“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
God is always good always. There are always things we can thank God for.
Today especially, may we proclaim His goodness.
“Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:8-9
We’re so grateful for God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus.
We’re grateful for the gift of family.
We’re grateful for you, our dear readers.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love, The Maxwells
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 107:1).
Recently a blog reader sent us a note and some photos we thought you would enjoy. Here’s what she said:
“I am a blog reader from the UK. I loved seeing the books you suggested for Thanksgiving. I actually live on Plymouth UK, and we are preparing for the Mayflower 400 festival next year. I was walking past the Mayflower steps the other day and thought that you might like to see a couple of pictures of what it looks like. The first is close up with both flags. They have just built a new arch ready for next year.”
“The second is a bit further away so you can see the houses behind it and the steps themselves.”
“The last is the view out to sea which would have been what the pilgrims saw just before they set off.”
It was interesting to learn of the 400th year festival coming up and preparations for it. We especially liked the photo of what the pilgrims saw as they began their adventure into the unknown in search of a place where they could worship God in freedom.
Trusting in Jesus, Teri
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).
Back in September, Dad had the idea to host a Family Day. It would be in our backyard and involve games and a barbecue. Originally scheduled for early October but canceled due to inclement weather, we rescheduled for the second Saturday in November. The day arrived, with perfect weather for our Family Day.
Anna, Jesse, and Mary took responsibility to set up an obstacle course before the event start time. The creativity they used to skillfully design an awesome course took some effort, but the results worth it.
Setting up
Testing out riding the bike.
11am came, and families began to descend upon the backyard with little kids’ faces full of excitement and delight. We started out with some activities such as corn hole (loved watching Grandpa and Grandma do that with the kids) and Spike Ball, while some of the young moms and Gigi sat and talked.
From there, we moved to Cat and Mouse. Mom found the game online–a perfect combination for young and old. People stand in a circle, and then you pick two names. Ahead of time, Dad wrote everyone’s names down and had them folded in his pocket. One person is the cat another the mouse. They are blindfolded, and with people still forming a circle, the cat and mouse can begin wherever they like. Then, the mouse can take one big step in whatever direction, and when it’s done, it has to “squeak.” The cat, still blindfolded, can take one big step (in pursuit of the mouse), and when it’s done, it has to “meow.” The goal obviously being the cat catches the mouse. It caused lots of laughter as the blindfolded people moved around. Even the older ones got really into it, taking ginormous steps to stay away from the cat or in the attempt to catch the mouse.
Kyle with his sweet smile
Some people had great maneuvers to outwit others.
We found we had to use ear protectors while the mouse moved because of the crunchy leaves.
Mom and Daughter
When we were preparing for lunch, I saw these three guys, and I had to snap pictures. Adorable.
Joseph took the little bike for a spin, and he had a whole group of kids running after him.
After that, we enjoyed lunch together. The menu consisted of hot dogs, veggies, picnic eggs, chips, and dessert. Everyone pitched in to bring things.
Adorable Axton
Following lunch, the anticipated obstacle course began. The absolutely beautiful part of this was the older ones coming alongside the youngers to help them. The aunts and uncles were right there with the littles, cheering, walking next to them, and encouraging. That’s what teamwork is all about. The reverse was true too. The littles cheering the aunts and uncles and daddies and mommies along. Many wonderful memories were created on the Maxwell Family Day.
You had to jump over a ball (small for the littles and big for the older).
Then you had to shinny through the hole in the playset and crawl under the mesh.
Next up was to walk across a little board and then step from stump to stump (you could get off).
You had to balance your way across the pipe.
You had to place a bean bag on top of your head and circle each cone and bucket 2 x (and not lose the bean bag). Talk about dizzy!
Hop onto the bike and try to stay between the boards.
For us older ones, that little bike was a hard thing to ride. You had to ride it around the tree (in the background) and making a turn on that little bike was difficult.
Cheering onlookers
You had to hop with a balloon between your legs.
Love all the helpers!
Melanie did it and there was lots of cheering.
Maybe Family Day could become a tradition in your family. We loved it, and I’m quite certain it’ll be an annual event at the Maxwells.
Love, Sarah
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:8).
Recently I joined Christopher, Joshua, and Ruthanne as a Feed My Starving Children volunteer, packing nutritious meals for third world starving children. Christopher has done this with Joshua before, but this was Ruthanne and my first time. Grades K-2 require one adult per child. I was thrilled to be part of their team.
