This Thanksgiving

This Thursday, with the aroma of baked bread and a freshly roasted turkey filling the air, our family will sit down to dinner for a meal shared by millions of other grateful Americans. I can’t wait! One of our traditions is to take turns sharing something that we’re thankful for before digging into the feast. I’m sure we’re not the only family who recites what God has done in the past twelve months. This year, however, I plan to take that tradition to the next level. How? First, I’ve typed out several verses from the Bible onto individual sheets of paper. Then, following each verse I’ve posed a question. My plan is to have each family member read their verse aloud and then answer the question as best they can. Here, for example, are the verses and questions I’ve put together for our family of four. Feel free to use them around your dinner table if you’d like:

* “I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me” (Psalm 13:6). QUESTION: How has the Lord has been good to you this year?

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). QUESTION: Can you tell us several “benefits” or blessings that you’ve received from the Lord?

“Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). QUESTION: Can you think of an example where giving thanks to God was a challenge? If you gave Him thanks anyway, what happened?”

“Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song” (Psalm 95:2). QUESTION: What’s one of your favorite praise & worship songs? What makes it special?

And, while you’re reciting the countless blessings we enjoy here in America, why not remember the gift of freedom as well as those who put their lives on the line so that America remains free? I’ll admit it’s easy to forget the men and women in the armed forces who are defending freedom abroad. Regardless of your view of the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, these brave soldiers are sacrificing so much for us.

Across America there will be places at the table that are vacant because a loved one is in the field; others will never make it home because they paid the ultimate price with their life. There are mommies and daddies who will no longer be able to provide for their family due to serious injuries sustained in war. Honoring their service is something that we rarely are encouraged to do.

Which is why you may want to take five minutes to look at the powerful video tribute, “” by 15-year-old Lizzie Palmer with your family, which Chris Wallace aired last weekend on Fox News Sunday.