Thanksgiving (A FamilyLife Book): A Time to Remember (Family Life Books) [Hardcover]

Barbara Rainey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2003 | Series: Family Life Books

There shall be "a day of public Thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God...."
–1789 Congressional Proclamation

A holiday for celebrating faith, family, and freedom, Thanksgiving Day is both distinctly Christian and exclusively American. Barbara Rainey has created an excellent resource for enabling you and your family to remember the past, recognize God's hand in our history, and express thankfulness to Him for His goodness today.

This story of the Pilgrims' faithfulness and biblical thankfulness is accompanied by a CD of songs of worship and praise that will call your hearts to gratitude. It's a wonderful opportunity to enrich your family's awareness of our nation's Christian heritage, provide models of courage and sacrifice for your children, and establish a tradition of sharing your gratefulness with one another, which will build a legacy of memories for the future.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rainey writes that for her family, "Thanksgiving was not going to be just eating, hours of TV football, naps and leftover turkey sandwiches-followed by a stress-filled Friday of frantic Christmas shopping at the mall." Instead, she seeks to educate her children-and others, through this book-about the heritage of faith and freedom that is celebrated in the national holiday of Thanksgiving. The book revisits the schoolchild version of the Pilgrims' first festival of plenty, and is meant to be read aloud by families on Thanksgiving Day (preferably before small stomachs start to grumble). The history is romantic and full of implausibly brave, righteous, magnanimous Pilgrims. There are small factual errors, as when Rainey claims that the Pilgrims observed the Sabbath in accordance with the ninth commandment instead of the fourth. Despite these flaws, the book is well-designed, with informative sidebars and attractive full-color illustrations. A half-hour-long CD of Thanksgiving music rounds out the package.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Crossway (September 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581345380
• ISBN-13: 978-1581345384
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Rainey is a wife, mother of six adult children (plus three sons-in-law and two daughter's-in-law), and "Mimi" to nineteen grandchildren.

After graduating from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, Barbara joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ in 1971. Her husband, Dennis, whom she married in 1972, is the President of FamilyLife, a ministry of Campus Crusade that is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Barbara has published articles on family-related topics and is the author of Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember and When Christmas Came. She speaks at FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember® marriage conferences and is a frequent guest on FamilyLife Today®, a nationally syndicated, daily radio program. She and Dennis are the coauthors of several books, including Growing a Spiritually Strong Family, Starting Your Marriage Right, Moments Together for Couples, The New Building Your Mate's Self-Esteem, Parenting Today's Adolescent, Rekindling the Romance, and Moments with You. She co-authored A Mother's Legacy with her daughter, Ashley Rainey Escue and joined Dennis and their children Rebecca and Samuel on the book So You're About To Be A Teenager. Barbara has also co-authored Barbara and Susan's Guide to the Empty Nest, with close friend Susan Yates, and A Symphony in the Dark, written with her daughter, Rebecca Rainey Mutz. And Barbara has written a series focusing on character traits for families, including the titles Growing Together in Gratitude, Growing Together in Courage, Growing Together in Forgiveness, and Growing Together in Truth.

Having faithfully served alongside Dennis for more than 30 years, both in ministry and at home, Barbara has recently launched a new endeavor called Ever Thine Home™. This new line of products for women makes it easy to express faith at home in a way that is both biblical and beautiful. Her heart for Ever Thine Home is based on the familiar Old Testament instruction:

"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:9, ESV)

You can read more about Barbara's work at EverThineHome.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviving a Legacy November 7, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

What a treasure is Thanksgiving, A Time To Remember! The artwork is beautiful, and the uplifting, reverent music arrranged by Keith Lynch and Allan Mesko is refreshing. We have long overlooked the enduring legacy of freedom we have received as Americans. I am grateful to learn new details of the heritage we have in the land of the free and the brave. Barbara Rainey has written a beautiful keepsake book recalling the history of this great and mighty land. God has been good to us, and He faithfully led brave men and women to establish this nation, where we who remember can continue to thank our Lord. I did note that the Fourth Commandment is correctly noted on page 30, not the Ninth, as a reviewer had mentioned. Every home needs this book!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book to share with your family at Thanksgiving November 27, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This book is well written with great facts about the pilgrims' journey and experiences once they reached America. It also includes passages from the Pilgrims' journals and letters, which makes it personal. A great book to share at Thanksgiving.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a tribute! March 24, 2003

By Jim Bob Howard

Format:Hardcover

This is a great book to remember from whence we came and thank God for the manifold blessings he has bestowed, not only on our country, but in our own personal lives and families.

Make this a Thanksgiving tradition with your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews!