In this special Thanksgiving broadcast, Joni, along with co-host Shauna Amick, invites listeners to experience the joy and depth of giving thanks. With her trademark warmth and faith-filled perspective, Joni reflects on the heart of the holiday and the biblical call to gratitude.
Go to www.joniradio.org to check out The Sounds of Thanksgiving special!
JIM: Welcome to a very special Thanksgiving celebration with Joni Eareckson Tada.
[Start with the sound of galloping horses]
JONI: I hear the sound of horses!
SHAUNA: And I hear them, too, Joni!
JONI: It’s like I’m 14 years old and horseback riding on a brisk autumn day! But I’m getting ahead of myself, here. Hi, listening friends, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and I’m here with my friend and co-host Shauna Amick.
SHAUNA: And I am so thrilled to be here, Joni!
JONI: Oh, and we are here to wish you listening…
JONI AND SHAUNA: A happy Thanksgiving!
SHAUNA: And friend listening, we’re grateful to God that you’ve joined us for a special Thanksgiving message called “The Sounds of Thanksgiving.” So, tell us Joni, why does the sound of horses make you feel like you’re 14 years old again?
JONI: Oh-oh-oh, Shauna, it is my all-time favorite memory of this season. You see, when I was young and living on our farm in Maryland, our neighbor, Mr. Cauthorne, invited me to go on a foxhunt.
SHAUNA: Wow!
JONI: Boy, was I thrilled! So, early on Thanksgiving morning, I saddled up and I rode my horse across the river to Mr. Cauthorne’s farm. And when I arrived, I saw him with others on horseback there in the crowded paddock—oh, it was so exciting! He was sitting atop his big thoroughbred, sporting a red coat. The morning air was so sweet with the scent of horses, and hay and hot cider. And the sound of clattering hooves on cobblestone; foxhounds, impatiently circling and barking.
SHAUNA: It’s like they were saying, “Come on; let’s get started!”
JONI: And when the hunt master sounded his horn, we all got started! The dogs took up the chase, and we spurred our horses, cantering across the first pasture. Oh, I can still feel my hands holding the reins, my knees squeezing the saddle; I can hear hooves tearing up the wet earth, and the creaking of leather, and dogs baying and horses nickering. I can smell the November air—sharp, and dank, and earthy—the odor of leaves and mud. And I can feel the lightness in my stomach as we galloped toward a big stone wall. We flew over it, caught our breath, and headed for the next fence. My horse was never happier. All this and we never caught the fox.
SHAUNA: What?! You never even caught the fox?! So, why is this a favorite memory?
JONI: Well, it wasn’t about the fox. It was about the experience. The excitement of it all. After the hunt, there was a big turkey dinner back at the farmhouse. And I still recall the movement of my horse under the saddle; the feel of gripping the reins. I haven’t ridden a horse or held reins [or held anything] for nearly 60 years. But that Thanksgiving memory truly doesn’t make me sad. Instead, it reminds me of Lamentations 3:21 [now get this], “…This I recall to mind and therefore I have hope.” Our most beautiful recollections [all of them gifts from God], should inspire hope, hope and gratitude. Memories of days on our feet remind me of the Bible-promise that one day I will have new hands, new fingers that’ll touch and pluck and pick and scrub and dig—and even hold a pair of reins. Hands that’ll reach out for Ken Tada. And for the first time, I’ll give his hand a squeeze just to see what it feels like. And best of all, hands that will reach for my Savior’s where I will literally touch the scars of his sacrifice. It’s going to happen! And who knows? Maybe sooner than we think.
SHAUNA: Ah, Joni, I love that. The thought of you feeling the touch of Ken’s hand for the first time; it gives me chills. And you’ve given us a beautiful perspective on the past. We don’t have to look back and long for happier days. Memories don’t have to make us sad. They should help us look forward to the time when God will wipe away every tear and give back more, much more than we ever lost!
