This 'N That

I have a rather eclectic post for you today.  Funny Story.  Great Reminder.  Cute Poem.

So first, the Funny Story......

Last week I was helping Abby in the bathroom.  She hopped up onto the potty and sat looking at me thoughtfully.  Her massive blue eyes gazed intently through the lovely pink princess glasses she wears.  I smiled when I sensed that a question was forming.

"Noni,"  wait for it... "Why iz youh heyre wet?"  (The word "wet" was the most clear and held added emphasis.)

I glanced into the mirror and swiped at my dry but windblown tresses.  True, it was rather messy.  But I honestly thought it looked ok.

"Well," I launched into my explanation only to be cut short by the three year old.  "Noni has been in the wind and I guess that makes my hair look wet.  But it's dry, I......"

"No, Noni!"  Her impatience was evident.  "Why iz youh heyre WED?"

I burst out laughing.  Meagan had just colored my hair the day before and it had a little more red tint than normal.  (Maybe a LOT more red tint than normal.)

"Because, Precious.  Aunt Meme colored it for me yesterday."

"Oh!  I frew."  (Which being interpreted meant.  "Well, I don't like it that color but Mom has already taught me to just say Oh.  And now I'm through with the potty so let's get on with it.")  These babies!

Next the Great Reminder.......

Frank has been my pastor for about 35 years now.  Which means I've heard him preach well over 20,000 sermons!  That's not taking into account the many Bible studies and devotionals and funeral/wedding sermons.  Wow!  That's a lot of theology expressing!

But he does a great job and still holds my attention after all these years.

Last week was a prime example of his careful attempts to help people understand and retain the main point.

When we came into the sanctuary, we discovered a table that had been positioned on stage.  It was draped with a black tablecloth and held some large, ominous-looking object; also draped with a black cloth.

At the appointed time in his sermon, Frank sauntered over to the table all the while talking about the importance of connection.   (That's the focus of our church for the month of March.)

He casually removed the top cloth to reveal a huge green industrial fan.

He talked about all the wonderful things a fan of that sort can accomplish.  Drying wet carpet.  Driving out bad odors.  Cooling a large area.  The inventor of the fan created it for those specific purposes.

At that point, Frank took a pen from his pocket and demonstrated that he had the ability to twirl the blades of the fan.  Standing directly in front of it, you could feel a little breeze but certainly not the powerful wind it was designed to create. And Frank's arm tired quickly trying to imitate the work the fan was supposed to do.

Then, he plugged the fan into the nearby electrical outlet.......and it roared to life!  The people sitting on those first few rows got a real taste of how effective the fan could be.

Frank switched it off and made this comparison.

We are all designed to accomplish great things.  But we can't do it on our own; we must be connected to our Power Source.  When we start getting tired with our Christian service, it's time to check and see if we're working under our own ability again.  Taking time to re-connect with the Source of Life (Christ Jesus) will help us roar to life once more.

Now you know why I'm still not bored with his preaching.

Finally, the Cute Poem........

 This Sunday will be my turn to bring the message; about Connection.  Only my sermon will be about connecting with those around us.

While preparing, I was reminded of a great poem I frequently saw when visiting my dear Asheville friend, Judy.  The poem was on a small plaque that graced her kitchen for all the years I was around.  It goes like this:

The wise old owl sat in the oak.
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why aren't we all like this wise old bird? 

May your weekend be blessed with laughter and healthy connectedness!