Are You ‘Hungry’? [v178]

DECEMBER 2013

Are You ‘Hungry’?

Last week, in the U.S., we celebrated “Thanksgiving”—a holiday that commemorates a festival the Pilgrims had in 1621, to show their gratitude for the bountiful harvest they had the previous year.

If I asked you, a bit after noon on Thanksgiving Day, if you “were hungry,” most of you would have likely answered with a resounding “YES” (since you probably didn’t eat breakfast or lunch, waiting to have all the ‘goodies’ of the feast to come). Then, if I asked what you really “craved,” I’m sure I would have got a few different answers like, “turkey,” “stuffing,” “pumpkin pie,” “cranberry sauce,” “sweet potatoes,” or even the “bread.”

Now, though it’s sad that there were many people worldwide that went hungry on our “Thanksgiving Day” in the U.S.—or any other day of the year, for that matter—but I submit that even they have a DEEPER ‘hunger’ than just food! (I will explain this later).

[ FYI: Here’s a couple of great organizations that help starving people right here in the Detroit area, if you would like to help:
http://drmm.org/ and http://gracecentersofhope.org/ (Worldwide organizations cited below) ].


Well, a man by the name of Abraham Maslow wrote a paper, in 1943, entitled, “A Theory of Human Motivation.” In this paper, he developed a theory known as the “hierarchy of needs” [i.e. “hungers”, “cravings”]. It is often depicted as a pyramid consisting of five levels.

The lowest level is associated with our PHYSIOLOGICAL needs; that is our need for air, food, water, sleep, etc. Those things which our body naturally needs to stay alive. The next level deals with our need for SAFETY. The level above that outlines the need TO BE LOVED and to belong through friendships, family and even sexual intimacy. The fourth level speaks to our need to be ESTEEMED by others—to feel a sense of achievement. The top level Maslow says is our need for SELF-ACTUALIZATION. It is the realization of one’s own potential and possibilities through a number of motivating factors.

While Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a good outline of the ‘progression’ that we journey through as human beings—I believe that his pyramid does not represent the full picture. Though Maslow conducted much research and study to this topic, I believe he missed the GREATEST of all human ‘hungers’. So what do I think we are all ‘craving’? Well, maybe a story from the Bible will help here.


Jesus had been in the desert for 40 days, exposed to the sun by day, and the cold by night—without so much as a morsel of food to eat. The Bible says He was “famished.”

Along comes the Devil, saying to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to turn into bread.” Though Jesus could have done this, He responded, “It is written, there are other things in life that are much more important than bread!” In fact, Jesus was quoting a passage from the “Torah” (the first five books of the Bible), when Moses was reminding the Israelites why they had sojourned aimlessly in the desert for 40 years:

“God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” [Deuteronomy 8:3].

Though their bellies ached, the Israelites then understood what they were genuinely ‘hungry’ and ‘craving’ for was GOD HIMSELF—He was the ONLY ‘THING’ they needed for their very existence! Yes, they needed physical food, but they NEEDED GOD MORE—and the ‘food’ only He could provide—His life-giving “Word”! As Psalm 34:10 says, “The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who trust in the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.”


Another Psalmist, Asaph, said this: “Whom have I in heaven but You? I want nothing more on earth, but You. My body and my heart may grow weak, but God is the strength of my heart and all I need forever” [Psalm 75:25-26]. It seems he was saying that even though we may feel ‘weak’ from a lack of physical food, God will strengthen us in other ways.

A contemporary author, John Piper, explained it this way: “The key to Christian living is a thirst and hunger for God. And one of the main reasons people do not understand or experience the sovereignty of grace and the way it works through the awakening of sovereign joy is that their hunger and thirst for God is so small.”

Hmmm…Piper is suggesting that it may just be because we just aren’t that ‘hungry’ enough for God.

Spiritually, what are you ‘hungry’ for? What do you ‘crave’? Well, Jesus has the answer for you: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” [John 6:35]. It’s not physical food, it’s a belief in HIM…and in His ‘Kingdom’ to come: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” [Matthew 6:33].


So, is God a bit more specific about “everything you need”? Well, Jesus was. “I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” [Matthew 6:25-30].

Right back to ‘hungering’ and ‘craving’ God!


Well, God stands ready to ‘feed’ you—to ‘satisfy’ your soul—if you let Him. Then, He promises, when you place your faith in His Son; Jesus, He will forgive of all of your sins and consider you to be in a ‘right relationship’ with Him—guaranteeing you eternal life with Him in Heaven…forever!