The whole Feed My Starving Children packing process is amazing with multiple stations set up in a gym type setting in a church where 8 to 12 people at each one pack meals consisting of vitamins, soy powder, dried vegetables, and rice—measured and weighed for individual packets. Packing is fast-paced, loud, and motivating. After all, we were packaging food that would feed starving children.
I held the bag under the funnel for the ingredients to be added to, and Ruthanne weighed the bag. If it was overweight, she took some out, and if it was underweight, she put some in until it fell in the correct weight range. Christopher and Joshua manned the station where each bag is sealed.
Our volunteer slot was for two hours but with training and cleanup, we probably packed meals for 1.25 hours. The group we were with packed enough meals to feed 167 children for one year.
You can find out about Feed My Starving Children events in your area by visiting this link.
Note: One consideration is that the music is loud and not as conservative as many might prefer.
Trusting in Jesus, Teri
“And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” James 2:16
Happy Monday, y’all! Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and Anna Marie is sharing her favorite Thanksgiving books. There’s enough time for you to find a copy (either purchasing or maybe your local library has them!) to read with your kids or grandkids or nieces and nephews.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reflect on God’s blessings and focus on thankfulness. It’s also an incredible opportunity to talk with our children about the founding of our nation by a group of Christians who were determined to follow God as they saw laid out in Scripture. They were unwilling to compromise or subject their children to the influence of an ungodly culture. They were willing to endure hardship for the sake of Christ and sang praises to the Lord in the midst of situations I myself could hardly imagine. There are many examples of God’s hand in bringing them to America and providing Squanto to help them learn survival in the wilderness where they settled. We want to be recounting these stories to our children in the same spirit as Psalm 78:2-4:
“I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”
I love reading books to the children about Thanksgiving as it approaches but have had a really hard time finding those that give glory to the Lord or talk about the true reason for the Pilgrims coming. So far I’ve come across two that I really like and wanted to share with you.
This is the Feast
This is the Feast(Amazon links in this post are Titus2’s Amazon’s Affiliate link, and Titus2 earns from qualifying purchases, see the Privacy Policy), by Diane Z. Shore, has beautifully crafted, rhythmic flow to the poetic wording that describes the journey and settling of the Pilgrims. I feel like she very tactfully handles the realities of life on the Mayflower and the illnesses that took the lives of many through that first winter in Plymouth, not glossing over them but not being too graphic for young readers. Interspersed through the story are small doxologies of praise to the Lord, such as, “Thanks be to God, our Help and our Guide!” The illustrations are absolutely stunning, with vivid detail and color. I also like how basic identification of some of the trees and plants are woven in. All in all, I would say this is my favorite Thanksgiving book ever.
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving (Titus2’s Amazon’s Affiliate link, see the Privacy Policy), by Eric Metaxas, is an amazing story of how God uses trials for His own purposes and glory! It follows the life of Squanto being kidnapped from his Patuxet village and sold as a slave upon arrival in Spain, purchased by monks who taught him about God, then sent him to England where he learned English before finally returning to his village ten years after his kidnapping—only to find that a plague had taken the lives of every Patuxet. He sorrowfully wondered why God would have allowed this when shortly after, the Pilgrims arrived and settled in Patuxet. Knowing their language and knowing the land, he was able to help them learn the best ways to hunt and cultivate. I don’t know how much of the story has been “enhanced,” but regardless, it is a good reminder that we don’t know what God might use trials in our lives for, and we can trust that He does indeed work all things together for good!
Another thing we learned about the pilgrims is that they loved to sing the Psalms, often versified. I’ve been enjoying singing some with the children such as Psalm 23 (see this Hymnary link) and Psalm 100 (Hymnary link). We also have been singing the verbatim Psalm 119 that we have been learning together. Singing Scripture back to God in worship is powerful!
Over the River and Through the Wood
Since I’m talking about Thanksgiving books, I’m also including Over the River and Through the Wood (Titus2’s Amazon’s Affiliate link, see the Privacy Policy), by Lydia Marie Child and illustrated by Matt Tavares. It has nothing to do with the Pilgrims but is a beautifully illustrated story based on the Thanksgiving-themed poem. Our children love following the family in their horse and sleigh over the frozen river and through snow-drifted woods to their grandparents’ house, and it is a perfect book to cuddle up and read on a cold day!
May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving season.
Because the LORD our God is good, His mercy is forever sure. His truth at all times firmly stood And shall from age to age endure.
Love, ~Anna Marie
Gigi reading to the children
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20
“That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.” (Psalm 78:6-7)
The Maxwell family and ministry blog of Titus2.com.
