Category Archives: Relationships and Family

Topics related to how we deal with the people God has placed in our lives.

by | September 20, 2011 · 10:11 am

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Why is it that so many place such a high premium on what children say? Why should we “listen to the children?” Sure, every once in while they say something cute or insightful, but on a regular basis? Get real. They may be short, but we’re not talking about Yoda. Youth is not a prerequisite to wisdom.

Buy Your Own House

This morning I was driving my bus full of children and one decided to share his “wisdom” with me. According to this young man, a fifth grader, it was better to not buy a house together, or share your money with your wife (if you get married). Why? “Because your wife may end up becoming a prostitute and kick you out and make you pay alimony.”

I can only pray for that poor boy. Where is he learning that stuff? Is this what he thinks of all women? Is this what he thinks of marriage? What kind of future do we have if kids like that keep growing up and taking over? He is definitely NOT a child I want to listen to.

If Children Ruled the World

But there are those who swear that true wisdom can be found in the words of young children. Forget the need for a lifetime of experience, listen to the wisdom of those who just learned to wear pull-ups and cut their own meat. If we did what the bleeding-hearts wanted us to do – listen to the children – where would we be right now?

* No one would ever work, except those that need to work so that others would not have to work.

* Every day would be Christmas, Halloween, and summer vacation.

* There would be peace on earth and no more wars – except when someone disrespects you or takes your candy.

* Everything should be available for the asking whenever it is wanted, as long as we don’t have to be the ones providing it for someone else.

* There would be no need for multiple cable channels, only Disney, Nickelodeon, MTV, ESPN, and The Twilight Channel.

* Everyone would be able to walk around and have everything, while complaining that they are mistreated.

* No one would ever eat at home.

* Education, if desired, would be determined by what the child thought was important.

* Teachers, Doctors, Policemen, School Teachers, and Ministers would be disrespected and maligned, while movie and rock stars would be deified.

* Animals would be considered equal with humans.

* Hate would be outlawed; that is, unless someone disagreed with you.

* Church would be nothing but fun and games, with cookies for all to enjoy.

Wait! Maybe the children are already in charge!

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by | August 10, 2011 · 5:41 pm

Taking Over?

The Apes

You may have heard it by now, but a new Planet of the Apes movie just came out in theaters. I have not seen it, but really, how good could it be without Charlton Heston? Those dirty apes!

The Dogs

Well, long before Moses (a.k.a. Charlton Heston) battled talking monkey, someone coined the phrase “going to the dogs.” The world has definitely been doing that, recently. Forget the “bulls” and the “bears” at the stock market. Everything is getting so crazy I wouldn’t be suprized if apes and dogs take over soon. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

The Example

Early one morning, just a couple of days ago, my wife and I went out to run some errands. For fun, so he wouldn’t have to stay home alone, we took Nugget along for the ride. The moment we decided to order a biscuit Nugget knew exactly what was happening. He would not be denied the opportunity to place his own order.

 The Order

"No, I don't want a steak biscuit...I would like to have Chicken...And please hurry...I'm a hungry dog...and I like eating chicken."

 

"Woof...I mean Thank You!...But you can keep the biscuit...or give it to my mom, er, owner...is it supposed to come through the that box?...Drive around? OK."

 

"What are you people doing in there? I did what I was supposed to...now where's my food. Woof! Can you see me? Am I not cute enough for you?"

 

"She said she won't give it to me unless you give her money...What is money?...Can you please hurry?"

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by | July 27, 2011 · 12:36 pm

Where Do You Stop When You Start to Slide?

I should have known I couldn’t keep my mouth (keyboard) shut for a week. Who was I kidding? But, in order to keep things in perspective, I will make this short….no pictures or fancy editing….no thinking of just the right words to express my thoughts…I’m already taking too much time.

 Slippery Slope Argument

For years it has been argued that once some aberration (the fact or an instance of deviating…from a moral standard or moral state) is allowed to be accepted as the norm, then there exists a danger for society to continue down an ever-increasing slope. This “slippery slope” argument has been debated and maligned by others who say that rather than a slope, it is a “straw man” or “red herring.” Those who would challenge accepted cultural norms in Western society would say that it is not a “slope” into perversion, but a ladder to heaven. I tend to disagree.

