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Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW023273S
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00:16 ♪[music ends]♪♪
00:19 >>John Bradshaw: This is "It Is Written." 00:21 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:23 The year was 1621. 00:26 Of the 102 colonists who had crossed the Atlantic Ocean 00:29 in the fall of the previous year, only 50 had survived. 00:33 [ocean waves] ♪[somber music]♪ 00:34 They'd come for a new start, all of them, 00:36 many of them seeking a land 00:37 where they could practice their Christian faith in freedom. 00:40 The previous winter had been grim. 00:43 Starvation and death had been waiting 00:46 to welcome the new arrivals. 00:48 But out of the struggles and challenges of those early years 00:51 there came something that 400 years later has become part 00:56 of the fabric of society in the United States of America: 01:01 Thanksgiving. 01:02 The story behind that first Thanksgiving feast 01:04 at Plymouth Bay, Massachusetts, is more complicated 01:07 than elementary school books typically portray. 01:11 The Separatist Puritans, or, or Pilgrims, 01:13 who arrived on the "Mayflower" were not the first Europeans 01:17 to explore or settle on the eastern coast of North America. 01:22 When they arrived, they came in contact with a Native American 01:25 named Tisquantum from the Patuxet tribe. 01:28 Tisquantum spoke English. 01:30 That's because he'd been captured by an English explorer 01:34 and then sold into slavery in Europe. 01:37 Although he arrived back in America to find 01:39 that his entire tribe had been wiped out by an epidemic, 01:43 "Squanto," along with members of the Wampanoag tribe, 01:46 taught the Pilgrims how to hunt, fish, 01:49 and, most importantly, how to plant and grow corn. 01:55 Most Thanksgiving legends portray the colonists 01:57 and Native Americans as, as living in blissful harmony. 02:01 But the Wampanoags had also been nearly devastated 02:04 by European illness, and they were already wary 02:07 of the superior weapons and expansionist ways of Europeans. 02:11 But they needed help to counter rival tribes, 02:14 so they formed an uneasy alliance with the colonists. 02:20 It may be that the Wampanoag actually had not been invited 02:23 to that first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. 02:27 One version of the story-- and there are many-- 02:30 has it that the celebrations of the colonists, 02:32 as they, as they fired their muskets into the air, 02:35 aroused the attention of the Wampanoag, 02:37 who arrived with 90 armed and anxious warriors 02:41 thinking a battle was unfolding. 02:43 Now, whatever the truth of the matter, 02:45 the two parties united for a feast 02:47 that lasted for several days. 02:49 But relationships between those early Pilgrims 02:52 and Native Americans broke down as more settlers arrived 02:56 and took over Native lands. 02:58 The rest is history. 03:01 Thanksgiving celebrations were already a common practice 03:04 among Europeans, as well as Native Americans. 03:07 So the practice of recognizing the goodness of God 03:10 was already part of the American DNA 03:14 when the Pilgrims first arrived. 03:17 But Thanksgiving wouldn't become an official holiday 03:19 in the United States for quite some time. 03:21 ♪[soft hopeful music]♪ 03:22 In 1777, after the decisive victory against British forces 03:27 at Saratoga, a victory that ensured the colonies 03:30 would gain their independence from England, 03:32 the Continental Congress decreed that all 13 colonies 03:36 should celebrate a national day of thanksgiving 03:39 in honor of that victory. 03:42 Now, this carried on informally for 100 years or so 03:45 when Sarah Josepha Hale, a journalist and the author 03:49 of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," 03:52 convinced then-President Abraham Lincoln that a national holiday 03:56 of thanksgiving would be good for the country. 03:59 Four months after the Union victory at Gettysburg in 1863, 04:03 President Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November 04:07 to be Thanksgiving Day. 04:09 Although Thanksgiving was instituted as a day 04:11 of giving thanks to God for His provisions and intervention, 04:16 Thanksgiving has devolved over time into a day 04:19 of little more than parades, football, food, and shopping. 04:24 It's less about family and offering thanks to God 04:28 and more and more a hollow reflection 04:31 of society's obsession with materialism 04:35 and self-gratification. 