Whitesburg Baptist October/November 2016 Magazine

Whitesburg OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016

& Food

Fall

Family

It’s pu m p ki n p ic ki n ’ ti m e !

Whitesburg

Family Night at Tate Farms

Friday, October 21 5:30 - 8:30 pm

Ticket includes hayride and pic k a pumpkin from the patch!

2 per person $10 family max

$

Children under 2 are free.

br ing ar picn ic od at buy foo s! tate Far m

Get your tickets at

WhitesburgBaptist.org/FamilyNight Brought to you by

WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH

Inside

Whitesburg OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016

Letter from the Editor:

Thank you

for reading Whitesburg Magazine. Whether this is your first issue to read or you have been reading since this was a weekly newspaper, I hope that you will be encouraged in your faith walk throughout these pages. As my team and I decided to focus on Fall, Family and Food for this issue, we thought it would be fun to ask our writers to include a favorite Fall recipe if they liked. We hope you enjoy!

David Dye

Communications Pastor, Whitesburg Baptist Church

2 If We Ain’t Eating, We Ain’t Meeting

By Dr. Jimmy Jackson

4 Pass the Biscuits, Please!

By Rick Stone

8 Day-after-Thanksgiving Paninis

By Jordan Busk

10 Friendsgiving Frozen Lime Pie

By Melissa Schuster

14 Thanksgiving at Meme’s Aunt Carlene’s Chocolate Pie

By Melody Hubbard

20 Fit for the Holidays Barbecue Chicken Pizza

By Chrissy Curtis

24 Which Comes First?

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

By David Dye

28 A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Whitesburg magazine is a publication by Whitesburg Baptist Church, 6806 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, AL 35802-2299. (Permit No. 446) Publisher: Whitesburg Baptist Church Editor-in-Chief: Rev. David Dye Graphics & Publishing: Melissa Schuster, Ron Snyder Editorial Assistants: Karen Tidwell, Beverly Dishman, Jordan Busk

Subscribe!

Receive Whitesburg magazine in your home or business by subscribing in one of these ways: • Visit WhitesburgBaptist.org/subscribe.

• Email your name and mailing address to subscribe@wbccares.org.

• Call the office at 256-704-5678, ext. 279.

By Suzanne Crocker

32 S’mores Fun!

By Brittany Sims

33 Kid’s Space

Find the hidden objects!

34 Momma’s Molasses Cookies Mrs. Folmar’s Favorite Molasses Cookies

By Kenny Spain October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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For those who are reading

this month’s magazine, you probably think we have finally gotten to our true character as a church. Baptists and food have a very notable relationship.

That is most likely true of other denominations as well.

I am grateful for all of our contributors to this edition.

They are much more practical than I am. Some of them have time tested recipes with old family ingredients passed along since the days of Noah. I am not much into recipes, although I am very much into family and food.

One of my many blessings 2

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throughout my ministry as the Pastor of our church has been going around to preach in revivals, conferences and special events. Several years ago, I was invited to preach in Russellville, AL at an Associational meeting.

I finished my day of activity at the office and headed west to my speaking engagement. As I was driving, I realized that I had left the name of the church behind.

I was getting a little nervous. I knew the time of the meeting but not the location. I could not reach anyone to help me because I had left the contact info in my office and could not reach my

If we ain’t

eating, we ain’t meeting

by Dr. Jimmy Jackson

Administrative Assistant.

As I drove into Russellville, I came to the First Baptist Church and thought that this was most likely the place. It was about a quarter until 7 pm. I got out of my car and walked up to the steps of the church just as the custodian came out. I asked him if there was to be a meeting there that evening.

He did not respond at first.

He took a couple of steps away from the building, turned to look around the corner down to a large gymnasium type building – the church fellowship hall.

He said, “Preacher, that’s

where we fellowship and eat.

There ain’t no cars down there. If we ain’t eating, we ain’t meeting.

Nothing going on here tonight.”

Well, I found the right church, walked in as they were singing, and all went well. But I have never forgotten that statement: “If we ain’t eating, we ain’t meeting.”

So be it and praise the Lord for families and food.

Dr. Jimmy Jackson

is the Senior Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL. October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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Pass the please!

by Dr. Harold Fanning

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One of the unique pleasures of living in the South is our love affair with food.

Seems like every event

from church socials to weddings all center around a table usually loaded with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and topped off with cake and home-made ice cream.

In the South no food is discarded if it can be used for something else. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that ‘casseroles’ were the invention of innovative southern cooks seeking something to do with leftovers! That was certainly true with my mother. She felt that if it “clucked, crawled, or flew, it went into the stew!” Our table was always loaded with jars of condiments consisting of pickled beets, green tomato relish, butter and pickles. Salt and pepper shakers were provided so that each person at the table could doctor their plates with dabs, squirts, and globs of this and that in order to fit their individual taste buds.