JONI: Absolutely! And Psalm 105:5, says, “Remember the wonders he has done [I love that word remember].” And Thanksgiving is a perfect season to remember all that the Lord Jesus has given us and to express our gratitude for all the many ways he’s blessed us.
SHAUNA: It is great to be thankful every day, but it’s a privilege that our country has set aside a special time to reflect on the goodness of the Lord to us all.
JONI: And Shauna, it’s biblical! I’m thinking of what, the Feast of Tabernacles. In Leviticus 23, God commanded his people to observe and celebrate the Lord’s deliverance and provision during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. And it wasn’t just one day. It was seven days of thanksgiving!
SHAUNA: Oh, can you imagine an entire week of Thanksgiving feasting? Yet we struggle to set aside just one day. Like, in my neighborhood many houses are—they’re already decorated for Christmas, Joni! Some folks: they just skip right over Thanksgiving!
JONI: Same on my block, Shauna. Even when I wheel into the food market, I can hear “jingle bells, jingle bells.” Don’t get me wrong—I love the Christmas season! But let’s not zip by November. Let’s be intentional about the Thanksgiving season before the holiday jingles drown it out. Besides, in our entitlement culture, people need to be reminded of their blessings.
SHAUNA: Well, I know I need to be reminded. Gratitude is [or it should be] second nature for us. And as a follower of Jesus, I have to set the example. We’re all here to remind people in this culture that “every good gift is from above.”
JONI: Oh, and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 goes so far as to command us to give thanks in everything. So, gratitude to God is not optional! And I’m so glad because when we give thanks it just overflows our heart, and it spills into the songs we sing like this hymn that I love so much!
(Joni sings:)
Come ye thankful people come
Raise the song of harvest home
All ye safely gathered in
Ere the winter storms begin
God our maker doth provide
For our wants to be supplied
Come to God’s own temple, come
Raise the song of harvest home
SHAUNA: Oh, Joni, I just love the songs of Thanksgiving. They have such a beautiful way of helping us express our gratitude back to Jesus.
JONI: Oh, they do.
SHAUNA: Okay, but Joni, I want to go back and I want to ask you about that verse that verse that you mentioned, because I always hear you thanking people—your caregivers, Ken Tada, our coworkers here at Joni and Friends. But in the days after your accident, I heard you say it was nearly impossible to give thanks in everything. How did you make 1 Thessalonians 5:18 a reality in your life?
JONI: Well, I definitely was not thankful at that time for a life of total paralysis. But notice that 1 Thessalonians 5:18 does not tell us to feel thankful. It says, “in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Giving thanks is an act of faith; it’s certainly not a feeling. Well, what’s more, it’s a tough act of faith. And for me even it was a sacrifice of thanksgiving, as the Bible puts it. It costs you something, you’ve got to sacrifice your pride or your logical way of looking at life. So, when you give thanks in a tough trial as I had to do, it requires a courageous step of faith. But you can always find reasons to thank the Lord. So, I don’t know, if our friend listening is having trouble with it, then start small; thank him for little blessings, right?
SHAUNA: That’s a great idea. And you know, Joni, when I travel overseas for Joni and Friends, I’ve met disabled people—they have nothing and yet, it seems to be in their nature to be thankful. And then, when we lift them up out of the dirt, and place them in their very first wheelchair, they can’t stop saying thank you.
JONI: That’s so true.
SHAUNA: And honestly, Joni, it puts me to shame.
JONI: Yeah, I get it, Shauna. Same for me. In fact, just recently I lost total use of my right arm, and I used to be able to feed myself with the little bit of muscle movement that I had, but I can no longer do that. Now that was hard! Yet where else could I turn but to 1 Thessalonians 5:18? So, I said, “Lord, I give thanks because I know you will see me through this and somehow, even my useless arm is going to be here for your glory.” And after that, I got this great idea to ask a few neighbors to come and take turns feeding me dinner. And a short time later, my heart was overflowing with gratitude. Because when these neighbors are helping me, they are receiving the biggest blessing! So, no matter how hard it seems, trust God, and the trustful feelings will follow.
