Thanksgiving  By Darla Dillon

The day began just like any other Thanksgiving Day. Off to the kitchen early morning to prep for the festivities of the day.

While it was the normal cycle of things, it somehow felt a little off to me. Thanksgiving Day over five weeks early! Our tradition dictated that it be celebrated on the third Thursday in November. Here we were, the second Monday of October, preparing our Thanksgiving Day meal.
Everyone was thrilled but me, especially the kids. Any reason to have a day off from school was a day to celebrate. A big meal with desserts, friends to play with and family to share. What more could one want?

Some years earlier, we had left our home in California and moved to our "new country" Canada. I had never fully embraced the difference in timing of the Thanksgiving from the tradition of my homeland. As time passed, two more children were born into our family. This being the only home they ever had known they could not understand my lack of enthusiasm. Besides, they had learned that they could have it all, Thanksgiving in October as well as Thanksgiving in November with their American family.

Not only was my heart not in it, I felt that our children were not really understanding why we celebrate Thanksgiving; that it was just becoming two occasions in which we had a big meal. Yet in spite of this - Thanksgiving it was.

So with the turkey in the oven, dressing made, and pies cooling on the racks we began our day of celebration. Today our church family and anyone else not celebrating with family were invited. As they began to arrive, it dawned on me the true meaning of Thanksgiving. It is about sharing and the thankfulness of having each other, God's blessings and the people He has brought into our lives.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. It really doesn't matter if it is October or November. It doesn't matter if it is with few or many, with much or with little. Every day is a good time to celebrate God's blessings, to share God and to give thanks! Several years have come and gone since that day. Not only did my children learn something about Thanksgiving but so did their mom.  From that point we tried to instill in our children these values and a sense of true thanksgiving. Now they are beginning to pass this along to their children.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year let us discover a true sense of thanksgiving for what God has done and let us pass the culture of thanksgiving on to our children.

Making Prayer Effective in My Life  By Becky Maracich

Prayer is not an option. It is a requirement for any child of God who wants to have a relationship with the Lord. But, lately I've been looking at how I am praying. I was surprised to see how much I had become a "lister" and not a worshipper. A "lister" is following the Word of God because so many scriptures tell us to let our requests be made known unto the Lord (Philippians 4:6), and Jesus told us to ask and it would be given to us (Matthew 7:7), so we have a foundation for asking the Lord to supply our needs.

 

However, I challenge you to ask yourself how much of your prayer time is spent in listing what you need or want, and how much of your time is spent in worshipping Him. He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and He desires more than a list of wants and needs. He desires our worship. He deserves our worship. Before anything is asked, He deserves to be praised!

 

Do you want to ensure you are not simply a lister, but rather a true worshipper? First, make sure to have a regular prayer life. Don't be hit or miss with that privilege. Let God know you are showing up at a regular time. Then, find a private place where you can listen to godly music and set an atmosphere for worship. If you need to orient yourself to God's presence, read some Psalms to get your mind focused on the goodness of the Lord. Then begin to worship Him. Thank Him for salvation first and praise Him for His Lordship in your life. Thank Him for His blessings to you and your family and to your church. You will find that as you truly worship Him for His goodness, He will remind you of His power to work in your life. As you begin to ask Him for the needs you have, quote scripture about His faithfulness to keep His word to you.

 

When we pray like this, we ensure that we are not simply putting a list before the Lord for Him to answer, but we put Him in His rightful place as Lord of all!

  

 

Editors note: Becky graduated from A.B.I and received a Bachelor's degree from Empire State College. She and her husband Benjamin have three beautiful daughters, three wonderful sons-in-law, and four grandchildren.  They pastored churches in NJ and NY for 31 years and now attend Solid Rock Church in Tempe, Arizona pastored by Brent Endris.

Praying the Word

Editor's Note  God is doing mighty things! If you have a praise report please send it to dozupc@aol.com or  debiakers@aol.com   Sincerely, Debbie Akers, DOZ Editor Ladies Ministries Connections UPCI Ladies Ministries

Special thanks to: Translators and Proofreaders  Missionary Regional Director for Europe/Middle East Region, Dianna Tuttle, Anna Magdas who translates into Dutch and Bea Pakaila proofs Dutch translation, Kristi Moore who translates into Spanish and Blanca Gamon proofs Spanish translation, Didier Deschamps Mbom who translates into French, Sandy Negron who translates into German and Susana Johnson who proofs German. Thank you all for your burden and passion for the work of God and the Daughters of Zion Prayer Ministry!