In the same way that physical food nourishes our bodies, so too

does turning to the food of God’s Word help nourish our minds and bodies spiritually. It is amazing how many times Jesus used food metaphors in order to illustrate a spiritual principle. For example in John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” Again in Matthew 5:6 Jesus taught, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Later, He talked about the Christian testimony by saying in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?”

Jesus used this metaphor to help us internalize His message. Through salt, Jesus presents us with a clear path for life with a simple and clear purpose. Salt sprinkled on meat will deter decomposition and purify it from corruption. Thus, Jesus illustrated that the one who follows His teachings can have a positive influence on a

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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PASS THE BISCUITS, PLEASE!

corrupt world by doing good.

Eating food is not only enjoyable, but a necessity of life. Just like we need physical food for physical strength, we also need spiritual food for spiritual strength. Listen to the words of Jesus in John 4:31-34, “In the meantime his disciples urged him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’

But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ Therefore the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought him anything to eat?’

Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to

do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work.”

Jesus made it clear that a seat at the dinner table is much more than barbecue, peach pie and butter beans.

The shared dishes represent the things that bind us together.

Some of Jesus’ most profound teachings were done around a table where He made certain that the disciples understood that spiritual food is defined as hearing the voice of God and obeying it. Jesus did this perfectly and had perfect spiritual health.

The shared dishes represent the things that bind us together.

Dr. Harold Fanning has been married to his wife Debbie for 41 years. He is a retired pastor who currently serves as a Hospice Chaplain. Harold speaks each Wednesday night at WBC’s Prayer Meeting service and is a hotrod enthusiast.

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Christmas at

Whitesburg

Come celebrate the joy of Jesus’ birth in one of Whitesburg Baptist Church’s special Christmas services this December.

Hanging of the Green December 4 at 11 am

Our Student Choir leads a joyous worship celebration!

Children’s Choirs Presentation December 4 at 6:15 pm

A heart-warming children’s Christmas program.

Winterlude

December 11 at 6:15 pm

Four pianos and a big band play timeless Christmas favorites.

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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Day-After-Thanksgiving

Paninis

from the kitchen of Jordan Busk

My

favorite

thing

about Thanksgiving is actually the day after Thanksgiving. A few years back, my Mom started making leftover Thanksgiving paninis, which combines almost everything from Thanksgiving dinner into a warm, gooey sandwich. She doesn’t just use your run-of-the-mill sliced sandwich bread, but instead she’ll pick out a peasant loaf or a good sourdough bread from the bakery.

The sandwich layers:

• mayo • good cheese, like gouda or provolone • stuffing (trust me, it’s my favorite part of the sandwich!)

• gravy, not too much but just enough to add some moisture • slices of leftover turkey (not lunch meat, use your leftovers!)

• cranberry sauce • all sandwiched in between those two amazing slices of bread Mom has a panini press pan, but you could just as easily make the sandwich in a skillet with a heavy pan as your press, or on a famous former boxer’s indoor electric grill. Add butter to the pan if you want the sandwich to be crispy on the outside, then heat the sandwich in the pan until the cheese begins to melt. Then, flip to the other side until browned.

Serve this yummy sandwich with veggies, chips and other leftovers such as green bean or sweet potato casserole. The possiblites are endless! I recommend slicing the sandwich in half so that it will fit in your mouth. Then, devour. No shame if you eat a second. After all, we’re trying to get rid of the leftovers!

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WhitesburgBaptist.org

246 Sessions

with Jon Mucitelli & Trisha Stacey Whitesburg’s Contemporary Worship Leaders

The 246 Sessions developed from a desire to bring our volunteer worship team closer together through a shared project that provides a way to introduce new songs to our congregation.

In the sessions, we take the time to share what is on our hearts as we choose new songs to sing. Ultimately, we want people to know that if the words in a song don’t speak the Truth of God’s Word, the song is not for us.

Our project is uniquely Whitesburg, that’s why we filmed it on location in our Café 246 - hence the name, 246 Sessions!

Watch our 246 Sessions online at

WhitesburgBaptist.org/246sessions Videographer - Orange Beard Films orangebeardfilms.com Audio Mastering - White Loft Studios whiteloftstudios.com

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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Friends GIVING

by Melissa Schuster

We were homeless for

four days. We finalized the sale on our house the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and were set to close on our new home the following Monday. All the craziness of moving made it difficult to travel to Kentucky to see our families for the holiday and we were trying to figure out what to do. Then, our friends Pete & Laura Campbell spoke up and happily offered us their guest room and an invitation to join in their family festivities for the weekend.