SHAUNA: Oh, and there’s always something for which we can give thanks to God—like I don’t know, a beautiful sunset, birds singing outside, the smiles of children, the aroma of brewing coffee.
JONI: Ooh, I love that!
SHAUNA: That’s my favorite! And you know, Joni, I found an old German poem that highlights this, it’s called “We Plow the Fields and Scatter,” and it goes: “We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land, But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand. He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain, The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain. He only is the maker of all things near and far; He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star.
The wind and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed; Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread. We thank You, our Creator, for all things bright and good: The seedtime and the harvest, our life, our health, our food. Accept the gifts we offer for all Your love imparts; Accept what You most welcome: our humble, thankful hearts!”
JONI: Oh, that’s a great poem for this time of year, Shauna. And our humble, thankful hearts are so grateful for the Lord Jesus, aren’t they?
SHAUNA: Amen to that!
JONI: For God so loved the world that he gave—he gave his own Son, Jesus, that whosoever would believe on him, would have everlasting life.
SHAUNA: And even if we had nothing else, Joni, we have our Savior. He is at the center of the circle when it comes to Thanksgiving!
JONI: Oh, and we thank him for the blood spilled at Calvary for our salvation. And for every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms that he’s given us in Christ [just like it says in Ephesians]. We thank God that we are adopted, and redeemed, and forgiven through the blood of Christ.
SHAUNA: And that he has lavished his grace on us.
JONI: And that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, and right now he’s interceding for us!
(Joni sings:)
Oh, how I love Jesus;
oh, how I love Jesus
And Shauna, you’ve often heard me say that I would rather be in this wheelchair knowing Jesus than to be on my feet without him.
SHAUNA: I sure have.
JONI: And that is how satisfying my Savior is. Being close to him is better than any amount of walking. And dare I say, walking just might be highly overrated.
SHAUNA: Joni, I can’t even believe you said that!
JONI: Well, what I mean is, if I were walking, my feet could take me in a wrong direction. Being near to Jesus is even better than having use of my hands, especially if my fingers were to reach for the wrong things. And even though I cannot feed myself Thanksgiving dinner, God’s going to bless [I mean, really bless] the special hands that do feed me on Thanksgiving Day. Oh, what a happy, happy blessing my quadriplegia is now so many decades later, for it keeps me so close to my Jesus. And Shauna, I want our friend listening to hear my heart in this: I am [actually, we all are] hopeless, dog nasty sinners destined for hell, were it not for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
SHAUNA AND JONI TOGETHER: Hallelujah! Oh, we thank you Jesus!
SHAUNA: Yes, yes, we do!
JONI: And God bless this Thanksgiving season. We could be here all day and night, extolling reasons for thanking our precious God and Savior!
SHAUNA: And you know, Joni, we named this special “Sounds of Thanksgiving,” and I know you especially love expressing thanks to Jesus in song.
JONI: Well, what can I say? I’m the lady in the wheelchair who loves to sing hymns!
SHAUNA: You sure are! And I’m often honored to sit here alongside with you, especially on days like this when we’re gathered together in the radio studio.
JONI: And Shauna, don’t we even love to sing hymns in the hallways here at Joni and Friends?
SHAUNA: Oh, yes, we do.
JONI: Yep, even God delights in singing [we learn that in the book of Zephaniah]. And there are just so many great hymns that express our thanksgivings to the Lord.
SHAUNA: Is there a favorite Thanksgiving hymn that comes to mind?
JONI: Well, several years ago, I recorded the hymn “Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven.” It’s one I love to sing with my family. And the lyrics are inspired by Psalm 103.
SHAUNA: And friends, sing along if you know it!
