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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
He Knows Your Name
September 27, 2007
No matter what time of the day you go into Dixie Donuts you are apt to
run into a very affable gentleman who makes the restaurant his home away
from home. Like a cigar store Indian he appears to be part of the furniture.
I asked him one day if he was getting paid to entertain the customers.
Without missing a beat he seized upon my question and passed it on to
Kathy, the owner. Her laugh told me all I needed to know.
I don't know how long he has been a regular customer at Dixie but he
seems to know everyone who walks through the door. He greets the real
estate agent, the high school coach, the nurse, the garbage man and the
physician with the same tongue in cheek, glad to see you, humor. He
seems to know everybody's business and everybody knows him. I think
he likes it that way.
Every time I enter Dixie Donuts I think of the old television show Cheers.
It is the kind of place where everybody knows your name. That's kind of
nice. If you go in at 5:30 a.m. you will meet the early morning risers who
sit, read the paper and have quiet conversations. People come and go as
they head off to work at the school or the Boat. Go in at 7:30 a.m. and
you'll hear talk of hot cars and golf outings. At 8:30 a.m. you will find a
group gathered around a cribbage board. At 10:00 a.m. you might see a
few couples enjoying a late breakfast. At 11:30 a.m. the lunch crowd will
be filing in and out. There in the middle of it all is Dixie's version of Cliff
Claven or Norm Peterson.
We live in a world that is changing and becoming less personal. Many of
us live in neighborhoods where we don't even know our neighbors. We are
on the go constantly. We don't take the time to nurture friendships over
coffee or a game of checkers. Our lives are so busy that even the
members of our family seem like strangers to us.
In another day and time, people tried to observe a Sabbath rest. The faith
community provided that anchor that connected them to God and one
another. They took the time to be with family and friends. One woman I
spoke with the other day recalled how every Sunday after church her
family packed a picnic lunch and went to visit her grandparents. All the
cousins would come together and they would eat and play and have a great
time. How often does that happen now? We are just too busy and too
isolated.
Well, here is the good news. We have someone who knows us and is
always glad to see us. He understands the trials we go through. He knows
about our heartache. He celebrates our good fortune. He knows the secret
behind a gasoline engine and the way to victory in a cribbage game. He
understands how the glaze sticks to the donut and why people hang out at
places like Dixie. He knows because he created us. The good news is that
God is not limited to one place. He meets us wherever we go, whenever
we need him. And believe me, he knows your name. Thanks be to God!
God bless! See you in Church.
Cal
September 27, 2007
No matter what time of the day you go into Dixie Donuts you are apt to
run into a very affable gentleman who makes the restaurant his home away
from home. Like a cigar store Indian he appears to be part of the furniture.
I asked him one day if he was getting paid to entertain the customers.
Without missing a beat he seized upon my question and passed it on to
Kathy, the owner. Her laugh told me all I needed to know.
I don't know how long he has been a regular customer at Dixie but he
seems to know everyone who walks through the door. He greets the real
estate agent, the high school coach, the nurse, the garbage man and the
physician with the same tongue in cheek, glad to see you, humor. He
seems to know everybody's business and everybody knows him. I think
he likes it that way.
Every time I enter Dixie Donuts I think of the old television show Cheers.
It is the kind of place where everybody knows your name. That's kind of
nice. If you go in at 5:30 a.m. you will meet the early morning risers who
sit, read the paper and have quiet conversations. People come and go as
they head off to work at the school or the Boat. Go in at 7:30 a.m. and
you'll hear talk of hot cars and golf outings. At 8:30 a.m. you will find a
group gathered around a cribbage board. At 10:00 a.m. you might see a
few couples enjoying a late breakfast. At 11:30 a.m. the lunch crowd will
be filing in and out. There in the middle of it all is Dixie's version of Cliff
Claven or Norm Peterson.
We live in a world that is changing and becoming less personal. Many of
us live in neighborhoods where we don't even know our neighbors. We are
on the go constantly. We don't take the time to nurture friendships over
coffee or a game of checkers. Our lives are so busy that even the
members of our family seem like strangers to us.
In another day and time, people tried to observe a Sabbath rest. The faith
community provided that anchor that connected them to God and one
another. They took the time to be with family and friends. One woman I
spoke with the other day recalled how every Sunday after church her
family packed a picnic lunch and went to visit her grandparents. All the
cousins would come together and they would eat and play and have a great
time. How often does that happen now? We are just too busy and too
isolated.
Well, here is the good news. We have someone who knows us and is
always glad to see us. He understands the trials we go through. He knows
about our heartache. He celebrates our good fortune. He knows the secret
behind a gasoline engine and the way to victory in a cribbage game. He
understands how the glaze sticks to the donut and why people hang out at
places like Dixie. He knows because he created us. The good news is that
God is not limited to one place. He meets us wherever we go, whenever
we need him. And believe me, he knows your name. Thanks be to God!
God bless! See you in Church.
Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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