We felt a little awkward at first, like we were crashing a private family party. But the Campbells and their families embraced us and our little 14-month-old daughter like we were their own.

We played games like Scrabble and Phase 10 and ate metric tons of turkey and mashed potatoes.

We watched the Thanksgiving Day parade. Laura and I went Christmas shopping and then 10

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stopped by my new home to line the shelves while the guys did manly things, like move the washer and dryer. On Sunday, we helped Pete & Laura put up their Christmas tree. We did all the things that families do on Thanksgiving weekend, plus some.

I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for friends who would open their home and lives to include us so completely.

God’s timing could not have been more appropriate and the message could not have been more clear - of all the things we had to be thankful for this particular Thanksgiving, the gift of friendship was the one that surpassed them all.

Since that November nine years ago, we have shared every Thanksgiving with the Campbells. We commemorate the friendship that has lasted

through laughter and tears, and thank God for carrying us through it all. Over time, we’ve developed our own traditions together, like having a barbecue rather than the traditional turkey dinner. We still watch the parade and play games, but these days we’re more likely to play Ticket to Ride or Seven Wonders. And our kids, the next generation of friends, run around playing an imaginative mix of Barbie dolls and dinosaurs. It’s wonderful.

If you Google “friendsgiving,” the top hits will tell you that it is a “celebration of Thanksgiving dinner with your friends.” To us, it’s much more than that. Our Friendsgiving is a celebration

of the adopted family that God surrounds us with when our natural families sometimes aren’t near. Our family of friends has exchanged babysitting, helped in moving furniture and fixing cars, borrowed tools and books, shared meals and lots of laughter. We need each other and we’re thankful for each other, and that is what keeps our friendship, and our Friendsgiving, going year after year.

Melissa Schuster is

Brian’s wife, Catie’s mom and a daughter of the unchanging, loving Father. She loves road trips, camping at the beach, playing guitar and laughing with her family.

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rozen Flime pie from the kitchen of Melissa Schuster For those (like me) who do not like meringue!

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 4 Tbsp butter, melted 1/4 cup white sugar

Filling:

2 large limes (or 3-4 small ones) 1 can condensed milk 4 oz. Cool Whip, defrosted

Heat your oven to 350° F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar in a pie pan and mix them up with a spoon. Then use the spoon or your hands to flatten the crust along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 6-10 minutes until it’s lightly brown.

Remove the crust from the oven 12

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and pop it in the freezer to chill while you make the filling.

Wash the limes and zest the peels into a large mixing bowl.

Then, cut the limes in half and sqeeze them thoroughly into the bowl. You should end up with about 1/3 cup lime juice. Add the condensed milk and mix very well with a spatula or whisk.

Add in the Cool Whip and mix gently but thoroughly.

Pull your crust out of the freezer and pour in the filling.

Make sure to lick the spatula clean when you’re done! Cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil and return to the freezer for 1-2 hours before serving.

Store the pie in the freezer until it’s all eaten up - which won’t take long!

I will

GIVE THANKS to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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Thanksgiving at Meme’s

by Melody Hubbard

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When I was a kid, Thanksgiving was a huge deal for my family. It was iconic, very Norman Rockwell-ish.

My

grandparents,

privilege without first being Sue tested and tried. One year, our and Charlie Henderson, Meme Yankee uncle from Tennessee and Poppa Chollie to us, had 8 decided that his dressing was children, most of whom had a worthy of consideration because couple of children or more, and he put oysters in it. I’m sorry Thanksgiving was the one time but oyster dressing might be each year that we all got together. ok in Tennessee but in a small There were kids and grown-ups Southern town in Alabama, I everywhere at our Thanksgiving don’t think so. Aunt Peggy and Dinners. We’ve been known to Uncle Harry had a “cook-off” have as many as 75 people for that year to see who could Thanksgiving, and trust make the best dressing. me, no one went away Rarely Let me just say that hungry. There was were any Uncle Harry was always food enough not invited into the for everybody. new dishes kitchen again.

The table for presented on There were Thanksgiving Thanksgiving butter beans, pinkDinner was a thing eyed purple hull of beauty. Rarely Day. The peas, green glop were any new tried and true (I have no idea but dishes presented favorites were it was delicious), on Thanksgiving creamed corn, green Day. The tried and good enough beans, deviled eggs true favorites were for us. and a host of other good enough for dishes. Meme always us. Aunt Peggy always had a huge garden, so she made the dressing. This spent the summer picking and is an honor that she had to shelling and freezing all those earn. She was not given this October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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THANKSGIVING AT MEME’S wonderful vegetables. Come even name them all.

