Bøger af William Lang

Did you know there were 150 men at the first Thanksgiving and only five women to prepare the 3-day feast? Did you know that turkey wasn't even served at the first Thanksgiving, and that the pilgrims didn't use forks because they weren't invented yet? Much has been said and speculated about the origins and leading events of Thanksgiving, but much has been lost regarding the real reason for and focus of this celebrated American holiday. "Thanksgiving: The Act of Giving Thanks" is more than a historical account of the Mayflower Pilgrims coming to the New World. Despite our country's many divisions, America has one foundation rooted in divine providence, and Americans share a common history borne out of hardship and courage in the journey to freedom. In the recognition and appreciation of God's sovereign provision, protective care and guidance, Thanksgiving Day was established by our founders as a special American public holiday for the purpose of giving thanks to God. The Act of Giving Thanks, put into tangible daily practice, can benefit our relationships with God and others, transform our entire outlook on life, and make us more fully alive!

Despite human misconceptions about Christmas story, the actual facts about Jesus Christ are more marvelous than words can express. Journey back to the true beginning of Christ's story, even BEFORE Genesis, and then proceed in order through the exciting, key events preceding His birth, and then on through his life, death, resurrection, and beyond. He was indeed born of a virgin in the city of Bethlehem exactly as prophesied many years before. He was conceived in Mary, not by man, but by the Holy Spirit of God. He was "in the beginning" of creation with God as He "created the heavens and the earth," and with God when He said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness ..." Genesis 1:1, 26 (NIV) To explain further, John the Apostle stated that Christ existed, as God, BEFORE the Creation of the world (John 1), and reveals Christ as "the Alpha and the Omega ... who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty ... the First and the Last." Revelation 1 (NIV). He is part of the Holy Trinity we know as God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The Son of God came in human form, as the revelation of God, for a purpose-to die as a willing sacrifice in payment for the sins of mankind. He did this to provide eternal salvation as a free gift of God's grace to all who will accept it and follow Him.As we take a closer look at the biblical text itself, a magnificent- and hopefully more accurate- picture emerges of WHO Christ is and what happened that night in Bethlehem. The Christmas story still stands as one of the most monumental events in human history. God became a man and entered our gloomy, cold world to redeem a sinful people. This is a story that makes Christmas worthy of the name of Christ!

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The young man seated on the bench reads his paper and chats with his wife about domestic matters and their daughter. As the conversation becomes more strained and personal, we realize the bench is in the courtyard of an institution where the young wife is an inmate, and the husband a visitor.