Thanksgiving traditions

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches (only two days away!), my mind inevitably begins to ponder the things I'm thankful for and my family's Thanksgiving traditions.

Thanksgiving in my family is a day to spend being thankful while enjoying a low-key day together as a family. We don't have any extended family in the area, so it's usually just us. My grandmother joins us every other year (this is an off year--she'll be up here for Christmas instead), but that still doesn't constitute a crowded, busy Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving, my mom and I (and now my sister) will be busy in the kitchen, preparing a large Thanksgiving meal. Although in recent years, my mom has started preparing as much as she can the day before, so there isn't quite as much to do on Thanksgiving.

I've made the pumpkin pie for the past several years, but this year, my sister will make it. I'll make something else. I think I'm going to make a peanut butter pie from a recipe I tried a couple of weeks ago. It's simple enough. Mix everything together, pour it into a chocolate graham cracker crust, and refrigerate. With everything else going on around Thanksgiving, simple is great! I'll also probably help make some homemade rolls (Yummy! My mom has the best recipes for homemade bread!), set the table nicely, serve up the food, etc.

Then comes the meal. We always have way more food than we can eat (hey, something to be thankful for--provision), but it's delicious! Staples for the Thanksgiving meal in my family include: turkey (duh! Either oven-baked or deep-fried. I'm kind of partial to the fried kind myself. It's so tender and flavorful! Especially when my dad uses a Cajun rub on it!), cranberry salad, deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, homemade rolls, corn, and pumpkin pie. We also vary it up some years with dressing, cranberry sauce, green beans, and other dessert options (in addition to the pumpkin pie--we always have a pumpkin pie).

This year I think we're going mostly traditional, and I believe my dad is going to fry a Cajun turkey! Yay! That's my favorite. I'll eat a little oven-fried turkey when that's what we decide to serve, but it's not my favorite. However, I love my dad's fried turkey--and I will totally enjoy the turkey at those meals. ;)

When we sit down to eat, we usually go around the table and each person shares a few things they're thankful for, then we pray and bless the meal, taking extra time to express our thanksgiving to God.

Then, it's time to dig in!

Afterwards, when we're all stuffed and just want to lay around, we'll play some games, maybe watch a movie, and just spend some low-key time together as a family. And my mom and I will browse through the ads in the paper and map out our Black Friday shopping strategies. This is actually something we've just started doing recently. I *never* went shopping on Black Friday till just a few years ago. You couldn't pay me to get out in those crowds! But now, I've found that if you know exactly what you're looking for, know what order you need to get to stores in, etc. it's actually not that bad and you can find some really good deals if you know where to look. Granted, I'm never after the big ticket items. That can get a bit crazy. I'll usually go to stores like Kohl's, Old Navy, Lifeway, etc. that are definitely busy, but aren't as overrun as Best Buy or the mall. My mom and I don't usually shop together (we may end up at some of the same places, but in order to get what we want before the stores sell out, we go alone. I did take Andrew with me one year...he was trying to get out of having to clean the garage...).

As much of a Christmas fanatic as I am (which if you've read some of my recent blog entries you should have figured out by now), I will put the brakes on and focus entirely on Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. I'm a big fan of Thanksgiving, too. ;) And on that day, it isn't about Christmas. Now the day after Thanksgiving, it's back to Christmas full force...even more so than pre-Thanksgiving. But on Thanksgiving, my focus is on Thanksgiving.

And that's really what Thanksgiving is all about to me (I'm not referring to Black Friday shopping here)--spending time with my family, taking the time to really think about all that I have to be thankful for and expressing that to the Lord. Yes, we should be thankful all the time and continually thank the Lord for all He does for us. But there's still something very special about setting aside one day out of the year to really go all out in being thankful. I'm glad that our country--no matter how commercialized the day has become--decided years ago to set aside a day to be thankful and make it a national holiday.

So that's a glimpse of Thanksgiving in my family. How do you and your spend your Thanksgiving? What are your Thanksgiving traditions? What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

It's up!

Our tree is up! :)





We don't have all of our Christmas decorations up yet, but we're starting the process. Hopefully by this weekend we'll have it all out! :)

These aren't the best pictures, but I'll try to post some better ones later when our house is fully decorated. :)

Giving thanks: Psalm 118

I haven't posted in a while because I've been tied up with school projects, but I wanted to take just a second today and post a quick little something.

With Thanksgiving only a little over a week away, many people are busy with holiday preparations, approaching finals and final projects in school, etc. But are we pausing in the midst of the chaos to give thanks? I know I haven't been as much as I should have--but it's never too late to start! :)

The book of Psalms is full of passages expressing thanksgiving to God. Psalm 118 is one example. I would encourage you to take a moment to read it today (it's not long) and give thanks to God for all He has done--and is doing--in your life. I will take some time out to do the same. If you're having trouble finding things to be thankful for, start with the basics: life, salvation, food to eat, a roof over your head, etc. Once you start, other things will come to mind.

Giving thanks should be a regular part of our lives--not just something we do once a year on the fourth Thursday in November.

UT students face problems registering for classes

For my latest broadcast journalism class project, I had to package a problem-solution story. I decided to do a story on class registration and show how it is becoming increasingly difficult to get into many core classes. With the recent budget cuts, this is a problem only expected to grow worse before it improves. I'm really thankful I'm finished in May! By the grace of God I was able to get into the classes I needed without being forced to stay an extra semester! I had a close call my first semester at UT where I was only able to get into a couple of the journalism classes I needed, but God graciously got me into the rest of them on time.