Thanksgiving Day, she would go At Meme’s house, there was to the freezer and cook up all a hierarchy as to who ate when. those foods for our Thanksgiving The men-folk always got their feast. food first, then the women and of course the children were last.

We always had to time dinner There was the “adult” table and around when the men-folk came the children’s table (actually, in from hunting. After all, there were card tables Thanksgiving is smack all over the house to dab in the middle of accommodate so deer season. One They were many people). You year, when the stalwart in their had to earn the men-folk came in right to eat at the faith and raised from the woods, “adult” table. I’ve my dad looked their children to never gotten over over the food understand and the fact that my and asked the cousin Lynn got love the Lord. question, “Where’s to eat at the adult the creamed corn?” table the same time I Meme threw up her did when he was 4 years hands and said, “Oh my younger. The injustice!! goodness, I forgot the corn.”

After dinner, usually a football Within just a few minutes, game would appear on the TV Meme’s delicious creamed corn and lots of snoozing would was on the table. ensue. The children were shooed And the desserts. Oh my, the out into the yard to play while desserts. Banana pudding, (No the women-folk cleaned up the southern Thanksgiving Dinner dishes. Before the day was over, is complete without an acre of we would gather around the banana pudding. It’s written in piano, pull out the hymnals and the Southern handbook.), pecan sing. My mother, Sue Ellen, my pie, Aunt Carlene’s chocolate Uncle Jerry and my Aunt Linda pie, pumpkin pie, and so many were all accomplished pianists different kinds of cake I can’t and church musicians so it 16

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didn’t really matter who sat at the piano; singing happened.

Different ones would call out their favorite hymn number and we would sing it. Even the children were allowed to say our favorite hymn. It was a time for everyone, and we loved it.

All of this centered around two people, Sue and Charlie Henderson, two of the godliest people that I’ve ever known.

They were stalwart in their faith and raised their children to understand and love the

Lord.

Among their children and offspring were countless preachers, ministers of music, church musicians, deacons and church workers. Their faith and love for the Lord has been an example to all of my family throughout our lives.

As I think back on Thanksgiving Day, I mostly remember the godly heritage that came from my grandparents. It has been my desire and goal to pass this on to my family and to the third and fourth generation.

Melody Hubbard is a wife, mother, grandmother, quilter, seamstress, Pinterest addict, lover of music, lover of family, and lover of God. October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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AUNT CARLENE’S

CHOCOLATE PIE from the kitchen of Melody Hubbard This makes one deep-dish pie.

Stuff What Goes Into It: Filling: 2 cups sugar 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 4 egg yolks 2 Tbsp corn starch 1 pinch salt 2 cups whole milk 1 tsp vanilla 2 Tbsp butter 1 store-bought dough pie crust (not cookie or graham cracker) Meringue: 4 egg whites ~1 tsp+ of cream of tartar 1 pinch salt 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

What You Do: Sift together all the dry ingredients (sugar, cocoa, corn starch, salt) until there are no lumps. Add the egg yolks and mix with a whisk or fork or whatever until the whole thing has the texture of “meal.” Add the milk and mix until it’s as smooth 18

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as possible.

Heat this over medium heat, add the butter, and then stir constantly until it “pops” like you’ve seen the mud flats do in Yellowstone.

It will start out very liquid and slowly – very, very slowly – get thicker and go through a couple of color changes. The texture you’re aiming for is stiff pudding. When you can run your whisk through it and it leaves a trail that doesn’t disappear right away, it’s about right. If you put a spoon into it, it’ll coat the back and when you run your finger through the coat, it’ll stay separated.

This takes quite a long time of nearly constant stirring. Truly constant towards the end. If you pause too long, it can burn. And you don’t want that. Trust me. It’ll have the deep, rich brown color of a chocolate bar.

When it reaches this consistency, remove it from the heat, add the vanilla, and mix thoroughly. While you’re doing all that, pre-heat your oven to 325° F. Perforate your bought pie crust on the bottom and sides with a fork and then bake it until it’s lightly browned. Remove. Once the filling

is ready, pour it into the pie crust and pop this back into the 325° F oven until the filling bubbles, then remove it again.

By now, your egg whites should be thoroughly room temperature, which is good. Put them into a copper or glass bowl that has been cleaned to remove all traces of oils.

Do not use plastic or aluminum.

Start to whip the whites with an egg beater and then add the pinch of salt and cream of tartar. When soft peaks begin to form, add the sugar about a tablespoon at a time, mixing each in thoroughly before adding the next.

Once all the sugar is added, you should have either stiff or

soft peaks. Either way, dump the whole thing on top of the pie and distribute evenly, making sure to seal the meringue to the edges of the crust. Put this back into the 325° F oven and bake until the top of the meringue turns light brown and firm to the touch.

