The Gobbler Files - Part 2

Continued from Part 1 – If you haven’t yet read the first part, I encourage you to scroll down and read it before reading this Part 2.

Allow me to give you a run-down of the family layout at Thanksgiving dinner: there were 7 ½ of us at the table: my father-in-law, my wife, my son, my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law’s girlfriend, their expected baby (thus, the ½ I mentioned), and of course, my brother-in-law, Scott by name.

Scott is an interesting individual. Over the years I’ve known him, I have learned that for him, there is no better time to be obnoxious and disgusting than during a quiet, solemn, or public occasion. I say this with all respect and love, as Scott is a pretty decent guy. And, truth be told, he’s hilarious.

One never knows exactly what to expect from Scott, but one thing is certain: if you are around him for more than three minutes, you will be the proud witness of one of the largest belches you’ve ever heard. I’ve been spending this cold, blustery evening trying to figure out how exactly to describe this to the reader, and here’s what I’ve come up with: cross an angry alligator with a rusty door hinge from a 1950s horror movie, throw in a gas-powered brush-cutter or lawn-mower, then amplify with some heavy bass and reverb, and that comes close.

The fear around this Thanksgiving table surrounded the emotional scarring of the infant soon to join us in the outside world. They say that before babies are born, they are capable of hearing what’s going on outside the womb. At 35 weeks, this child has heard her father many times, and perhaps already feels that her name is going to be “HAAARBRRRRREEPPPPUUBBBEHHH!” Just imagine the sound described above, and you get the picture.

In some cultures, a belch is a way to show appreciation and approval of a wonderful meal. If that holds true, then every meal I’ve shared with Scott has been the best he’s ever eaten. Now, you might be experiencing an audible or internal “Ewww!” here, but every family has something they come to expect from each member. I don’t know what’s worse: the belching bro, or the fact that it hardly phases any of us anymore.

Punctuated by these steroid-enhanced burps, the conversations went in many different directions, but we all had a great time, sharing great food, and enjoying one another’s company. No matter how ‘different’ our families might be from the idealized picture of Thanksgiving we have in our minds, we are really very fortunate. What makes this time so special is that we all have our little quirks that make us who we are. We have the opportunity to be with and to share with each other, when in too many homes, this just isn’t the case.

God created us all a little differently from each other, but we are so much the same. We are truly blessed to have people in our life that bring a smile to our face, or make us appreciate all we have. There are a lot of things that could have brought this evening down, and this Thanksgiving was more difficult than any other we’ve had in the past, but it was still one to remember.

Be thankful, whether picture perfect in reality or just in your mind, that we have what we do have: loving families, precious friends, wonderful food, a home, laughter, and most importantly, a loving Father and Savior to provide for our needs, to support us when we are down, and to let us have a little fun along the way. I pray your Thanksgiving went well, that these latest blog entries brought a smile to your face, and that God continues to bless you through the rest of the holiday season.


© 2005, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

The Gobbler Files - Part 1

I depart from my usual pattern of “blogging” in order to bring you some thoughts and observations on the Thanksgiving Holiday, with a bit of humor thrown in to offer us all a good laugh, and see what’s truly blessed in our lives. I hope you enjoy. There will be two parts to this story. Part one follows now, while part two will be posted later this evening or tomorrow. Perhaps this story describes your family; perhaps it doesn’t, but I think it sums up much of what most of us experience.

As I write this blog entry, I sit, stuffed to (what would be, if I were a fish) the gills with Thanksgiving dinner, masterfully prepared by my father-in-law, wife, and others from that side of the family. Most of us, if not every one, have an idealistic view of what this wonderful holiday has been in the past, what it will be like this year, and what it will be like in years ahead. What is that idealistic view: heartwarming and serene? Yes. Realistic? Not by any stretch of the imagination.