JONI:
PLAY PRAISE, MY SOUL, THE KING OF HEAVEN [2:00]
(Joni sings:)
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
to his feet thy tribute bring
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, evermore his praises sing
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!
Alleluia, alleluia!
SHAUNA: Oh, Joni, I just love that upbeat arrangement! And hey, listening friend, if you’ve got a Thanksgiving playlist, I’m sure you’re going to want to add that to it.
JONI: I think one of the most beautiful sounds of Thanksgiving is when families sing together.
SHAUNA: Oh, yeah.
JONI: Like my own family – we’d all do that after we finished eating our turkey and fixings. Around dessert time, we’d push back from the table and sing our gratitude to God. Like, “Now thank we all our God, with hearts and hands and voices,who wondrous things has done, in whom his world rejoices. Who from our mother’s arms has blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, who wondrous things has done, in whom his world rejoices. Who from our mother’s arms, has blessed us on our way, with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today. Ooh Shauna, my voice isn’t what it used to be!
SHAUNA: Oh, you sound great Joni.
JONI: Well, thank you, but even now, I can hear my older sisters harmonizing together with mother and daddy carrying the melody. Funny how I committed that hymn to heart when I was a child, and I remember it to this day. And something else I like to memorize is poetry. There’s a poem I think is just lovely for Thanksgiving. And it’s by Annie Johnson Flint.
SHAUNA: Well, let’s hear it, Joni.
JONI: “We give Thee our griefs, O Father, We cast our burdens on Thee, The woes of all Thy children, Are before Thee constantly. We bring Thee our sins and follies, We pour our tears at Thy feet. But help us, O Lord, to remember, That Thy heart might find it sweet, If we brought Thee our joys and pleasures, As well as our sorrows and tears, Would not the sound of our laughter, Make music in Thine ears? To the earthly giver we tender, The smile and the grateful word; How then can we be forgetting, To thank our bountiful Lord?”
SHAUNA: Oh, that is beautiful, Joni. Well, what other readings did your family enjoy around the Thanksgiving table?
JONI: [continue “Reverence”] Okay, this is going to be like pressing the rewind button here on my memories. But when I was a child, the Book of Common Prayer was a precious way to turn our hearts to the Lord at Thanksgiving time. I grew up in the Reformed Episcopal Church – oh, just a small denomination and ours was a liturgical church so we used the Book of Common Prayer. And early on, when I was a child, I learned what is called the General Thanksgiving, and I still know it by heart.
SHAUNA: Wow.
JONI: It goes: “Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men; We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we may shew forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.”
SHAUNA: You memorized that as a child?
JONI: I did and so did all the other little boys and girls in our church.
SHAUNA: Oh, my goodness.
JONI: And let me add that the great Puritan Edward Reynolds authored that prayer for the 1622 Book of Common Prayer written in the King James style of language that I guess was kind of popular back then.
SHAUNA: Oh, well, now I know why you love to memorize God’s Word so much. You’ve been memorizing tough stuff since you were a little child. Okay, like, are there any scriptures of thanksgiving you’ve memorized?
JONI: Oh, let’s see there is one I learned by heart when I was a teenager and although it got rusty over the many years, I recently committed it to memory. It’s Psalm 84. And I would recommend to our friends listening that they print out copies of this Psalm and read it in unison around the table on Thanksgiving Day. And so, Shauna, should we practice? Should we read it for our listeners?
SHAUNA: Yes, we should, but before we do that, I just have to say that God used Psalm 84 to carry me through that first year after my daughter’s birth. You know, Sarah has Down syndrome.
JONI: Yes.
SHAUNA: She has a near fatal heart defect, and there were a slew of other genetic abnormalities when she was born. And so, you know, at first, it was really hard to feel thankful. And it was Psalm 84 that helped to change my heart, Joni. Why don’t you start?
JONI: “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. So blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.”
