Top Ten Reasons Why I am Thankful

I am heading home today from the ASCH conference in Washington D.C. It was an overall good experience. I enjoyed hanging out with old friends and meeting new people.

As I reflect on the upcoming new year, I am reminded of the blessings that will come with my new position as a tenure-track faculty member at UTC. Here is my top-ten list of reasons of why I am thankful for my new position:

1. Teaching courses in Christian studies on a full-time basis
2. Living in Chattanooga permanently (affordable, mild climate, etc.)
3. My children staying in one school system (my ten-year-old son has gone to five different schools since kindergarten)
4. Having the option to buy a house, as opposed to renting (since marrying my wife seventeen years ago, we have never lived in one place longer than two years)
5. Getting a good night of sleep (now that I don't have to think about future employment, what else will I do with 95% of my mental energy?)
6. Academic freedom (I say amen to teaching at a university with no denominational ties)
7. Not having to worry about medical benefits for my family
8. Not having to apply for faculty positions (could count as a second job)
9. Not having to ask people to write reference letters on my behalf (the meticulous David Bebbington reminded me that he wrote 47 reference letters on my behalf since 2008)
10. Not having to pay annual fees to gain access to faculty job websites