GUY STUFF

Man that was some shindig out at Camp Langston RV Park on Saturday wasn’t it. If you didn’t see all of the goings on out there, you missed some good stuff.

Now, I am new to the area and don’t know a lot of folks, but I know a good time when I see one and all I can say is that Bo Rester, the folks at the Mt. Pleasant Chamber, and all of the other sponsors and participants did a bang up job of celebrating our country on Saturday.

Knowing folks in Northeast Texas like I do, I would be willing to bet that all of our area’s 4th of July shindigs will also do a great job of celebrating our freedoms, and there will no doubt be some great fireworks shows going on this week. Celebrating the 4th of July is one of the things that folks in these parts know how to do up right, with good food and good music to go along with the rockets red glare in the sky.

The best thing about all of these events is that they bring our communities together for a little while. In these days when we are all running around like chickens with our heads cut off just trying to get from one day to the next, we need these community events to make us slow down a little. We all need days when eating a hot dog, slurping on a snow cone, or grilling up hamburgers for the family becomes more important than the rat race, if even just for a day, especially now.

Coming out of the days of shelter in place, quarantines and the fears of a virus, it is a good thing that we can get out and celebrate again. All of the folks out at the RV park on Saturday, and all of the others that will be at the celebrations in our area this week are some of the first to slide off the yoke of the pandemic and enjoy public gatherings again. In my opinion, it is the best thing we could have happening right now. I don’t know about you, but I was getting pretty dang tired of looking at a schedule of upcoming community events and finding a blank page.

It’s a good thing for all of us to shed off those fears. Over the last year plus of the pandemic, I have enjoyed watching multiple church services online. It was actually pretty cool to be able to sit in my living room, still in my pjs, and watch four or five different church services every Sunday. There was a lot of good preachin’ going around in those days. I fell in love with the music and the spirit of Elevation Church and started my day off there. Then on to First Baptist DeKalb, my home church at Tapp United Methodist, then maybe to Arkadelphia Baptist, and then usually to Maranatha in DeKalb. Watching from home brought the chance to hear different perspectives, different music styles and different outlooks, all focusing on the same Jesus.

Now that churches are back in session, and I am moving to Mt. Pleasant, I look forward to getting out and visiting churches over here. I have already been invited to First Baptist Pittsburg, where the lady I have called “mom” for about 50 years attends. It will give me a special feeling to sit next to her in church.

Now is a time to celebrate. Just like all of us going out to watch fireworks, eat hotdogs, and crank some good music, now is a great time to celebrate the great blessing of being able to celebrate in church again.

I look forward to meeting you there.