Never refrigerate the pie. It causes the meringue to shrink.

Just leave at room temperature and cover with an inverted bowl or something. It shouldn’t last long enough for it to become a problem.

This pie is actually better at room temperature than warm or cold.

But if you’re a fan of “licking the spoon” or “licking the pan,” the filling is magnificent piping hot.

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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Fit for the

Holidays

by Chrissy Curtis

Y’all, I do not like to exercise.

Especially around the holidays because who has time??

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For several years my sweet

husband, Brandon, tried to talk me into doing some type of exercise. I believed him when he said that it would make me feel better, I just didn’t want to. I had not found any exercise programs that I either A) wanted to do or B) thought was fun. And then I found Zumba!

Zumba is a Latin-inspired, aerobic type exercise class that burns lots of calories and is definitely fun! It was a slow start for me, but I was moving and doing something. After going for a few weeks, I was able to do the routines better and didn’t feel so clumsy. It didn’t matter if I did it exactly right; the point was to be moving, being active. Wouldn’t you know it, Brandon was right – I felt so much better just by being active. Plus, because we have so much fun in class, I get the added benefit of laughing while exercising which burns more calories! An unexpected result of consistently attending the class was that I became a part of a small group. Our Zumba ladies love exercising together and even get together outside of class. We just do life together. (Zumba classes are offered at our Recreation Outreach Center, with several different options to attend. For

more information, contact the awesome ladies in the Recreation Ministry at 256-704-5678, ext.

714 or WhitesburgBaptist.org/ Recreation.)

Naturally, Zumba or other aerobic classes aren’t for everyone.

But being active is! Brandon and I like to go on walks together. Some of our favorite walks are around our neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights. It’s even fun to bundle up in the cold weather. (And ladies, as a bonus you get to wear those cute scarves and hats you see on Pinterest!) If cold weather walks aren’t your thing, there are lots of places around Huntsville to walk inside. You can even walk inside your house. I remember my dad doing that when I was a little girl. I used to follow him around that small house, walking from corner to corner. Walking is fairly low impact for your joints also.

Going on walks is a great time for conversations. Sometimes I have the best talks while walking! If you prefer to walk alone, it can be a wonderful time for praying and worshipping the Lord.

Whatever you choose to do, just get moving! I believe that life is a gift from God. Being able to move and breathe and exercise is a gift that I ignored for far too long. James 4:14 says, “… What is

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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FIT FOR THE HOLIDAYS your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” I am so thankful for life and don’t want to waste a single day!

More important than being physically fit, however, is being spiritually fit. If this part of my life is out of shape, then the rest is too. Look at these instructions from the apostle Paul to the Colossians, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your

hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:12-17).

I don’t know about you, but these words are so helpful and encouraging, especially during the holidays when it can be stressful, chaotic and overwhelming. I might not be able to control the circumstances or situations around me, but I can choose how I react. I can choose to put on the new self, this new identity that I have in Christ. My prayer is that God will use us, in every situation, to advance His Kingdom and to bring Him glory.

Chrissy Curtis is the Student Ministry Administrative Assistant

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at Whitesburg Baptist Church. She loves being a wife to Brandon and “pet-mom” to Rocky & Sherman. She loves sports, reading, and teaching Zumba at the Recreation Outreach Center of Whitesburg Baptist Church.

WhitesburgBaptist.org

BARBEQUE

Chicken Pizza from the kitchen of Chrissy Curtis

For the picky eater!

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces 1 can of crescent rolls Barbeque sauce Mozzarella cheese Salt, pepper, onion powder to taste

Directions:

Cook chicken in skillet, seasoning with salt, pepper, onion powder to taste. Once chicken is almost cooked through, lower heat and

add in the barbeque sauce. Add in a little at a time so you don’t have too much. If it’s too thick, add in a little bit of water to thin it out. Meanwhile, roll out the crescent rolls as one big square onto a cookie sheet. Add some barbeque sauce to the crescent rolls, again, not too much. Once chicken and sauce combo is heated through, add to the crescent rolls and top with as much or as little cheese as you like. Cook using the directions on the crescent rolls. Add a side salad to make it a meal.

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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Which Comes

First?

by David Dye

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My heart is full of thankfulness.

It always should be, but I have to admit that it probably is more at this time of the year than any other.

Why? Because everywhere

I look I am reminded to be thankful.

Thanksgiving decorations are in the stores.

(OK, you may have to look past the Christmas decorations to see them, but we will get to that in a minute.) Nature itself seems to decorate for thanksgiving better than just about any other holiday. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade advertisements dominate the TV and, lets face it, you can’t have Black Friday without Thanksgiving! Like I said, reminders are everywhere.

