Thursday, March 24, 2011

Mechanical Missionary

What an exciting morning it has been.  What started out as just another trip to the mechanic's shop, has suddenly transformed into my very first IMPROMPTU MISSIONARY JOURNEY!

(INSERT WILD APPLAUSE HERE)

It all started early today when I dropped my car off at my mechanics shop.  I knew the car was going to absconded for most of the day, so I had planned on sitting at the shop, and sample some of the delicious coffee while I made  up names for the other customers who came in after me.

I love that game.  Sometimes I make up the weirdest names I can for them, then assign each of them some terrible, tragic back story that matches the name.   It's a GREAT game.  For about 8 minutes.

Then you realize you're sitting in a waiting room at a shop, drinkin' coffee, reading a ROD N REEL magazine from 1994.

It was at that moment it hit me: Wait a minute.  I'm a dang PREACHER!  I will get up from here,  traverse the town and PREACH!   A missionary journey while I wait !  Just like the Apostle Paul.

Only it'll just be for a couple of hours, of course. And I'll probably have to get lunch sometime in there.  And I would PREFER that there be a minimum amount of prison time and persecution involved.  And I DON'T wanna get snake bit.  Beatings are out too.

But other than that...pretty much a missionary journey...just like Paul! 

And what a surprise it will be to all the unsuspecting victims who have the misfortune of crossing paths with me on my journey.  Very few people EXPECT to EVER be preached at by a traveling preacher waiting on his car to be fixed.  Surprise evangelism can be  most effective.  

Reminds me of a poem I'm about to write...


Another run of answered prayer
Another dream come true
Another victim standing there
My sermon is set loose
Set loose upon a sleeping world
That doesn't get the pit-cha
While oil is changed and tires are twirled 
My sermon's gonna git cha!

Brother Preacher
Circa, 20-this morning


Well that's the plan, anyway.  So far I've only made it to the Coffee Shop in town.  I haven't done any actual preaching yet either.  The guy at the counter said I needed to let my herbal tea steep for about 15 minutes first.  So there was that.  Then I had to eat a muffin.  I said "no raisins" or course there WERE raisins all through it.  So have to eat around those.  It all takes time.

Then of course, I have to sit here and get this blooming blog out - which by the way could've been done already if the lady sitting next to me could've shaved about 45 minutes off her FASCINATING tale about how her kid plays soccer and her other kid plays softball, and she USED to play the saxophone and oddly enough was not interested in going to Penn State anymore.  And her quilt is almost done.  And she bores people to death.  And her friends have all moved away 'cause they can't stand her boing stories, or that laugh.  And her husband wants to kill her.  As do I.

How does she do it all?  How have I not killed her yet? 

Persecutions all around me - thwarting my preaching.  My missionary journey already in crisis.  I hate raisins.  I hate this lady!  I hate quilts!  Shut UP!!!

Sigh...where was I?  Oh, who cares?  My tea is cold now.  Who has EVER steeped tea for 15 minutes?!  That's insane!   That kid has no idea what he's talking about.  The culture is so different on a missionary journey.  I guess I'm having what they call, "culture shock".  In THIS land they give you cold tea, and raisins and bore you til your dead.  It's tough here in the mission field.   Who puts raisins in muffins anyway?

I yearn for HOME!  Where the heck is my CAR?! 

Still...I preach on...with another poem I'm about to write...

So change a plug and fill the fluid
Take all day, I do not care
While you lube, I will be preaching
Sermon victims best beware

With my car still at the station
And my tea now cold as ice
I'll make for me an illustration
I can use this Sunday Night

A story 'bout the yakking wife
 Annoying all with  boring fables
And how a preacher killed her twice
First in his mind, then with a bagel

I just want to end this blog
And get on with my journey
The yakking's put me in a fog
Will you please stop talking?  

What is the MATTER with you!?  
I'm trying to write here!?  
I'd leave but I can't 
because I don't have a CAR

 I'm on a missionary journey! 
I can't hear myself THINK !!
I don't  know what I'm writing
I stopped rhyming seven lines ago!  

Where's my tea!!!???
Get these raisins out of here!
AHHHHH!
I said, "AHHHHHHHH!"

Brother Preacher
Circa, please shut up.
As together we stand and sing.

BP