I believe that the “slippery slope” argument is perfectly valid in this case, even when many of the doom-and-gloom forecasts are not entirely accurate or timely. The fact is that when one has a moral standard that is dashed at one level, it falls down to the next. Each concurrent level then bears the weight of the upper levels, thereby making each still holding that much weaker.  Eventually, all moral standards fall through the floor like a multi-storied building with no inner support.

Still, others who would differ with me say that the redefining of societal standards is a progression in understanding and tolerance. I guess that all depends on where you’re standing and how you define up, down, backwards, and forwards. If one only has “self” and “desire” as his guides, then one man’s slope could be another man’s ascent into paradise.

My Standard

The standard by which I judge morality and what is to be considered acceptable behavior is based on objective truth. I do not try to make my own truth, but rely on the Word of God to set the standard of behavior. My selfish desires based on what I want for myself may change with the direction of the wind, but God’s Word never changes. It is the highest standard of morality from which every perversion is a slide downward and away.

With that being said, I came across a news story when I was checking my email. It caused me to want to write because it struck so close to home. The story is about a lesbian who was told, as she was entering Dollywood (a theme park in Nashville), to turn her t-shirt inside out. Why? Because park officials thought it might be too offensive to other patrons in the park. What did it say? It said, “Marriage is so gay.” (click here for article)

To make a long story short, the lesbian couple is going to take Dollywood to court over this. They are probably going to win, along with make a lot of money. She and she will probably go back to the park with matching t-shirts that say “Marriage is so gay…and Gay is soooo profitable.”

Where will it end?

Without getting into the whole argument over whether or not the definition of “family” should be changed to reflect male/male or female/female couples, I would just like to ask “where will it end?” This is where the “slippery slope” argument comes into play.

In the above article, Ms. Tipton said, “Families come in a wide range of definitions these days and we were with our family.” OK, so fine, that was YOUR family, Ms. Tipton; but what about other definitions? Should we just stop with gay, lesbian, and transgender families? If we are going to redefine marriage and family, as so many want to do, would it not be equally unfair to exclude every other form of perversion? In other words, if not traditional marriage, then does anything go?

Not long ago I saw a special documentary about people who were in love with inanimate objects such as – no kidding – amusement park rides (click here for more info – caution, though).  As a matter of fact, a woman married a particular ride after “courting” it for ten years and 3,000 rides. Sadly, this woman has been called “sick.” She has been diagnosed with objectophilia. But why is she sick? What is so wrong with her? She should be allowed to wear a t-shirt. “Families come in a wide range of definitions these days…”

Oh, some of you are reading this and calling me ridiculous; but seriously, where do you draw the line when you say that perversion of the norm is acceptable? Without objective standards, such as is the Bible (the document on which most moral standards in Western culture are founded), where do you go but down a slippery slope? How can you justify allowing one perversion, and not another?

My Prediction

I know, it is dangerous to make predictions, because if they never come true it make’s one a false prophet (but tell that to the ones in Hollywood). On the other hand, let me make a prediction about the future of this country. If people don’t wise up and see the fallacy of their anti-slippery slope argument, the following things will almost certainly become acceptable, if not promoted as the new norm- polygamy, polyandry, pedophilia, exhibitionism, bestiality, etc. If not, then t-shirt-wearing activists everywhere should be ashamed for their hypocrisy.

 

Romans 1:24-25 NLT – “So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”

 

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by | July 17, 2011 · 9:01 pm

Upside to a Downside

The Downside

For a while, now, my wife has been having some health problems. As a matter of fact, every time we make a trip to the pharmacy at Target I am reminded of my vow – “in sickness and in health.” I just wish there was a little more of the “health” part.

Because of my wife’s health, she has finally had to go on short-term disability. She is just not able to work regular office hours anymore. Her pain becomes too unbearable. And because of her lost income, our family is having to seriously cut back in all areas (not that there was much room to cut).

In short, my wife is out of work and shall be receiving a little each month from her disability policy, but our already limited lifestyle is going to be more limited. I will continue to pastor and work a second job, but we’ll be OK. God has everything in control. If nothing else, I am finally going to have my wife at home where she wanted to be all along – just flat broke.

