Thanksgiving Essays
This site annually hosts essay contests in November/December entitled "Why I am personally grateful to God." The essay was to be written including reasons why the author was grateful to God and how He has helped him in his life. Entries were selected on the basis of how they gave glory to God.
| 2001 Essay |
| No Entry Received |
| 2000 Essay |
| There is one real reason I am grateful to God. It is that
I am able to sit here today and type this. My answer is very simple
here. The basic fact that I am able to convey my emotions, and that I
have emotions which I can share is a miracle in itself. Before, when I
was doubting God and Christianity, I had no direction, no reason. Now I
do. I know that everything that happens to me, good or bad, has meaning.
Through my mistakes and talents, pain and happiness, I have learned more
about myself and the world than I ever would have without God. Without
God, nothing kept me from being unfaithful, nothing moved me. Without
God, I became very apathetic and undriven. Now, I am criticized for my
beliefs. I attend school in the engineering department of a university
and few of the students are religious. Often I have a hard time
justifying myself to these people. This has only makes me stronger,
because I am logical myself yet I still have strong faith and emotion
when it comes to my religion. To turn around an individual like myself,
God deserves praise. God deserves praise for allowing me the ability to
convey my beliefs through science. God gave us the ability to find the
truth, to answer questions. God gave us wonderful emotions all for free.
My understanding of God has not only made me more faithful but a better
person in general. But this understanding is only possible by God!
Without God, nothing is possible, but with God, so much is possible, and
I have witnessed this first hand by accepting Christ simply by my own
investigation and questioning, not by force from parents, etc.
Adam |
| 1999 Essay |
| I am personally grateful to God, because I was uncertain in
the path that I had chosen in life. Just under a year ago, I tried to
commit suicide; However, I was unsuccessful, even though I had very high
and dangerous levels of poison in my body. I took this as a sign from God
to change my ways and better myself. A second chance if you will. I'm am
very grateful for this "second chance" that he has given me. I
have used it in a productive way, I went on to graduate high school with
my class, and I am now attending college and maintaining a 3.33 GPA as a
true freshman with 17 credits, while being an active member of the track
and field team. I have become an active member of a local Christian church
that is here near my college campus. I am serving God in any way that I
can through my newly found church, and I feel that he has shown me my true
friends, and how I would have hurt them if I would have accomplished my
horrendous act. Every morning I wake up grateful that I am alive and well,
thanks to God and the second chance that he has given to me.
Joe |
Reflections
We are what we think.
- 05/21/2019 12:00 PM
Thoughts on the Movie Tolkien
British thinker and writer J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien (1892–1973) is one of the most beloved fantasy authors ever. As author of The Lord of The Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, his works rank among the best-selling books of all time. He has been popularly referred to as “the father of modern fantasy literature.” I saw the recent movie about his life, Tolkien, and wanted to offer my impressions.…
() - 05/14/2019 12:00 PM
Family Traits of Secular Naturalism, Part 1
Belief systems, like family members, often share recognizable features or traits. In that sense one can determine what a belief system is about by observing its traits. People often refer to atheism (the view that no God or gods exist) as an overarching worldview. But I think it would be more correct to say that the worldview that encompasses atheism is called naturalism.…
() - 05/07/2019 12:00 PM
How to Address Christian Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy among Christians is a serious issue. At minimum, it’s a huge turnoff for believers and unbelievers alike. In situations where people are actually victimized by it, hypocrisy can comprise a justifiable reason to rethink or reject the truth of Christianity. In either case, hypocrisy among those who claim to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is always regrettable. The word “hypocrite”…
() - 04/30/2019 12:00 PM
Is Sunday a “Pagan” Day of Worship?
With the recent observance of Easter, I’m reminded of an exchange I had with a reader concerning when Christians should worship. About a year ago I wrote an article entitled “A Dozen Evidences for the Resurrection of Jesus.”1 There I pointed out that one of the supporting factors for the resurrection is that Christ rose on Sunday and that the emergence of…
() - 04/23/2019 12:00 PM
Friday Philosophy from Thinker Ed L. Miller
On my Facebook and Twitter pages I have a weekly segment called #FridayPhilosophy, where I provide quotes from great philosophical thinkers. One philosopher I quote often is professor Ed L. Miller. Dr. Miller’s book Questions That Matter was the first philosophy textbook that I ever used in teaching philosophy and his writings significantly influenced my thinking on the subject. Here is a brief biography…
() - 04/16/2019 12:00 PM
#WednesdayWisdom from Thinker Mortimer J. Adler
On my Facebook and Twitter pages I have a weekly segment called #WednesdayWisdom, where I provide thoughtful quotes from great thinkers in various fields. The thinker that I most often quote is philosopher and educator Mortimer J. Adler. Adler influenced me significantly through his many books and public talks and I had the great pleasure of interacting with him through email shortly before his death at…
() - 04/09/2019 12:00 PM
Apologia Sophia: “Apologetics Wisdom” 6—More Classics
What is one of the best ways to prepare for explaining and defending Christianity’s truth claims? I suggest that tapping into the wisdom of historic Christianity’s greatest thinkers is one such way. As I pointed out in parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this series, the term apologia sophia (Gk: ἀπολογία σοφία) transliterates the Greek word endings and roughly translates to “apologetics wisdom.” In this final installment, I…
() - 04/02/2019 12:00 PM
Apologia Sophia: “Apologetics Wisdom” 5—Classics
What can past defenders of the faith teach us today? As it turns out, historic Christianity’s preeminent voices have passed on a treasure trove of wisdom. In parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 (of six) in this series, we highlighted the term apologia sophia (Gk: ἀπολογία σοφία), which transliterates the Greek word endings and roughly translates to “apologetics wisdom.” In that spirit, I offer some more practical…
() - 03/26/2019 04:59 PM
Apologia Sophia: “Apologetics Wisdom” 4—Online Engagement
Do you struggle with how to engage people who disagree online? You’re not alone. As noted in parts 1, 2, and 3 (of six), the term Apologia Sophia (Gk: ἀπολογία σοφία) transliterates the Greek word endings and roughly translates to “apologetics wisdom.” In this post, I hope to offer more such wisdom—practical advice—that can lead to more fruitful online discussions. Let me enumerate three points that I…
() - 03/19/2019 12:00 PM
A Memorial to Christian Theologian Desmond Ford
One of my favorite contemporary Christian theologians, Dr. Desmond Ford (1929–2019), died recently. He was an Australian evangelical theologian with deep roots in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) theological tradition. He was educated at both Michigan State and Manchester Universities, where he earned dual doctorates in New Testament studies. At Manchester, he studied under the eminent New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce.…
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http://godandscience.org/doctrine/thanksessays.html
Last updated November 25, 2001
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