Tag Archives: Soddy-Daisy Tennessee

The Harmful Effects of Drought (on video)

Tonight I was very privileged to preach at Mile Straight Baptist Church, a wonderful and gracious congregation in Soddy-Daisy, TN. Dr. Tom Goss is the pastor, and a great friend.

Unfortunately, the numbers were down a good bit for the service, but that was too be expected. For a good while the Chattanooga area has been suffering from a severe drought, and recently forest fires have caused much of the surrounding area to look like it’s covered in fog, even in the daylight. Smoke is everywhere, even in the church building.

So, I preached to a smaller crowd in person, but others watched live over their computers at home (isn’t technology great?). Mile Straight has certainly taken advantage of technology.

Therefore, I give you a rare treat – video of me preaching. The sermon took advantage of the most obvious illustration one could ask for.

Funny things: I was told to dress casual – this was old, fat man casual. 😉

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Filed under Church, Preaching

Embarrassing Local News

The News

What is it about being on “the news?” We go home and grab the wife and kids and say, “Honey! I was standing by a horrible car crash when the T.V. station pointed a camera at me! I’m gonna be on the NEWS!

I have been written about in the news paper several times for different reasons (none crime-related). I have even been seen on local television news defending prayer at football games and chastising the city council for misappropriating tax dollars. But even if all I was doing was standing in line to buy fuel, it’s still fun to be spoken of in “the news.”

But sometimes being in the news is just plain embarrassing.

Dateline: Soddy-Daisy

Some places have a reputation for rearing bright, intelligent, first-class thinkers and leaders, like scholars, inventors, CEO’s, and U.S. Presidents (ok, we can discuss that last one later). But Soddy-Daisy needs to be careful of who they allow in the news, or before long they will have a reputation of bringing up idiots and fool-headed morons.

Soddy-Daisy, please don’t get angry with me! I lived there for years, as my mother and grandmother still do. I have lots of friends in Soddy-Daisy and consider it a great place to live. But seriously, you need to be careful about what kind of news stories you allow to get out. The one about the guy falling from the tree is now going global (thanks to me, ha!).

So, here’s the story….late last night (Tuesday, Aug. 22) a man was rescued from the woods after falling 70 feet from a tree. He suffered several fractures, but was lucky to be found alive after spending several hours calling for help.

(Puma concolor) aka: Mountain Lion, Puma

(Puma concolor) aka: Mountain Lion, Puma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But here’s the REST of the story….he climbed the tree because he was chasing a mountain lion!

Just a few observations, then I’m done…

  1. Don’t go into the woods (forest) without a shock-resistant cell phone. They make calling for help much more effective.
  2. Mountain lions are not cuddly kittens. You don’t want to catch one in the wild.
  3. If you feel the need to chase a mountain lion in the woods, seek psychological help immediately. I mean, seriously, what did it do, steal your wallet?
  4. If a mountain lion decides to run from you and not towards you, one of two things should be done: a) you should stop, drop, and pray to God, giving thanks that your life was spared; or b) take a bath.
  5. If for some reason you desire to chase a fleeing mountain lion up a tree, remember gravity is not your friend. Therefore, while in the tree you will be fighting two enemies: a big cat with knives for fingernails and the laws of nature.
  6. If you fall out of a tree after chasing a mountain lion up the tree, don’t tell anyone, especially the news! Otherwise, you will be considered the biggest moron on the face of the planet, thereby further contributing to the bad press banjo-dueling rednecks already get.
  7. The mountain lion should have killed you, you big dummy!

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Filed under animals, current events, General Observations, Life Lessons, wisdom

Date Night

I have been thinking about what to write.

The most obvious topic on which I would like to spend some time is the utter stupidity of the whole gay marriage thing, especially the ironic symbol of the rainbow. On the other hand, if I were to dwell on that topic for very long, given how long of a day it has been, I might puke. Unfortunately, if I did throw up, it would not come close to a regurgitation of all the vile that has been hurled at Christians over the last 48 hours.

So, for now I am going to avoid dealing with the Supreme Court’s insanity. I will save that for another day. Instead, let’s talk about movies.

Walking Out

It has been several years since I last walked out of a movie in a theater. The last time was when I demanded my money back (and got it) after I was duped into watching Happy Feet – an anti-human propaganda piece. This time it was a movie called The Big Wedding. I don’t feel that it is necessary for me to go into detail and provide you with an expert commentary. All you need to know is that what I endured of it was completely immoral and was void of any redeeming qualities. Enough said.

You see, my wife and I had the rare privilege of being alone, so we decided to go to a movie together. It’s not like we could afford it, but we needed the time with each other. Valerie just said, “I have watched a lot of other kinds of movies with you, so now it’s time to see a ‘chick flick’ with me.”

Well, anyway, it actually felt refreshing to simply get up out our seats, turn our backs to the screen, and walk out. We said “NO” to the trash that was being thrown at us, particularly the anti-Christian, anti-virginity, and anti-marriage messages. It actually felt spiritually empowering.

Caloric Refund

Hot Dogs and a Banana Split

Hot Dogs and a Banana Split to Share

After we got our money back (which, incidentally, was suggested by the manager who hated the movie, too), my wife and I decided to go to Kay’s Kastle in Soddy-Daisy (just north of Chattanooga). They have great ice cream and some unique hot dogs – and they’re cheap.

So, our date went from being disgusted with movie garbage, to filling our faces with caloric garbage. The food may have clogged an artery, but at least it didn’t sear our consciences.

Heart damage is easier to deal with than soul damage.

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Filed under Chili, current events, Food