He has asked me to come see his Moscow Circus Show. He wrote a love
story built around the circus and wants my opinion of it.
Ruth and I will be his guests Wednesday afternoon. He told me to be
sure to arrive at the ticket window early.
I told him I am always early, I was an eight-month baby. He howled
with laughter. I wasn't surprised. We comedians resonate with one
another.
We are now journeying toward New Bloomfield MO. It's near Jefferson
City. The Missouri Baptist Convention was founded 175 years ago today
at Providence Baptist Church in New Bloomfield.
The church still exists. Several of us are converging there at 10
a.m. to relive the moment. It's a demisemiseptcentennial celebration.
Ruth was not thrilled about getting up so early. I reminded her this
happens only once every 175 years. She asked, "Couldn't we go next
time?"
I notice the Southern Gospel festival is underway at Silver Dollar City.
Yes, Ruth and I will be taking much of it in. I love that toe-tapping
music. I am convinced Southern Gospel will be the music of Heaven. Of
course, I also think fried chicken will be served at the marriage supper of
the Lamb. Just think, in Heaven no cholesterol, no obesity, no calories.
Sounds like gluttony without consequences. That's ridiculous. What's wrong
with me? I must be addicted to food.
I have a full weekend ahead of me. Pray the Lord will give me anointing and
rest. I've learned both are essential.
Let's talk about the psychology of sports. The St. Louis Cardinals
are the hottest team in baseball. They are so far ahead of the
competition that it's almost comical.
Some Cardinal fans don't want the pennant race to be this lopsided.
They want more suspense in their sports.
That's nuts!!! If I want suspense, I'll watch a sci-fi movie. Go
Redbirds!!!
I may head to Branson today with grandchildren. I feel the Disney
Store beckoning me.
Sunday was incredible. Crowds were big. Smiles were bigger. My mom
always said people should enjoy going to church. It happened to a lot
of folks at Second this past weekend.
The new church Sunday School year starts tomorrow. We will have huge crowds
in every hour. Pray people will sense something that makes them want to
return. Maybe someday the second Sunday of the new year will be bigger than
the first.
I am between two funerals in a four day period. Death truly is our enemy.
The promise of the resurrection grows sweeter each day.
I will preach three times tomorrow. I can hardly wait. Did I mention I
love to preach? I'll be in John 15 all day. Thanks for the kind and
encouraging words you've been sharing lately. Pray for me.
Humor helps. Bob Hope: I don't feel old, I don't feel anything till noon,
then it's time for a nap. Phyllis Diller: Life begins at fifty, but
everything else starts to wear out. Billy Crystal: By the time we are wise
enough to watch our step, we're too old to go anywhere.
Each ministry has its own blog, calendar, photo gallery, and resources page,
all updated regularly. The Media and Downloads page allows visitors to
watch or download videos, and listen to or download audio. A "What we're
doing" video series will feature several Second Baptist projects at home and
abroad.
We at the church office are here to serve you as best we can. Content on
our new site will be added continuously. Bugs will inevitably surface. Let
us know of snafus, and we'll go to work on them. It is an honor to be your
cyberspace Pastor.
Humor helps. Classified ads bloopers. Semi-annual after-Christmas sale (I
had to ponder this a moment). The Superstore--unequaled in size, unmatched
in variety, unrivaled inconvenience (oh what a difference a space can make).
We will oil your sewing machine and adjust tension in your home for $1.00
(some families need to cash in on this bargain).
Branson is not appreciated enough by many of us who live near it.
Millions come from all over the nation to enjoy it yearly, but huge
numbers of locals never go there. It reminds me of people who live in
St. Louis but have never visited the arch.
The Bible says a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown.
I guess a tourist attraction is not without honor except in its own
back yard.
The highlight of the day was the Disney store. Ian calls it "Mickey's
Ears." I took pictures of Ian and Lilly Ruth in front of every Disney
character I saw. What a hoot. If you haven't been to Branson lately,
correct the error of your ways and go pronto!!
Mary and her husband Joseph (yes, that's right, Joseph and Mary)
attend Second. She decided a discussion about the spiritual aspects
of our culture would be good on her show.
After the show, I will dash to the church to start staff meetings. My
guess is, today will be Monday all day long.
Nine minutes, and I'm on. Here I go.
This is what God called me to do. I want to serve Him in every detail
of my ministry and life. Last night I had a wedding rehearsal and my
grandson's thirteenth birthday party. I was able to share Jesus at
both.
This morning I spoke to parents of sixth graders. At noon I mingled
with Sunday School leaders. This afternoon I am studying sermons.
Tonight I will conduct a wedding and then speak on holiness for our
college leadership. Tomorrow I will preach three times, and eat lunch
with my family, the ones who give me refuge.
Monday morning I will be on the radio with "Mary in the morning" on
KWTO talking about Lincoln's spiritual life. Pray the Lord will give
me rest and extraordinary anointing for all these tasks. I was born
for this. Pray I will not fail in the stewardship He has chosen for me.
The task before Second is daunting. It's been 35 years since Southern
Baptists had a successful church plant in San Francisco. One-third of a
century is long enough. It's time for the Lord's people to reclaim
territory for our deserving King.
Enjoyed fellowship with about 31 church leaders, including two Missouri
Baptist Pastors. Neil Franks, Pastor at FBC Branson, and his wife Kendra
were on the trip. Micah Fries, Pastor at Frederick Blvd. BC in St. Joseph,
also came. Trust me, plenty of personality was oozing from the Missouri
delegation.
Ruth's Aunt Eileen, who was a beautician for sixty years, said when
people's hair gets wet, their tongues get loose. My observation is,
when preachers travel, their tongues get loose. They immediately
become world class stand up comics.
I spent the whole day yesterday hooting and howling. Every Baptist
preacher has stories of people they dropped in the baptistry, of gaffs
made at the Lord's Supper, of church members who did or said
ridiculous things.
My favorite moment so far has been a fellow pastor's t-shirt that
says, "People say I have ADD. How would they...Look!! There goes a
chicken."
I am at this very moment laughing out loud. Wait!! There goes a
chicken.
The nurse practitioner manipulated her knee (very painful) until
suddenly she had no pain. Neither of us could believe it. We thought
we were headed to knee surgery for sure.
An xray showed much arthritis. A bone spur had developed. It had
caught a ligament or tendon. The nurse said Ruth would need surgery
someday, but for the present all is well.
Ruth and I were giddily happy. As we left urgent care, people must
have thought we had lost our minds. We were howling with laughter. I
was pushing an empty wheelchair. Ruth was carrying a set of crutches.
Saturday night Caleb went to urgent care with a fishing lure imbedded
in his leg. It was actually quite pretty. John took a picture of it
hanging from Caleb's leg. Not for the faint of heart.
I have discovered a concoction I especially enjoy. I've tried it for
breakfast, dinner, and supper, and found it acceptable in each setting.
Here's the magic recipe. Slice three cold tomatoes. Slice one big
cold kosher dill pickle. Pour cold salsa into a cup. Mix all three
in a bowl. Prepare to be blessed. Don't knock it till you try it.
Two of our girls are gone for the weekend. Amanda is driving to Ohio
for an aunt's funeral. She took Sophie with her. I miss Amanda.
Jake and Millie miss Sophie. . .I think.
The big "swine" sign spoke volumes, as did the billboard pointing
toward the manure pit. The big parade featuring tractors is probably
rare in our country, as is the excitement in people's voices when they
talk about gigantic jacks siring mules. No kidding.
I do love the fair. New Yorkers and Californians need to come see how
good life is in the Midwest.
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