President Ronald Reagan was a master communicator. In his 1986 Thanksgiving Proclamation, he reminded Americans of the importance of recognizing God's hand on the founding of our nation and of "offering thanksgiving" to Him. In making these two points, Reagan often referenced our first president, George Washington, who prayed to God, recognized His hand in the colonies' success in the Revolutionary War, and proclaimed days of thanksgiving so the troops and, later, the citizens could thank God for his many blessings. Reagan also referred to "America the Beautiful," which is both a patriotic song and a prayer for God's blessing upon this land. He concludes by encouraging all Americans to pray and show God gratitude on Thanksgiving Day.

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Beloved President Abraham Lincoln guided the United States through the nightmare that was the Civil War. Even as brother fought against brother, Lincoln invited the divided nation to set apart a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer. Today we are again divided. As we set aside a day to celebrate Thanksgiving, let us listen to Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863. Then, let us learn how Lincoln’s proclamation established the national Thanksgiving holiday, how it encourages us to recognize our blessings and acknowledge the Source of those blessings, how it exhorts us to pray for our nation, how it has many similarities to George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789, how it calls the nation to unity, and how it applies to our own lives. Don't miss out on Lincoln's words of wisdom!

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The Constitutional Convention was one of the pivotal moments in U.S. history, and it nearly crashed and burned. Yet, Benjamin Franklin’s speech pushed the quarreling delegates to stop focusing on that which was contentious and served their own interests and to start focusing on what would be best for the nation as a whole. His call for prayer reminded them that even though they were intelligent and insightful, if they proceeded without God’s guidance and succor, their efforts would be in vain. After a 4th of July timeout for an attitude adjustment, the delegates resumed their debates. This time, a workable compromise was found.

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