I mean, come on: there’s nothing you do more regularly than eat. You may engage twice a day; you may engorge three times a day. On high-discipline, lose-a-few occasions you may dial that back to one meal a day to lose a pound or two. Every year, you’ll have hundreds of meals – some alone, most with others – that aren’t individually noteworthy. What makes your sit-down on Thursday different than all of the rest of your 2025 repasts?

What makes Thanksgiving dinner special? Two things are notable: it’s the tribe around the table, and the turkey on the table.

Modern reenactments play off the potluck progenitor that happened in 1621. Pilgrims and the indigenous Wampanoags in Plymouth, Massachusetts took their seats. The menu for that end-of-harvest meal was reflective of time and place: venison, wild fowl (cue the turkeys!), corn, beans and squash – along with local accoutrements – are archived in the historic accounts.

These days – 404 years later – nearly 90% of American tables will feature turkey as the main event. Manner of preparation and the cast of side-dish characters allow the spreads across the country to reflect regional custom and flavors, but the star of the show will be the stuffed bird at center stage. The assemblage with plates are unlikely to applaud any effort to get creative with “plant based” alternatives. You can say “no thank you” if your convictions avoid meat, but the bird will still be the star for most.

Bottom line: no turkey, no Thanksgiving. On the fourth Thursday of November, turkey for dinner is the 11^th Commandment from Mt Sinai, or the late addition to the Bill of Rights. It’s locked-in.

Now that I’ve got your attention, let me hit my metaphor button and shift attention to the matter that defines our life and mission, life-long and year-round. What’s our compelling mission in life, and how do we set the table for that mission to be pursued and fulfilled?

You hear it from me constantly: our cause is His Kingdom. Our mission is His Commission. The primary objective could not be more clear; He made the mandate unmistakable and non-negotiable: “And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). 

What turkey is to Thanksgiving day, the Gospel is to every day. The main course at every table convened in His Name is the Good News of God’s gift to our fallen race: “By this Gospel you are saved… for what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred…” (1 Corinthians 15:2-6). 

These days, there are lots of things being done “in the Name of Jesus.” Great solutions to real problems are wonderful additions to the buffet of blessing: feeding the poor, intervening in disasters, care for orphans, medical care for the afflicted, ministry to prisoners, housing for homeless, water for life and more: the list of side-plates on the Kingdom smorgasbord is amazing. 

Here’s the caution: if the Gospel is not the main course, it’s lacking the affirmation of Heaven. In any great work done to represent the Lord Jesus, His story – the means by which adoption into His family and entrance into His eternal Kingdom is assured – is the penultimate provision. 

Two suggestions, as you move into the year-end frenzy. First, a powerful gift to consider for your friends who are followers of Jesus: get them a book that will feed their soul. The Sprint to the Finish: The Global Push to Complete the Great Commission in This Generation, by my friend Doug Cobb. You need to know what God is up to in this moment in history. Click here to get your copy – and more, to spread among your family and friends – to challenge and encourage you.

Second: as you prepare to do your year-end giving to ministry providers, make sure you confirm that the Gospel – the mission-critical message at the core of all that is done for Him – is clearly integrated into anything you’ll choose to underwrite. Passive illusion regarding the centrality of the Gospel message doesn’t cut it: whatever side provisions are offered in the ministry menu, the Main Course is the breakthrough message that sets the Christian faith apart:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)

As you make your gift list for Kingdom funding, would you put us – Priority Living/The Master’s Program – on that list? The Gospel – the main course in the Great Commission! – is central to what we do to raise up and support leaders – like you! – as we all Sprint to the Finish!

Happy Thanksgiving!

— Bob Shank

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ORLANDO – January 2026
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Chriss Skiff’s Contact Information:
Email: chris.skiff@priorityliving.org
Phone: 805-440-1700