http://www.lifenews.com/2012/11/22/the-indians-thanksgiving-squanto-and-the-providence-of-god/?utm_content=buffer988da&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

The Indian’s Thanksgiving: Squanto and the Providence of God

Most of us know the story of the first Thanksgiving; at least we know the Pilgrim version. But how many of us know the Indian viewpoint?

No, I’m not talking about some revisionist, politically correct version of history. I’m talking about the amazing story of the way God used an Indian named Squanto as a special instrument of His providence.

Historical accounts of Squanto’s life vary, but historians believe that around 1608, more than a decade before the Pilgrims arrived, a group of English traders sailed to what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts. When the trusting Wampanoag Indians came out to trade, the traders took them prisoner, transported them to Spain, and sold them into slavery. It was an unimaginable horror.

But God had an amazing plan for one of the captured Indians, a boy named Squanto.

Squanto was bought by a well-meaning Spanish monk, who treated him well and taught him the Christian faith. Squanto eventually made his way to England and worked in the stables of a man named John Slaney. Slaney sympathized with Squanto’s desire to return home, and he promised to put the Indian on the first vessel bound for America.

It wasn’t until 1619, ten years after Squanto was first kidnapped, that a ship was found. Finally, after a decade of exile and heartbreak, Squanto was on his way home.

But when he arrived in Massachusetts, more heartbreak awaited him. An epidemic had wiped out Squanto’s entire village.

We can only imagine what must have gone through Squanto’s mind. Why had God allowed him to return home, against all odds, only to find his loved ones dead?

A year later, the answer came. A shipload of English families arrived and settled on the very land once occupied by Squanto’s people. Squanto went to meet them, greeting the startled Pilgrims in English.

According to the diary of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford, Squanto “became a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . He showed [us] how to plant [our] corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities . . . and was also [our] pilot to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, and never left [us] till he died.”

When Squanto lay dying of fever, Bradford wrote that their Indian friend “desir[ed] the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishmen’s God in heaven.” Squanto bequeathed his possessions to the Pilgrims “as remembrances of his love.”

Who but God could so miraculously convert a lonely Indian and then use him to save a struggling band of Englishmen? It is reminiscent of the biblical story of Joseph, who was also sold into slavery, and whom God likewise used as a special instrument for good.

Squanto’s life story is remarkable, and we ought to make sure our children learn about it. Sadly, most books about Squanto omit references to his Christian faith. But I’m delighted to say that my friend Eric Metaxas has written a wonderful children’s book called “Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving.” I highly recommend it because it will teach your kids about the “special instrument sent of God,” who changed the course of American history.

How great to hear again from Chuck Colson. I know that I and my colleagues at BreakPoint are so thankful to God for all that He accomplished through Chuck’s life.

And this Thanksgiving on behalf of Chuck and Eric Metaxas, I want you, our BreakPoint listeners, to also know how thankful to God we are for you—for all the encouraging words, and prayer and financial support you’ve provided this ministry over the years. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

And before I go today, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that my friend Eric Metaxas wrote a great children’s book about Squanto called Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving. We have it for you at the BreakPoint bookstore online.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

LifeNews Note: John Stonestreet writes for BreakPoint.org

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http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/what-is-the-oxford-comma-and-why-do-people-care-so-much-about-it/

What is the Oxford comma and why do people care so much about it?

The Oxford (or serial) comma is the final comma in a list of things. For example:

Please bring me a pencil, eraser, and notebook.

The Oxford comma comes right after eraser.

Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don’t. AP Style—the style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to—does not require the use of the Oxford comma. The sentence above written in AP style would look like this:

Please bring me a pencil, eraser and notebook.

Unless you’re writing for a particular publication or drafting an essay for school, whether or not you use the Oxford comma is generally up to you. However, omitting it can sometimes cause some strange misunderstandings, such as in this news notification from 2013:

Image via Twitter

or in cases such as this one:

I love my parents, Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty.

Without the Oxford comma, the sentence above could be interpreted as stating that you love your parents, and your parents are Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty. Here’s the same sentence with the Oxford comma:

I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Humpty Dumpty.

Those who oppose the Oxford comma argue that rephrasing an already unclear sentence can solve the same problems that using the Oxford comma does. For example:

I love my parents, Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty.

could be rewritten as:

I love Lady Gaga, Humpty Dumpty and my parents.

