Thanksgiving is a time when family members gather together to celebrate the things that they are thankful for.  This Thanksgiving, as I reflect, I am thankful for my wife, children, mom, siblings, and all the family and friends I have the opportunity to share my life with.  Most of all, I am thankful to God for Jesus Christ and His invitation to be a part of His kingdom. Although this is the first Thanksgiving since my dad passed away, and I anticipate that sorrow will be felt because I miss him, there is peace and joy in my heart knowing that one day, because of my acceptance of Jesus as my savior, I'll see my dad in heaven.... and I'm thankful for that. 

From the Banks Family.....Happy Thanksgiving to All.      

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to go to South Pittsburg to visit family.  It was good to see my family, especially my dad who is still fighting cancer.  I admire my dad's ability to stay strong in his battle.  I did not get to speak with him as much as I would have liked since his treatments drain him, forcing him to rest a lot of the time. Despite that, still see that strength in him to keep on fighting.  It's a characteristic  I greatly admire. 

For all of you fellow believers out there, please keep my Dad in your prayers.  Also pray for my Mom and brother who are with him the most through this hard time.

God bless,

-Vincent 

State of the Nation

As I reflect upon the state of our economy and how rough life is for so many of us across the country, I can only wonder what is next to come.  Giving all glory to God, I am fortunate that my job is pretty secure (nothing is forever), and I have no worry about losing my job due to the economy.  At the same time, I pray for those who are going through or will be facing difficult financial times.

We all have an opinion about what our government should be doing and what is best for the nation.  As for me, I don't know enough detailed information about this new stimulus package to rightfully justify an opinion, but it doesn't seem to be good for our future generations to inherit the financial responsibility for our bad decisions.  It just doesn't seem right to put such a financial burden on our children and gradchildren for the sake of the current economy.  Plus,who says that this is going to stimulate anything?  To me, it boils down to personal responsibility.  People at all levels became greedy, took bad chances, and have ruined our economy.  These same people want someone to bail them out of trouble rather than admit guilt and be held accountable.  As a result, we all suffer.  It's a personal transformation that must take place for things to get better.

Lastly, for you Christians out there, we must pray for our nation and our president.  In these hard times, prayer is important.  Always put your trust in God, not in man.  Our new president has taken office during a difficult time, and needs to be lifted up.  No matter who claimed this position, the person needs prayer.  I pray that he seeks God's guidance daily, and I pray that his views that conflict with God's word are changed to align with God's will. 

God Bless,

Vincent

Since our first child was born, we have made an effort to visit the different state capitol buildings in the nation.  Recently we took a weekend trip to Annapolis, MD to check it out.  Although a great building, it does not compare to some of the others we've seen, especially Frankford, KY.  In addition to our capital tour, we got a glimpse of the Naval Academy and their football stadium, went on to Baltimore and passed the Ravens stadium, on our way to their National Aquarium, and spent time with Millie & Vincent at the Baltimore Harpor.  It was a geat weekend.

Christian, Olivia, and Edison in front of Maryland's Capitol State House