Happy Turkey Day!

Often the focus of Thanksgiving is the delicious food or what sales you might find on Black Friday the following day. I can't recall the last Turkey Day that I set aside a moment to truly ponder the reasons I am thankful. This year has been filled with challenges and blessings and I have decided to use this blog and this moment to appreciate everything I have to be thankful for this year.

I graduated college! That alone is worth plenty of thanks and praise. I have a job; it is part-time and not my dream job, but it pays the bills. I am thankful that my parents are helping me during this transitional time in my life. I can't imagine the stress of having to take out loans or work multiple jobs. I am thankful for my amazing family. Everyone of my family members are loving and always there for me. I love that they are extremely funny and keep my spirits high. I don't laugh anywhere as hard as I do in Dyersburg, TN. My friends are also another thing to give thanks for this year. I have some of the greatest friends in the whole wide world.

Another reason my heart is abounding in thanks this season is because of my growing relationship with God. I have a solid relationship with Him and it is continuing to grower deeper through each trial and tribulation that has come my way. For the first time in my 23 years I am placing my trust fully in Him in ALL areas of my life and the contentment I feel is evidence of that.

I am also thankful that it is GLORIOUS basketball season and both my Lakers and Blue Devils are starting their seasons of well. I love when there is a game on almost every night of the week. I think one of my favorite sounds of all is sneakers against a gym floor. Their rhythmic shuffle is nice to listen to as I fall to sleep snuggled deep within a cushy blanket.

There are many other things that I am thankful for, but for time and space sake I will leave the list as is. I am so grateful for the ability to celebrate this holiday surrounded by the people I hold dearest. I wish everyone out there a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!

Basketball Approaches :)

The L.A. Lakers and Duke Blue Devils possess my heart during the next several months and I am completely okay with it. I am fully aware of why these two teams are the greatest in pro and college basketball and after reading this you should be, too.

First, let's begin with King Kobe and his glorious Lakers. I mean I could stop with Kobe Bryant and that would be reason enough, but I am a huge fan of fundamentals players. Derick Fisher, Lamar Odom, and Luke Walton are some of my favorites. DFish is so unbelievably underrated and I'm calling all sports fans out. He is an amazing clutch player as we've seen during the finals whether it was with the Lakers or the Jazz. Lamar Odom may eat way too much candy, but his sugar rushes provide the team with their much needed energy boosts down the stretch. No one can turn a game around quicker than Lamar with his charismatic smile accompanied by a slamming dunk. Luke Walton gets a rough deal because he is always being measured against his talented father. However, Luke-y Baby is a gifted passer and really understands how to utilize the triangle to the best advantage of his team. He is my personal favorite! Sasha Vujacic now has a new 'do' and with his peripherial view no longer blocked by his luscious locks he is sure to become an even bigger threat on the defensive end. This tazmanian devil on 'd' intimidates the surest of stars. Now, with Ron Artest to bring not only his killer attitude, but killer shooting ability as well is a definite positive for my team. Phil Jackson is the Zen Master and should be able to make 11 his lucky number this season. Plus let's not forget that Kobe 'Freaking' Bryant is leading this excellent team. He is a beast of a player and fans from all teams love to watch this champion perform. MVP chants will start early this season as his talent is untameable and his drive unstoppable. You can't mention the Lakers without recognizing their dedicated mascot Jack Nicholson. Here's Johnny! This cast of greats is going to make for a championship team for sure this season :)

I love the Blue Devils for their passion for the game. They are always a small team in stature, but their potential is large. Coach Mike Krzyzewski is the greatest coach in college basketball today. Sorry Roy. There is a reason he is asked to coach the USA Men's team every 4 years, just saying. Aside from the astute wisdom of Coach K, the Blue Devils have a promising list of players this season. Back for his Senior year is Jon Scheyer and his partner in the paint Kyle Singler. The shot of Scheyer with the stamina and strength of Singler is an unmatched combination. Also in the mix are Nolan Smith and Lance Thomas. Smith provides a much needed leadership and cool collectedness to keep the Devils focused. Thomas gives this team its defensive prescence as he takes numerous charges and maintains energy levels on the other side of the court. If Zoubek can refine his skills and improve his quickness, then this Blue Devil team will be a force to be reckoned with.

Let the gloriousness begin!

Fidelity

Lately issues of infidelity have become a frequent occurrence. David Letterman admitted having had several affairs with women in his office; several friends of mine have spoken with me about personal relationships suffering or ending due to this problem; and the book I'm reading, Wildflower by Mark Seal, details the life of a devoted wife who was laid by the wayside when her husband's constant infidelity finally led him to leave her. It seems in today's age and time that fidelity is no longer the rule, but the exception. Maybe I am naive and have recently had the sheep's wool lifted to see the world in its true state. This I just cannot bring myself to believe.

When I first started coming across all these different cases I began losing faith in love and wondering if a marriage could exist without such deceit. I have always based my ideals of true love and marriage upon my parent's 26 year marriage. To my knowledge they have both remained faithful for the entirety of their marriage. They actually meant their vows. I always assumed that their relationship was the norm, but now I am not so certain.

However, I refuse to become jaded about something as beautiful as love. Whether my parents are the exception or the rule matters not. I have faith that true and lasting love exists and I will settle for nothing less. Whenever I am discouraged by the infidelity evident in our society I turn to 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter highlights what perfect love (love of God for us) looks like and the importance of having love present in our lives. Verses 8 and 13 are the most relevant to this particular topic. Verse 8, "Love never fails..." Verse 13, "Three things will last forever -- faith, hope, and love -- and the greatest of these is love." (NIV)

Thoughts on Mere Christianity

pg. 29 "You find out more about God from the Moral Law than from the universe in general just as you find out more about a man by listening to his conversation than by looking at a house he has built." I love this because it is so simple and true. Looking at the universe and all the beautiful things in it allows us to see what God likes and get an idea or sense about who He is. However, reading the bible, which is His conversation with the world, gives us His exact thoughts on each issue or question we come across. The Bible clearly lays out the guidelines/moral laws that God wishes us to follow. The Bible is a literal copy of the Moral Law. We already know in our hearts and minds what is good and right due to the Holy Spirit, a.k.a. our conscience, living inside of us. The Bible lays that gut/instinctive feeling out on the table in a concrete and tangible form. Knowing a tree is pretty gives us no sense of direction on how to act when confronted with a moral dilemma. We can’t tell from the sunsets, stars, flowers, etc. how God would want us to respond. So while the universe is magnificent and beautiful, it by no means provides us with a moral compass.