04:38 So, here's how you make Thanksgiving 04:40 a more authentic expression of...thanksgiving. 04:44 You start by giving thanks. 04:47 Psalm 105 begins by saying, 04:49 "Oh, give thanks [unto] the Lord! 04:51 "Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! 04:55 "Sing to Him, sing [praises] to Him; 04:58 [tell] of all His wondrous works!" 05:01 Now, that psalm provides us with a simple formula 05:04 for having a great Thanksgiving: 05:06 "Oh, give thanks [unto] the Lord!" 05:10 That is, recognize the Giver. 05:13 The psalm also says, 05:14 "Make known His deeds among the peoples!" 05:18 Recognize His gifts. 05:21 When you take time to consider the greatness of God 05:23 and give thanks to the Giver, you're connecting 05:27 with the Source of limitless love, mercy, and resources. 05:31 No, God doesn't need a pat on the back. 05:34 Giving thanks to God honors God, 05:36 but it's really for your own good. 05:39 Recognizing the goodness of God 05:41 keeps God front and center in your life. 05:44 And as well as recognizing the true Giver, 05:46 you do well to recognize the gifts so generously given. 05:51 They may not always be obvious, 05:53 but God has given everyone myriad reasons to be thankful. 05:59 Now, that might not be easy to hear 06:01 when you've got relationship problems, car problems, 06:05 when your place of employment just shut down, 06:06 you got a DUI, or you're sitting in a jail cell. 06:10 Sometimes circumstances may seem overwhelming; 06:13 that's just the truth. 06:16 But there's a lot anyone can be thankful for. 06:19 Family, no? Friends, no? 06:22 Okay, you can see, or you can hear; you can touch. 06:26 There's someone that cares. You're not sure about that? 06:29 Well, God cares. Jesus died for you. 06:31 And one day He's going to return to this earth for you 06:35 and take you to a place where there's no sin, no sadness, 06:37 no loss, no injustice. 06:40 And between now and then, you can allow God to use you 06:45 to be a blessing in the life of someone else. 06:49 So, while Thanksgiving is an important holiday, 06:51 and it reminds you of the goodness and blessings of God, 06:54 it reminds you of His purpose for your life, 06:57 that doesn't mean Thanksgiving's the only time 06:59 that you can focus on those things. 07:02 Now, when I come back, I'll be speaking with Dr. Frank Hasel 07:05 to talk about the importance of giving thanks, 07:09 the spiritual and emotional benefits of being thankful, 07:12 not only at Thanksgiving but at all times-- 07:16 that and more in just a moment. 07:19 ♪[upbeat music swells and ends]♪♪ 07:28 >>Announcer: Gratitude is a powerful emotion 07:31 that can lift your spirts 07:32 and dramatically enhance your sense of wellbeing. 07:35 Unlock the biblical secrets to a happier life 07:38 with today's gift, entitled "The Blessings of Gratitude." 07:41 It's absolutely free. 07:43 Just call 800-253-3000 07:46 or order online at iiwoffer.com. 07:50 Experience the incredible power of gratitude, 07:52 800-253-3000 07:55 or iiwoffer.com. 07:59 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me on "It Is Written." 08:01 I sat down recently with author and pastor Dr. Frank Hasel 08:06 and asked him about something he knows something about. 08:10 We talked about thankfulness 08:11 and finding things to be grateful for 08:13 in even the most challenging of circumstances. 08:15 And I asked him if there could ever be a person 08:19 who has nothing to be thankful for. 08:21 Is it true that there's a person with nothing to be thankful for? 08:24 >>Dr. Frank Hasel: Well, I can understand the feeling. 08:26 If you have, uh, experienced significant loss in life, 08:29 if you have experienced tragedy, uh, things like that, 08:33 first you, you don't feel thankful at all. 08:36 And, uh, and the tendency then is to focus on those things 08:41 that you don't have anymore. 08:43 You need to make a deliberate choice, I think, 08:46 to focus on the things that are still there to be thankful for. 08:52 And even a person who has, uh, has experienced what you said, 08:56 if that person sits down and actually thinks, 08:59 there are plenty of things for which a person can be thankful-- 09:03 little things, uh, and you have to start little. 09:06 You might, uh, you might still have a car. 09:09 Think about what would be the case if you had not a car, 09:12 you know. And, uh, you still have, um, eyes to see, 09:17 just to see, uh, the colors of fall, the colors of spring. 09:23 >>John: Now, you speak about this... 09:26 from an interesting perspective. 