For many, Thanksgiving is the beginning of the Christmas holidays. Others complain that Thanksgiving has become the forgotten holiday being totally overshadowed by Christmas. I don’t see it that way at all. Sure the stores will already have 100 Christmas items for every one for Thanksgiving, but that’s OK

because ultimately Christmas is the beginning of my thankfulness.

That’s right, Christmas is the beginning of Thanksgiving! Of all the things God has provided and all the things in the world to be thankful for, the greatest is His gift of salvation and eternal life.

This gift is what the Christmas story is all about.

The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Each one of us has been judged and sentenced to eternal separation from God as punishment for our sins. But God provided a way for us back to Himself – by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place, as our substitute, so that we can have eternal life. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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WHICH COMES FIRST? Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Then, God raised Jesus back to life three days after His crucifixion, proving that our punishment was paid in full.

“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God” (Romans 8:34).

But like any gift, you have to accept it, or it’s not yours.

Believe that God’s gift of salvation is for you! The Bible says: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

If you want to accept God’s free gift of salvation and be certain about your eternity, then you can

tell that to God in a prayer like this: “Dear God, I know I am separated from You because of my sins. I ask for Your forgiveness.

Thank You for sending Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and rise from the dead to completely take away the eternal consequences of my sins. I now trust in Him alone as my Savior. Thank You for Your free gift of salvation and eternal life.”

If this is the prayer of your heart today, then you too have something to begin your thanksgiving this Thanksgiving.

Contact your pastor or, if you don’t have one, call Whitesburg Baptist Church at 256-881-0952 and tell the operator that you want to talk to a pastor about your decision for salvation. We will be thankful!

like any gift, you have to accept it, or it’s not yours.

David Dye is a husband, father and minister. David says his greatest desire is to live a life like the Apostle Paul: “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). He wants to point people only to Jesus and the salvation offered through His death, burial and resurrection.

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Strawberry Pretzel

S•A•L•A•D from the kitchen of David Dye OK, I know that some people call this Strawberry Pretzel Pie and it is certainly sweet enough and delicious enough to eat for dessert. But, in the tradition of a great southern congealed salad and because I was first introduced to this as Strawberry Pretzel Salad, I will always consider it an appropriate salad dish.

This is also the dish that I am certain my family would not allow me in for Thanksgiving or Christmas if I showed up without it. Hope you enjoy this SALAD.

2 ½ cups pretzels (crushed coarsely) 1/2 cup margarine 1/4 cup sugar 8 oz. cream cheese 2 cups boiling water 1 cup sugar 12 oz. Cool Whip (defrosted) 2 (3 oz.) pkg strawberry Jell-O 20 oz. frozen sliced strawberries in syrup

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place pretzels in gallon sized freezer bag and crush to coarse sized pieces. (I use a heavy glass with a flat bottom or rolling pin.) Mix pretzels, melted margarine and sugar in a bowl then press into

a 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes then cool completely.

Once the crust is cool cream the cream cheese and sugar until no longer granulated. Add the Cool Whip and mix well. Spread this over the crust, making sure there are no gaps at the edges of the pan.

Dissolve the Jell-O in the boiling water stirring until COMPLETELY dissolved. Add frozen strawberries, breaking up with fork as you stir. Stir until completely incorporated throughout the Jell-O. Chill until Jell-O begins to set up. Pour over the Cool Whip layer and chill until completely set.

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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A

Vegetarian

Thanksgiving

by Suzanne Crocker

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WhitesburgBaptist.org

We

It was our first Thanksgiving in Togo.

were

We had been in Togo for only a little over a month. I was 21 years old, lonely, homesick and struggling with the language. with

an international mission board and the director of our mission was British. For them Thanksgiving was just another day - no one was planning on celebrating. It was my first Thanksgiving as a married woman and I could not let it just go by without any celebration, so I invited our director and his wife for dinner and began making plans.

A neighbor sold me two roosters, the market provided some withered potatoes, a gourd-like vegetable that resembled a pumpkin, green beans and dried corn to grind for cornmeal. A young man worked in our house and I asked him to kill and clean the roosters. When I went to inspect his work more closely, he seemed offended so I didn’t look too closely at the roosters. I seasoned them and popped them in the oven. It took so much longer than I expected to make everything completely from scratch, but finally our first

Thanksgiving feast was done.

The four of us sat down to our beautiful meal and gave thanks.

The table looked so elegant. I had brought my wedding china from the USA and the table was set elegantly. The roosters were brown and crispy. The pumpkin pies were on the sideboard. The withered potatoes had plumped back up with some water.

