Category Archives: Rural Life

Church on the Diamond

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Got to see the Church this evening on a baseball diamond. No, it wasn’t a goofy worship stunt. A 12 year old in our Church lost his single-parent mother a few months back. His aunt and uncle have really stepped up to the plate and are doing a great job of taking care of him. Members of the congregation are also instinctively showing their love and support.
This evening he was playing in a little league tournament and I was proud to see one of our elders and his family take a seat right behind home plate to cheer him on. I think we tend to think of “Church” and “Ministry” solely in terms of what takes place either in the walls of our buildings or under the auspices of a board or committee sanctioned by duly elected officers. But the Church ministers whenever Christians share Christ’s love with others. I doubt the family would consider what they did as either Christian or service… which is seems to be the point of Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats “When did we see you?” (Matt 25:31-46) But as James reminds us:
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1.27)

Baseball Diamond by Canadian Veggie

Baseball Diamond by Canadian Veggie

Hospitality

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We had two visitors with us last night for our Wednesday evening fellowship meal and Bible study.  Andrew and Jacob, two young men from Wisconsin are bicycling through the area.  Apparently they got off course yesterday after biking from Jackson, TN in the rain.  One of our church members found them in the area and invited them to a warm meal and offered a place to stay for the night.  This isn’t the first time I feel like our member’s cooking, friendship and generosity is the best sermon preached in our congregation.

They’ve been biking for about three weeks and plan to be back home before Christmas.  Sounds like a fun time.  We’ll be praying things continue to go well for ya’ll.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2)

Coon Dog Funeral

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It was a beautiful day to bury a dog.  We had a funeral up at Coon Dog Cemetery today, the organizer is a member of my church and so I was asked to give the invocation which I was happy to do.

Ray Frost brought “the Merch” down from Pennsylvania.  He was a champion Treeing Walker Hound that died sometime last year.  Mr. Frost found out about Coon Dog Cemetery and called down here to ask for information on having his dog reinterred.  Apparently one thing led to another and a funeral was organized and the press called in.

There are stringent rules for having a dog buried there, you have to prove that your dog was a true coon dog.  I’ve heard that there have been dogs exhumed when it was found out they ran deer.  Of course “the Merch” passed muster and was given a plot next to the famous statue of two dogs treeing a raccoon.

Ray and his wife arrived Sunday morning and joined us for worship and dinner afterwards.

Earlier today the casket was taken to the gravesite.  The florist van arrived with the arrangements shortly after.  People gathered and exchanged conversation about hunting or wandered through the graves reading epitaphs and taking pictures.  The pall bearers, some of Ray’s other hounds, waited patiently for the service.  A little before 11 the processional arrived from Tuscumbia. Several ladies dressed in black dresses and hats sat somberly in the front row of folding chairs.  I estimate there were about 200 in attendance (not counting dogs).

As I prepared for the service I discovered how difficult it can be to provide a prayer that is light hearted yet still reverent.  (I focussed on God’s good creation, our enjoyment of the created order and the blessings we receive through nature.)  The service also included some history of the area and the beginnings of the cemetery.  Ray gave the eulogy and told about “The Merch’s” championship career — I believe he got a little choked up towards the end.  Another local minister gave the benediction and the service closed with Taps.  After the burial we shared in good food, good laughs and good memories.

There’s a video on this local station’s site. And here’s the ESPN article.

I should have pictures soon.

Prayer Requests

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Wednesday nights are great fun. We have a meal followed by our group Bible studies and prayer meeting. Tonights menu was Baked Ham, White Beans, Corn Bread and Turnip Greens, unfortunately all of the Chocolate pie was gone before I got to dessert.

Prayer requests in the country are always good too. We have in the past prayed for someone who as “on a drunk” and need our prayers, plus an announcement to get out of the way if you see him on the road. My own mother in law was on the pray list recently for a snake bite. This evenings requests included one man who fell off of a ladder and someone else who had a cow knock a fence over on him.

Additionally, we’re making plans for a funeral at Coon Dog Cemetery next week — I’ve been asked to offer the invocation.

A Letter of Apology

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The church I serve is out in the County, our closest town in state, that is where our kids go to school and where our post office is, is Cherokee.  Cherokee is not large enough to support a newspaper, even a weekly like our neighbors in Iuka, MS who have the Vidette.  (Sorry no link, they don’t have a website yet.)

Anyway, someone has recently started printing an occasional newsletter – Smoke Signals. The following letter was printed in the latest issue #27/8.

To the citizens of Cherokee,

It has been brought to my attention that I have offended many of you by the articles I have written.  I now take the time to apologize because I do not want to be the cause of any discord here.  I also take the time to apologize to all the Pastors of Cherokee for writing to them in an attempt to create unity.  This could be ssen as me trying to tell them how to run their churches.  this was not my intent.  I will no longer write any articles to be published in Cherokee and I also am announcing that Sermons in the park will be discontinued and I will not run for Mayor.  At this time I am putting the Brotherton house and the Park and camp grounds on the market for sale and my wife and I will move out of Cherokee as soon as it sells.   We have a price in mind but will consider all offers.  If you wish to see the house and Park and Campgrounds, please call [—-].  Again, I deeply apologize for any harm I have done to Cherokee or any of it’s people.

D… R…

I don’t know what was so offensive that the man has to stop preaching, drop out of his run for mayor, sell his home and business and move out of town.  I think I’ll call to see if they have back issues available.  I didn’t receive a unity letter – I wonder if I should be offended that I wasn’t included.

(NOTE: Just to avoid any confusion, D. R. was simply a contributor to the newsletter not the main writer/editor/publisher.)

MSgt Harmon C. Hastings: 1910-1945

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Ministering in a rural area gives me interesting opportunities, this weekend I participated in a memorial service for a soldier who was lost behind enemy lines in World War II.

His nephew, who has been keeping up the small family cemetery that is on a hill overlooking a branch of the Tennessee river, wanted to put up a monument to him and as he researched it and planned things discovered that there had never been a memorial service for him.  So this past Saturday his family and friends  (few of whom knew Harmon Hastings) gathered in this country cemetery, accompanied by an honor guard to remember his sacrifice.

The local paper did an article on it.