It was only after posting yesterday's article that I realized today was Thanksgiving. Growing up in a communist country, rather than hear about pilgrims and Indians, turkey and pumpkin pie, in my younger years I heard about capitalism being a bane on society, and how communism would be the remedy. Even as a Christian family, in a communist country, where persecution was open and obvious, we had much to be thankful for.
After being deported from Romania, and having arrived on American soil, my mother took to American holidays, like a duck to water. It wasn't so much celebrating a holiday for her, as having an excuse to cook big meals, and have the whole family sit down and enjoy a dinner together. So, Valentine's day, April fool's day, even the day when you spring forward or fall back an hour, were enough of a celebration for my mother to inform the family, that she was making a special dinner.
Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving was her favorite, and she went all out. In the first few years, when money was beyond tight, I remember going to the store with her, and her having to put items back because she didn't have enough money to pay for all of it, but somehow she always made due, and managed to make world class meals on a shoestring budgets.
I miss those times, since the closest to a thanksgiving dinner me and the wife will be having today, is smoked turkey breast sandwiches. Neither of us inherited the cooking gene from our mothers, and so the overflowing tables, with a wide range of aromas, are a fond memory of times past.
In the end, today is not about the turkey, or about the pumpkin pie, it is about taking some time out and enjoying one's family, it is about taking a break from the hectic race that this life has become and realize, we have much to be thankful for. Those things for which we should give God thanks, as His children, have very little if anything at all to do with the material, but have everything to do with the hope, peace, joy and love He birthed in our hearts when we came to know His Son.
And so, I bid you all a happy thanksgiving, and may you truly give thanks for all the visible, and invisible blessings He has bestowed upon you and yours. Tomorrow we continue our journey toward our eternal home, for now I will let you return to the turkey, and the stuffing, and the cranberry sauce. I have to go and toast some bread to make my sandwiches as well. Don't feel too bad for me, I gave in and bought the snooty mustard. It is a special day after all.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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By the President of the United States of America, a 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 signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably 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 which we experienced 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 enabled 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 hath 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 shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant 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 third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
George Washington
To have a smoked turkey sandwich & snooty mustard...with the one you love ahhh...that would be the best, enjoy your young marriage times together..God Bless you Bro Michael and Monica and have a blessed thanksgiving.. Helen B
Have no one invited for you and your wife to share in their feast?!!! This is a shame to us! I wish you were near to me I would be sure you got a healthy feast!
Being from a developing African country, my thanksgiving is a little..well mixed. Not the thanksgiving part but the history. Ever since I came to America, it was difficult to reconcile parts of the pilgrims story with thanksgiving...because portions of it read a lot like the colonization of my country. Please don't get me wrong.... Anyways, having overcome that milestone and looking at it from the perspective that this is a day set aside to be thankful. I approach it with gratitude, for the couple of days off to be together with my family, to reflect on the year past (this one being special for we have a baby girl who just turned one) and taking the time to call our family in Africa and other places.
Wishing you a happy thanksgiving...we ordered turkey from Kroger...first time ever.
In His Grace,
Joyce
The snooty mustard...you got a laugh out of me on that one.
God bless you and your wife on this day. Thankfully (no pun intended) this is one of the holidays that is worth celebrating.
God bless,
Ryan
Hi, Michael ~
We had smoked turkey sandwiches, too ... with cheese and "snooty" mustard! I am thankful to our Father to have had a quiet day of peace and rest with my hubby ... what a blessing!
Joyful Blessings to you and yours,
Kathy B.
i wish you would live a little closer for we had more then enough to share with you guys and we would have been honored to have you join us for dinner. -perhaps another time:)
with much thanksgiving on our end i hope yours was too.
---p.g.---
Thursday, November 22, 2007
A Petition Against the Division of Israel’s Land
Category: Religion and Philosophy
I urge you to please come and sign the petition AGAINST the division of Israel's land. Time is of the essence...
