Been like for you know the settlers the Pilgrims the want to know a tribe how many of those settlers ended up dying through that harsh winter I mean Neal let me toss this over to you 1st of all sometimes it's scary to think about how blessed we really truly are in this country what it's like to gather together at the Thanksgiving table today and then we contrast that to what the pilgrims with the Mayflower settlers what they had to go through and how difficult of a time they had to be yet still giving thanks to God in the midst of all of it yeah and you know for whatever reason as you were saying that my mind flashed back to a trip I took one time to the Dominican Republic to be on a short term mission trip and I said you know it's my 1st encounter with extreme poverty and there are places in the world that may be worse off but I mean I saw people living in 10 hots and cardboard boxes and all kinds of stuff and I just remember thinking how grateful I was for the things I've been blessed with but I also saw gratitude in those folks and it was amazing but you're right I mean living here in the West and particularly in North America. We have been abundantly blast so it's almost mind boggling to think back to what life might have been like when you didn't know honestly if you're going to wake up in the morning or contract some kind of an illness that would take your life because in the absence of antibiotics and proper medical care and stuff the life expectancy was so short and yet in the middle of all those things there was a pause to give thanks and that actually warms my heart it reminds us that we ought to be giving thanks all the time not just one day a year as you suggested earlier right so true and I mean Roger to toss this over to you. I mean think about the contrast of what Thanksgiving is like for us here in America compared to what the 1st things giving was like for them I mean sometimes it's. It's hard to wrap your brain around just how difficult they had it and by the way there are people living in that very way right now all around the world and you know what they're still giving thanks to the Lord yet in this country sometimes we have we have to set aside a special day to remind ourselves oh let me give thanks to the Lord when people are suffering this immensely around the world and they're thinking every day. Oh yeah and to Neil's point too it's hard for us to wrap our brains around what it was like you know back in the 17th century and I think about that 1st Thanksgiving as we recognize that no we typically celebrate it because the fact that it was basically a festival that went on for you know 23 days and the fact that there were actually more Native Americans than pilgrims there shows that everybody was taking into consideration the hand of some kind of providential guidance that was providing for them and as you know we sit here and let's say that with the modern conveniences we have word for different states talking over the Internet and sometimes. Just for us at the Internet hookup goes out so I mean I. Earlier And I echo your sentiments to Bob. We don't have any problems compared to what they had but at the same time that does diminish our capacity to give thanks or to say hey why don't we get together and just give thanks to God for the fact that we're here and we've been blessed and this is a great day and this is a great time and a great situation it is interesting to me that from George Washington through Abe Lincoln this was not a national holiday you know it was kind of celebrated immediately admitted things that it seems to me that we would be great thanking God for all those years but you know just going to shows the depravity of man has still been present even in the United States of America ever since our founding so true John what's your take on all this you know I mean you know what you guys said is very true I think the thing we also have to remember and there's times I have to go back and read you know the account because we you know we get so caught up in what we're doing each year and even each day here in the United States in modern you know modern United States I should say but back then the majority of the people in attendance form in teenagers and some children because most of the women had died you know that previous winter so you know if you see pictures of a bunch of women at that particular event that's not really a true picture because the you know there's written accounts where the majority of the women you know passed away the prior year and again just thinking through the hardships. That they had and yet and I don't want to talk about this later with all the hardships they had still giving thanks to God and they had a prayer you know before the meal and after the meal as well doing exactly what we're talking about thanking the lord for you know for the provisions for what they had in their life that they hadn't and you know I think in our our world today it leases how I see it we owe those men and women so much and I realize that you know wots of things happened since and you know you can't say that it was all them but had they not had the fortitude and the ability to do what they did and settle this country you know we we would all be here and who knows if we know even if somebody else had settled it who knows we'd be speaking English today very true very true you know another thing this is a little bit more light hearted than some of the serious stuff we're talking about right now you ever think about what the food was like back then and how different it was than today I mean seriously. My guess is they did not have pumpkin pie they probably didn't have sweet potato casserole with brown sugar sprinkled on top and maybe some marshmallows. But here's the most important thing that I want to find out the cranberry sauce is there anybody out there with me that prefers the pay's de cranberry sauce out of a can that looks like cat food coming out that still has. Ripples on it as if that to me is the best kind of processed cranberry sauce not the real stuff with big chunky pieces of cranberry and you have to chew my family thinks I'm nuts they have to get a can of this paste only to appease me but please tell me I'm not alone here. You guys are all on your own on the cranberries Yeah I don't eat them too I thought at least one of you guys would be right and God. Apparently no but apparently not. Will not one of you stay awake with no everyone. I don't know we got a lot of serious heavy things to talk about I just thought well you know it does have a little bit of light hearted fun to do and you know