Something a Man Never Hears

So I was a preacher-for-hire again today. And as the female liturgist introduced me, she said, "And isn't she pretty? Just look at her!" I'm pretty sure they never introduced a male preacher with, "What a handsome pastor we have with us today." Hey, I'll take it. I was also thrilled when the mother of a youth I used to work with thought that he and I were the same age, and when I told her I had 10 years on her son, she went on about how young I looked. I have no idea if the congregation heard what I was saying, but I'm certainly feeling good about my appearance. Perhaps I'll just ditch that I'm-turning-40-this-year diet. It's not going so well anyway.

While being a sub-preacher isn't so great for the family's sense of continuity and togetherness, it is nice to go to different churches each week. When you're only going to be there for the one Sunday, you can say more. For instance, in this sermon on a passage from James where he is chastising his readers for how they treat the poor, I brought up the issue of healthcare reform. Not sure I would have broached that topic from the pulpit had I been their regular pastor. Maybe so, but probably not. Am beginning to see why the whole interim pastor thing appeals to folks.

Not planning to labor much this Labor Day. Maybe some laundry. A little guitar and piano playing. We're thinking we may take our daughter out to her first visit to Waffle House. Can't believe we've let her live this long without exposing her to that particular culinary and cultural experience. The Waffle House was founded in Atlanta ON Labor Day in 1955, and those of you in Georgia know that you can often find a Waffle House on both sides of the highway at an exit. When we lived in Atlanta, it seemed like so much revolved around the Waffle House. There was even a radio contest where you could win tickets to a sold out concert if you went into the Waffle House where the guy from the station was sitting with the tickets and belted out the first line to the band's hit song. All over Greater Atlanta, folks were walking into Waffle Houses belting out a Stone Temple Pilot song and then, if no ticket guy popped up, leaving and finding another one. This contest went on from early morning until well in the afternoon because there are SO many of these restaurants. Yes, we have definitely been remiss by not sharing the Waffle House experience with our only offspring.

Why does in Always Happen at Waffle House

Why Americans Celebrate Labor Day