July 19 – “Give in to the dark side”

Our day began with a trip into Texas.  As must happen when one deems to travel such a long distance, we made our list of everything possible that had to be done while on the mainland.  Started out by heading to Lifeway Christian Book Store.  I was almost completely out of the birthday and anniversary cards I send out each week.  Chris was also able to pick up a Bible Study guide she was looking for. 

Next we made the proverbial Sam’s Run.  Actually that’s not really accurate, now that I think about it.  There is nothing proverbial about going to Sam’s, is there?  Ah, well, we did need some supplies for dinner on the grounds at church, so to Sam’s we went.  After that we stopped by Kel and Christina’s house to drop off some DVD’s that they are borrowing for a small group in their church.  They were knee deep in organizing the garage for their pending move.  Boxes everywhere.  The whole family was outside Jachin was still in his pajamas, painstakingly removing stickerburs from a blanket, one at a time.  Josiah and Noah were on the tree swings.  Micah raced up to greet us and immediately asked me, “Did you come here today to take me fishing?”  Wow.  What do say to something like that?  Believe me, it was tempting. 

Once we dropped off the Sam’s stuff at home, we headed for the Old Smokey barbeque cook-off.  Nathan and some of his cronies from the fire department were entered.  One of the guys was a fajitas specialist.  Nathan had two different recipes for chicken wings.  He turned in the one that tasted sweet to begin with, then bit you on the tongue with pepper after you had been sucked in by the savory goodness.  The final category required something cooked with bacon.  Andy was the chef on this one.  He came up with bacon weave wrapped boudin and crawfish tails with cheese on top.  I was a little bit scared to try that one, with my stomach issues, but curiosity got the better of me.  Glad it did.  That thing was amazing.  Come make some at my house any time, Andy.  The guys didn’t win anything.  Guess the judges’ taste buds had been seared.  But I think everyone had a great time.  The tent drew a lot of traffic, mainly because the guys all parked their scooters in front of it.  It was great fun to see the people’s mixed emotions.  They didn’t know whether to make fun of them or succumb to their deepest desires and ask to ride one.  To quote a certain ex-Jedi, “Give in to the dark side, Luke.”

Philippians 2:1-2 says, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

Father, thanks you for what was a truly unique experience at the cookoff yesterday.  We got to see a lot of people beyond the ones we see at church every week.  I’m pretty sure you would have been there too.  Amen.