09:30 Your wife of more than 20 years passed away a few years ago now. 09:36 How did you confront that and maintain or rediscover 09:43 thankfulness in the wake of that? 09:46 >>Dr. Hasel: If you lose a person you love, 09:48 it always hits you, and it's never nice. 09:52 And so how do you deal, uh, with a situation of that? 09:55 How do you deal with significant loss in life? 09:59 Uh, there's a very simple strategy that has made 10:03 a huge difference in my own life that I learned from my aunt, 10:07 who had lost her husband through a tragic car accident 10:10 some years ago. And she said, 10:13 "Take a sheet of paper and, uh, write down 10 words, 10:18 just 10 words, for which you will be thankful for." 10:22 Now, that's the challenge; the initial challenge 10:24 is because if you experience significant loss in life, 10:28 you don't even think about anything that is, uh, 10:31 that is close to being thankful. [chuckles softly] 10:34 And, but if you think, you know, you, you find little things, 10:37 like, uh, I'm thankful for a bed in which I can sleep, 10:42 uh, that I have an apartment and a house that gives me, 10:45 uh, comfort, you know. So you write down the 10 words. 10:49 Then, with each word, you write out a whole short sentence 10:56 in which you express why you are thankful 11:00 for that particular thing. 11:01 So, you say, "What I'm thankful for: 11:05 my ears that I can still hear beautiful music." 11:09 And then, once you've written down that thing, 11:12 you speak so that you can hear yourself speak 11:18 that short sentence. 11:21 So you do that for one day. You have 10 reasons. 11:23 And the next day, you write down 10 new reasons. 11:28 Same procedure, a word, a short sentence, 11:31 you speak the sentence. 11:32 At the end of just one week, 11:36 you have 70 reasons for which you are thankful. 11:40 And it does make a, a huge, uh, difference. 11:43 It makes a difference how you look at your...surroundings. 11:47 It makes a huge difference how you look at your own life. 11:51 It makes a difference how you look at other people. 11:54 And it just is transformative. 11:57 >>John: You have written about the importance of gratitude, 12:01 and in what you've written, 12:03 you've stated that thanksgiving is medically good. 12:07 It's good for a person's health. >>Dr. Hasel: Absolutely, yes. 12:09 >>John: How is that so? 12:10 >>Dr. Hasel: Well, there are, there are a number 12:12 of interesting recent studies, actually, uh, 12:15 that document how thankfulness, uh, really improves your health, 12:21 improves your physical health, your mental health, 12:24 your resilience to deal with things in life. 12:27 And, and the amazing thing to me, uh, is that even observing 12:32 another person expressing his or her thankfulness 12:35 has a positive impact on you. 12:37 >>John: Which means that your example of thankfulness can be 12:41 a blessing to the person you're thanking, 12:42 to you-- >>Dr. Hasel: Yes. 12:43 >>John: ...and to an impartial observer. 12:45 >>Dr. Hasel: Yes, yes. 12:46 >>John: Talk to me about thanksgiving 12:47 from a theological perspective. 12:49 How do we, how do we approach that in, in the Bible? 12:52 Why is it of theological importance? 12:54 >>Dr. Hasel: God has called us repeatedly to be thankful. 12:58 And I think He did, He did that for a reason 13:01 because He knows that it is good for us, 13:04 and He knows that it will bring us closer to Him, 13:07 who is, who is the Author of all the goodness 13:09 and the beauty that we see around. 13:12 The Bible is saturated, basically, 13:14 with the idea that we should be grateful, 13:17 that we should be thankful. 13:19 In fact, there is an entire festival that is devoted 13:22 basically to the idea of thankfulness. 13:26 It's the Feast of Tabernacles. 13:29 And it was a feast of pilgrimage that meant everyone had to come 13:34 to Jerusalem to the temple to celebrate the goodness of God 13:38 in providing the very things that we need for our lives. 13:43 And it was not just thankfulness for the fruits 13:46 and the harvest and the things, uh, that help us to live. 13:49 It's also--on their way to Jerusalem, they had to, 13:53 to build little huts, a little booth, 13:56 remembering God's graciousness 13:59 and leading through the wilderness, uh, at the Exodus 14:03 when they left Egypt, that He cared for His people. 14:07 So God wanted them to remember His goodness in protecting them 14:12 and leading them through the wilderness to, uh, 14:15 to Jerusalem, to the Holy Land. 14:18 And when they arrived, it was, uh, a feast of some seven days. 14:22 It was the most joyous feast of the entire Jewish festivals. 