It is my prayer that each of you had a wonderful, happy, and blessed Christmas. I am wondering just how many of you got a visit from Santa? I remember something about it being a bad idea to be naughty. I won’t call any names, not to worry, but I might, if I change my mind. I considered offering some initials, but I will wait and see for now.

This year is about to come to an end, so you had better get busy and do whatever you need to do prior to that day. I am rooting for you!

Blessings!

Mac

Now that you have had time to digest today’s message (I know you have spent all afternoon doing just that!), I have a couple of questions about my “pretend” moment with Kevin:

1. Without the benefit of outside help, how long do you think it would have taken Kevin to figure out that Macon was celebrating the birth of Jesus?
2. What kind of outside help would he have needed in order to realize that we were celebrating the birth of Jesus?
3. How difficult would it have been for that “outside” help to explain to Kevin the correlation between what he was seeing and the birth of Jesus?

I won’t be a bit surprised, if Jesus calls off the entire celebration until we get our act together. Now don’t go and misunderstand that! I am simply trying to point out that using Christmas to drive the economy not only drives struggling people into varying states of confusion, but it also drives hungry folk away from the true message of His birth.

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD!

My brother, Bruce, and I were invited to a BBQ lunch over in Reynolds today, the town of our growing up. The host was Ray Tincken, the owner of Ray’s Body Shop. Actually, his son, Tobey, runs the place now, as Ray is like me–too old to run anything very far. This father-son duo has been very successful. The “bodies” they work on are not the kind I used to work on, nor are the the kind that Playboy shows off; they are cars and trucks that have been damaged by various altercations with other objects of substance. Ray and Tobey are the best in the business. Their body shop is cleaner than most folk’s kitchen, and they can make a total wreck look better than new! For some reason they are very kind to both Bruce and me. Bruce and I love both of them. It is not very hard to love someone who is always kind to you. I really like being around kind people. Kindness is contagious. I couldn’t help but notice that today, as I mingled with the folk of Reynolds. Paul said that kindness is a fruit of the Spirit, which means that it is not something we muster, but something that the Holy Spirit produces in God’s children. In other words, kindness and self-centeredness cannot coexist, i.e. one never boasts about being kind.

On my way home today, I had to stop at Home Depot and Sams and Bath & Body Works (from what I could see, these are the kinds of bodies that Playboy shows off!) to pick up a couple of things. I couldn’t help but notice that I was not the only one running a little late with this shopping thing. People were shopping like they had money to burn and the store was about to run out of whatever they wanted. One thing stood out to me: most people were not practicing kindness.

Since God obviously knows it is Christmas, I suggested to Him that it would be nice if He would allow the Holy Spirit to stir a bit more kindness in the lives of His children. If He doesn’t, I am afraid Jesus might call off the celebration for next year. The truth is, based upon what I saw today, in and around the malls in Macon, most have a strange notion of what that celebration is about, anyway.

Maybe everyone needs to stop and take a few deep breaths, and then pause to remember The Reason for the season. Somehow, I have the strong feeling that Ray  and Tobey have already done that.

Some important person once said, “Be kind to one another.”

Sometime around mid-afternoon today (Thursday) I realized that tomorrow will be December 21, the first day of winter and a short trip to Christmas Day 2012. I can only assume that my 48 hour engagement with the gastric episode from hell left me a few days short of the usual 31 days this month, as I had no idea of my near proximity to winter and Christmas. Truth is, I haven’t even started doing my Christmas shopping. Come to think of it, my winter coat is still in moth balls. Actually, the shopping thing is no big deal because I am not much of a shopper anyway. If I need something, I usually go to the appropriate store and purchase it, be it Christmas or Halloween, as long as it is on sale, with 70% off of the already 50% off of the initially reduced price.

In any case, winter is just over the horizon and Christmas is coming–fast! I am about to panic! There are simply not enough days left for me to get ready for all I have to get ready. I am not a procrastinator! I don’t wait until there is no time left to get things done. I am a “get on it” and “get the job done” sort of man. However,   I now find myself about 4 days short of a month and way behind with my winterizing and my Christmas shopping. What must I do?

Well, there is one thing I am NOT going to do: eat ANY scallops, freshly picked or otherwise.

From all outward indications, my gizzard has overcome the unwanted influx of badly decomposed scallops and other viral influences. I am very thankful, as I have never heard of a “gizzard transplant.” I do have an extra one that I put in a mason jar filled with embalming fluid some 45 years ago, but I doubt that it would work now. Now that I think about it, it was a chicken gizzard, anyway. I just hope all of you start taking better care of your gizzards. It is my understanding that eating too many veggies can harm it, and olive oil makes it too slick. I think it goes without saying that the gizzard just doesn’t handle overripe scallops very well, so sea food should be avoided, too. Just in case. Sometimes it is hard to tell the ripe from the overripe variety.