Story summary:

Budget cuts and an increase in the number of undergraduate students have combined to cause classes to fill up early. Many UT students are getting online to register only to find the courses they need are already full.

Suggested anchor lead-in:
The fall semester isn’t finished yet—but most University of Tennessee students are already thinking of spring. TNJN’s Liz Overton has more.


UT students face problems registering for classes from Liz Overton on Vimeo.

Suggested anchor lead-out:
McMillan recommends that students meet with their advisors regularly to learn which classes to take and find out if they’re on track. Students are required to meet with their advisors once a year.

Unspeakable joy

How sad that we should so need to be reminded that as God alone is the fountain of all joy, "God our exceeding joy," the only way to be perfectly happy is to have as much of God, as much of His will and fellowship, as possible! Religion is meant to be in everyday life a thing of unspeakable joy. And why do so many complain that it is not so? Because they do not believe that there is no joy like the joy of abiding in Christ and in His love, and being branches through whom He can pour out His love on a dying world.
- Andrew Murray

The morning after election day

The results of yesterday's election may not have been what I, and many of you, may have wanted. But nevertheless, as citizens of this nation and more importantly, as God's children, we all have an obligation to support our new president-elect, give him the respect he deserves as the future leader of our country, and most important of all, pray for him and our government.

I've included an e-mail below that was sent out this morning by the pastor of my church, Tim Atchley. He addressed this topic very well and gave me permission to post the e-mail on my blog. I hope you will read it and take its message to heart.

Thanks for the reminder, Pastor Tim!

1Timothy 2: 1 ¶ Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

This instruction was given to a generation of believers under the rule of tyrants. Some of them may have even witnessed the persecution of a loved one or themselves at the hands of the ruling authorities and yet here is Paul moved by the Holy spirit telling them to pray for these rulers.

The election may not have gone the way many of us might have hoped in our hearts and there is great speculation out there as to what awaits this great country of ours now. But for me the speculation is over. Leadership has been elected according to the process we as Americans cherish. As believers we will do ourselves and others no good if we complain and curse the new leadership. We must pray for God to guide them just as we would any other leaders. God changed the hearts of pagan leaders in favor of the Jews in Old Testament times. He caused evil leaders to turn and give favor to them for reasons they themselves did not understand. It appears that rather than satisfy the logical presumed needs of believers to have a person they think is closer to being devoted in relationship to Him, God has chosen to call His people to a place of prayer and trust that no matter who holds the highest office in our land God is still in control.

The church is called to intercede perhaps now she will do so even more. I challenge you to daily lift our new leaders up in prayer and ask for wisdom from the Almighty for them, restraint where it matters, and vision not their own but graciously imparted from the Lord Himself. If we are to continue to lead a peaceable life in all godliness and reverence this is a must for all of us. Personally I will make it my aim to eliminate remarks of a negative nature and engage God about my leaders. This is not to say that if they should choose to act immorally they should not be held accountable, I will most definitely speak the truth with regard to sound Scriptural instruction as it pertains to our leaders, but I do not wish to join in leader bashing and dooms day discussions. I think these will dishonor the Lord in that they would reveal a lack of trust in Him.

Our elections did not affect the throne from which He rules the nations, He was not taken by surprise, just as He wasn’t when Israel asked for a king. Our God reigns and is still on His throne. It is He alone who can move the heart of kings. Therefore let’s give ourselves to prayer and intercession for our leaders. God bless!

Election Day 2008

The big day is here! Don't forget to go out and vote (if you haven't early voted already)! :)

Here are some neat tools for following election coverage tonight:
NBC Electoral College Interactive Map
Printable blank map of the U.S. (good for coloring in the results as they come in)
Explanation of the U.S. election system
WBIR's election coverage

I get to cover the election tonight from the Knox County Election Commission. I'll be the eyes and ears down there and call in updates as they come in. I'm excited that not only is this the first presidential election I get to vote in, but it's also the first one I get to be a part of as a journalist! :)

Oswald Chambers: Faith

As I was reading Thursday's entry in Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest, it really made me pause and ponder some things, particularly the second paragraph. It seems like I can always use a good reminder/challenge in the area of faith. So I thought I would pass it along.

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him."
Hebrews 11:6
Faith in antagonism to common sense is fanaticism, and common sense in antagonism to faith is rationalism. The life of faith brings the two into a right relation. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense; they stand in the relation of the natural and the spiritual; of impulse and inspiration. Nothing Jesus Christ ever said is common sense, it is revelation sense, and it reaches the shores where common sense fails. Faith must be tried before the reality of faith is actual. "We know that all things work together for good," then no matter what happens, the alchemy of God's providence transfigures the ideal faith into actual reality. Faith always works on the personal line, the whole purpose of God being to see that the ideal faith is made real in His children.

For every detail of the common-sense life, there is a revelation fact of God whereby we can prove in practical experience what we believe God to be. Faith is a tremendously active principle which always puts Jesus Christ first--Lord, Thou hast said so and so (e.g., Matthew 6:33), it looks mad, but I am going to venture on Thy word. To turn head faith into a personal possession is a fight
always, not sometimes. God brings us into circumstances in order to educate our faith, because the nature of faith is to make its object real. Until we know Jesus, God is a mere abstraction, we cannot have faith in Him, but immediately we hear Jesus say--"He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father," we have something that is real, and faith is boundless. Faith is the whole man rightly related to God by the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.