November 18 - “The Bobby Chronicles”

The big fund raiser for Officer Kristin went extremely well.  A huge turnout of folks who wanted to express support and encouragement.  With the motorcycle convoy and silent auction and live auction and barbecue dinner sales and soft drink sales. (I heard Pepsi’s were a big hit) and just straight donations, money came in from all over the county and state.  Not all the money has come in yet, but proceeds look to be well above ten thousand dollars to help Kristin and her family meet medical expenses and day to day living costs.  Nice job, Jamaica Beach community.

Our occasional Seaside visitor and country western singer/truck driver Bobby was at church again yesterday after spending the night on the beach so he could watch the meteor shower.  He joined in with the praise team and gave it yet another completely different look.  Corey wasn’t there, but we had Jim on guitar, Dale on banjo, Bobby on ukulele, and Doug on drums.  Great sound, guys.  

Bobby greeted us with a story.  He said after spending the night on the beach he was pretty thirsty.  He was also pondering whether to go to church or just continue on his way.  He stopped at a convenience store in Sea Isle and grabbed one of those new bottles of coke.  He paid for it and headed back to his car, still pondering his next move.  As he twisted the cap on the bottle he noticed something.  You know those new coke bottles have random names of people on them. This one said “Kelley.”  He came on to church.  The funniest thing about his telling of the story was the way he peppered it with comments like, “I promise you this didn’t really happen,” and “I am absolutely making this up.”  Pretty funny stuff.

He did have a true story to tell, though.  He did stop at a convenience store for gas.  As he was paying for it, the clerk commented in his most chipper of voices, “isn’t it a fine day today?  Where are you headed?”  Bobby responded, “I’m going to church.”  The clerk asked again, as if to verify the previous statement, “you are going to church?”  Bobby assured him that was the case.  So the clerk reached in his wallet, handed him two five dollar bills, and said, “well, then, will you put this in the offering of your church?”  “So,” Bobby asked me, pulling the money from his own wallet, “where does the offering go?”

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Father, please watch over Bobby in his travels across the country.  Amen.