The Upside

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett

So…..today we had family over for dinner after church. My wife prepared a wonderful meal, including one of my favorite deserts, banana pudding. Now, my wife makes good banana pudding, but she has never made it like my grandmother (God rest her soul) in Alabama did. It’s not just her, either. Few people have ever made banana pudding like my dearly departed country granny.

But today my wife nailed it!

One spoonful into my mouth was all it took to make me cry out, “THAT’S IT!” Something was radically different from what I expected, for my wife made banana pudding just like my granny did (bless her, Lord).

“What happened? What’s different?” I asked.

“We’re poor,” said my wife. “I had to make it from scratch.”

There evidently is an upside to every downside.  

In all things praise the Lord!

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by | June 30, 2011 · 6:01 pm

Shown Up, and What For?

A fellow blogger wrote about the time she realized she was not “all that and a bag of chips.” I started to tell the following story in a comment, but then decided to write it out here.

The “Comma Club” Day$

Back in 1998 I was at the top of my game. My career was doing very well, and money was not hard to come by. As a matter of fact, I was the 8th highest producer in a nation-wide company.

In ’97 I started something called the “Comma Club.” This “club” consisted of all the salespeople that had a comma in their paycheck each week. In other words, after taxes, to be in the club one’s take home had to be over $1,000. I was in it every week.

Then Things Changed

Thinking I was making a good move, I took a position out-of-state. The move was supposed to make life even better, but in a few months some changes within our company and the entire industry made closing a contract much more difficult. Weeks would pass without a paycheck, much less a comma (praise God for a faithful and supportive wife!).

At one time I was a top salesman and manager, but then we needed money to even keep a roof over our heads, so I had to find extra work. I even started delivering pizza. At one point, I was working four part-time jobs just to pay the bills, which was a far cry from where I had been.

The Lowest Moment

One day, after I had been out trying to sell my wares, I drove home to our little duplex (we used to have a 2,000 sq. ft. Cape Cod in the historic district). What I did not know was that my little girls, 4 and 8, had resorted to help in their own way. As I pulled up into the driveway, they came running to meet me.

“Daddy, did you sell anything?“

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well WE DID!! Look, here’s some money!“

“Where did you get that,” I asked.

“We sold weeds.” That’s right, they sold weeds.

Katie and Haley had gone out and picked wildflowers and weeds, then went knocking on doors in our neighborhood. They made a few dollars from people who were kind enough to buy their treasures. My girls were completely thrilled. I hit rock bottom….hard.

Shown Up

I had been shown up by amateurs! The former top salesman had now been out-sold by Wiggles fans. What good were all the awards that I had won? What good were all the pats on the back and the 4 digit paychecks now? I had been shown that my own kids could out-provide me by selling worthless weeds!

Of course, it was sort funny, in a sad kinda way, when the teenagers at the pizza place found out. I got made fun of, for sure. The “preacher” was delivering pizza, while his kids were at home selling “weed.”

Yeah, it was funny, but my ego was completely crushed.

What For?

For God’s glory.

The one thing that I needed to learn, if nothing else, was that my pride and self-sufficiency was incompatible with a life of faith. More than that, a self-righteous life is incompatible with a life of grace. God had to humble me so I could experience the wonder and the glory of His amazing grace. He deserved the awards, not me.

2 Corinthians 4:15 KJV – “For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.”

There’s so much more to this story, but I’ll keep the other skeletons in my closet, for now. However, thank you, Heather Joy, for giving me a reason to shine the light on this dark time.

If not for the grace and mercy of my Savior, I would be nothing.

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by | June 20, 2011 · 12:49 pm

A Husband and a Father

Just this past week a couple of special days were celebrated: my anniversary and Father’s Day.

On June 18, 1994, I was married to Valerie Riddle. Valerie and I have now been married 17 years, and boy has there been a lot of water under that bridge! So, this June 18th was a celbration of that first day we became legally bound to put up with each other (said with a wink).

June 19, 2011 was Father’s Day. Since I am the proud father of 3 girls and a four-legged son, Nugget, it was only right that I be celebrated. I’ve been a pretty good dad, I must say, even if they lie and say they think differently. They love me.

