Thanksgiving Traditions

Did you know that there's actually articles out there for Thanksgiving traditions? Coming up on Thanksgiving I started wondering what traditions were out there and discovered a lot of information. So here it is. The top, or at least some of the most interesting, Thanksgiving traditions that I could find.

1. Parades- Okay seriously guys maybe it's some sort of deficiency on my part but I really don't understand the purpose of parades. And yet for some people it's a huge part of Thanksgiving day. The Macy's day parade for instance is a huge deal! And apparently it's not just a thing in New York City. There's actually parades in a lot of cities all across the country. Huh, who knew?

2. Football- Yep this is a huge thing in a lot of homes, probably less of a thing then it was a few years ago before the NFL took just a nose dive in ratings but... that's another subject. All over there are families gathering together in front of the T.V. to take in the pregame, the game and the post game breakdown.
But it's not just the professionals who get to play. Many families have the fun tradition of playing their own backyard football game. Which, when you think about it, is a pretty good way to burn off some of those calories and enjoy the weather without freezing to death in the winter temperatures.

3. Black Friday shopping- Now who doesn't love a good sale? I mean come on, getting things you need and want for less money then you'd normally have to pay? Yeah, that's pretty great. But as the years go on and companies are constantly trying to one up each other they start opening earlier and earlier and now in some places it seems like as soon as the feast is cleared it's time to head out to the mall to stand in line in order to be there early enough to snag what you want. Unless you're me, because I hate shopping, no matter what day of the year it is. But that's why Cyber Monday was invented.

4. Post-Thanksgiving walk- After all that food sometimes it's nice to take a walk. And bonus, you can do this with the family and make it part of your tradition this holiday.

5. Splitting the wishbone- This is a fun one. Two people hold the wishbone, make a wish and then pull until it splits. Whoever ends up with the bigger half is supposed to have their wish come true. Silly? Sure. But still fun.

6. Saying what we're thankful for- It's not often that we take the time to really be thankful for what we have but Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to take a moment and be thankful. In my family, like a lot of families, we all go around and say one thing that we're thankful for. Maybe we should be more focused on what we're thankful for throughout the whole year but at the very least it's great that there's one day out of the year that we can set aside to remember to be thankful.

7. Setting up the Christmas tree. In the United States Thanksgiving is at the end of November so with just about a month to go until Christmas many families take it as their opportunity to kick off the Christmas season. They set up their tree, start playing the music and (if I have my way) finish the night off with a Christmas movie!

8. The feast- Of course a huge part of Thanksgiving is the Thanksgiving feast. Traditionally it's centerpiece is the turkey with all the side dishes of stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and more. And typically there's a lot of pie for dessert. With of course pumpkin pie being the crowning dish of the meal!

9. Serving others- Many people take Thanksgiving as the perfect time to share what they have. Whether it's volunteering at a soup kitchen, passing out coats or socks or finding another way to share what you have with those less fortunate is a great way to remember all that we've been given and to teach our children about giving back and showing the love of God to others.

10. Family- Whether's it's family you were born with or family you chose, big or small this day is a great time to spend with those you love. That's definitely my favorite part about any and every holiday. Including Thanksgiving.

So there it is 10 Thanksgiving traditions that you may know, may do or may want to adopt. What Thanksgiving traditions do you and your family have? I'd love it if you'd share it in the comments!

Lies We Believe

Last week I got a call from a close friend of mine. She was talking about how a woman from her church was encouraging her to start a new ministry but she wasn't going to do it because in her words 'what do I know about running a ministry' and ' no one listens to me anyways'.

She regretted saying those words to me by the end of the conversation because that brought me to a sharp stop. See what had happened was that my friend went through some really rough times at different churches. She was hurt and because of it she was very afraid to put herself out there and try again.

Out of that conversation came a few key points that got me thinking about the lies we believe. See there's things we all believe about ourselves that just aren't true. Maybe it's something that someone told us as a kid. Maybe it's something that we've told ourselves. Maybe it's something we've come to believe because of our culture. Wherever the lie came from we've accepted it as truth instead of recognizing that this lie, like all lies come from the same place, the devil. This is not what we need to believe. Not even close

And yet we do.

Someone tells a fourteen year old who loves cooking that they're not any good at cooking and so they give up. Flash forward ten years and that person who said that doesn't remember the conversation but the now 24 year old still relies on microwave meals. They've come to believe something about themselves that isn't true because of words spoken years ago. They've let a lie define who they are and shape their decisions.

A teacher who's having a bad year at home speaks harshly to a student in junior high. Speed up until their senior year and that kid is afraid to apply for college because they don't believe their smart enough to go. That teacher probably doesn't remember that kid much less know the negative impact they had on them.

A church split happens and bitter words are spoken. For many years an adult will not darken the doors of a church again because all they hear are those words.

