grow

Over the years, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line staff have had their share of memorable calls -- inquiries that stand out from the crowd because they're heartwarming or amusing. Some of the veteran staff members were asked to tell their favorites.

It's hard to beat the call from a trucker who planned to cook his

Thanksgiving turkey on the engine of his truck ("Will it cook faster

if I drive faster?"), but some of these come pretty close. These are real incidents, true stories!

* Taking turkey preparation an extra step, a Virginian wondered,

"How do you thaw a fresh turkey?" The Talk-Line staffer explained

that fresh turkeys aren't frozen and don't need to be thawed.

* A woman called to find out how long it would take to roast her turkey.

To answer the question, the Talk-Line home economist asked how much the

bird weighed. The woman responded, "I don't know, it's still running

around outside."

* A restaurant owner in California wanted to know how to roast a turkey for

a vegetarian menu.

* A West Coast woman took turkey preparation to extremes by scrubbing her

bird with bleach. Afterward, she called the Talk-Line to find out how to

clean off the bleach. To her dismay, she was advised to dispose of the

turkey.

* A young girl called on behalf of her mother who needed roasting advice.

To provide approximate roasting times, the home economist asked what

size the turkey was. Without asking her mother, the little girl paused,

then replied, "Medium."

* Then there's the time a lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at

the grocery store, but couldn't find one big enough for her family. She

asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?" The stock boy

replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

I realize that's not what she meant, but it's a point worth noting: "Dead things don't grow." Only living things grow. Flowers grow (until they are cut), but rocks don't. Puppies and kittens grow, but automobiles don't.

It's a simple concept, yet so vital to our Christian lives. Are you alive in Christ? Check to see if you're growing. Things that are living will grow.

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)