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A Proclamation - Abraham Lincoln
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This is the proclamation which set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theater of military conflict; while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.
I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.
October 3, 1863
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Seeking Eternal Riches - A BLE Testimony
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Featuring BLE Small Group Member Curt Kruse
Curt was at a crossroads in his life in 2004 when a good friend invited him to a BLE small group study. It was in that study that Curt was able to connect with other men in his same stage of life and engage in real and honest discussions about deep rooted issues. He started to see how God's Word applied to his own life and he now credits these experiences in the small group with making him a better man.
A member of the banking industry since 2000, Curt has seen that money can easily act as a substitute for God. In his BLE small group, he has studied Scriptural principles about finances and the Christian work ethic and he now has a clear understanding of God's character, especially in relation to his own life and work. He says that his increased joy and his desire to "invest in the eternal" have caused co-workers to notice "something different" in him and want to know why he is not as captivated by material things as they are. It has given him an opportunity to share his faith with others and praise God for uncovering his own weaknesses while reminding him that he is a "new creation."
Scripture memorization has also played a significant role in his spiritual growth.
"I can honestly say that I wouldn't have experienced the small victories through my life as a husband, father, and banker without God's flawless Scriptures that I have memorized and live upon every day of my life."
Through
the past five years in the small group, Curt and the other small group members
have read hundreds of Scriptures highlighting God's character, and in turn have
held each other accountable to mirroring these characteristics. more ... |
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In This Issue
| A Proclamation
| Seeking Eternal Riches
How You Can Help
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End of Year Giving
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As the BLE ministry continues to do God's work in the marketplace, we ask that you prayerfully consider including us in your end of year giving plans and partnering with us financially.
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See below for How You Can Help.
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