14:29 And it culminated in a majestic, uh, celebration 14:33 of light and water and remembering the goodness of God. 14:39 And this is the biblical precedent, basically, 14:42 to our Thanksgiving celebration, where we also bring, 14:47 you know, the, the harvest fruits, basically, 14:50 remembering God's goodness in our lives and how He has led. 14:55 And this is just, uh, a few things that, 14:57 uh, that I think should make us think 15:01 and should make us grateful for, for what the Bible teaches, 15:05 uh, on that particular subject. 15:07 >>John: In a moment I'm going to share with you four A's, 15:11 four A's that will help you to be a more thankful person. 15:17 Be back in just a moment. 15:18 ♪[upbeat music swells and ends]♪♪ 15:27 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 15:29 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 15:32 To support this international life-changing ministry, 15:36 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 15:40 You can send your tax-deductible gift 15:42 to the address on your screen, 15:43 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 15:47 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 15:50 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 15:54 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 15:59 >>John: There are some things you don't want to forget. 16:02 And there are some things 16:03 God specifically tells us to remember. 16:06 At the dawn of time, the Creator of the universe 16:09 gifted to the human family a divine prescription 16:12 for combating stress, busyness, and the pressures of daily life, 16:17 a regular blessing of time spent in the heart of God. 16:20 ♪[soft contemplative music]♪ 16:21 Don't miss "A Day to Remember." 16:24 We'll travel to the largest Ten Commandments in the world 16:27 and rediscover heaven's purpose for your life. 16:30 "A Day to Remember," 16:32 a personal God seeking a meaningful connection 16:34 with His children, a way forward for spiritual renewal. 16:38 We'll open the Bible together 16:40 and learn that God has blessings for His children 16:43 that have been overlooked and neglected. 16:46 Get more from God; go deeper in your faith. 16:50 "A Day to Remember," 16:51 watch now on It Is Written TV. 16:54 ♪[music ends]♪♪ 16:58 >>John: Welcome back to "It Is Written." 17:01 The Mayo Clinic suggests that you practice gratitude daily 17:06 and that you take time to demonstrate thanks 17:08 to the people who positively impact your life. 17:11 You can thank them with a text or a note 17:13 or with a kind word next time you see them. 17:16 Another idea is to keep a gratitude journal. 17:20 Look back over your day 17:21 and write down the things that went right. 17:25 Maybe your spouse took care of a household repair. 17:27 You might have enjoyed a couple of chapters in a great book. 17:30 Maybe you saw a bright rainbow adorn a stormy sky. 17:35 Don't forget the many blessings you tend to take for granted, 17:38 such as having clean water 17:40 or the abilities God has gifted you with. 17:43 Your life is full of reasons to thank God. 17:46 Sometimes you just need to remember to notice them. 17:50 When it comes to expressing gratitude to others, 17:54 there are at least four effective things you can do, 17:57 and they all start with an "A." 18:00 You might want to jot them down. 18:02 Appreciation is when you let others know 18:05 that something they have done has impacted your life: 18:09 "Thanks for that thoughtful gift." 18:11 "I'm so grateful you went out of your way to see me." 18:14 "I couldn't have passed that test without your help." 18:17 Now, approval is when you express gratitude 18:21 for how things have been done or how they're going: 18:24 "Well, you've managed some steady progress 18:25 on keeping your room clean." 18:27 "I really like how you play the violin." 18:30 Approval. Now, if you're doing this already, 18:32 you are a good trajectory. 18:34 If you're not doing this already, 18:36 it's probably not because you don't approve of 18:40 or appreciate certain people and what they do, 18:42 it's more than likely because 18:43 you just haven't thought about it. 18:45 So, think about it. It'll make a difference. 18:49 People will appreciate it; they'll appreciate you. 18:53 It'll become a positive habit in your life. 18:55 The next "A": attention. 18:58 People can tell you appreciate them 19:00 when you're generous with your attention, 19:03 when you maintain eye contact, 19:05 when you listen attentively, 19:07 when you put the phone down and listen and ask questions 19:12 and encourage others to tell their stories. 