The Biggest Turkey Tale

The folks over at Happy to be @ Home are having a contest. I had a story but I didn’t want to enter it in the contest because it isn’t actually mine. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t even alive when it happened. However, it is one that I make my Dad tell every Thanksgiving because it is very funny when he tells it. I’m sure I won’t be able to convey it well via the written word, but I’ll try.

Anyway, when my Dad was a teenager and still living at home, he lived down the road from a guy that had some pet turkeys. The man loved his turkeys and treated them just like we would our own pets. So…my Dad (compassionate, loving teen that he was) decided that he would get a live turkey for his family. As his Mom and Dad were discussing the upcoming Thanksgiving meal, my Dad told his family not to worry about the big bird; he was planning on getting a live turkey for them. His Dad asked him how in the world he was going to do that. My Dad kind of shrugged his shoulders and said that he had a plan.

The eve of Thanksgiving rolled around and my Dad got into his yellow Volkswagon Beetle with (what he considered) the necessary equipment. Keep in mind that they did not live in an area where they could just grab a gun and shoot a wild turkey. Anyhow, my Dad picked up a buddy of his (who also had the ‘necessary equipment’ )and they were off.

I’m sure you can imagine where this is going…my Dad and his buddy went to the neighbor’s home and eyed up the pet turkeys. They climbed over the fence with their gear in hand. Now the turkeys are getting a few ruffled feathers at the site of two strangers approaching them with…

hockey sticks.

Yes, that was their equipment of choice…hockey sticks. Needless to say, they successfully whacked a bird upon the head with a stick and quickly jumped back over the fence and crammed everything back into the Beetle.

The dinner conversation that evening was lively and memorable…so I’m told. Grandpa decided it was the perfect time to mention the neighbor’s troubling tale of his missing pet turkey. He also decided it was the perfect time to inquire about the mysterious acquisition of this year’s live turkey dinner. Especially since the bird weighed in at about 53 pounds!

I don’t know how the rest of the story goes from there…I do know that my Dad had to apologize for snagging that bird. I still can’t believe he used a hockey stick…that’s the part I find most amusing. It’s almost as funny as the time my Dad and his brother set the marsh on fire…but that’s a story for some other time. He tells them the best.

My Challenge

"Evangelical Christians face another challenge with the election of Sen. Obama, and a failure to rise to this challenge will bring disrepute upon the Gospel, as well as upon ourselves. There must be absolutely no denial of the legitimacy of President-Elect Obama's election and no failure to accord this new President the respect and honor due to anyone elected to that high office. Failure in this responsibility is disobedience to a clear biblical command" (Al Mohler).

Anxiety

"...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6, ESV).

"...fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10, ESV).

If you find yourself anxious about anything today, perhaps you'll find this post by Stephen Altrogee helpful:

Worriers Love Information

I would imagine an awful lot of people will be tempted to follow the media this evening trying to figure out what's going to happen in the future. I'm tempted to do the same. However, will that be the best way to spend my time. We may have a good idea late tonight about who our next president will be, but will my sitting around for hours this evening change anything? Will it be the best way to redeem the time? Will it further tempt me to anxiety? The news should be available and accurate in the morning. It will not be complete until the wee morning hours. So I'm going to cast my vote and pray. I'm going to pray too about how to spend my time this evening and not just assume that I should get caught up in the media's constant speculations.

Reading all of these blog posts is bringing out the anxiety in my heart. I don't want to be anxious with everyone...I want to trust in the Lord my God who is sovereign over all things! Won't you join me?