Please go to this site and join in and please repost this bulletin many times, the time is of the essence my friends.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/staytuned
Annapolis, MD meeting "WILL" bring curse and destruction to the USA and the World my friends unless we join together and make our voices heard both outspoken and in prayer for the nation of Israel.
As you probably know the City of Annapolis, MD has been selected for the coming meeting and the State Department announced that it has invited 40 countries, on November 27th 2007.
The firm intention is to divide, once again, the tiny State of Israel and more specifically, Jerusalem (its capital, and even have open discussions of giving back the Golan-Heights to Syria, that rightfully belonged to Israel to begin with.
Annapolis is one of America's oldest cities, having been founded in 1689, and it once served as the nation's capital. The city boasts some of the finest 17th and 18th-century buildings in the country - including the residences of all four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence. How ironic that this City should be used to destroy Jerusalem!
If the death meeting will take place there, a severe curse will fall over the entire USA. This is the time to either act or be silent forever. My fellow citizens, remember what the God of Israel has promised: "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee" (Gén. 12:3).
Is necessary to remind all the friends of Israel and Jerusalem of a very crucial point: this meeting in Annapolis represents a mortal danger to Israel and the Jewish people.
Annapolis has the potential to become another Auschwitz for Jewish people (whether in Israel, USA, or around the world).
The Agenda in Annapolis, will include as a central point, the expulsion and deportation of 200,000 Jews from their own land and cities from the land of Judea and Samaria and the division of Jerusalem, the City Of God. ??
1. The Palestinians will recognize Israel as a regrettable and temporary fact but not as a Jewish state. ??
2. The boundaries of the future Palestinian state will follow the pre-1967 War lines with minor adjustments through territorial swaps. A few hundred square meters may be offered on the West Bank in return for areas in central Israel, not the Negev. ??
3. Palestinian sovereignty over the Temple Mount, the holiest shrine of the Jewish people, must be undivided and include the Jewish place of worship at the Western Wall. ??
4. The right of return for 1948 refugees is absolute and non-negotiable. ??
5. The future Palestinian state will enjoy full sovereignty, including of its air and electromagnetic space and underground resources, such as water. ??
6. Negotiations after the Annapolis conference must be concluded by August 2008. ??
Friends, forty years ago they wanted to throw the Jewish people into the sea. Today they want to wipe them off the face of the map. Or, as Abbas said yesterday, "Once the occupation of 1948 has been rolled back, to drown the Jew in a "sea of peace." ??As friends of Israel and the Jewish people, you in Annapolis and across of USA cannot avoid responsibility by hiding from this issue.
This meeting is against the Bible, against the Will of God for Israel, and the will of the majority of the Jewish people in Israel and abroad. There is nothing to debate. Jerusalem belongs exclusively to Jewish people.?Friends of Israel and the Jewish people, Take your stand, draw the line, and fight for Jerusalem NOW.
But, how do we fight? Please, consider the following steps and let the Spirit of the Lord lead you,
First: Pray. Every friend of Israel and Jerusalem has to pray in order to protect the Jewish People and Jerusalem against this plan of division and death. Remember, our weapons are spiritual, not fleshly. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts".
Second: Get informed. Please, talk to your families, friends, members of your church and community, and let them know about this plan.
Third: Let your voice be heard by the authorities in Annapolis. You have the right to oppose this meeting. Write or e-mail all City Members. (See the information and proposal letter below.)
Fourth: We can travel to Annapolis from all over the USA and join hands with the local friends of Israel and protest against this crime against the Jewish People and Jerusalem.
If we don't fight now, there WON'T BE a later.
Many of our GOP Candidates Voice Wariness over the Annapolis meeting too.