It might be the scenes ingrained within our collective psyche, the Cratchitt home in Dicken’s Carol, a family with not enough, but everything exciting and peaceful and perfect. Thanks to the creativity of Dickens and Company, and the wizards of Hollywood, we are under the impression that Thanksgiving dinner is perfect. And, truth be told, it usually is. It’s everything leading up to and following it that is miraculously tolerated and survived.

For instance, it’s amazing what a dinner deadline does to the sanity of the chefs. Likewise, travel times, weather, and “I just feel like I’ve forgotten something …” wage war on an otherwise perfect day.

This year, a frantic phone call from the in-laws announced that, as if on cue from the ‘havoc gnomes,’ electricity had been cut to the entire neighborhood; a minor inconvenience on Wednesday or Friday, but a disaster of incalculable magnitude on Thanksgiving Thursday. After two hours of electrical (and thus, oven) darkness, a 19-pound turkey is in extreme jeopardy.

At this point in our story, a new guest is invited to the festivities: the poultry technician at the Butterball™ Hotline. One phone call and several tense minutes spent waiting, we are introduced to a presumably nice Indian or Bangladeshi woman. Through her guidance, she informs us that the turkey is in no immediate danger, as long as the power comes on after a couple of hours, and the oven door is not set ajar.

At least, that’s what it kind of sounded like to us. Time will tell if our interpretation was correct.

After bidding a fond adieu to our foreign exchange dinner guest via Ma Bell, the power is restored, and the cooking commences. Thus, when the family has finally gathered at the table, adding the casseroles and meats brought from other homes, everything looks and smells wonderful. The taste of said feast is yet to be determined.

Accompanying that ideal impression of Thanksgiving dinner is conversation, dealing with our thankfulness, our love for each other, and blessings on friends and family. Again, is this really the way it works for us? Be honest, now!

Wrangling the young children, hoping to avoid dragging an arm through the mashed potatoes, the conversation is, shall we say, a little less that delectable. To be sure, there was discussion of jobs, of extended family, of a well-timed bit of humor, and in my family ... the brother-in-law.

(My brother-in-law will soon be a first-time father. I include this fact in order for the remainder of the story to be in the proper context.)

PART TWO COMING SOON!!! CHECK BACK OFTEN!!!


© 2005, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The holiday season is fast approaching. Pastors have (and will) no doubt encourage their congregations to express their gratitude to the Lord, to stop and consider all they have for which to be thankful.

I don’t want take this opportunity to expound on some deep theological thought for an extended amount of time (which will surprise my congregation and those who have read this blog in the past). Instead, I wish to make a suggestion.

I post this entry on Monday, November 21st. This means there are 34 days until Christmas, when we take time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is important that we be thankful at Thanksgiving, and at Christmas, too; but I believe that this thankfulness becomes generic, losing much of its impact, and making us less grateful than we could be.

Therefore, I suggest that, starting today, or whenever you read this blog entry, you make a list of 34 specific things you are thankful for, blessings God has given you, times He has seen you through. Write them down, and then each day until Christmas, thank the Lord for one thing on your list. Good times to do this would be when you first wake up, when you have lunch, and when you go to bed. This way, the beginning, middle, and end of each day is spent thanking Jesus for what He’s done for you.

By making the conscious effort to thank the Lord, and by making a tangible list of blessings, your experience with the Lord becomes very personal and very real. I believe we are all, to some degree, guilty of generalizing our spiritual life, of simply saying, “Thanks for what You’ve given me. Keep giving me what I need. Amen.” Now is the time to stop and truly reflect on what it is God has really done for us, and how fortunate we really are.

Even in the darkest of times, the presence of the Lord not only offers a beacon of hope, but a blessed light to illuminate the grace He has given us, because sometimes the darkness has a way of hiding the marvelous grace God has promised us. May God give you a wonderful Thanksgiving season with family and friends, and may we all see that our heavenly Father is faithful in all things, and has given us a truly blessed life.


