On fountains and such

There is high drama afoot in Lake City. It seems that the city has built an interactive fountain in the Olustee Park. Additionally, the have built public restrooms for the park. It seems, however, that according to state health regulations a public restroom must be within 200 feet of an interactive fountain. The new restrooms in the park are 280 feet from the fountain and a health department variance has not been granted for the extra distance. So the fountain that cost $80,000 cannot be activated without significant changes.

Two questions beg for attention. One is: why would you build an $80,000 fountain without covering all your bases? The other is: why would we have a state regulation for how close a bathroom has to be to a fountain? I would entitle this drama in Lake City, “Much Ado about Nothing”.

In the Lord’s church we need to make sure that we don’t end up in the same situation. We have been given the daunting task of representing Christ in the public arena, testifying to His power to change lives. We need to be careful to keep our focus on this purpose. If we aren’t careful we can create useless rules and regulations, simply for the purpose of showing our authority. Or we can ignore rules and regulations and find that it thwarts the purpose of our efforts.

Summer slump

Summer is here. Tonight is the last night of our suppers for a while and the summer schedule will be shifting around. We will probably plan some cookouts or special meals and we will be breaking for things like VBS. Summer also means smaller crowds for worship services as families take vacations (and seniors go off on cruises).

Summer is a great time for spiritual discovery! Our youth will have at least three major events this summer where great spiritual themes will be explored. Our children will continue to learn the Bible in Sunday School, about missions in CiA (and Mission Friends) and will be preparing a children's musical.

Summer can be a great time for spiritual discovery for you also. There are tremendous opportunities at every worship service to encounter the Lord of every season through music and message. As you encounter people in our community who seem to need spiritual direction, don't forget to ask them the question: “Have you found a place to worship yet?”