“A Perspective on the Serious and the Sublime - Thoughts about Making Faith Fun"

Some of us in our town take our most of our meetings seriously, some of our meetings just for fun, and some are both. There’s a meeting coming up that mixes faith with fun, the serious with the sublime. Let me explain.

Do you remember the episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” (episode #89, 3/25/63, “Andy’s English Valet”) when Malcolm Merriweather from England (the one across the Atlantic Ocean, not the one across from the Arkansas River) stopped in Mayberry while on his bicycle tour of America? After causing a minor traffic accident, Malcolm agrees to work for Andy to pay off the damages on the other vehicle. Andy soon finds out that Malcolm is best suited for “inside” house work rather than “outside.” One night at dinner time, Barney Fife shows up unexpectedly. He’s dressed very casually while Andy and Opie have on coats and ties because of Malcolm’s insistence that they “dress for dinner.” Upon realizing that Andy and Opie are dressed up and that he is dressed very casually, Barney thinks that he must have the nights mixed up and it’s Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting at the church. Of course, it isn’t - so Andy invites Barney to stay for supper. Barney, realizing his unkempt appearance, awkwardly excuses himself. The “Message from Mayberry” for that episode is: Do you go to “Prayer Meeting?” How about Sunday School and Worship? Andy, Opie, Aunt Bee, and Barney did. You and I should, too.

Speaking of church meetings, let me invite you to a special one this coming Sunday afternoon. Our local chapter of "The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club" ("TAGSRWC") will meet this coming Sunday, June 29, at 3:00 in the Fellowship Hall of our church (England First Baptist Church, 201 E. Haywood, two blocks east of the Post Office). (That’s the England just across from the Arkansas River, not the England across the Atlantic Ocean where Malcolm Merriweather lives.)

You're invited for some fellowship of fun and faith.

We'll begin the meeting by watching the pilot episode that has rarely been shown on TV since 1960 when it first aired as an episode of the old Danny Thomas comedy, “Make Room for Daddy.” It's a little different from the regular series - there's no Don Knotts and "Barney Fife" and Frances Bauvier doesn't play "Aunt Bee" but another character named "Henrietta." "Opie" is only five years old (he was seven when the show premiered). It's one of the funniest of the entire series. We'll enjoy free popcorn and "pop" (the Mayberry term for soda) during the afternoon.

After the episode, I'll share a brief devotion based on the episode followed by round twelve of our the ladies vs. the gentlemen "Andy" Trivia Game. It's a group game so no one person is put on the spot. The ladies currently lead in the competition by a score of six rounds to five with one tie. And, the ladies currently have possession of our "A Feud Is A Feud" Trophy (Episode #18, the Carters versus the Wakefields), complete with a Mayberry sheriff's badge crowing it at the top.

Hope to see you there. And, if you can't make the meeting, think of us when you come upon and "Andy" episode while flipping through the channels. Stop and sit a spell. Spend some time in Mayberry. Appreciate the good things in life.

This is just one pastor’s tongue-in-cheek perspective. Or, as Andy would say, “That’s g-o-o-o-d. I appreciate it!”

"A PERSPECTIVE OF FATHER'S DAY - THOUGHTS ABOUT SONS AND DAUGHTERS"

I celebrated Father's Day this past Sunday children-less but not alone. Our daughter Carrie now lives in Minnesota and our son Jonathan lives in Texas. Carrie is a mechanical engineer and is married to our son-in-law Jason Boggs who teaches high school chemistry. Jonathan, a ministerial student at Truett Seminary of Baylor University in Waco, is serving as pastor/preacher to high school and junior high students at LifeWay MFuge Camp in Mobile, Alabama this summer. We also have an "unofficial" daughter, Arin Shuffield, who teaches high school at Trumann, Arkansas. We count all four as our family.

All four are graduates of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. All are active in their respective churches. All are leading godly lives.

I could go on and on and on and on about our children, but I'll simply let the Bible speak for me: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" 3 John 1:4. I hope your children are, too.

There are many ways to help children learn how to "walk in the truth" just like there are many ways to be a dad ... biological, adoptive, foster, and/or being a role model for the kids that live next door and down the street. As one wise person once said, "Any man can be a father ... but it takes a special man to be a dad." Fathers care because they must. Dads love because they choose.

This is one proud father's (and hopefully, dad's) perspective.

PS: And, oh - by the way ... the credit for raising such godly children goes not to me, but to their mother, my wonderful wife: "Her children stand and bless her; so does her husband. He praises her with these words" Proverbs 31:28, The Living Bible.

"A PERSEPECTIVE ON THE FAMILY OF GOD - THOUGHTS ABOUT SOUTHERN BAPTISTS (AND OTHER CHRISTIAN GROUPS)"

Through the miracle of modern technology, I am writing these words on a laptop computer through wireless internet in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, as we travel to Indianapolis, Indiana, and the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). (The logo above is the official symbol of the SBC. It represents Southern Baptists commitment to sharing the Good News of Christ as recorded in the Bible with the world.)

Through the miracle of biblical teaching, I am writing these words on the place of Southern Baptists in God's family as we anticipate attending the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Southern Baptist Convention was organized in 1845 at the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia, by folks from various Baptist churches across the South. Prior to 1845, Baptists in the South were part of the Triennial Baptist Convention, consisting of Baptist churches throughout what was then the United States. From turbulent beginnings to today, the SBC has become the second largest Christian group in the world and the largest evangelical Christian group.

Although the SBC does many wonderful spiritual and humanitarian services from training missionaries to feeding the poor, the SBC was formed and continues to exist for one reason: to enable local Southern Baptist churches that cooperate together to do missions (the sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ). Yes, there are doctrinal and practical differences between us and other Christian groups, but I hope that when you think of Southern Baptists, you think not of the things that differentiate us, but of the one thing that all Christians can have in common if they so believe: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). I learned a long time ago that if Christians are going to share the Good News of Christ with everyone everywhere, it's going to take Southern Baptists as well as every other Christian group.

If you'd like to learn more about Southern Baptists, you can contact us or visit the website of the Southern Baptist Convention - www.sbc.net.

This is just one Southern Baptist pastor's perspective.