© 2005, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Mirror, Mirror On The Heart

After a brief hiatus, I now have my computer returned to me. With repairs completed to said computer, I am now free to once again post a blog entry. I want to thank all those who continue to view this blog, and trust that you are enjoying it. Also keep in mind that you can post a comment to an entry, or can send me an email at soulscape@alltel.net . Anyway, let us proceed with the entry, shall we?

How do you deal with difficult situations or problems you encounter? I believe most people deal with these things by not dealing with them. While this seems to be a prevalent trait among most of us, it is neither the best or right thing to do. We must, however, stop and ask why we do this.

When we look in the mirror each day, we see things that need attention; our hair needs brushed, make-up needs applied, a garment needs straightened. Still, no matter what we do, we see a reflection of ourselves staring back at us. No amount of cosmetic consideration can change the fundamental person reflected in the mirror. But, we do what we can to make that person more acceptable, more presentable, more attractive.

As we examine our hearts, minds and lives, we sometimes find blemishes and imperfections that seem to detract from the beauty of the person we’d like to be. But for most of us, when we see these things, we don’t make the attempt to change what’s wrong. Instead, we cover them up with other things, or ignore them all together, hoping they will go away, or that they won’t be noticed by anyone else.

Having a right and healthy relationship with the Lord requires that we be honest about what we find within us. We must not compare our lives with others, but with Jesus. We must not rationalize or excuse the wrong, but be willing to acknowledge and change the wrong to follow God’s pattern for life. This honesty requires that we not only admit where we need change, but be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to affect that change within us.

It is impossible to be what God wants you to be, it is impossible to have a strong and healthy relationship with the Lord if you do not seek those areas needing attention in your life, and then be willing to do something about it. What we see of ourselves might not always be pretty, but the Lord sees what we can (and should) be. Since He sees that beauty within us, it is our responsibility to see it, too. As we see that beauty, we must also be aware of that which detracts from that beauty, and let the Spirit direct us in how to live more like Christ every day.

Our daily prayer as Christians should be that we might draw closer to the Lord. But that prayer must also include a request that our Heavenly Father would give honest sight to our eyes, so that we can see ourselves for whom and what we really are, and be the kind of people He knows we can be. Don’t take perfection for granted, and merely assume you’re where you need to (and can) be. Approach life by daily acknowledging that you can be closer to the Lord today than you were yesterday, and then move forward with the attitude that Jesus gives not only new life, but renewed life. Things can always be better, but we have to be willing to be made better.

We can’t do it alone, but we know Someone who can!


© 2005, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Pastor's Appreciation

I could not, in good conscience, leave a “commercial” as a post for very long, without creating a “real,” substantive posting. So, in that effort, here goes.

October is coming to an end, and as most of you are aware, October is Pastor’s Appreciation Month. I wanted to share just a couple of thoughts and experiences with you concerning this wonderful month.

I say that with a bit of trepidation. I don’t want it to sound like I think this is a great month because everyone tells me they appreciate me. While that is nice, that’s not the reason. Most pastors, no matter who they are or where they pastor, feel unappreciated most of the time. Whether this is based in reality or not doesn’t matter. The devil makes sure that a pastor feels as though they are doing no good for anyone, that they’re not making a difference in anyone’s life, that they’re not affecting anyone for the better, especially for the Lord.

Taking a month out of the calendar and setting it aside to share your appreciation for your pastor is a great thing, because, even if it’s only for a brief moment, it makes the pastor feel that they are contributing something positive to someone’s life. This does wonders for the morale of a pastor, and positively affects the entire congregation as a result. So, before October is over, let your pastor know you love him. AND DON’T JUST DO IT IN OCTOBER!!! DO IT ALL YEAR LONG!!!

Over this past month, I’ve received several expressions of appreciation from members of my congregation. Each one has touched me deeply, and I appreciate every one of them. For a pastor, it is easy to get caught up in the everyday rigors of shepherding the flock, of seeing the heartache and pain of those who are ill or who have lost loved ones. It’s easy to get swept away in the invariable tide of politics and cliques, to look at all that goes wrong, to wistfully long for what could be, and get discouraged. But then, someone comes along to give you a little encouragement.