My wife and I exchanged, sorta, some gifts for our anniversary. She received, from me, a pearl ring, set with diamonds in silver. I received, from me (with her permission), a new Schwinn bicycle with chrome fenders, seven speeds, a rear rack, a speedometer/odometer, and a mirror. We were both pleased.

But what really makes a good husband and father? I believe that a good husband and father is many things, but most of all he should mirror Jesus Christ. How can this be done?

A Man Should Love His Wife.

A Christlike dad should be a Christlike husband. How is that possible? Well, take a look at Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it...” Men, we should love our wives with a sacrificial love that transcends bad hair days, PMS, or maxed-out credit cards. Consider those things nothing more than nails with which to hold us to the cross of marriage.

Boys and girls that grow up seeing a loving, sacrificial relationship between a man and a woman – a relationship bound by a commitment before God and man – seek themselves to be the kinds of men and women that hold a society together. On the other hand, children that grow up in “families” where the man is abusive, self-centered, arrogant, manipulative, or spiteful, tend to act the same way when they find a mate. The men tend to be abusive users, while the women tend to be facilitators.

A Man Should Be a Light

The way we act as husbands and fathers can be crucial to the spreading of the Gospel. When others watch our actions, they walk away with an impression that reflects back on our Heavenly Father. Did He teach us to act that way? Is this the way HE treats His Bride?

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

A Man Should Bear His Cross

Marriage may sometimes feel like a cross we bear. It can get tough, for sure. The sacrifices are many, especially when it comes to our egos, our dreams, our garages, our sports cars, etc. But it WAS Jesus who said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24).

Marriage is no place for the wimpy, the selfish, or self-centered. Neither is marriage the place for the one who seeks the pleasure of the here-and-now. Marriage is about the long-term benefits that come with commitment. Thankfully, for our sakes, Jesus remained committed to His calling and “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2).

A REAL husband is committed for the long-haul. A REAL father is one who sets an example of sacrifice. Men, may we be the best that we can be as we become like Christ. And even if we can’t be perfect, at least we can try. We do have big shoes to fill.

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” – Matthew 5:48

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by | June 13, 2011 · 9:12 pm

“One Man’s Sunset; Another Man’s Dawn”

Over a two-week period, just over 20 years ago, things started to get a little weird.

I can’t recall all of the moments that led up to me concluding something bad was going to happen, but a couple stand out above the rest.

The Revival Service

It was in June of 1991. The church that I attended was having a week-long series of meetings. My mother and father did not attend the same church as I did, but on the last night of the revival, which was a Friday, my dad came. The evangelist preached on heaven that night, and said something that hit me like a brick. He said, “Heaven will never be real to you, until there is someone there you want to go see.”

The Movie

In that very same week, my family went to see a movie. It was a new animated film called An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. In one particular scene, an old hound dog, the retiring sheriff, sat watching a sunset with the little mouse, Fievel. The legendary actor, Jimmy Stewart, speaking as Wylie Burp, said to Fievel,

“Just remember, Fievel – one man’s sunset is another man’s dawn. I don’t know what’s out there beyond those hills. But if you ride yonder… head up, eyes steady, heart open… I think one day you’ll find that you’re the hero you’ve been looking for.” – Wylie Burp

The moment he said, “one man’s sunset is another man’s dawn,” I felt a chill and a heaviness that took breath. I knew my dawn was coming.

Sunset

Early on Monday morning, June 11, 1991, while working 3rd shift as a security guard in a high-security nuclear facility, my dad felt sick. He asked a cleaning person which bathroom was clean, then went in, took off his gun belt, bent over a sink, and died.

It had only been since Friday the 8th that I had heard that message about heaven. That Monday was when heaven became more real than I could have ever imagined. My dad, Terry L. Baker, went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He surrendered his badge, took off his gun belt, and laid down – literally.

Dawn

As the sun rose over the horizon, I sped my 280z toward the hospital. When I got there, I asked for my dad, but was led to a room where my mother was sitting. In a sobbing cry she looked up to me and held out a little plastic bag containing my father’s personal items. She said, “This is all I have left…” That was the exact moment when I found out. That was the exact moment it became dawn.

