Music Minute: Thanksgiving Happiness Edition!

Hey y'all, and Happy Thanksgiving from ec magazine. We are thankful for you - our readers and faithful blog followers - and we're hoping you have a really great holiday.


(photo © Heather Craig / istockphoto)

So maybe today you're thinking, "Thanksgiving, schmanksgiving!" and, truth be told, you don't like it. You don't like the travel and the relatives and trying to mind your manners and there's that annoying cousin/brother/friend who always comes along to your feasts and you wish they wouldn't. You're having a little trouble finding things to be thankful for, huh? It happens.

But think about your life in the last year. Have you eaten every single time you were hungry? I have. Have you had a warm bed to sleep in and a roof over your head? Me too. Some mornings I just stand in front of the clothes in my closet and sway back and forth because I can't decide what I want to wear. My apartment has running water, heat, air-conditioning and (praise God) a dishwasher. I'm thankful for that. God didn't have to give me a job I love, a nice family, and lots of friends. And I know that maybe you don't have all that. But maybe you have something, and if you would be worse off without that thing, you have something to be thankful for, right? I mean, I'm just doing the math.

It's really easy to take those things for granted. But I think there's also something more to be thankful for! Think about Paul for a second. He talks about being hungry and thirsty and in danger and shipwrecked and beaten...yet he was thankful. How did that happen?

The truth is, a grateful heart will find things for which to thank God. Did God save you? Are you thankful He did? Say a quiet prayer of thanks to Him. Take a minute to look around you and think about what you have. Try to forget for a minute what you don't have, and focus on what you do. And be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving.

Whew! That took longer than I was hoping.

What's new: New stuff this week from Jeremy Camp and The Almost. Since I've already mentioned Jeremy Camp in this column two other times, I'm moving on to other stuff. Just one review this week.

What we like:Today it's cold and blindingly sunny and I'm loving the acoustic, raw goodness of The Almost. Listen to their music, and you'll hear Americana influences, a little Bob Dylan, some Jennifer Knapp or Natalie-Merchant sounding vocals (if you like the old-school band 10,000 Maniacs). If you're feeling like listening to some powerful, emotional, unplugged music - check them out. We like "Little Drummer Boy."



What we're looking forward to: Honestly? Christmas break. :)

What we don't like: Mean holiday shoppers. (Don't be one!)