I will be sharing a bit of this with my congregation in November’s newsletter, but I wanted to expand here just a bit. This past Wednesday evening, a family gave me a couple of gifts in appreciation: a musical tie, some homemade muffins, and a card and note. These things, especially the card and note, really moved me. The card was from a young girl who thanked me for helping her through the loss of her great-grandfather. The note was from this girl’s grandmother, the daughter of the man who passed away. Their words made me feel that I have been of use, and knowing that I helped someone in some way, during a time of great need, is truly special to me.

The biggest problem for most pastors is built into their job. Everyone looks to the pastor for help, for guidance, for encouragement and strength. But whom does the pastor have like that? Fortunately for me, I have a wonderful man to fill that void. He is my former pastor, and he is my grandfather. Watching his life and ministry gave me the tools necessary to help me in my own calling, and I can still go to him to seek advice and counsel. Without his encouragement and guidance, I would not be where I am today.

And there are others, other men and women of God whom I can go to with questions or problems, and know they will give me sound, Godly advice. And there are still others, in and out of the pastorate, whom I silently watch, on whom I quietly rely for examples of wisdom and strength that come only from the Lord.

I appreciate these people. I appreciate my congregation. I appreciate those of you who visit this blog. And I appreciate my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who sees beyond my mistakes and failures, and helps me help others. My only desire is to have many more years in which to serve the Master, and be a source of encouragement to others. But even if I don’t have many years, my prayer is that someone will have benefited from something the Lord has done through me.


© 2005, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Pardon This Commercial

Hello, friends! Normally, I would not use an entry as a “commercial,” but to share some thoughts, as I have in all of my past postings. However, I believe what I have to share with you in this entry is equally valuable, as a spiritual tool of growth, inspiration, and convenience.

On the left hand side of this screen, you will see the following items: Previous Posts, Archives, About Me, and a little Blogger icon. Well, now below the Blogger icon you will see a small banner ad for a product called InstaVerse. I want to give you a little bit of information about this product, so you can see for yourself if it is for you!

The InstaVerse program allows you to hover your mouse pointer over a Scripture reference (such as Rom 8:38-39 or Jn 3:16), and the program will open a small window with the verse text in it. This way, if you’re reading an e-mail or scanning a webpage with just an abbreviation reference, you can move your mouse over it and see the whole text.

In addition, InstaVerse has the ability to insert Scriptures at the touch of a few buttons! You can type a reference like the ones mentioned above, press Alt + F8, and InstaVerse will place the entire reference text in your e-mail, word processor, etc.

What do you have to pay for such a terrific program? That’s the beauty of it. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! InstaVerse is free with the King James Version of the Bible. There are over 30 translations available, and you can purchases additional translations if you wish. The program is compatible with other Bible programs, so if you have other Bible software and translations on your computer, InstaVerse may already be compatible with them and automatically include them in the program!

The InstaVerse program is from the fine people at WORDsearch, makers of quality Bible software. I use many WORDsearch programs every day, and I am very happy with the new InstaVerse addition.

A word of caution, though. If you use Internet Explorer as your browser, you have no problems. But if you use Mozilla Firefox as your browser, you will have to wait until Firefox 1.5 is released in the very near future. It is in the Beta stage right now, but should be released as a full version very soon. You can still use InstaVerse in other programs, though.

Well, this has been a very interesting commercial. I’m not getting a dime from any of this. I just wanted to share with you a valuable resource for studying God’s Word. I feel sure you will love the program, and that it can help you. So, if you would like to give it a try, and see an animated demo of the product, just click on the InstaVerse banner ad on the left of the screen, or visit http://www.instaverse.com/ . I hope you enjoy this program. God bless you!


© 2005, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.