Many have drawn the parallel between Germany of 1938 and Iran of 2007 -- Ahmadinijad is the Hitler of today and Iran, with its nuclear saber rattling and war making threats, is the Germany of today.However, there is another more ominous and existential parallel.In September of 1938, England's Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met in Munich with Hitler and proceeded to appease him by granting him approval to subdue the Sudentenland, a tiny German speaking section of the Czech Republic. Chamberlain then returned to England proclaiming "Peace in our Time." WW II followed resulting in the Holocaust of 6 million Jews and 60 million dead.In 2007, Chamberlain's re-incarnation in the clones of President Bush, Secretary of State Rice and former Secretary of State James Baker are setting up "Munich II" in Annapolis, Md on November 27, 2007. The purpose is to appease Arabs and Palestinian Jihadists by giving them the heartland of Israel, Judea and Samaria (The West Bank) and dividing Jerusalem. It is nothing short of the diplomatic lynching of Israel and Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appears to be ready to supply the rope for his own lynching. Make no mistake the Chamberlain clones want "Peace in our Time" at Israel's expense. Winston Churchill was right when he said, "An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile hoping it will eat him last"!Christians and Jews must respond to this demand for appeasement which is nothing less than the incremental suicide of the people of Israel.
IF WE DO NOT HONOR THE THE STATE OF ISRAEL (WHICH IS OCCUPPIED BY GOD'S CHOZEN PEOPLE) WHY ON EARTH WOULD GOD CONTINUE TO PROTECT AMERICA?????? IN FACT, WHEN AMERICA PLAYED A BIG PART IN THE ISRAEL HANDING OVER THE WEST BANK TO THE PALESTINIANS AND THE VERY NEXT DAY AFTER THE ISRAELITES WERE FORCED OUT THEIR HOMES IN THE SOUTHERN MOST POINT OF ISRAEL, HURRICANE KATRINA HAPPENED TO AMERICA'S MOST SOUTHERN POINT FORCING OUR CITIZENS OUT OF OUR HOMES!! AMERICAN CHRISTIANS/JEWS NEEDS TO TAKE A STAND FOR ISRAEL!!! ACTUALLY CHRISTIANS AND JEWS AROUND THE WORLD NEED TO STAND UP FOR ISRAEL!!!!
Ex 12:25 - And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
De 6:3 -Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
De 9:28 -Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.
De 19:8 -And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;
De 27:3 -And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
Jos 22:4 -And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.
Jos 23:5 -And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.
Jos 23:15 -Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
Ne 9:23 -Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
Gen. 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Please join me and hundreds of thousands of other Americans, Christians and Jews in making your voice heard and standing up for Israel by signing this petition. And you may contact me for a list of people that you can contact via email, telephone or address as well and I will provide you with a copy of the list.
May the God of Israel bless you: and keep you and make His face shine upon you: and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. In Yeshua's name, Amen
Theres alot to be said for snooty mustard!
I think sometimes Americans take their blessings for granted.
http://jedimeditations.blogspot.com/2007/11/happy-thanksgiving-america.html
Take care, Michael!
Thanksgiving for me means I'm thankful I was born in a country that acknowledges the work and grace of the God of the Bible. More so in days past, perhaps, but still to an extent.
It means thankfulness that I live in a country that allows me the freedom to live and worship as I choose, not as the government dictates. More so in days past, perhaps, but still to an extent.
It means thankfulness for those who pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to give birth to a nation that has done more to spread the gospel of Christ to the world than any other nation in history. More so in days past, perhaps, but still to an extent.
To me, Thanksgiving means giving thanks for those willing to sacrifice their lives for the ideal of freedom of religion, many of whom, who did not know Christ, sacrificed their eternal lives in exchange for my freedom to worship Him freely. May God have mercy upon their souls.
Thanksgiving, to me, means remembering what this great nation has meant to the world, the light it has shone, the good it has done, the hope it has offered. More so in days past, perhaps, but still to an extent.
Before God, that is what I remember and give thanks for every Thanksgiving. May You have mercy upon us, and restore us to Your righteous path. Amen.
Dear Michael & Monica,
I go all out like your mother did for Thanksgiving. I even raise our own turkeys, potatoes, and as much of the food as I can. You are welcome to come and enjoy any and every Thanksgiving that you possible can with us. I would love to have you tell the rest of the family how you have lived and live your life. We have a big house with lots of room because we raised six children here. Lapeer, Michigan is not that far away. It would be such a blessing to have you come and rejoice with us.
With love in Him,
Linda B.
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