[ Excerpts from: R.J. Davis; John Piper ]


RESOURCE:
“A Hunger for God” by John Piper

There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. I invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast: “This much, O God, I want you.”

Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives–whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our spirits for God. But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an arch-enemy. While our hunger for God–and Him alone–is the only thing that will bring victory.

Do you have that hunger for Him? As John Piper puts it: “If we don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.” If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul’s appetite for God.

Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is this path of pleasant pain called fasting. It is the path John Piper invites you to travel in this book. For when God is the supreme hunger of your heart, He will be supreme in everything. And when you are most satisfied in Him, He will be most glorified in you.

Quotes from the book:

“If you don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.”

“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night.”

“But it would be a great mistake to think that the awakening of desire for the Bridegroom would produce a wave of monastic withdrawal into the fasting and prayer of passive waiting. That is not what the awakening of desire for Christ would produce. It would produce a radical, new commitment to complete the task of world evangelization, no matter what the cost. And fasting would not become a pacifistic discipline for private hopes, but a fearsome missionary weapon in the fight of faith.”

“Therefore bread was created for the glory of Christ. Hunger and thirst were created for the glory of Christ. And fasting was created for the glory of Christ. Which means that bread magnifies Christ in two ways: by being eaten with gratitude for his goodness, and by being forfeited out of hunger for God himself. When we eat, we taste the emblem of our heavenly food—the Bread of Life. And when we fast we say, “I love the Reality above the emblem.” In the heart of the saint both eating and fasting are worship. Both magnify Christ.”

“O, the lessons here for us! Name your discouraging setback—personal, political, scholarly, ecclesiastical, cultural, global. Dare any Christian say that God is not in this for the good of his people and the glory of his name? Not if our God is the God of Ezra! Do you think these setbacks are not without some great purpose of righteousness bigger and more stunning than any of us can imagine?”

“Will I find spiritual communion with God sweet enough, and hope in his promises deep enough, not just to cope, but to flourish and rejoice in him?”

“The supremacy of God in all things is the great reward we long for in fasting. His supremacy in our own affections and in all our life-choices. His supremacy in the purity of the church. His supremacy in the salvation of the lost. His supremacy in the establishing of righteousness and justice. And his supremacy for the joy of all peoples in the evangelization of the world.”

FREE Book Excerpt:
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/books/a-hunger-for-god

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[P.S.: If you would like to investigate what the Bible says about how to say “thanks” to God for offering you the gift of eternal life, visit the following link:
http://www.4vis.com/sfm/sfm_pres/sp_q11_d4_1of10.html


LIFE’S DEEP THOUGHTS (v178) for DECEMBER 2013
If you have a ‘neat’ story or some thoughts about an issue or current event that you would like me to try to respond to, I would be glad to give it a try…so, send them to me at: mbesh@comcast.net

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ORGANIZATIONS FIGHTING HUNGER
The top four Christian humanitarian organizations fighting poverty, slavery and world hunger are Compassion International, Food For The Hungry, World Vision, and Samaritan’s Purse.

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Compassion International:
“Do you have enough? Or do you have more than enough? Have you ever wondered why? Perhaps you have more, so that you can reach across to a child in poverty and bring him up to ‘enough’. Give a child hope, and the lie of poverty has nowhere to hide.” [Dr. Wesley K. Stafford, President, Compassion International]

Compassion International is a Christian child sponsorship organization, dedicated to releasing children from economical, physical and spiritual poverty.

Headquartered in Colorado Springs, it is active in 26 poverty stricken countries around the world. It was founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952 to provide Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care as well as Christian teaching. Today they are still active in the fight to save children from poverty, helping more than 1,200,000 children through child sponsorship programs, education, health provision and vocational training. Through their engagement they aim to unravel the lies of poverty, allowing children to grow up having dreams and to succeed in life according to Christian values.

Through the gifts of financial resources, prayers and love, Compassion International is working towards breaking the vicious cycle of life in poverty, understanding that escaping poverty requires economic and spiritual self-sufficiency. Understanding that poverty is deeper than the lack of food, clothing or shelter; it is a lack of hope. Without hope millions of children around the world are defenseless against the unrelenting voice of the enemy, which makes children believe the following: ‘Life holds nothing for me’, ‘I don’t count’, ‘I am worthless’, ‘no one can help me, ‘I am garbage’, ‘I don’t matter’.

