OK, maybe I just don’t get it, but… I just don’t get it. Today I received in the mail a poster for such and such conference and on it they advertised that at the conference a group is going to perform who is referred to as “The dance ministry of such and such Christian Church” Now, don’t get me wrong I have nothing against dancing, I think it is fun and I do it when I listen to my mp3 player and (I think) no one is around to see me; but how exactly is dancing a ministry? I think we have stepped across some kind of boundary somewhere when we will take any particular form of entertainment and call it ministry so that it is more palatable to have in church. From what I can tell, this group is simply there to put on a show. Nothing wrong with a show (so long as, it isn’t certain forms of dancing that is, but alas, this isn’t Vegas so I don’t think we need worry). But to take some folks who have come in to put on a routine for people to enjoy and be entertained by and then slap the label “ministry” on it, just seems to cheapen the things that people are actually doing to serve for the kingdom. I don’t think I recall Jesus ever saying “Go forth and entertain people for the kingdom of God.” Maybe it’s just me but I don’t see it.

I was just reading about Otto Frank, the father of Ann Frank, famous for her diary. The entire family, with the exception of Otto, died in Nazi prison camps. It has been recently released in museums that Otto spent more than two years trying to get his family out of Europe. Strangely enough, as people were being enslaved and slaughtered in Europe, the US not only did not open it’s doors to the flood of refugees seeking to survive, our government actually TIGHTENED immigration policies to keep more people out! I can only ask why? Were there components within our government who actually liked the idea of what the Nazi’s were doing with the Slavs and Jews or was it simply knee jerk protectionism? Either way it makes me sick that simply loosening bureaucratic red tape could have saved thousands if not tens of thousands of lives.

She is worth far more than rubies, I have full confidence in her and I lack for nothing of value. She brings me good, not harm all the days of her life. She selects good quality material and works with eager hands. She is like Meijer and Save-A-Lot, bringing good food from places like California and Florida. She gets up while it is still dark; she makes breakfast for the whole family. She seriously studies the options before making purchases and then from what she saves she makes other good investments. She isn’t a procrastinator; she gets right to whatever she needs to do and she is no sissy girl, her arms are strong for the work. She makes good deals and is an asset financially. She stays up well after dark doing things. She runs the sewing machine making or mending clothes. She is more than willing to share what we have with those less fortunate. When it snows she has nothing to worry about for us, her family, for all of us are clothed in quality warm clothes. She also makes quilts and bedding and nice clothes for herself. Because of her I get respect from important people in town and I even have influence with them. She makes other clothes and things that she sells. Everyone sees her for her strength and dignity; she has no fear of the future. She speaks with wisdom and when she teaches it’s smart to listen. She watches over everything that needs to happen in our household and doesn’t sit around lazily watching daytime TV. Our kids respect her and are glad she is their mom and I like to talk her up to others. I say “there are a lot of good women but you are the best.” Charm is deceptive and beauty fades but a woman who fears the Lord should be praised. Give her the credit she has due and let her works bring her praise all over town.

The pipes in two of the church’s bathrooms and the kitchen are frozen. What a pain. I have taken steps to aleiviate the problem but it is just annoying.

I am doing a sermon on being married to unbelievers this week and I just called a friend to get a name of someone to use in an illustration. I was going to point out this wonderful woman I knew at a former church who had married a nonbeliever thinking she would just convert him. Decades later he was still an atheist and she was miserable about the thought of her husband not being in heaven. So I called to get her name (I couldn’t remember it surprise, surprise) and my friend said “Oh, he accepted the Lord and got baptized a couple years after you left.” Well, you know, that shoots my sermon illustration all to heck, but I will take those kinds of losses every day and twice on Sundays, Congratulations Jo on your husband finally accepting the Lord!

Last night I rented the movie “Barnyard” on a whim.  I was in the mood for a comedy and the advertisements had seemed pretty funny.  They were nearly all that was.  The movie had a few good spots but it was, for the most part, really lame.  The complete worst part was that the movie makers had no idea that there is no such thing as a male cow. (male cattle are bulls)  The two main characters were both creatures that were male and yet were consistently referred to as “cows” and, get this, came complete with udders (for those of you without farm experience those would be the things that female cattle have to give milk from).  It completely wrecked the movie.  Here you had these rough and tough leaders of the barnyard, a “cow” named Ben (who they somehow got Sam Elliot to play, you would think a guy like Sam would know that male cattle don’t have udders) and his son, another “cow” named Otis.  The funny thing is that the “girl” cows also have udders which, at one point are hooked up to a milking machine.  And in one scene they briefly have a “bull” complete with horns and ring in his nose.  It was just totally stupid, even my children thought the movie makers needed to get a clue.  All in all, just plain stupid.