Church Today

I brought a pumpkin to church today. For those of you who are unaware, I pastor two churches in Southern Ohio. I've been here almost ten years, so the people are used to, for better or worse, the way I preach. That's one reason why I'm changing my preaching style. I don't want them to get so used to the way I preach, that they lose interest. I have no desire in proving true the saying "Familiarity breeds contempt".
So I'm changing the way I preach.

That's why I brought a pumpkin to church today. My wife suggested I tell the Parable of the Pumpkin since it's Halloween. We carved the pumpkin late last night, and all I had to do waslift the top off, punch the eyes, nose and mouth out, and then light the candle inside.

There I was, trying to preach while pulling the stringy pungent guts out of a pumpkin. The eyes, nose and mouth came out fairly easy and the candle was lit. A few minutes after placing the top back on it, I smelled something burning. I guess (well I didn' really have to guess;; there was indisputable visual evidence) the candle was too close to the top. It scorched the inside of the pumpkin, so we ended worshipped in the midst of the holy incense of burnt pumpkin.

That's a new preaching style....

If I Was At Sychar Right Now

It would be cool... (in every sense of the word) It would be quiet....
It would be just what I need...
I wouldn't be watching the Buckeyes....score again.....
I wouldn't be prepping to preach in the morning...
.....I would be at peace