown it.  It makes for a great evening of laughter and fun with family and friends. Over time, we discovered other expansions/extensions/versions of the Catan game that can be played separately or together – Cities & Knights, Seafarers, Traders & Barbarians, and also a card version of the Settlers of Catan! We collected these over time for a discounted price at an Amish store in Lancaster county, PA. Recently, we got the newest Catan game Settlers of America, and have discovered that it is loads of fun! Each game is thrilling in and of itself, but when extensions and expansions are added, they make for an absolutely unforgettable evening! Trading…building…attacking and defending…strategizing as teams to obtain the most points as quickly as possible – when the options for getting there are unlimited! the Catan games are a Stelzl family favorite!!!

Team Green (Mommy and Josiah)  and Team Brown (Sarah, David, Bethany, and Timothy) were racing to earn the “longest road” card (a value of 2 points) which made for an unpredictable, adventurous time of strategic thinking and team planning! Team Orange (Daddy and Jonathan) had taken over the most profitable region of brick and wood, preventing some of the other teams from building much needed roads for expansion! Team Green built a settlement on the coast, thus obtaining a special trade deal which actually brought about their final victory of winning the game in the end! Congratulations Team Green!

Juice Popsicles and Chocolate Chip Cookies – a special family game night treat!

The scores were so close! The victory title went back and forth from one team to the next…suspense…strategy…Settlers of Catan!

Do you have a favorite family game? Why not add Settlers of Catan to your collection?

We recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend a very joyous occasion in Rocky Ridge MD. Our dear friends Joshua Wilkes and Lisa Butler announced last year that they would be getting married, and the wedding took place this weekend! Ecclesiastes 3:11 became their theme, as they comitted to wait upon the Lord, setting aside their desires and choosing rather to walk in the path God set before them. We were so blessed to attend as a family, and were greatly encouraged by the beautiful way that their wedding displayed the union between Christ and the church. Although the rain caused a temporary setback for their beautiful outdoor ceremony, God was gracious! Our family cried out twice on the way to the wedding, and a little while later we saw God part the clouds. The day was beautiful, the sky was blue, and the air was crisp and cool. Yet again, Josh and Lisa saw God’s beautiful work in His own perfect timing. As a family, we were thrilled to be able to fellowship with wonderful like-minded believers, and to re-unite with dear friends – brothers and sisters in Christ who exhorted us, blessed us, and encouraged us in every way imaginable!

We are so grateful to our friends the Normoyles, who graciously opened their home to us throughout the weekend, and hospitably served us in many ways. We had met them briefly at previous F.E.W. Conferences, as well as the Indianapolis ATI Conference, but this was an exciting time of really getting to know them better! We enjoyed every moment spent with them – whether gathering around the table for meals, talking late at night, playing games, or learning about goats and chickens as the they allowed us to participate in the exciting task of farm chores! As we observed various family members at work doing their assigned jobs, we had the opportunity to observe and participate in gathering eggs, milking goats, feeding chickens, and walking the goats around the yard. They also took us to Sugarloaf Mountain which is directly up behind their house. We drove the short distance up the mountain to a look-out where we could see the entire countryside… fields, farms, and beautiful open country! We stood on top of a Civil War rock fort, overlooking the other side of the mountain, just a little while later. During family devotions one morning, we divided into small groups of 2 and chose a verse (or several) from Romans 8 to memorize and illustrate with pictures. The Normoyle family is working together to memorize Romans 8 as a family, and has found pictographs to be extremelly helpful! We were thrilled to help them complete the first 16 verses, as each person and their partner thought up ideas of how to effectively portray God’s Word through visual pictures. On the last evening we fellowshipped with the Normoyles and some of their friends around a bonfire! We roasted smore’s and sang with the guitar well into the evening. It was a delightful time, and made for a very memorable family trip with dear friends.  

Our time in MD and VA was short but incredibly sweet and worthwhile. We are so grateful to God for bringing together two (Josh and Lisa) into a covenant of life-long unity, making them one. What a blessing it is to see God’s children, walking in His perfect will, choosing to wait upon Him for His best, rather than have their own way. Josh and Lisa’s lives portray a beautiful story of Christ and the work that He has brought about in His ideal timing. What a tremendous encouragement it was to witness this working in such a glorious way this weekend! (Sorry there are no wedding pictures! The Wilkes Team posted some beautiful pictures on their family blog though.)

Truly, “He hath made everything beautiful in His time…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11a)

15 years ago, we learned of a home-schooling family in the area that was looking for a church! To make a LONG story short, we invited the Lauries over to dinner, and thus began a blossoming friendship between our two families! That’s the beauty of what God brings about… and when we least expect it! I was only 3 then, but I am so grateful to the Lord for allowing our paths to cross. Growing up, we did everything together! We played together, ate meals together, learned lessons together… we had the same interests, attended the same church, and learned music from the same teacher. We spent holidays together, wrote and performed plays, reenacted history in our backyards, and spent countless hours talking and planning, and thinking up great ideas (that weren’t always great!!!).  For a while, they had someone that was the same age as every one of us! God kept blessing us with more children, and God kept blessing them with more children! So many memories…so much fun!

It’s been 15 years since God brought our families together. With growing up and school, and the busyness of day to day life…we don’t see each other that often anymore. It’s a blessing to plan one of those “get together” days now and then. It’s nice to catch up, to talk about the past, and to spend some quality time together fellowshipping, laughing, and remembering. Today was one of those days! We piled into the van and headed off to make a day of it! Singing around the piano, photography, cooking and baking, games… fun memories!

Thank you Laurie family for having us today! We treasure your friendship, and the wonderful memories made together!!!