It may have been my dawn, but it was one of the darkest moments in my life. My dad and I were terribly close. We worked together, played together, worshiped together, and preached together. In the week before my daddy died, I went up to him and told him that I really felt like something was going to happen. He told me that he would outlive my grandchildren. But in case he didn’t, I had to make sure of one thing – would I preach his funeral?

The Funeral

Some people could not understand how I did it, but I did preach my dad’s funeral. You see, I was 24, but I had accepted the call to preach when I was 16. My dad had been a pastor, a lay preacher for years. It may have been just guy talk at the time, but in a moment of male-bonding my dad and I agreed that whoever died first, for whatever reason, the other would preach the funeral. That is why I asked my dad that question. I needed to be sure he was serious. His response was, “Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” So I did.

My dad presided over a lot of funerals, and he even carried in his Bible a sermon that he used more often than not. The title of the sermon was “The Times I Need Him Most.” So, from his own Bible, from his own outline, I preached his funeral. And unlike I usually do today, I even gave an altar call. Believe it or not, right there to my left, beside the casket, a friend of the family came down to the altar and asked Jesus to come into his life. Never once had my dad led a person to the Lord when he preached a funeral sermon, but this time was different.

The Family Car

There will always be those who think the following is crazy; only coincidence: but God showed up in the limousine as we went to the grave yard. As soon as I got into the car, I asked the driver, who was a Christian friend, to turn the radio on. I wanted to hear some encouraging music. When he did, the DJ on WAY FM out of Nashville played a song by Wayne Watson, The Ultimate Healing. Right after that, the DJ came on the air and said, “I know we usually have songs pre-planned according to a particular format, but I just really feel led by God to play this next song – I don’t know why.”  The song was Where There is Faith, by 4Him. The second verse goes like this:

There’s a man across the sea
Never heard the sound of freedom ring
Only in his dreams
There’s a lady dressed in black
In a motorcade of cadillacs
Daddy’s not coming back
Our hearts begin to fall
And our stability grows weak
But Jesus meets our needs if only we believe

CHORUS
Where there is faith
There is a voice calling, keep walking
You’re not alone in this world
Where there is faith
There is a peace like a child sleeping
Hope everlasting in He who is able to
Bear every burden, to heal every hurt in my heart
It is a wonderful, powerful place
Where there is faith

Today

Today I went to the grave where my father’s body is waiting for a trumpet to sound. I am comforted in the fact one day we will see each other again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). But in the meantime, I must carry on in the task that I have been called to do.

I went to the grave, and even though I know my dad is not there, I read Proverbs 4 aloud. What better words could have been said in remembrance of a committed, consistant, caring, God-fearing, humble father? They were words that I wanted to say out loud because they were being fulfilled.

“He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.” – Prov. 4:4-5

“Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. … Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. … My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. … Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” – Proverbs 4:10-11, 14, 20-21, 25-27

Dad, I just want you to know that I am still in the fight. I haven’t given up. I wasn’t a fly-by-night wannabe, but a real man of God. My Sword is still sharp. My aim is still true. I even have some “arrows” in my quiver that you will meet one day.

Don’t worry, even though I know you won’t – I will keep pressing on and fighting the good fight, until the time of my own sunset. Then, when this life is over, I hope I can stand there beside you when Jesus says to you, “Well done.” You did good, Daddy. I’ll make you proud.

Your loving son,

Rev. Anthony C. Baker

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by | June 8, 2011 · 3:23 pm

Waiting, Waiting, and Waiting

I was going to write about having something to write about, but then I found something to write about…

Waiting in a hospital room.

Honestly, there are a few things on my writing agenda, including a paper discussing the audience of the letter to the Galatians; however, I just feel tapped out. There has been, and still is, so much on my plate that I am running out of RAM in my brain.

But sitting here in a hospital room waiting for my mother to come out of surgery gave me pause to think…and write…about waiting.

My mother is having a procedure done on her heart. It is called an ablation. It is not supposed to be that big of a deal, relatively speaking, but any surgery is big deal. Any time people take away your ability to breath on your own and put it into the hands of another, that’s a big deal. You just hope that person made more than just “average” grades on his/her “waking up the dead” exam.