19:14 Now, this comes naturally to some people, 19:17 not so naturally to others. But you can develop this. 19:21 And then finally: admiration. 19:24 When you let people know how grateful you are 19:26 for the role that they play in your life: 19:28 "I'm so glad that you're my grandpa." 19:29 "You make me smile." 19:31 "You do such a good job with that." 19:33 That's, that's admiration. 19:37 Gratitude provides you with clearer vision. 19:40 That old saying: "Two men looked [through] prison bars. 19:44 One saw...mud, the other...stars." 19:46 There's some reality about that. 19:50 Now, what about that failed relationship, though? 19:53 Well, be thankful for the lessons that you've learned. 19:55 Ask God to fulfill you in better ways, 19:58 with better choices. 19:59 That DUI? An attitude of gratitude 20:02 would lead you to thank God for the wakeup call 20:04 about what alcohol is doing in your life, 20:06 maybe spur you to seek help. 20:09 Money problems? But you might be learning 20:11 that if you keep doing the same things, 20:13 you'll get the same results. 20:14 So, thank God for getting you this far, 20:17 for teaching you the importance of living within your means, 20:20 and for helping you develop better money management skills. 20:24 The Bible itself is full of thanks. 20:26 Psalm 136, verse 1: 20:28 "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! 20:30 For His mercy endures forever." 20:32 David said that four times in that one psalm alone. 20:36 When Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish 20:39 into a meal for thousands of people, He gave thanks. 20:42 Thanks for the food, no doubt, 20:44 but also thanks for what He knew His Father could do. 20:49 When you know that God is mighty enough 20:51 to speak galaxies into existence, 20:54 you then can pray with confidence. 20:57 And then you've got plenty to be thankful for. 21:00 At the Last Supper, Jesus gave thanks. 21:03 When 10 lepers were healed by Jesus, 21:06 one came back to say thank you. 21:09 But only one, and Jesus commented 21:12 on the thanklessness of the others. 21:15 At the tomb of Lazarus, 21:15 before one of the most remarkable miracles 21:18 ever performed, Jesus gave thanks before calling Lazarus 21:22 from the tomb in which he rested: 21:24 "And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 21:26 'Father, I thank You that You have heard me.'" 21:29 That's John 11, verse 41, 21:31 which makes a really important point. 21:35 When you pray, take time to thank God. 21:39 Now, we're encouraged to ask God for things in prayer. 21:42 But prayer needs to be about more than just presenting God 21:46 with a shopping list. 21:48 Praying with thanks will increase the fervency 21:50 of your prayers and increase your faith. 21:53 Because now instead of saying, "Please, Lord, 21:56 let there be fine weather on Friday," 21:58 you're saying, "Thank You for all Your blessings. 22:00 Thank You for the prayers You've answered." 22:02 And you'll pray with greater faith and greater confidence. 22:05 When you've just thanked God for making the sun, moon, and stars, 22:08 you'll have no trouble believing 22:10 that God can answer your prayer about the weather. 22:13 And if it turns out the weather is wet and not fine, 22:17 you know so much about God's goodness 22:19 that you'll trust Him anyway 22:21 and you'll believe that He has a perfect plan. 22:24 David thanked God for His blessings: 22:27 "Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all.... 22:31 "Now therefore, our God, we thank You 22:34 and praise Your glorious name." 22:36 You read that in 1 Chronicles, chapter 29. 22:39 When you thank God for what you have, 22:42 you're recognizing that it comes from Him. 22:46 You'll be less likely to be careless 22:47 because you'll understand it isn't yours but His. 22:51 And thanking God is going to encourage humility. 22:53 No, that house, that car, that vacation wasn't because 22:59 of your brilliance but because of God's providence. 23:05 After God revealed to Daniel the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, 23:07 along with its meaning, Daniel said, 23:10 "I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; 23:13 You have given me wisdom and might." 23:15 Daniel 2:23. 23:17 God had not only answered a prayer, 23:20 but He'd saved Daniel's life and the lives of his friends. 23:23 And Daniel didn't forget to thank God and acknowledge God 23:27 as the source of his wisdom. 