I have read that including coffee grounds in our mashed potatoes really helps to increase the gizzard’s productivity. As you might imagine, cooking in aluminum pots and pans is a definite “no no.” Ginger root is very medicinal.

In all probability, one of the primary reasons I survived this traumatic, gastric episode is the fact that I am very strict regarding proper dietary requirements for proper gizzard functionality.

In an effort to be perfectly transparent with each of you, I should also tell you that my entire gastroenterological system is functioning with much less stress and strain. Things are relatively calm. I am simply hoping that I am not in the “eye of the storm.” That is what happens when the front part of a hurricane passes. I am really not interested in a counter-rotational visit.

Tonight I enjoyed meat loaf, fresh peas, and mashed potatoes. So far, so good. Just a few minutes ago the FedEx man knocked on the front door and left a box of chocolates from The Chocolate Tree in Beaufort, SC. The unequivocal best chocolate on planet earth! I had a good helping of it. I know the flavinoids will be beneficial. My blood sugar might elevate a bit but I will drink some extra coffee to counteract it.

I hope you are as excited about Sunday as I am. I am preaching, you know. I have already heard lot of bragging about Kevin’s message last Sunday, so I will be doing lots of “sermon polishing” between now and then. I would hate for him to outshine me!

Have a great night and avoid overripe scallops at all costs!

Mac

The past 84 hours have convinced me of this: sickness, like raising children, should be reserved for young folk! Last Friday night Annis, Michael and I ate supper at Carrabba’s. I ate Spideno DiMari (shrimp and scallops). By the time I got home, I was well-aware of a certain rumbling in my innards. We watched a movie and the rumbling intensified. Around 10:00, I went to bed, feeling like I had a bowling ball stuck somewhere between my mouth and my gizzard. Try as I might, I could not get it to come up or go down. All night long, I wrestled with it, to no avail. Somewhere around 4:00 AM, I made my way to a recliner in the den, hoping to elevate my chest enough to get some relief. No relief came. In fact the misery only intensified. I think it was around 7:00 AM when I realized that the bowling ball was about to exit via my mouth. I headed for the toilet. Fast! I made it but only part of the bowling ball escaped. What relief, even if I did still have 3/4 of it still inside. Everything is relative. Back to bed, I headed. Still. Motionless. Hoping and praying that Jesus would come soon. Around an hour or so later, the rest of that bowling ball decided to make its exit. Back to the toilet. Fast! I almost didn’t make it. I had no idea I had eaten that much in the past month, much less the past night. Okay. Everything will get better now. Wrong! Things did not get better, they worsened. No, the vomiting never returned, but my appetite completely abandoned me and I did not blame it. The thought of scallops made me nauseous. Still does! It will be a while before I will want any more. Most of you know me rather well, so you know that my idea of fun does NOT include being in bed for 84 running hours, with only brief escapes for necessities. On a few occasions, I was certain that death was imminent. I checked to be sure my “Last Will & Testament” was in its place. I even wondered if I might not have one of those “out of body” experiences and get a glimpse of the other side, but Michael was burning some toast and the smell of smoke scared me so badly that I woke up. I was glad I did! Finally, Tuesday morning arrived and, for the first time in 84 hours, I thought I might live after all. It was a sunny day to boot! I was ready to get back in the saddle and ride off into my usual escapades, but that was only short-lived. Somewhere during this time, my “get up and go” “got up and went.” Thankfully, however, most of the day (Tuesday) has been rather calm, but I am as weak as a wet noodle. I am looking forward to some supper (I think!) unless it is scallops (I know!). I know that some of you prayed for me, but either God was mad at me, or your praying for the sick is much like mine, because I stayed sick. On the other hand, if you had not prayed, I might still be between the sheets, begging for mercy.

I really do appreciate all of your prayers, even those of you who meant to pray and forgot to do it. God knows the heart! And that is a good thing!

At this point, I really believe the scallops had nothing to do with this, and I contracted a virus, the same one that some of you enjoyed. With the exception of Bob White, you were all much younger than we, so ours was much worse than yours. If you don’t believe me, ask Bob.

Sickness, like raising children, should be reserved for the young folk. Us old folk just ain’t suited for it.

Most sincerely,

Mac

For some reason, I have had a difficult time getting WordPress to cooperate with me. Hopefully, this time I will be successful.

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Happy memories!

The previous post was a “scientific test” to determine whether you have “part timer’s” or “all timer’s” disease. For those of you who could not take a walk down memory lane, well isn’t it obvious?

Just saying . . .

WHAT: GCF Christmas Gathering and Chili Bar

WHEN: Sunday, December 16, 2012

TIME: 4 – 7 PM

WHERE: At the home of Alan & Denise Parker; 384 Hamrick Rd; Macon, GA 31220 (478-957-0700)

WHAT TO BRING: Something sweet for dessert.

Maps available on Sunday morning