Rooster, dressing and gravy, green beans, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, fresh corn and pie. We gave thanks and asked the director to carve our roosters. As he started to cut into them, a look of total revulsion crossed his face. Our helper had not removed anything from the roosters - not even the intestines.

With all the insides present, the roosters were not cooked through! The laughter over the half-raw roosters broke the ice and we all began to laugh. We had to set aside the roosters. We had a vegetarian Thanksgiving full of joy and laughter.

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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A VEGETARIAN THANKSGIVING Over the years, I became more celebrating life together. proficient at cooking in a third Holidays can be a stressful world country and we even time whether here in the USA or found a way to buy a live turkey overseas. This Thanksgiving, one and try to fatten him up every of my children will be celebrating Thanksgiving. (The kids always with her new husband and enjoyed making crafts from real his family. Not having all my turkey feathers and were a little chickens in the nest for a holiday sad in the USA to is painful. Last find that turkeys year was the first The kids always came frozen in a enjoyed making crafts T h a n k s g i v i n g bag.) Our guest list that my motherfrom real turkey grew to having 30in-law was a 40 missionaries feathers and were a widow. How she celebrating with little sad in the USA to missed Joe at the us every year. The family gathering! find that turkeys came food improved Everyone has frozen in a bag. significantly over sorrows that seem time and there magnified by the were no more raw poultry picture perfect Thanksgivings incidents. One thing never shown on the Hallmark Channel. changed. We always celebrated We have a choice to make, we can with a thankful heart and enjoyed find joy, laughter and a reason to each other. Our parents, siblings, rejoice like we did even with raw aunts and uncles may have been roosters or we can focus on what on the other side of the ocean, we don’t have or what we are but the other missionaries were missing. I choose to rejoice! our family in Christ and we loved

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Suzanne Crocker is a wife, mother, missionary and Christian conference speaker. She is also a Family Nurse Practitioner at Tennessee Valley Pain Consultants in Huntsville, AL. She grew up in Guatemala and has served as a missionary in both Togo and Benin, West Africa, with the IMB.

WhitesburgBaptist.org

It’s important that kids stay active and healthy.

Staying active is easy at Whitesburg because we offer several Upward programs throughout the year!

& l l a b t e k Bas g n i d a e l r Chee

For ages 5 years - 6th Grade

Register at WhitesburgBaptist.org/upward Cost is $75 until December 4, 2016.

Attend one evaluation on December 1 or 3, 2016.

Practices begin the week of January 9, 2017.

Games begin January 14, 2017.

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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s e r o m ’ S Fun! Walking S’mores

from the kitchen of Brittany Sims

This is the easiest way to take your favorite snack on-the-go.

INGREDIENTS: 4 (1 oz.) Teddy Graham snack packs, 1 c. mini marshmallows, 2 milk chocolate bars, chopped DIRECTIONS: Open snack packs and divide chocolate between the bags. Broil marshmallows until golden-brown, about 1 minute. Divide toasted marshmallows between the snack packs. Shake bag to coat the grahams and chocolate with the melted marshmallow.

Serve with forks.

S’mores Crescent Roll-Ups Eating these by a campfire is highly encouraged.

INGREDIENTS: All-purpose flour, for rolling. 1 tube crescent roll dough. 2 c. mini chocolate chips.

1 c. mini marshmallows. 1 c. graham crackers, broken into small pieces DIRECTIONS: On top of floured surface, unroll crescents and separate into individual triangles.

Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave 1 cup chocolate chips in 30-second increments until fully melted. Set aside. To each crescent, spread 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate, then top with 1 tsp. each mini chocolate chips, marshmallows, and graham cracker pieces. Roll into crescent shape and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake at 325º F until golden, 15 minutes. Drizzle with more melted chocolate and serve.

32 WhitesburgBaptist.org

Find these hidden objects in the picture!

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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Momma’s

s e s s a l o M Cookies

by Kenny Spain

My mother, like many women from her generation, was an amazing cook. We ate lots of good vegetables, homemade corn bread and biscuits. But her cakes and cookies are some of the most memorable. She would make doughnuts, fried pies, coconut cake made only from fresh coconuts and cookies of all types. Her molasses cookies happened to be Mrs. Folmar’s favorite.

In 1960, I was a baby and our family of eleven moved to #3 Glen Iris Park in Birmingham, Alabama. That’s how the Spains wound up next door to Mrs. Folmar, the widow of a successful insurance executive. It was a wonderful place for a little boy to grow up. I had no concept of the vast difference in affluence between us and our neighbors because we always had good food, clothes and plenty of love.

My mother and Mrs. Folmar became very good friends when 34

WhitesburgBaptist.org

I was a child. I remember her as a very friendly lady in her 70s, who treated me like I was family.