“To beat poverty, we must give children the opposite of poverty. But the opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poor is not rich. It’s enough. Enough to succeed; physically, socially, economically and spiritually.” [Dr. Wesley K. Stafford, President]

“Compassion International” Web Site:
http://www.compassion.com/

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Food For The Hungry:
Food for the Hungry (FH) is a Christian humanitarian organization helping the poor. With Sponsorship programs and operations in 26 countries, FH was founded by Dr. Larry Ward in 1971 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Its stated mission is: “To walk with leaders, churches and families in overcoming all forms of human poverty by living in healthy relationship with God and His creation” [Book of Psalms 146:7].

Larry Ward founded FH due to his ‘hurting heart’ for the suffering of the 12,000 children dying of hunger at that time in Haiti and Bangladesh. Since then, FH has been actively providing aid to the world’s most vulnerable people without consideration of race, gender or religion when it comes to helping the poor. Biblical values are upheld as FH operates from the understanding that poverty is the result of broken relationships:

– Between humans and humans
– Between humans and creation
– Between humans and God
– By restoring these relationships in a holistic way, poverty CAN be overcome.

By partnering with Food for the Hungry, you can serve the poor in two key ways; to provide food, shelter and clothing to survivors of natural disasters, and to ensure long-term economic development within impoverished communities. FH works towards turning these into healthy, productive places for children to grow up in.

FH is one of the key four humanitarian organizations we are considering here. Food for the Hungry previously focused on food distribution and economic development programs, but now increasingly focuses on HIV/AIDS prevention.

“Food for The Hungry” web Site:
http://fh.org/

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World Vision:
World Vision Is an Evangelical Christian humanitarian organization active in 97 countries, dedicated to helping the poor, working with children, families and communities to beat poverty and injustice. Deeply inspired by Christian values, they are dedicated to working with the world’s most vulnerable people. Founded by Bob Pierce in 1950, World Vision has grown into one of the largest Christian and humanitarian organizations. Working according to evangelical convictions and within a theological framework World Vision seeks to incorporate Christian belief into its missions of helping the poor, provide emergency relief, economic development, promote justice and spread awareness of countries in need. “In Christ, we have a role model who healed the sick, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and comforted the outcast, and whose message was about restoring relationships and reconciliation.”

World Vision works with families, communities and partners to ensure that children can grow up healthy and happy, be educated for life and experience the love of God and their neighbors. With a stress on Christianity as a part of any culture, World Vision is not affiliated with one specific church. Their staff is composed of all branches of Protestantism, Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.

“World Vision” Web Site:
http://www.worldvision.org/

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Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan’s Purse is also a non-denominational Christian humanitarian organization, active in more than 100 countries worldwide dedicated to helping the poor, assisting people with physical needs as well as engaging in missionary work. Also Founded by World Vision founder Bob Pierce in 1970 with the vision to:

“Meet emergency needs in crisis areas through existing evangelical mission agencies and national churches”

As one of the world leading Christian organizations, Samaritan’s Purse mission statement declares that the humanitarian organization seeks to meet the spiritual and physical needs of people suffering from war, poverty, disaster, disease and famine. Through combining missionary work with humanitarian aid relief projects, Samaritan’s Purse seeks to propagate the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Samaritan’s Purse specializes in emergency relief, providing shelter, water, food and nutrition, sanitation, medical care and public health.

Through an initial missionary focus, Samaritan’s Purse has grown into one of the largest Christian organizations to provide large-scale disaster relief, as in the examples below:

– Providing urgency medical care in the midst of harrowing conflicts in Somalia in 1993, Sudan since 1997, Kosovo 1999, Afghanistan 2002, and Iraq in 2003.
– Providing urgency relief following Hurricane Mitch in 1998, The El Salvador earthquakes in 2001, the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
– Providing emergency airlifts in Indonesia and Pakistan in 2005, North Korea in 2007, Myanmar and China in 2008.
– Providing Food distributions to hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Uganda and Darfur.

“Samaritan’s Purse” Web Site:
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

[Source: ShareFaith –
http://www.sharefaith.com/blog/2013/06/top-4-christian-humanitarian-organizations-fighting-poverty-slavery-world-hunger/ ]

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THE REAL MEANING OF THANKSGIVING
One of the people I’m truly thankful for today is Rush Limbaugh.

Back in 1993, he asked me to help him with what would become his second book and one of the biggest best-sellers in non-fiction history—“See, I Told You So.”

One of my contributions to that amazing book, which I have urged Rush privately to put back in print, was a chapter on the real meaning of Thanksgiving.

It bugged me that there were so many new myths and misconceptions surrounding the people responsible for the American Thanksgiving tradition. Contrary to popular opinion, the Pilgrims didn’t wear buckles on their shoes or hats. They weren’t teetotalers, either. They smoked tobacco and drank beer. And, most importantly, their first harvest festival and subsequent “thanksgivings” weren’t held to thank the local natives for saving their lives.

