Have you ever been visiting with someone and you could tell he/she wasn’t listening to a word you were saying? By the look in the individual’s eyes, you can tell he/she was a million miles away in thought. That’s when you’re tempted to ask, “What are you thinking about?“ So, are you tuned in or are you somewhere else?

As we near the celebration of Thanksgiving with our loved ones, we begin to think about our numerous blessings. Thinking is good, but God wants to hear our thanks come out of our mouths. Maybe you’ve had a rough time lately and you’re not feeling especially thankful. Let’s take a few moments to focus our thoughts on God’s truth from the Bible:

God loves you as much as He loves Jesus! That’s a “wow” truth, and a lot of people don’t even know it. When Jesus prayed for His disciples and all believers, right before He was betrayed and arrested, He said: ”I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me” (John 17:23 NLT). It’s awesome to know and believe that your heavenly Father loves you as much as His only-begotten Son! When you accept this truth, your life will never be the same. Think about it…and be thankful!

Are you fully persuaded that what God has promised He is able to perform? If your answer is yes, then you should give thanks. “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways (Psalm 128:1 NKJV). If that’s you, then believe you’re blessed and be thankful. Can you give glory to God and praise Him? “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath!” (Psalm 104:33 NLT). Be determined to praise God and be thankful all the days of your life.

During the autumn season, farmers harvest the crops they have planted. In the natural, we all understand that you reap what you sow. There are natural laws and spiritual laws that cannot be revoked. If you sow corn, you’ll harvest corn. If you sow kindness, you’ll reap kindness. If you sow hostility, you’ll reap hostility. If you want love, then sow it. If you give, it will be given to you. “God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” (2 Corinthians 9:7,8 NLT). Think about that…and be thankful!

“Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing” (Psalm 107:21,22 KJV).

The Bottom Line: The goodness and love of God is something to think about, talk about, and receive with thanksgiving every day.

Pastor Jimmy Tucker
(620) 223-1483
Diamond Community Church
2591 Jayhawk Road
10:45 a.m. Worship

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” James 4:8a

A man was hired by a government subcontractor to paint the white lines down the center of the highway. His foreman ordered him to paint the lines by hand and the man went to work.

After three days, the foreman said, “I’m afraid that I’m going to have to let you go.”

“Why?” the man asked.

“Your performance has dropped. On your first day, you did great. You painted the line for three miles. Your second day wasn’t bad either. You painted two miles. But today you only painted one mile. So, I’m going to have to fire you. I’m sorry.”

On his way out of the office, the fired employee looked back and said, “It’s not my fault. Every day I got further away from the paint can.”

Like the fired employee, our country is moving further and further away from God every day. Contrary to what the revisionist historians say, our Founding Fathers founded this nation on the Christian religion. The Pilgrims left a land where they were persecuted to find a land where they could worship freely. When they landed at Plymouth Rock, they knelt on the shore, and they thanked God for His blessings.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let me remind you that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 to give thanks to God for their freedoms in the New World. Later, in 1789, President George Washington issued a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation to commemorate the first Pilgrim celebration.

In 1826, Sarah Hale, the author of the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb” began a campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. She wrote letters and pleaded her case with political leaders. Finally, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln listened to her plea that a nation divided by the Civil War should put aside their differences and observe a day of Thanksgiving to God for His blessings. President Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November to be the official “National Thanksgiving Day.”

However, the American people have moved further and further away from God, the source of all our blessings. If this nation continues to forget her spiritual roots, what will become of her? Of the 22 civilizations that have appeared in history, 19 of them fell when they reached the moral condition that the United States is in now. This country is still the greatest nation on the planet, but we are going down a road that is taking us away from the Christian values that made America.

But we can turn back.

America can return to God one person at a time, starting with you. Are you struggling under heavy burdens that seem unbearable? Do you fell like there is a great distance between you and the Lord? If so, this Thanksgiving bow your head and thank God for all He has done for you. Thank Him for the good things in your life and for life itself.

The point is: If you are not experiencing God’s presence in your life, if you find yourself moving further and further away from God, ask yourself this question, “Who moved?”

God is where He has always been. He is waiting for you. Turn around and draw near to Him. Then you will experience the blessing of Thanksgiving.

James Collins will be signing copies of his latest book, “The Nativity,” today from 7 am to 2 pm at the First Southern Baptist Church Family Bazaar and Bake Sale. For more information, call (620) 223-2986.

Four of us boarded our Tel Aviv tour bus, heading for Jerusalem. We were grateful to be here, considering the airport interrogation my sons Jeff and Andy, Andy’s wife Kristen, and I received when we left Miami, Florida, heading to Israel. We had anticipated a memorable—probably tearful– Christian experience as we would navigate the country where Jesus had spent much of his life.

To say it was memorable is an understatement.

The Miami El Al Airline agent began the questioning before we even checked our bags. “How do you know each other?” “Where did you sleep last night?” “While you were asleep, did anyone have access to your luggage?” “Has anyone been near your computer in the past few days?” “Why do you all live in different states?” “When was the last time you slept in your parents’ house?” “How many bedrooms were in that house?”

And that was just the beginning. Since Andy is coaching for the K.C. Royals and moves frequently, his answer to how many flights he had taken over the past few months raised eyebrows. Two senior agents were called in to further interrogate Andy and Kristen about their lifestyle, especially since they live in different states part of the time.

Obviously, not just anyone is allowed into Israel.

After convincing the panel of interrogators we were not a threat, we were allowed on board. Even Kristin, apprehensive (to put it mildly) about a trip to another country, later shared that the 12-hour flight had been an unexpected pleasure.

Jeff had arranged to rent a car, and at the AVIS booth in Tel Aviv, he was told that the actual price was five times the original quote because four of us would not fit into the size car he had rented. I chose not to take that personally. That, plus the hidden costs, caused the price increase. As we lugged our suitcases, backpacks, etc. to the pick-up zone, we were excited to see the sleek cars available. Unfortunately, those were not ours. Ours was in a different area. Ours was the size of a golf cart–a mini golf cart. Our laughter was uncontrollable as we crammed our possessions into whatever cavity we could find—including the dashboard, under our feet, behind our necks and in our laps.

Arriving at our rented condominium, we were pleasantly surprised at our spectacular view. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, we could see hundreds of bikers, runners and walkers filling the trails along the beach. Israel was alive and inviting. Tomorrow we would bus it to Jerusalem and walk the Via Dolorosa. Let the tears begin!

Which is where this story starts. We awoke early to board our tour bus, but as we did, a siren sounded, an alarm similar to the ones I heard in drills as a child when we were given instructions on what to do if an atomic bomb headed our way. Everyone was removed from the tour busses parked by ours, and we were ushered to a stone wall nearby. Explosions were heard at a distance. Our tour guide explained that those sirens had not sounded for four years, and it probably had “something to do” with the fact that Israel had killed a Palestinian Jihad militant and his wife in Gaza the night before.

Or it has something to do with the fact that I am in Israel, I told myself.

When the sirens stopped, we boarded our bus, our nerves a little edgy. (Being bombed has a way of doing that, you know). Shortly after leaving Tel Aviv, our guide explained that apparently Gaza had retaliated with air strikes, but because Israel is protected with an “Iron Dome,” the Gaza missiles had been shot down. Supposedly the Dome is 90% effective. Still, there’s that little 10% element that would keep us on our toes.

What can I say? We wanted a memorable experience, and we were getting one.

Not surprisingly, it would not be our last.