Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is November 23rd this year. Take 10% off all Thanksgiving books until the end of the month!

One thing to be grateful for is the fact that our increasingly secularized senators, representatives, Supreme Court justices, and President have not yet abandoned the national celebration of Thanksgiving on grounds that it constitutes a blurring of the line between Church and State. Another thing to be thankful for is the fact that we can render our Thanksgiving to the one true God without fear of retribution or punishment.

We've heard a zillion times how easy it is for us in America to take our liberties for granted, but it never really sinks in. We still take our liberties for granted, and we don't ever get a reality-check or any substantive perspective on our freedom compared to that of the rest of the world. The ancient Roman practice of trying to make Christians worship idols seems like the distant past, and peace and plenty are the order of the day.

It's as if the rest of the world was a TV-induced dream from which Americans have yet to wake up. Sure, we're glad we don't have to scrounge garbage heaps to find food, or worship Christ in secret for fear of imprisonment and torture, or worry about showing up to a burned church every Sunday. We're glad, but are we really thankful?

Not that we should only be thankful that things aren't that bad around here. We ought to be fervently thanking God that things in America are so good, that we enjoy peace within our borders, that there's plenty to eat and nice houses to live in, that we have so much free time, that the government doesn't tell us where to worship, or how, or whom.

These are the things we should primarily be thankful for, in fact. God gives out of His good pleasure, and He has seen fit to bless us in a variety of ways, both material and spiritual. The Pilgrims were thankful for exactly those things when they first celebrated Thanksgiving Day with a ragtag group of English pioneers and American Indians.

Part of our curse as fallen humans is that we can't possibly thank God enough for anything. The Puritan theology of the Pilgrims was very clear on this, and we ought to be as well—one day set aside for thanksgiving isn't what God wants. God wants our hearts and will be satisfied with nothing less, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be glad we have a day to revel in His blessing. We should be glad, glad enough to render thanksgiving where it is due every single day of the year.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

 

Did you find this review helpful?
Parent Categories
Subcategories
67 Items found Print
Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9)
AIO Imagination Station Book #06
by Marianne Hering & Marshal Younger
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-3rd grade
in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
$5.99
Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Daughters of the Faith (Location: SER-DAU)
$7.99 $5.00 (4 in stock)
Cavalier and Puritan Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Costume & Fashion Coloring Books (Location: COL-FAS)
$4.99
Colonies - Coloring Book
Educational Read & Color Books
by Peter & Linda Spizzirri
from Spizzirri Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Daily Life in the Pilgrim Colony 1636
by Paul Erickson
from Clarion Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 3
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99
Family Read-Aloud Holiday Treasury
by Selected by Alice Low, Illustrated by Marc Brown
First Ediition from Little, Brown & Company
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
First Thanksgiving
Step into Reading Level 3
by Linda Hayward
from Random House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99
Giving Thanks
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
Giving Thanks
by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Pamela Dalton
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Holidays (Location: HOLIDAY)
History Pockets: Life in Plymouth Colony
by Jill Norris & Sandi Johnson
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
How Many Days to America?
by Eve Bunting
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived in Colonial Times
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (4 in stock)
If You Sailed On the Mayflower
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern, illustrated by J.B. Handlesman
from Four Winds Press
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
If You Sailed On the Mayflower in 1620
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Were at the First Thanksgiving
by Anne Kamma
First Edition from Scholastic Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
John Alden
by Olive W. Burt
from Bobbs-Merril Co
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Let's Celebrate Thanksgiving
by Peter and Connie Roop, Illustrated by Gwen Connelly
from Millbrook Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Holidays (Location: HOLIDAY)
Mayflower Secret
Trailblazer Books
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Mayflower Secret
Trailblazer Books
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Meet the Pilgrim Fathers
by Elizabeth Payne
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 2nd-5th grade
in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Mighty Mastiff of the Mayflower
by Peter Arenstam, illustrated by Karen Busch Holman
from History Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert San Souci, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert D. San Souci
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert D. San Souci
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
On the Mayflower
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
On the Mayflower
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims
by B.G. Hennessy
1st ptg thus from Puffin Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
Our America... The Pilgrim Adventure
by Susan Kilbride
for 3rd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Pilgrim Adventures
by Margaret B. Pumphrey
from My Father's World
for 1st-3rd grade
in My Father's World (Location: CUR-MFW)
$12.95
Pilgrim Boy (old)
by Matilda Nordtvedt
2nd edition from A Beka Books
for 3rd grade
$4.00 (17 in stock)
Pilgrim Boy (really old)
by Matilda Nordtvedt
from A Beka Books
for 3rd grade
in Clearance: Readers (Location: ZCLE-READ)
$2.00 (9 in stock)
Pilgrim Stories
by Margaret Pumphrey
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$11.95
Pilgrim Voices
by Connie Roop, Peter Roop, eds.
from Walker and Company
for 2nd-6th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Pilgrims of Plimoth
by Marcia Sewall
from Aladdin Paperbacks
History Reference/Picture Book for 1st-4th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$8.99
Pioneer Thanksgiving
by Barbara Greenwood
from Kids Can Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Holidays (Location: HOLIDAY)
Pioneer Thanksgiving
by Barbara Greenwood
from Kids Can Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Holidays (Location: HOLIDAY)
Pioneer Thanksgiving
by Barbara Greenwood, illustrated by Heather Collins
from Kids Can Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Holidays (Location: HOLIDAY)
Pocahontas and the Strangers
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Scholastic Inc.
Biographies for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Pocahontas and the Strangers
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Scholastic Inc.
Biographies for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Pocahontas and the Strangers
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
Biographies for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Priscilla Alden
from Silver Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Richard of Jamestown
by James Otis
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.95
Richard of Jamestown
by James Otis
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Sailing to America
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Troll Publishing
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
Sarah Morton's Day
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for Nursery-3rd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Seventh and Walnut
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Troll Publishing
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
Seventh and Walnut
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Troll Publishing
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
Squanto
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Squanto's Journey
by Joseph Bruchac
Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Stink Alley
by Jamie Gilson
from HarperCollins
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Stories of the Pilgrims
by Margaret Pumphrey
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in CLP Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-CLP)
$14.50 $8.00 (2 in stock)
Stories of the Pilgrims (old)
by Margaret Pumphrey
Revised Edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Old Edition Reading (Location: OREAD)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Story of the Mayflower Compact
from Children's Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Mayflower Compact
from Children's Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Tapenum's Day
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
Thanksgiving Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
from Simon and Schuster
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
1955 Caldecott Honor Book
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$8.99 $5.50 (2 in stock)
Three Young Pilgrims
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 1st-4th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Turkeys, Pilgrims, and Indian Corn
by Edna Barth
from Sandpiper Books
for 3rd-4th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
United States History: Puritans & Pilgrims
The Time Traveler Series
by Jane Pofahl
Activity from T.S. Denison & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Warrior's Challenge
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Warrior's Challenge
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
What Was the First Thanksgiving?
What Was?
by Joan Holub, illustrated by Lauren Mortimer
1st edition from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?
from PaperStar Books
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$6.99
William Bradford, Pilgrim Boy
by Bradford Smith
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)