Nevertheless, that’s what many public schools in America were actually teaching. Despite Rush’s best efforts, the situation today is even worse. Some textbooks, in their discomfort with open discussions of Christianity, say as much. I dare suggest most parents today know little more about this history than their children.

Yet, there is no way to divorce the spiritual from the celebration of Thanksgiving—at least not the way the Pilgrims envisioned it, a tradition dating back to the ancient Hebrews and their feasts of Succoth and Passover.

The Pilgrims came to America for one reason—to form a separate community in which they could worship God as they saw fit. They had fled England because King James I was persecuting those who did not recognize the Church of England’s absolute civil and spiritual authority.

On the two-month journey of 1620, William Bradford and the other elders wrote an extraordinary charter—the Mayflower Compact. Why was it extraordinary? Because it established just and equal laws for all members of their new community—believers and non-believers alike. Where did they get such revolutionary ideas? From the Bible, of course.

Experience more of Joseph Farah’s no-nonsense truth-telling in his books, audio and video products, featured in the WND Superstore

But there is more than spiritual inspiration to take from the Pilgrims’ experiment in liberty.

When the Pilgrims landed in the New World, they found a cold, rocky, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, Bradford wrote. No houses to shelter them. No inns where they could refresh themselves. During the first winter, half the Pilgrims died of sickness or exposure—including Bradford’s wife. Though life improved for the Pilgrims when spring came, they did not really prosper. Why? Once again, the textbooks don’t tell the story, but Bradford’s own journal does. The reason they didn’t succeed initially is because they were practicing an early form of socialism.

The original contract the Pilgrims had with their merchant-sponsors in London called for everything they produced to go into a common store. Each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belonged to the community. Bradford, as governor, recognized the inherent problem with this collectivist system.

“The experience that was had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years… that by taking away property, and bringing community into common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing—as if they were wiser than God,” Bradford wrote. “For this community (so far as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children without any recompense… that was thought injustice.”

What a surprise! Even back then people did not want to work without incentive. Bradford decided to assign a plot of land to each family to work and manage, thus turning loose the power of free enterprise. What was the result?

“This had very good success,” wrote Bradford, “for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.”

As a result, the Pilgrims soon found they had more food than they could eat themselves. They set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians. The profits allowed them to pay off their debts to the merchants in London much faster than expected. The success of the Plymouth colony thus attracted more Europeans and set off what we call the “Great Puritan Migration.”

But it wasn’t just an economic system that allowed the Pilgrims to prosper. It was their devotion to God and His laws. And that’s what Thanksgiving is really all about. The Pilgrims recognized that everything we have is a gift from God—even our sorrows. Their Thanksgiving tradition was established to honor God and thank Him for His blessings and His grace.

And that’s why I’m thankful to Rush today. Long ago, he made it an annual Thanksgiving tradition to read that chapter of “See, I Told You So” on his radio show. In his newest No. 1 best-selling children’s book, “Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims,” he reprises much of this story for a new generation of readers.

And that, too, is something to be thankful for.
[Source: Joseph Farah – World Net Daily ]

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TOP 10 WAYS TO DEAL WITH HUNGER
Tricks to turn down your appetite

1. Bulk up your meals. There’s a lot of evidence that bulk—that is, fiber—reduces appetite. So turn up the volume with higher-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. These foods also tend to have a high water content, which helps you feel full.

2. Cool off your appetite with soup. Have a bowl of broth or vegetable-based soup (hot or cold) for a first course, and you’ll probably end up eating fewer total calories at that meal. Creamy or high-fat soups need not apply for this job—stick to the low-cal, high-fiber choices like minestrone or vegetable-bean type soups.

3. Crunch your appetite away with a big salad. One study found that when people had a large (3 cups), low-calorie (100 calories) salad before lunch, they ate 12% fewer calories during the meal. When they had a smaller salad (1-1/2 cups and 50 calories), they ate 7% fewer calories overall. You can make the same salads used in the study: Toss romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, celery, and cucumbers together, and top with fat-free or low-fat dressing. But beware the fatty salad! Eating a high-calorie salad, even a small one, can encourage us to eat more calories at the meal than if we ate no salad at all.

4. Stay on course. A little bit of variety in our meals is good and even healthful. But having several courses during a meal can lead you down the wrong path. Adding an extra course to your meal (unless it’s a low-calorie salad or broth-type soup) usually increases the total calories you consume for that meal.