23:29 And when King Jehoshaphat and Judah were confronted 23:32 by a vast army, the Bible says that 23:35 "when he had consulted with the people, 23:38 "he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, 23:40 "and who should praise the beauty of holiness, 23:42 "as they went out before the army and were saying: 23:45 'Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.'" 23:49 Now, notice this: 23:50 "Now when they began to sing and to praise, 23:54 "the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, 23:58 "and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; 24:01 and they were defeated." 24:02 Second Chronicles 20:21 and 22. 24:05 Judah defeated its enemy without firing a single shot, 24:11 and that came after the people went out praising God 24:16 in the face of what looked like certain defeat. 24:19 Now, praise and thanks are not one and the same, 24:21 but they're incredibly closely related. 24:24 Thanks is thanks, 24:25 thanking God for one thing or another. 24:28 Praise is more a focus on who God is, not what He gives. 24:33 You praise God for His goodness, His love, 24:36 His might, His power, His patience. 24:39 You praise God for His attributes. 24:41 You thank God for that fine Friday 24:44 or for your Aunt Keisha's successful surgery 24:47 or that your kids made it safely home for the holiday. 24:50 Now, praise and thanks are closely related. 24:54 God loves to hear them both. 24:56 God knows the power of gratitude 24:58 in keeping you focused, encouraged, and capable 25:02 of overcoming the confusion and darkness of this fallen world. 25:05 Now, gratitude is not a psych job; it's a reality check. 25:10 It's a spirit of appreciation recognizing that God 25:13 has a thousand ways to provide for you 25:15 of which you know nothing. 25:16 Paul put it this way in Colossians 4, verse 2: 25:19 "Continue earnestly in prayer, 25:22 being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." 25:24 Now, same author, Philippians, chapter 4: 25:27 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer 25:30 "and supplication, with thanksgiving, 25:33 "let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, 25:36 "which surpasses all understanding, 25:39 will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 25:42 Giving thanks brings peace. 25:45 ♪[soft contemplative music]♪ 25:46 Thanksgiving--or you could call it "thanks-living"-- 25:50 God's plan for a deeper experience with Him, 25:53 for better health and for a new, improved outlook on life. 25:58 With more thanks in your heart, 26:00 there's room for more of God in your heart-- 26:03 and for more of the blessing of God in your life. 26:06 Let me pray with you right now. 26:08 Our Father in heaven, we say thank You. 26:11 In the beginning You created this world, 26:13 and then by a miracle of providence, 26:16 You placed each one of us in it. 26:18 And when the world had gone astray 26:20 and sin had overtaken everything, 26:22 You allowed Your Son Jesus to come to this world 26:25 to die for our sin so that we might have hope 26:27 in and beyond this life, hope through what Jesus has done. 26:31 Friend, can you be thankful now? 26:33 Can you say, "Thank You, God, for Your goodness 26:36 and Your wonderful works to the children of men"? 26:38 I believe you can. And, Lord, we do. 26:41 We love You, we thank You, and we praise You 26:44 because You are good and a great God. 26:46 And we pray in Jesus' name. 26:48 Amen. 26:49 ♪[music fades]♪ 26:52 >>Announcer: Gratitude is a powerful emotion 26:55 that can lift your spirts 26:56 and dramatically enhance your sense of wellbeing. 26:59 Unlock the biblical secrets to a happier life 27:01 with today's gift, entitled "The Blessings of Gratitude." 27:05 It's absolutely free. 27:07 Just call 800-253-3000 27:10 or order online at iiwoffer.com. 27:13 Experience the incredible power of gratitude, 27:16 800-253-3000 27:18 or iiwoffer.com. 27:22 >>John: So, who knew something so simple, 27:25 doesn't cost anything, anybody can do it? 27:28 Who knew thanksgiving could be so profoundly influential 27:31 and effective in your life, even in your spiritual life? 27:36 I encourage you to be a person who is thankful, 27:39 thankful to God, and as you are, 27:41 I believe you'll draw closer to the heart of that great God 27:46 from whom all blessings flow. 27:48 Thanks so much for joining me. 27:49 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:51 Until then, remember: 27:53 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:57 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 28:01 ♪[dramatic, triumphant theme music]♪ 28:25 ♪[music ends]♪♪ |
Revised 2023-11-16