Did you know that Thanksgiving is a secular holiday? In 1863, during the height of  the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln established  a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”  The first Thanksgiving Day was permanently set for October 26th. Though its beginnings are secular, faith motivated President Lincoln to set a special day aside for thanks and prayers.  Faith continues to move Christians today to remember with thanksgiving the blessings we have received from our Creator.  Among many Christians, Thanksgiving is also a time to give thanks for the freedoms we believe are gifts from God, and to remember those who have given and continue to give their lives for the defense of those “God-given” freedoms and rights.   How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?