The Notes would like to express it's gratitude and thanks first of all to you!! Since June of this year, over 70 people have subscribed via email and the Tuesday's Musical Notes Blog has had close to 600 hits. Readers in 10 different countries, including Russia and Iran, have been gracious enough to take the time to read The Notes and we have received positive feedback from several of you. Keep those cards and letters coming..... Thanks again! We look forward to writing these musical perspectives and hope that together we have been exposed to some interesting facts about our favorite musicians, and more importantly, we have learned more about ourselves and about our walk in The Way.
It seems with each passing year, the push to get the "jump" on Christmas is more prevalent. Some retailers have begun having the traditional day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" specials every Friday between Halloween and Christmas. It is not unheard of to even see some Christmas decor in the stores prior to Halloween. Where is Charlie Brown when you need him?!!!! In an attempt to stall the rush of the season and to pause for a moment to give thanks we offer up this ode to the season, with an assist from Sawyer Brown:
"Thank God For You" Sawyer Brown
With multiple chart hits and 3 #1's, Sawyer Brown would dominate the charts for 2 decades of country music. Every album Sawyer Brown released from 1980 - 2000 would chart in the top 40. With lead singer Mark Miller's distinctive vocals and the band's fun concert reputation, Sawyer Brown would become an award winning standard for country music groups. They won the 80's version of the X-Factor, Star Search, and would continue to produce albums as late as 2010.
Sawyer Brown got its start as a successful road band for Country artist Don King. Their name was taken from the street where they rehearsed. Most recently, Mark Miller has formed his own Christian Record label, Beach Street Records. Perhaps you have heard of one of the bands he signed to this label.....Casting Crowns. It would seem on the face of it that Sawyer Brown has many reasons to be thankful.
The Notes recently had a conversation with a young adult regarding the seasonal rush to Christmas. This "wise beyond their years" person was pushing back as hard as she could against the tendency to neglect the Thanksgiving season and move into Christmas. "What happened to the celebration of Thanksgiving?", she asked. This is a good question for each of us to ask. Especially those that claim Christ as their hope of eternal salvation. To understand what may have happened to Thanksgiving, we must first get a good idea of what the season was set aside to celebrate. Last week The Notes started this conversation with a look at where the proclamations for Thanksgiving began. In case you missed it here is the link:
Tuesday's Musical Notes - "What A Wonderful World"
While President Lincoln's proclamation set the date tradition for Thanksgiving, we need travel just a bit further back in time, say 200 years, to see when the first observances of Thanksgiving occurred. While Thanksgiving celebrations had been occurring in the New World as early as 1607 among Spanish explorers, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation are credited with the traditions we now observe during this season. Their prospects were bleak for the coming winter as only half of those who arrived in the New World survived the voyage from England and the previous winter. The spring brought a new relationship with the Indians which enhanced the ability to grow crops that would sustain them through the next winter. As a result of their gratefulness to God's providence, they celebrated. The following is an interesting article regarding the life of one of the Pilgrim leaders, William Bradford.
William Bradford
The Pilgrim leadership realized that it was by the hand of Almighty God that they survived and eventually thrived in the New World. Are we as aware of God's providence in our lives? As Christians, do we observe Thanksgiving in a way that would cause pre-Christians to wonder why we celebrate in the manner we do? Do we take the time to realize that our survival as well as all of the good things in our lives are by the hand of Almighty God? The writers of the book of Psalms did:
Psalm 9:1 - "I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."
Psalm 35:18 - "I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you."
Psalm 69:30 - "I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving."
Psalm 95:2 - "Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song."
Psalm 100:4 - "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."
17 more times in Psalms and 95 more times in the Bible is the word thanks or thanksgiving used to express to whom our gratitude should be given. It is this "attitude of gratitude" that should permeate every aspect of a believer's life. We really should "give credit where credit is due,"......
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by loving you,
Randy
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