On my way to school, I’d take a shortcut behind her house. In the afternoons, I’d recite “new tricks,” like counting by fives, that I had learned at school that day to her at her back door, and she would give me money as a reward.

Mrs. Folmar had one child, a daughter named Mary. Mary’s middle name was Mrs. Folmar’s maiden name, so she was known as Mary Harmon. This is the same Mary Harmon that married Paul Bear Bryant in 1935. I lived next door to Bear Bryant’s mother-in-law during a historic period of Alabama football.

One day my brother, David, and I got to meet Bear Bryant in Mrs. Folmar’s dining room. On the way back across the yard to our house, because my brother, James, was attending Auburn at the time, David yelled at the

top of his lungs, “War Eagle!”

Although I know that Bear Bryant had heard thousands of people yell that before, I was embarrassed and ran the rest of the way home.

After living next door to a coaching legend’s mother-inlaw for almost 10 years, I have nothing tangible to show for it, but I do have great memories.

Retrospectively, we always had lots of Golden Flake and Coca Cola trinkets that Mrs. Folmar had given us.

For my parents’ 50th anniversary, I compiled a book of stories and my momma’s

recipes, which I entitled, The Way My Momma Made It. It has been a blessing to our family and friends and becomes more special each year since Momma went to be with the Lord in January 2000. It includes her recipe for molasses cookies.

Mrs. Folmar’s back door was only about a hundred feet from ours, so it was quick and easy to deliver her favorite cookies. So, this football season, regardless of whom you cheer for, whip up a batch of “Mrs. Folmar’s Favorite Molasses Cookies” and enjoy them “the way my momma made it!”

Kenny Spain is Operations Administrator at Whitesburg Baptist

Church and as a long time member has enjoyed worshipping at Whitesburg with several generations of his family. Kenny’s family are all good cooks and he’s a good eater.

Molasses Cookies Mrs. Folmar’s Favorite

from the kitchen of Lila D. Spain Ingredients: 3/4 cup shortening 1 cup white sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup New Orleans molasses 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Mix thoroughly. Drop by half teaspoons on a cookie sheet and bake at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes.

Do not brown.

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Bethlehem Breakfast Saturday, December 3 8 - 10 am We invite your family to a free come-and-go breakfast with the Bethlehem characters!

The children will receive special gifts to help them better understand the Christmas story.

All families with children Grade 2 and younger, including siblings, are invited.

WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH South Campus Fellowship Dining Room 36 36

7300 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, AL 35802

WhitesburgBaptist.org WhitesburgBaptist.org

WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH

2016 FALL CALENDAR

October 2 Discover Whitesburg Class 9:30 am (Part 1) and 5 pm 8 Singles’ 35+ Coffee House 9 Discover Whitesburg Class 9:30 am (Part 2) 10 Senior Day at the ROC 14 Date Night 21 Fall Festival at Tate Farms 22 Singles 35+ Bluegrass and BBQ 25 Ladies’ FOLD

November

December

4 LIFE Group Fellowship Night 5 Singles Community Service Project 6 Time Change - Fall Back!

11-12 Middle School Fall Retreat 12 Singles’ 35+ Thanksgiving Dinner 13 The Lord’s Supper in AM Services 13 Discover Whitesburg PM Class 16 DivorceCare Surviving the Holidays 20 Baby Dedication in AM Services 23 No Evening Activities 24 Happy Thanksgiving 27 No Evening Service

3 Bethlehem Breakfast 4 Special Morning Schedule • 9:30 Combined LIFE Groups • 11:00 Hanging of the Green 4 Children’s Choir Christmas Musical 10 Singles Adult Christmas Banquet 11 Global Missions Service AM 11 Winterlude 12 Senior Day at the ROC 18 No Evening Service 24 Christmas Eve Vesper Service 25 Special Morning Schedule • No LIFE Groups • 10:00 Combined Worship 28 No Evening Activites

For more details on these and other events, visit WhitesburgBaptist.org.

October/November 2016 | Whitesburg

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Sundays:

Come worship with us on Sundays!

WhitesburgBaptist.org

Photo: The Celebration Choir at 9:30 am on Sundays.

WhitesburgBaptist.org

BAPTIST CHURCH

WHITESBURG

LIFE Groups 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 am Blended Traditional Service 9:30 am with Dr. Jimmy Jackson Contemporary Service 11:11 am with Rev. Steven Dunne Evening Service 6:15 pm

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6806 Whitesburg Drive Huntsville, AL 35802

Whitesburg Baptist Church

PAID

Huntsville, AL Permit 446

Non-Profit Organization US Postage