Happy Thanksgiving! - Dinner with the VIPs (A Short Story)

To celebrate Thankgiving which most people associate with food, here's a short story about something we all love.... dinner....
Dinner with the VIPs

Tony smiled. He had waited for twenty eight years for this moment. Rumours floating around the office purported that he had been nominated for the position of VP (Vice President) of the Board. Now his lifetime goal was almost within reach. Almost. But he had to make it certain.
Tony knew that his academic record was outstanding, what with an MBA from Harvard and a PHD from Yale. He had been responsible for 75 % sales and 87 % growth in the company in the last two years. Try and beat that. But would it be enough? There were two other bright sparks to contend with. Tony knew he had to do something. Yes, something that would seal the deal. Then it hit him! He would invite the four board members and their wives for dinner at his home. They did say that the way to a man’s heart is through his pot belly (oops sorry I mean stomach.)

Tony emailed the board members who seemed surprised but equally delighted by his invitation. After that he got onto the phone and called his wife Macy.
“Honey, there’s talk in the office that I’ve been nominated for VP!”
“Oh my gosh, that’s great. When will you find out for certain?”
“The board will take a vote next week and decide between me and two others.”
“You’ve worked very hard babe and I think you’ll get it. I’ll phone the prayer group and ask them to pray for you as well.”
“Thanks babe, but I’ve also come up with an idea which could help to guarantee my place.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“I’ve invited the board members and their wives to our place for dinner this weekend.”
Tony had already decided that Macy would not do the cooking, there was too much at stake here and he couldn’t take any chances with his wife’s homely but not elegant cooking. He would hire a chef for this particular occasion.
“Honey, I think we should leave it all in God’s hands. Besides you don’t want to look like you are sucking up to them, do you?”
But there was no stopping Tony, who had his eye on the prize and was sure that this was the perfect way to attain it.

Saturday night came round and the four board members arrived promptly for the evening dinner. They all complimented Tony on his home which looked like a page out of Contemporary Homes Magazine, with its elegant high ceilings, immaculate mahogany wooden floors, white furniture complete with an original Paolo Fazioli grand piano. Tony was dressed in a lovely grey Armani suit whilst his wife wore a stunning red number by Gucci (all bought especially for the dinner of course). Tony was an impeccable host making sure everyone’s glass never went below half, playing his classical music at just the right volume and helping Macy serve the appetisers; shrimp with basil garlic stuffing and fig and goat cheese bruschetta. Dinner soon followed, Tartar of Kobe beef with Imperial Beluga caviar and Belons oyster. Everyone seemed impressed by the posh and ludicrously expensive cuisine and the evening seemed to be going extremely well. Well until the unimaginable happened of course.

Suzie, the President’s wife suddenly asked for the toilet. She had an uneasy look as she scurried off to the toilet. When she came back she seemed flushed and somewhat queasy. No sooner had she sat down, another board member asked for the toilet. Over the next ten minutes, different members of the dinner party all took a trip to the toilet. Tony scratched his head and fidgeted in his seat as he watched them all. His shirt now had big wet patches under the armpits from the layers of sweat defying his deodorant.
As it turned out everyone seemed to have the runs. On further investigation, it turned out the chef had decided to put a special ingredient... a special powdered herb, which unfortunately he had mixed up with another white powdery substance - a laxative. Apologies were passed around and there were some embarrassed faces and a few dirty looks thrown towards the dejected host.
I’m sure you are wondering whether Tony ever did get the job, well that’s another story.

 © 2009 Gospel Girl


I might not be an American but to me Thanksgiving is a time to thank and appreciate God for all He has done for me, my family and friends. I encourage everyone to take time to give thanks to God this Thanksgiving.
I have included this story to celebrate Thanksgiving ... I think it fits the occassion, seeing as most people relate Thanksgiving to food....lol. Happy Thanksgving ya'll!


Brief History of Thanksgiving
After the Pilgrims left England in September 1620, they arrived in Massachusetts in late November. More than half died before spring due to sickness and harsh winter conditions. Yet, persevering in prayer, and assisted by helpful Indians, they reaped a bountiful harvest the following summer.The grateful Pilgrims then declared a three-day feast, starting on December 13, 1621, to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends. Although Thanksgiving services were held in Virginia as early as 1607, this was America's first Thanksgiving Festival.

Picture source: Google Images
History Source: Christiananswers.net

Designed for Purpose – Avoid the Malfunctioning Syndrome

Imagine if the toaster decided one day, “you know what, I don’t feel fulfilled as a toaster, the rice cooker seems to be getting on alright, why don’t I try cooking rice for a change?” The result would be a total mess, the rice and water in a toaster would probably cause it to stop functioning properly. Or imagine if the all the cutting instruments in the world like knives, scissors, and lasers had not been invented or stopped performing their function. The whole world would find it difficult to do so many things. The medical field wouldn’t be able to perform life saving operations in theatre and many industries wouldn’t be able to function properly. Now as absurd as these examples sound, a lot of us find ourselves doing the very same thing every now and again.

God created each of us with a specific plan for our lives. Jeremiah 1:5 (paraphrase) says that God knew each of us before we were born and He sanctified us and ordained us for certain callings on this earth. Now I don’t know what God ordained you to be or what specific gifts or talents He has given you, but your highest priority should be to find that out. Now I’m not just talking about spiritual gifts here but your ultimate purpose in life. Let’s ask ourselves some key questions. Why are we here? What is our purpose? Are we in the will of God for our lives and are we doing what we are supposed to be doing?

We need to come to a place where we recognise what we are supposed to be doing. Then prioritise that one thing or things and get to work doing our Father’s business. Please let us not become a CCC (Copy Cat Christian). Just because Brother X is a guru at playing drums and he is anointed in that area now you also want to play drums because it looks like so much fun. Hello...is that what YOU are really supposed to be doing? Be honest with yourself and prayerfully consider this. Don’t jump into things just for the sake of it. Now that’s not to say that we don’t do anything else in our lives but we should prioritise our life purpose. It should be the very thing that drives us to wake up. When Jesus came to earth, His mission was to die on the cross in order to redeem mankind. Now while He was on earth, many suggested that He do other things. Mind you, some were tempting offers that would have led some of us astray. Others wanted to make Him King so that He could rule over them. But Jesus knew why He was here and ultimately, He fulfilled the purpose for which He had been sent, by dying for our sins.

Wouldn’t it be a shame if you passed through life and didn’t do what you were supposed to do? You could do a lot of good things on earth but if you failed to do that most important thing that you were created for, you would have missed the mark all together. Many people will lose out on being blessed by you because you failed to deliver. How about that life changing invention you haven’t started working on yet; that half written song that’s supposed to encourage someone; the orphanage you want to open; the book that was started and never finished or the captivating movie you’ve been dreaming about that could bring could many souls to Christ? Who knows maybe God may choose to use someone else to do it but wouldn’t it be great to know that you played your part in the Big Maze of Life?

The story of a lighthouse keeper below is an extract from the devotional "UCB Word for Today" but it kind of links in with what I am talking about:
“There was a lighthouse keeper on a rocky stretch of coastline who received a new supply of oil each month to keep the light burning. Being close to the shore he had lots of guests. A woman from the village needed some oil to keep her family warm; a farmer requested some for his tractor; a mechanic wanted some to lubricate a wheel. All the requests seemed legitimate so the lighthouse keeper tried to please everybody. Before the month was over his oil was gone and the beacon went out. As a result several ships were wrecked and lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very repentant. But to his excuses and pleading their reply was, 'You were given oil for one purpose - to keep the light burning.' Be wise - prioritise!”