​Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen, twice voted the most influential business thinker in the world, explains why religion is essential in America in the video below.

Our Founding Fathers also boldly declared the essential role of religion and virtue in America, and warned us that without goodness in the people, liberty will be lost.  

We have reached a critical moment in the history of our nation. Faith and family, two vital pillars of freedom, are being attacked by government, educational institutions, entertainment and sports  industries, the news media, and even by big business. 

As religion loses its influence in the lives of American families, who will teach the next generation to voluntarily live good lives and obey the laws? Without the power that comes from strong families teaching their children the knowledge, attitudes, habits and skills necessary to value and preserve faith and freedom, our country, liberty, peace, and prosperity are in peril. 

"Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports.”  ~George Washington


"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."  ~John Adams


"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."  ~Benjamin Franklin 

Learn More​

• Goodness and Religion Are Essential for Liberty​​ (Founding Father quotes)
• The Importance of Religion in America 
• Remembering Our Heritage of Religious Freedom
• Text of the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom

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By the time they reached the shores of America, the Pilgrims had sacrificed much of what they held dear to worship God. They left their native country, family, friends, home, livelihood and many of the comforts of life, and landed in a cold and hostile wilderness.  

William Bradford tells us, “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet  on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.”

But their troubles were far from over. Bradford recounts, “It pleased God to visit us then with death daily, and with so general a disease that the living were scarce able to bury the dead.” More than half of the Pilgrims died the first winter.

And yet, when spring arrived and the captain of their ship offered to return them to England for free, not one Pilgrim accepted his invitation. Their faith in God gave them the strength to persevere.

Governor William Bradford declared, “Thus out of small beginnings greater things have grown by His hand. Who made all things out of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light enkindled here has shone to many, yea, in a sense, to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.”

The Pilgrims were willing to sacrifice everything for the freedom to worship God as they believed. In so doing, they laid the foundation for the creation of the greatest nation in the history of the world.

At this wonderful season of Thanksgiving, let’s take time to give thanks to God, to retell the story of the Pilgrims and the incredible price they paid to be faithful, and to recommit ourselves to pay the price to be true in our day. 


Watch

• The Mayflower Compact (4:25)
• The Mayflower Story (36:26)
• Plimoth Plantation Virtual Field Trips

          - Mayflower (19:52)
          - Pilgrim Village (17:54)
          - Wampanoag Homesite (16:51)
          - Plimoth Plantation (30:23)

• ​The Thanksgiving Story for Children - animated (24:35)
• William Bradford for Children - animated (27:16)
• Pocahontas for Children - animated (33:58)
• Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims for Children (7:09)
• Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving - Drive Thru History (5:20)  
• History of Thanksgiving with David Barton - Glenn Beck TV (6:42)
• True Story of Thanksgiving - Rush Limbaugh (14:21)
• What's the Truth About the First Thanksgiving? - Prager University (5:58)

Do

• Read George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation with your family. It could be on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving morning, at your Thanksgiving dinner table, or any time that works for your family. In fact you could read a quote, story, or any other meaningful Thanksgiving message together every day of Thanksgiving week. 
• Work together to prepare your Thanksgiving feast and to clean up afterwards.
• Do something nice for a military family and tell them how thankful you are for them.
• Help refugees or other immigrants in your community.
• Make or draw "We Are Thankful for You" posters or pictures and deliver them to friends and neighbors. Kids love to make it an anonymous surprise. Tape the picture to the front door or on the windshield of a car, ring the doorbell, and run.
• Take pictures of things you are thankful for and make a "Gratitude Scrapbook."
• The Pilgrims and Indians had friendly competitions.  You could participate in the local Turkey Trot, play games like catch, football, horseshoes, or frisbee golf.  
• Make Pilgrim Hats and Indian Headdresses for the kids.
• Do the Five Kernels of Corn activity.
• Make a Gratitude Craft.
• Do some Plimoth.org: Just for Kids activities.