this is you know Bob Yeah those lines through the thing that we forget is in there is again this is documented you know they had seafood and things like that at that meal which you know we you know again we don't you know we've gone this traditional having turkey ham things along those lines but they probably had you know shrimp lobster things along those lines right now a very true version actually if you go back and look at the menu that they had done some research on this a very not very similar to to our menus today at all I mean it is possible that they were eating turkey but you know that they probably may have but we don't really know. Side note here and I'm going to I'm going to access my inner cliff clave and I don't know if anybody gets that reference but do you guys know Benjamin Franklin one of the turkey to be the official bird of the United States not the go and he was actually voted down anybody know that I heard that I heard I didn't know if it was substantiated but I did hear that you know what who knows for all I know that could be the same kind of urban legend is George Washington chopping down the territory for you know who knows but that seems to be part of it what about what about Thanksgiving traditions I mean what do you guys do I know tomorrow at our house where Haven't the boys all over the house and so the family's going to be there and will have you know the big bang at the house you guys have any interesting Thanksgiving traditions or just pretty much are you trying to get together with the in-laws. I'll just jump in and say that one of the big traditions that we've had around our house over the years is playing football on Thanksgiving morning now you know wow people that like to hunt but since the time I was a kid you know in our neighborhood we went out and we played football on Thanksgiving morning and so it high. Well fields and elementary school fields and wherever there was some green grass to play on or snow depending on what the weather was like the guys would be out playing either touch or tackle football and I actually my when my boys were growing up we did you know I included them as early as I could they got them involved and I'm 59 now but my last year playing tackle football was at the age of 55 so it was hard to let it go and then actually the guys who were all much younger than me who played in that game gave me a little plastic gold spray painted Turkey trophy and inducted me into the Thanksgiving Day Hall of Fame show anyway that's a tradition and then I mean obviously kind of hanging out after the meal and just fellowship you know and I it's one of the reasons I actually like Thanksgiving better than Christmas because there's way less trappings it's just about in my mind some food and fellowship and I love the simplicity of it that's great 59 get out there and still play for Actually I'm 59 too so I guess where the old guys in the crowd. Are you know what actually the last time I played football with my boys was about was about 10 years ago and I remember I think this might have been things giving to I can't remember tore my a.c.l. . Complete sever actually completes her and the miss because it was completely torn so much so that my my the bone the the lower part of the bone below the knee camera was that's called the t.v. Or whatever anyway it. It actually dislodged and it stuck out to the side and I had to push it back in Miami Ok really out there on the field but you know what hey I was a tough guy and that's how it works and you get up and you walk into the hospital like a man or like an idiot either own lives either way of looking at it. So that was my Thanksgiving tradition what a bunch of guys anything else. No I mean you know it's I mean b.s. Of you guys a little bit I think you know when you're so off employed in family business and there's lots going on along those lines and for this time of the year especially we're you know very busy knowing you know I do other things outside of radio hosting and so on one of my businesses a snow removal in this time of year we can have you know big snow like we just had which you know typically for us Thanksgiving is just sort of a day of rest and recuperation in and get together as a family and enjoying each other's company but we don't we don't really do any of the of the things you guys are talking about probably because of how things are this time of the year for us. Our own of the field. Schools I would love to yeah probably would Roger you got anything really fun planned for tomorrow. Not really I mean the thing about our situation of the family is my brother lives in a different state so my parents always travel to visit him my sister's a nurse she works all day because that's what she likes to do on holidays my kids are older and grown and they do things with their respective other family so we was kind of our day thanks that they were we kind of go and celebrate with other families that's that's part of the tradition maybe as more grandkids show up will start some new traditions and and who knows you guys been spired me maybe I should be out there on the football around 2 even though I'm much younger than. 58 Well you know. I mean really really know these kids today they begin to tell you well let's do this short break and we're going to continue talking about Thanksgiving we're going to get into some of the things that we're really thankful for and we do want to take this opportunity to give thanks to God and kind of remind people of how much we really do have to be thankful for but then also a little bit later on what about people going through really difficult trial in pain and they're not feeling terribly faithful right now how do we handle stuff like that and talk with them about it so more coming up after the break here on the national Crawford roundtable podcast be transformed by the Word of God with Callista big and truthful and every week day I was debating teaches the Bible through the words my verse attention to the Word of God You can listen to truth for life on your local Crawford broadcasting station or listen online to truthful life . Please support this important ministry with your donations and the truth in life dot org website or by calling 808-5784 be sure to let them know you heard about truthful life from the National Crawford roundtable. Continuing on this nation in Crawford roundtable podcast this Thanksgiving week as we talk with a neo Boron out of Buffalo New York Roger marsh out of Southern California John rush out of Denver myself Bob Do Co out of Detroit and so you guys just talk about the things that we really