Words have power. Absolutely, but they have the power that we give them. Those people who spoke those words are likely not sitting around going 'well I always knew that Janie wouldn't be a good cook or Ronnie wouldn't make it to college or Brian and Alice weren't really Christians who would continue to be involved in a church'. No! They've moved on with their lives and it's time that we stopped giving them power and moved on with ours too. The only reason that we're still living by those words is because we've believed the lie.

So let's make a deal. This year as we go into the holidays let's identify the lies we've been telling ourselves and make the decision to stop believing them. Let's accept who we are, what we can do or more importantly who God created us to be and what He created us to do. It's not about what others say it's about what He says so let's stop believing the lies of others and accepting the truth of what He says.

Open Hands

We've all heard the saying 'count your blessings' but sometimes, maybe more often then we want to admit, we take these things for granted. We begin to believe that we earned them bought them and are entitled to them. We stop recognizing them as gifts given to us out of His abundant love and care for us. Then, when and if, we lose them we are angry at God because He took them away. We blame Him instead of recognizing that He provided them in the first place and that all things truly belong to Him, even things He allows us to 'borrow' for a while.

I'm not sure this makes sense so let me back up. There's a song that I grew up singing in church. I'm not sure how popular it is these days but I remember, as a teenager, often singing "Blessed be Your Name" by Matt Redman. The song has these words.

"You give and take away,

You give and take away.

My heart will choose to say,

Lord, blessed be your name."

I think the most important part in these words is my heart will choose to say. See it is our choice whether or not we will praise the Lord. It's our choice to say 'thank you for these gifts' or 'why haven't you given me more?' It's our choice to find joy in every moment or always be so focused on the future that we miss the blessings right in front of us.

James 1:17 says "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

God gives us gifts. Good and perfect gifts. Gifts of love, of family, of friends, of a roof over our heads, a car to drive and food to eat. It's easy to take these things for granted. It's also easy to cling to these things. To cling to them so tightly that we find our security in them. 

Matthew 16:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also."

See here's the thing. There's is nothing wrong with being delighted by the gifts God gives us. The Bible says that He, as our Father, delights in giving us good things and He's glad that we're delighted by those things. The danger comes when we start putting those things as more important in our lives then the One who gives them to us.

Let me get really personal here for a moment. If you're married or in a serious relationship that other person is likely the most important person or at least close to the most important person in your life. There is nothing wrong with that. God has given you that love and it should be celebrated and delighted in. But if your entire identity and security is so wrapped up in that person that you can't function without them then there's a big sign in front of you flashing 'Danger Will Robinson, Danger!' and you need to heed it.

God should always be the most important part of our lives. Without exception. Life is short and fleeting. Don't cling too tightly to the things and people that He's blessed you with. You'll risk strangling the life and joy right out of them for fear of losing them. Instead, hold everything with an open hand so if God does it away you're hand doesn't get broken in the process.

Will it hurt if you lose something or someone? Of course. But will He also give you something else to hold, possibly something different or something you never expected? Yes. And more importantly He will be holding your hand through the whole process. But you'll never feel Him holding your hand if your hand is still clenched wishing you could get that first gift back.

Podcasts

At my work I'm able to use earbuds throughout my day. Working 10 hours means that listening to any one thing like music gets boring so I discovered podcasts thanks to the help of my brother and some friends. Today I want to talk about some of the podcasts I love.

No Dumb Questions- hosted by Destin Sandlin who also has a YouTube channel "Smarter Every Day" and Matt Whitman, a pastor in Wyoming. These two friends are hysterical as they have conversations about anything and everything that comes to their minds. It often has me trying not to look like a crazy person by breaking out into hysterical laughter while I work.

Wait It Out by Jamie Grace is one of my new favorites. On her podcast Jamie talks all about being single and waiting for the right person God has for you. She's hilarious and fun. Her podcast encourages and challenges me while also causing me to think.

The Dave Ramsey Show is also a frequent one I listen to. Actually I listen to several shows from Ramsey Solutions. Ken Coleman, Christy Wright, Chris Brown and others all have shows on different topics that I listen to at various times. Finances to careers, starting your own business, retirement and stewardship are some of their subjects. It's thought-provoking, encouraging, and just plain amusing to listen to them. And it has the added benefit of helping me think through very relevant issues and learn from some experts.

This is Your Life from Michael Hyatt is no long a current podcast that he's producing shows for as far as I know but it's still one of my favorites. He talks about all sort of life issues, from time management to relationships and everything in between. He presents things in a very down-to-earth, realistic way that I really appreciate.

I also have some great writing ones that I enjoy including one called Caraphrased by my friend, Cara Grandle. Another is Write From the Deep by Karen Ball and Erin Taylor Young.

And just one more I've listened to lately is The Same Page podcast. I think it's a homeschooling resource type podcast but they read stories on there a chapter at a time and I love listening in. They read Wizard of Oz which was delightful and are now on to Peter Pan.

So there it is, a few of my favorite podcasts. I've listened to podcasts on fun facts, weird stories, theology and all sorts of others. It's amazing what's out there and I love discovering new ones. What podcasts do you listen to or what would you recommend? I'd love some suggestions. Leave me a note in the comments!