Thanksgiving Edition Truth for our times | Eastern NC Now

This week, as we gather around tables with family and friends, I want to invite you to pause with me and reflect on the deeper currents of gratitude that run beneath this season. Thanksgiving is not merely a holiday on the calendar; it is a summons to remember God’s providence across generations, His mercies in our public life today, and the beauty He invites us to restore in the ordinary rhythms of home and community.
 
Each of the three articles in this special Thanksgiving edition speaks to that theme from a different vantage point.
 
The Thanksgiving America Knows Little About
The familiar images of Pilgrims and harvest gatherings conceal a story far more rugged and sacred than modern sentimentality allows. This article takes you into the storms, losses, prayers, and providence that shaped the first Thanksgiving - reminding us that gratitude is forged not in ease but in hardship, and that God often works His deepest wonders when life seems most broken.
 
Ten Reasons We Give Thanks at Return America
This has been one of the most consequential legislative years for the cause of Christ in North Carolina in more than a decade. Here, I outline ten extraordinary reasons we can give thanks, victories seen and unseen, and the unmistakable evidence of God’s sovereign and gracious hand guiding our state. From major policy breakthroughs to silent mercies that stopped harmful legislation, this is a testimony to what God has done.
 
Dresses – A Secret Influence on Male and Female Attitudes?
Our guest columnist, Annie Holmquist, offers a thoughtful and uniquely feminine reflection on beauty, dignity, and the influence women have through something as simple as what they wear. Drawing from personal experience, cultural observations, and the gentle wisdom of Tasha Tudor, she reminds us that beauty - far from superficial - is a quiet force for goodness, order, and grace in a chaotic world.
 
As you read these pieces, my prayer is that your heart will be strengthened, your gratitude deepened, and your resolve renewed. May this Thanksgiving stir us again to thank the God who has carried us, guided us, and blessed us beyond measure.
 
Warmest Thanksgiving blessings to you and your family.
 
Rev. Mark H. Creech, D.H.L
Director of Government Relations
Return America
RevMarkCreech.org