are thankful for we do. We have so much to thank the Lord for for what he's given us I mean obviously I think we can all agree the ultimate number one thing to be thankful for is salvation through Jesus Christ I mean God coming to Earth to take on human form to shed his blood so that we can be forgiven of our sins and reconciled and to him this is a tremendous gift that God has given us so I know that's the ultimate default thing to be thankful for of course but there are a lot of lesser blessings that we've been so blessed with in this country really in our lives and I honestly one of them that comes out to me is just the blessings that we have to live in America the freedoms that we have the liberties that we have that we take for granted until you go to some other countries around the world and you come back to this country and you get off the plane you want to kiss the ground we really do have a tremendous amount of blessing in this nation the provision that we have so much that we have in this nation and sometimes guys I think we just lose sight of it and Neal to toss it back over to you anybody who's traveled the world and I know we all have there is something about coming back to this country and realizing look how much God has given us look at the freedoms and liberties that we have in this country and look how easy it is for us to take it for granted and still end up complaining every day. And there's far too much complaining on the part of folks who live here in the West End and all of us we're all guilty of it 2 times you know just waking up wishing that the sun was shining but instead it's a gloomy day outside and those things are just so minor compared to what we've been offered you mentioned you know being in other parts of the world and then even the conversation we had here about what the 1st Thanksgiving might have looked like whether it was you know in the 1500s or the 1600s because I guess there was some Thanksgiving kind of stuff happening in Florida or what is now Florida. In the 1500s but you're right and I think the 1600s are where we really credit the origins of Thanksgiving but what struck me about that conversation and just listening to some of you guys share your own thoughts about what might have been going on there is that even though they may have had some lobster and seafood which I enjoy and those were blessings they were hard to come by I mean it wasn't like you just jump in a motorized boat and get out there you know to your crab pots and pull in the crab or you know that you run down the store to run down the street to the local supermarket and pick up on turkey or something the access to any blessing that they had was so hard to come by because there were there was no stores and there was no road to the stores if there had been a store so everything everything kind of came from scratch in a way like you know even tools to work the ground had to be manufactured and there was no plans to do that so everything everything really came down to what what was made available to them on a daily basis and what they were going to do with it and so you know I think one of the great things that I'm thankful for is the idea that we have opportunity that we have breath in our lawns the sun comes up every single morning into God's mercy is new and then with the opportunity to make something of the situation that's been provided for us because you're right I mean we have been given an abundance of things you know material things and we have automobiles and televisions and technology and churches to worship in and all of those things are things but what are we going to do with them and I think opportunity and a relationship with God in a relationship with others and breath in our longs is really one of the greatest things in my mind to be grateful for and I pray to God that I never overlook that reality because stuff changes you know technology will go away or cars will break down sometimes relationships dissolve unfortunately but in the midst of all of it we still have a God who loves us an opportunity to do something with that relationship and the life that he's given us so. I don't know I don't know where I'm going with all that except to say that I just think that it sort of thinking about Thanksgiving goes way beyond just material objects into huge concepts about you know the very opportunities God placed before us and so true to Roger what would you find yourself being thankful for I am most grateful for and echoing every sentiment that Neal just made I'm grateful for the liberty that we have I think that one of the things that frustrates me about modern culture is how many people don't understand what liberty really means you know the idea that we have the the freedom that we have the opportunities to pursue what we are called to do I mean this goes back to how God made us and you know the gifts and talents that he gives us and I'm grateful that the 4 of us have had the opportunity to pursue our ministries here in broadcasting for example where this is not an opportunity that a lot of people get and yet I think everyone has the opportunity to try it now I was hoping when I was younger that I'd have the opportunity to play n.b.a. Basketball but for some reason a 2 inch vertical leap kind of right out of high school you know you got to do instantly and pay well for that double mine Yes Ok Yeah right you're 63 and people are blocking your shot without leaving their feet and I don't dare say yes but but I still have the opportunity to try to the sport to play the sport you know interact with other people and figure out for myself hey this is not for me so I mean having the having the liberty to say look we're going to have a conversation 4 guys here talking about our faith talking about Thanksgiving that's a wonderful opportunity for us that you don't get in other countries and so I think I remember the words of Don Crawford Sr the owner of proper broadcasting talking about his dad every time he came back into the u.s. And he was one of those kids the ground guys you know and I think that we don't do that enough but I'm I'm getting very patriotic but also you know feeling kind of biblical about it too in this moment that. I think I'm so grateful for the liberty that we have and the older I get the more I really appreciate it especially as I see people who don't fully understand it right you know and actually no. You know John before you do you know that's really consistent I guess with the point that you are making in a way go to go to a short break here but that's something that I think that we need to continue to get