"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!" --Psalm 107:1

Author Alex Haley had a picture on his office wall of a turtle sitting on a fence post. He said the picture was there to remind him of an important lesson: If you see a turtle on a fence post, you know he had some help getting there. Haley said, "Every time I'm tempted to think, 'Aren't I marvelous? Look at all I've accomplished!' I look at that picture and remember how this turtle - me - got up on that post."

You have probably heard the turtle-on-the-post illustration before, but I do like Haley's take on it myself. And especially this time of year, when we turn our attention to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving. Yes, the focus of our giving thanks is to God, who blesses us far more than we could ever deserve. We would never be up on the top of this proverbial post without Him putting us here, and so we should all count our blessings and give thanks.

In that light, someone once remarked that the worst of all possible moments for an atheist is to feel truly thankful and have no one there to thank. Most Americans are not actual atheists, of course, but as Calvin Miller wrote, they may be practical atheists. An actual atheist has no God to thank. A practical atheist has a God to thank, but never thinks of doing it.

Dr. Harry Ironside used to tell of an experience he once had at a restaurant. He ordered his meal, and just as he was about to eat, a man walked up to his table and said, "Do you mind if I sit down with you?" Dr. Ironside said that it was quite all right, so the man sat down. As was his custom, Dr. Ironside bowed his head and said a silent word of thanksgiving to the Lord before he ate. When he lifted up his head, the man said to him, "Do you have a headache?"

Ironside said, "No, I don't." The man said, "Well, is there anything wrong with your food?" Ironside answered, "No, why?"

"Well," the man said, "I saw you sitting there with your head down, and I thought you must be sick, or there was something wrong with your food." Ironside replied, "No, I was simply returning thanks to God as I always do before I eat."

The man said, "Oh, you're one of those, are you? Well, I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow, and I don't have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!"

Dr. Ironside said, "Yes, you're just like my dog. That's what he does, too!"

Maybe a little abrupt, but I'm guessing he got his point across. When we do not live our lives with gratitude to the God who provides for us, we are acting like irrational animals. More than that, we are not recognizing the source of our blessings, and our means of getting on the fence post to begin with. We are totally dependent on God, whether we realize it or not. And that is not just for the food we eat, or even the air we breathe, but for the grace to live each day and for our hope of eternity.

So let me take this time to say how grateful I am to God for His blessings on my life, and especially for allowing me to be a part of such a great church. I count my blessings daily for the privilege of serving as your pastor. I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you again this Sunday.

 --Pastor Ken