ZZPuck, yes Earl Ray is my cousin. I do know your mom, aunts and uncles.

I spoke at the Burns Family Reunion at Maud in 2000, 01, and 02.

Peace.

In my 10:16 PM post yestreen, I meant that we’re not all “liberals,” a word Chris had used in a 10:05 PM post. Even though I’ve moved into town and continue to learn on the journey of life, I still favor truth upheld and error exposed. See, e.g., my feeble attempts at preachermike.com postings on March 17 and April 12, 2006.

So I am no more “liberal” than Chris is “Hillary.” The inspiration for that apparently unintelligible statement was Chris’ 10:05 PM admission of being from “Clinton, Ark.”

But, to set aside comments on producing “Searcy beer” and “saying grace,” let us in all solemnity observe that “near the foothills of the Ozarks, amid the hill and plain,” the Pattie Cobb Dining Hall is forever enshrined in our memory as “THE COBB.” Yes, yes, and as such the corn continues to be served, even on this blog. So

“Sing the chorus, shout it loudly, echoing through the vale.
Hail to thee, beloved Haaaaardiiiiiing! Alma Mater Hail!”

=============================================

Chris on January 25 at 10:05 PM: I am surprised but pleased that all the liberal bloggers have nothing but kind words for these small conservative churches. I am originally from the Clinton, Ark., area.

David Ramsey (c’est moi, Dudes) at 10:16 PM: If we’re all “liberal” bloggers, then you must be Hillary.

Chris at 11:57 PM: I don’t understand that comment, David, but I almost fell out of my seat laughing at your 6:36 post.

Your comment: “How many churches are there out there…that have graciously listened to people who knew way more about Greek and Hebrew than they yet knew about life?” What’s amazing (and terrible) to me is that so many preachers who are WAY past their youthful days of being “preacher-boys” still know more about Hebrew & Greek than they do about life. What have they been doing all these years? Have they ever ventured beyond the church office? Sometimes I am so hungry for God I don’t know what to do. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard anything at church that connected to real life. I wish preachers were required to take sabbaticals - not to go study somewhere, but to get the kind of job the rest of us have. Maybe then they would have something to say to us. As it is, they don’t have a lot of credibility with regular people. I’m not trying to be unkind. Most preachers I’ve known are good people, kind, stable, moral, polite, responsible, disciplined, etc. But there’s a disconnect between what I hear at church and what I deal with every day in my life, in my work, in my relationships. I need to hear about how to see my life through the eyes of Jesus.

And I will always thank God for the Church of Christ in my hometown of Opp, Alabama. I can’t imagine who’d I be today without them.

Peace.

Plus PC was the first place this Yankee ate rice with brown gravy. Never heard of it before, but certainly ate enough of it for a nice Freshman 15!

My friend Dave volunteered to help Mr Joe out and actually got us involved in some mission work, fixed up the building, replaced the heat and air, and fixed the plumbing. He also bought the church some new song books (songs of faith and praise). We also added a Wednesday night service that met in the home MRS Dawes across the street from the church. She was 90plus and dipped snuff during Bible study. That was a great church and I would not trade those times for any stiff shirt service I have been too. It was big change from Garnett Road where I grew up, but also pretty similar in some ways. The closest I could find at the time.