SHAUNA: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.” And Joni, that was the most poignant part of that Psalm for me, because Jesus carried me and he carried Sarah through that valley, and he gave us new strength.
JONI: You went from strength-to-strength Shauna, and I have done the same. So, hear our prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to us, God of Jacob. Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God.” Right, Shauna?
SHAUNA: That’s right!
JONI: “…Than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” Why don’t you take it next?
SHAUNA: And what’s next is so great, Joni. Here it is: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” And here…
SHAUNA AND JONI TOGETHER: Ends the reading of God’s Word!
SHAUNA: Now, that’s a phrase I bet you said in your liturgical church, Joni!
JONI: You nailed it, Shauna! You know, as a teenager, when I first learned those verses from Psalm 84, I really delighted in that idea that “no good thing does [God] withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” And so, Shauna, back then, I believed that all I needed to do was finish my homework, complete my chores, stop bickering with my sisters, be nice to Aunt Kitty, go to church, say my prayers and I assumed that if I kept my nose clean, God would be obligated to not withhold any good thing like good grades, good friends, a good college to attend, and good knees to last me through a season of field hockey. We think that if we are obedient, God is beholden to give us a trial-free life or at least trials that can be managed easily. If we do our part, then God is beholden to dole out the good, just as it says in Psalm 84
SHAUNA: Now Joni, I know it doesn’t work like that.
JONI: That’s right, that’s right, but it is amazing how many Christians believe that. They believe that God’s blessings are based on their performance. But not so, and on Thanksgiving Day, it might be helpful to remember that God’s idea of “good” may be different from ours. So, how do we read Psalm 84 from God’s perspective? Well, if our walk is blameless, God will not withhold peace. He won’t withhold kindness and humility. He’ll give faith and courage. He’ll give grace when we come to him. We’ll be able to run spiritually and not grow weary; we’ll be able to walk in faith and not faint. He won’t withhold opportunities to sow his seed, shine his light, and shake salt into our thirsty world. Oh, if our walk is blameless and upright, he’ll give patience, and endurance, bestow the favor of his nearness and sweetness. He will not withhold any good gift, especially the gift of heaven-sent joy. Absolutely no good thing will he withhold from those whose walk is upright. And that, my listening friend, is reason enough to give thanksgiving to God during this heartwarming season.
SHAUNA: Amen, Joni. Another psalm comes to my mind that’s great for Thanksgiving.
JONI: Okay, which one is that?
SHAUNA: That’s Psalm 100.
JONI: Oh, yes, of course. Would you read it for us, Shauna? And I want our listeners to join you in their hearts. Friend tuning in, just agree with this reading and lift your eyes as well as your heart to God.
SHAUNA: Here’s Psalm 100: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues throughout all generations.”
JONI: “Oh, come before him with joyful songs.” I really love that part, Shauna.
SHAUNA: Oh,I know you do, Joni. And friends, please visit joniradio.org today where you can download our Thanksgiving devotional and a whole lot of poetry. This is going to be perfect for worshiping the Lord with gladness. We want you to have this Thanksgiving guide and poetry and all the Scripture that you’ve heard today, just to guide you in giving thanks this season. Remember, it’s all available for you at joniradio.org.
JONI: And Shauna, and of course, friend listening, thank you for spending this time with us. We’ve shared songs, stories, poems, scriptures, all so that we might together, rev up our hearts, get our hearts in tune with this lovely Thanksgiving season. So, start today: Be grateful. “Be thankful,” says the lady in the wheelchair. This November, enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. And now, we leave you with this traditional Thanksgiving hymn and sing along if you know it!
(Joni sings:)
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing
He chastens and hastens his will to make known
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing
Sing praises to his name, he forgets not his own
JONI: Shauna and I are grateful for our time here and we are especially thankful to this station for inviting us on.
SHAUNA: Yes, we are.
JIM: You’ve been listening to a very special Thanksgiving celebration with Joni Eareckson Tada.
© Joni and Friends