What do you think about Oxford comma? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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https://support.twitter.com/articles/100990

Signing up with Twitter

To create an account on the web:

1. Go to http://twitter.com and find the sign up box, or go directly to https://twitter.com/signup.
2. Enter your full name, phone number, and a password.
3. Click Sign up for Twitter.
4. In order to verify your phone number, we will send you an SMS text message with a code. Enter the verification code in the box provided. Learn more about having a phone number associated with your account here. 
5. Once you've clicked Sign up for Twitter, you can select a username (usernames are unique identifiers on Twitter) — type your own or choose one we've suggested. We'll tell you if the username you want is available.
6. Double-check your name, phone number, password, and username.
7. Click Create my account.You may be asked to complete a Captcha to let us know that you're human.

Note: if you'd like to sign up with Twitter using an email address, you can do so via the "Use email instead" link at the bottom of the sign up page. 

Tips for picking a username:

• Your username is the name your followers use when sending @replies, mentions, and direct messages.
• It will also form the URL of your Twitter profile page. We'll provide a few available suggestions when you sign up, but feel free to choose your own.
• Please note: You can change your username in your account settings at any time, as long as the new username is not already in use.
• Usernames must be fewer than 15 characters in length and cannot contain "admin" or "Twitter", in order to avoid brand confusion.

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• An email address can only be associated with one Twitter account at a time.
• The email address you use on your Twitter account is not publicly visible to others on Twitter.
• We use the email you enter to confirm your new Twitter account. Be sure to enter an email address that you actively use and have access to. Check your inbox for a confirmation email to make sure you signed up for your account correctly.

First steps after you've created your account:

1. After signing up, follow a handful of accounts to create a customized stream of information on your home timeline. Following means you'll get that user's Tweets on your Twitter home timeline. You can unfollow anyone at any time. Find out how to follow news sources, friends, and more in our Finding people on Twitter article.
2. Read our Getting started with Twitter article.
3. Learn about using Twitter on your mobile phone. 

Having trouble?

If you are signing up for an account using an older version of Internet Explorer (IE9 or earlier), you may be redirected to mobile.twitter.com to complete the sign-up. Learn more here.

For other tips and solutions to common problems, check out our troubleshooting articles.

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5 Tips for How to Make a T-Shirt Quilt

http://24blocks.com/2014/04/5-tips-for-how-to-make-a-tshirt-quilt.html

5 Tips for How to Make a T-Shirt Quilt

Store-bought fabric is nice, but what about making an entire quilt with T-shirts instead? This clever idea is both sentimental and savvy, as it’s a creative way to repurpose clothes that aren’t being worn anymore.

Read below for a few tips on making a T-shirt quilt, followed by a few links to more thorough instructions. Crafting this kind of quilt can be fun and easy, and it’s a great gift project too!

1. Pick the shirts you want to use
   
   You’ll need at least a dozen different shirts, with more depending on how big you want the quilt to be. Goose Track Quilts offers a helpful guide on how many shirts you’ll need for a throw, twin, full, queen, or king quilt (up to 42). You might need more or less, depending on how big you want to make each T-shirt square (the link uses 17-inch squares).
   
   Try to pick shirts without stains and that are made of the same material. You could a pick a theme – say, all baseball shirts – or try to find a color scheme between all the shirts. Or, you could simply pick some of the most sentimental without focusing too much on the colors matching.
    
2. Choose your design
   
   Like any quilt, there is room for creativity in how you want to construct your quilt. Think about whether you want to use sashing, what kind of borders you want, etc. before sewing anything. Traditionally, the T-shirts are cut into squares, but you could also get creative with that shape and how it's incorporated into the quilt.  
    
3. Decide on square size
   
   Before you start cutting squares in your pile of shirts, you’ll want to create a standard square size that every shirt can meet. Find the smallest shirt and measure how big of a square it could make to determine the general size. In terms of inches, 15-17 square inches is a good size (consider room for seam allowances and borders).
    
4. Clean, iron, and cut     
   
   Once you have an idea of the square size, you can put your shirts through the laundry and iron them so they are nice and smooth. When you’re ready to cut, make sure to separate the front and back of the shirt and add a couple inches to your measurements to allow for the fusible interfacing.
   
   
5. Fusible interfacing
   
   Make sure to back each shirt with fusible interfacing so that the fabric is nice and stiff. You can iron squares of this material onto the back of each shirt square so that it'll stay sturdy while you’re sewing your quilt.

You can click here to read eHow’s thorough explanation of how to make a T-shirt quilt, or click here for a video tutorial from YouTube (the Goose Track Quilts link above also has good instructions). Piecing together the squares will likely come naturally, but these resources offer detailed explanations of the entire process.

Once you’re done, you’ll have quite the masterpiece!