5. An orange or grapefruit a day helps keep appetite away. Research suggests that low-calorie plant foods that are rich in soluble fiber—like oranges and grapefruit—help us feel fuller faster and keep blood sugars steady. This can translate into better appetite control. Of the 20 most popular fruits and vegetables, oranges and grapefruits are highest in fiber!

6. Get milk (or other low-fat dairy foods). Increasing your intake of low-fat dairy foods is a great way to get more of two proteins that are thought to be appetite suppressors—whey and casein. And drinking milk may be especially effective. A recent study found that whey—the liquid part of milk—was better at reducing appetite than casein.

7. Have some fat with your carbs—but not too much! When we eat fat, a hormone called leptin is released from our fat cells. This is a good thing when we’re talking about moderate amounts of fat. Studies have shown that a lack of leptin (due to a very low-fat diet) can trigger a voracious appetite. Obviously, we want to do the opposite of that. But that doesn’t mean we should opt for a high-fat meal. Research has found a higher frequency of obesity among people who eat a high-fat diet than among those who eat a low-fat diet.

8. Enjoy some soy. Soybeans offer protein and fat along with carbohydrates. That alone would suggest that soybeans are more satisfying and more likely to keep our appetites in control than most plant foods. But a recent study in rats suggests that a particular component in soybeans has definite appetite-suppressing qualities.

9. Go nuts. Nuts help you feel satisfied because of their protein and fiber content. A handful of these vitamin-and mineral-rich nuggets will hold you over between meals. But keep that handful small: Nuts are high in fat, even though it is the healthful monounsaturated kind.

10. Slow down, you’re eating too fast. It takes at least 20 minutes for your brain to get the message that your stomach is officially “comfortable” and that you should stop eating. If you eat slowly, the brain has a chance to catch up with the stomach, and you’re less likely to overeat.
[Source: WebMD – Elaine Magee, MPH, RD]

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THANKSGIVING WEATHER FORECAST

Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the gravy.

A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34F in the refrigerator.

Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat sandwiches will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be expected both days with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup late in the day. We expect a warming trend where soup develops. By early next week, eating pressure will be low as the only wish left will be the bone.
[Source unknown]

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FIVE KERNELS (Pilgrim Poem)
– The first kernel reminds us of the autumn beauty around us
– The second kernel reminds us of our love for each other
– The third kernel reminds us of God’s love and care for us
– The fourth kernel reminds us of our friends, especially our Native American brothers
– The fifth kernel reminds us that we are a free people

Click the following link to find out a bit more about the poem and the First Thanksgiving:
http://www.4VIS.com/thanksgiving.htm#5Kernels

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‘STUFFED’ TURKEY
The turkey shot out of the oven and rocketed into the air;
It knocked every plate off the table and partly demolished a chair.

It ricocheted into a corner and burst with a deafening boom,
Then splattered all over the kitchen, completely obscuring the room.

It stuck to the walls and the windows, it totally coated the floor;
There was turkey attached to the ceiling, where there’d never been turkey before.

It blanketed every appliance; it smeared every saucer and bowl;
There wasn’t a way I could stop it; that turkey was out of control.

I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure, and thought with chagrin as I mopped,
That I’d never again stuff a turkey with popcorn that hadn’t been popped!
[Author unknown]

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Foods that PROBABLY WERE on the Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving Menu:
– Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster
– Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles
– Meat: Venison, Seal
– Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn
– Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots
-Fruit: Plums, Grapes
– Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns
– Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips

Foods that WERE NOT on the Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving Menu:
(Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn’t appear on the pilgrims’s first feast table):

– Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.
– Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common.
– Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.
– Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.
– Pumpkin Pie: It’s not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.
– Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it’s unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.
– Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it’s possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.
[Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plimoth Plantation].

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The Top 10 Thanksgiving-themed Movies (Parody)

10. To Kill A Walking Bird
9. My Best Friend’s Dressing
8. Casserolablanca
7. The Fabulous Baster Boys
6. 12 Hungry Men
5. Silence of the Yams
4. All the President’s Menu …

Click the following link to find out the top three movies:
http://www.4VIS.com/thanksgiving.htm#Facts

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DEEP THOUGHT:

“Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.”
[Mother Teresa]

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Hope you enjoyed some of these insights—share them with your friends and colleagues—so we can have a larger ‘pool’ to receive from, and more to share with! Also, remember to include your name as the “source,” if some of this wisdom is of your doing—I would like to give credit where credit is due!

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
[Matthew 5:6]

Mark

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Disclaimer: All the above jokes & inspirations are obtained from various sources and copyright are used when known. Other than our name and headers, we do not own the copyright to any of the materials sent to this list. We just want to spread the ministry of God’s love and cheerfulness throughout the world.

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