Being a large, university hospital, there is good Wi-Fi signal, so here I have my computer to work from. If that fails, I do have my trusty back-up, my iPhone 4. As long as I can sit here and do something besides watch a television mounted too high on the wall next to the ceiling, I’ll be OK.

More bored than worried…

There are a lot of people who find themselves in situations similar to this, but are far more stressed and worried than I am. As a matter of fact, I am not worried at all. Maybe I should be, but why? Honestly, I am not only bored, but wishing that I was at home sitting in my own office, with all my books, getting done all the things that are pressing upon me. You could say that I am more worried about my schedule than I am about my mother’s surgery.

I can’t do anything about my mother’s surgery at this point. She is not only in the care of doctors who make far more than I do, but she is also in the hand of God. Why worry? All I have to do is wait.

Wait for what?

When we are told to wait upon the Lord, what is it that we are supposed to be waiting on? Are we supposed to be waiting for Him to do things just the way we want them to be done? Are we supposed to be waiting for Him to walk through the door with the news we want to hear?

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. – Isa 40:31 KJV

The promise is that those who wait upon the Lord may not have all the answers, or see things turn out just the way they planned; but that they shall “renew their strength.” Better yet, they shall “mount up with wings as eagles” and soar above whatever may come. They shall stay in the race and “run, and not be weary.” And if it just so hard that there is no getting over it, no getting around it, and no denying the path ahead, then they will it least “walk, and not faint.”

Waiting for what is unknown can be wearisome. Many times the waiting is made harder because of the worry and the inability to plan for the outcome. Thankfully, when all is in God’s hands, there is no need to worry, just wait. In waiting on Him, there will be strength to make it through the unknown that lies ahead, and the boredom of the hospital room.

      “Many things about tomorrow,
      I don’t seem to understand;
      But I know Who holds tomorrow,
      And I know Who holds my hand.”

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by | May 7, 2011 · 10:40 pm

Happy Mother’s Day!

A Song

When was the last time you heard a Mother’s Day song? I can’t remember one. Well, I decided to write one this evening.

I call it… “Mother’s Day”

Since my wife won’t let me sing it in church tomorrow, I put it on here for the rest of the world to hear. Hope you get a chance to sing it for your mother. As we church people say, “I hope it’s a blessing.”

And by the way, it was recorded in my kitchen on my iPhone 4.

Click “Mother’s Day” to listen.  Please? Pretty please?

“Mother’s Day”

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by | May 6, 2011 · 12:22 pm

Softball, Food, and Wisdom

Is it Better?

In my last post I made reference to being at a ball park. For a parent of athletic children, that is the place to be on a summer day, morning, afternoon, mid-afternoon, late afternoon, evening, late evening, nighttime, and too-stinking-late-to be-up-on-a-weekend night, especially when this pastor has to preach Sunday morning. Softball tournaments are nothing but a racket. They keep you all day at a ball park so you can buy unhealthy, gut-murdering food…

But it’s goooood..

This is my question…why is it that hot dogs and nachos are better when bought and eaten at a ball park? Surely I am not the only one who feels this way. No cheap hot dog made at home really compares with the ones you spend too much money on and come cradled in cardboard. Nachos with chili and jalapeños can never taste the same made in a clean, sanitary home kitchen. These foods need volunteer workers, weekend kitchens, dust from a field, and sweat in the air to be gourmet.

Nothing Spiritual?

Is there a spiritual lesson here? There has to be one! I am The Recovering Legalist…there has to be a point to this story, right? Maybe there is.

Matthew 15:11, 20 KJV – [11] Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. … [20] These are [the things] which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

James 3:6 KJV – [6] And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Just after I took the above picture, some coaches and parents on the other team got angry with a call that the umpire made. Shortly after that, another call was made that made one coach curse the umpire. With justifiable indignation, the umpire ordered the coach to either leave the ball park in 30 seconds, or forfeit the game for their team. He left.

It just made me think about the food I was eating and the environment in which it was made. My health could recover from the food, but a poor testimony could take a lifetime to heal.

Oh, and one less person at the park means one less person eating all the hot dogs…

Anybody got some hand sanitizer? Preferably without sparkles?

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