Read

• Here's Why We Should Still Celebrate the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving
• The Pilgrims Depart from the Old World
• Pilgrims Arrive in the New World
• Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
• The Story of Thanksgiving
• Stories of the Pilgrims 
• Paying the Price to Be True
• George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
• Abraham LIncoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
• A Thanksgiving Message from Ronald Reagan
• Thanksgiving Quotations
• Remembering Our Heritage of Religious Freedom

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As Americans, we live in abundant freedom, peace, and prosperity. Few people in all the history of the world have enjoyed the blessings we often take for granted.  

But there is a price attached to freedom. Our men and women in the military sacrifice every day. Many live in hell, some fight and are wounded, others pay the ultimate price.  

Each one sacrifices much they hold dear to keep us free. 

Here are some great ways to honor our veterans as we celebrate Veterans Day.  

• Read the 2017 Veterans Day Presidential Proclamation. Or read the 2018 Presidential Proclamation on National Veterans and Military Families Month

 

• Attend your local Veterans Day Parade. Wear red, white, and blue. Take pictures. Express appreciation to any veterans you may see. Invite your kids to look for opportunities to say thank-you too. Usually, even teens come home happy that they went.

 

• Visit with a veteran. Whether you take advantage of Veterans Day specials and take them out to eat, or call and visit with them, or invite a vet into your home, this can become a favorite family tradition. My dad and father-in-law both served in World War II. Every year we called them for Veterans Day and invited them to tell us about their experiences.  Of course, we heard some stories many times, but we never get tired of them. We hope our kids tell them to our grandkids so our family legacy is passed from one generation to the next.

 

• Thank a military family. You could make them a card or a poster and take them a treat. Tell them how grateful you are for the sacrifices they are making (or have made) for our country.  Be sure to make extra treats so your family can have some when you return home. 

 

• Pray for those who are serving and their families. Talk about some of the sacrifices military families make, and ask God to bless them.  

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• Watch films that show the sacrifices made by those who have defended our freedom, like:        * Sergeant York (WW I)
        * Taking Chance (Iraq War)
        * The Unknowns (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier)
        * Hallowed Grounds (Overseas Military Cemeteries) 
        * Soldiers Reunited with Families ​(Iraq War)

 ​                * The Price of Freedom (World War II)
                 * 10 Life Lessons from Top Navy SEAL

• Serve. Not everyone serves in the military, but we can all do something to lighten the burdens of those who do and their families. Talk with your family about the best way you can help. The happy glow that comes from serving others may be your favorite part of the holiday. 

 

• Keep a family history book. Include in it stories of grandpas, uncles, and other family members who have served in the military. Share inspirational experiences and include plenty of pictures. A family history book can become a favorite source for bedtime stories! 

 

• Set up a tent. Talk about what the life of a soldier is like. If it's too cold outside, you could set up a tent in the house, complete with sleeping bags, snacks, and great stories.

 

• Read or tell a patriotic story. 

              * A Story from One of My Favorite Veterans
              * I Knew You Would Come
​              * Our Father
              * The Wall
​              * The Poppy Lady
              * Veterans -- Heroes in Our Neighborhood
              * H Is For Honor

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​"If we look to the answer as to why for so many years we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here in this land we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before. 

"Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on Earth. 

"The price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price." ~Ronald Reagan

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The courage and sacrifice of our veterans cannot be overstated.
When you see them, thank them for their service.
​You never know how powerful those words may be.

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On an autumn day much like this one, in November of 1861, Julia Ward Howe wrote the words to a song that encouraged the Union soldiers, influenced the course of the Civil War, and perhaps changed the course of history. 

This is the inspiring story behind that song, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” as told by Julia's great-great-great grandson.

It's a story we can share with our children to give them inspiration and confidence as they face the challenges of our day.

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​"I awoke in the grey of the morn­ing, and as I lay wait­ing for dawn, the long lines of the de­sired poem be­gan to en­twine them­selves in my mind. Having thought out all the stanzas, I said to my­self, 'I must get up and write these vers­es, lest I fall asleep again and for­get them!' So I sprang out of bed and in the dim­ness found an old stump of a pen, which I re­mem­bered us­ing the day be­fore. I scrawled the vers­es al­most with­out look­ing at the p­aper."

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Battle Hymn of the Republic

Lyrics: Julia Ward Howe

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence in the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
While God is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

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