So I’m going skiing with Scottsville church of Christ on Christmas Eve Eve (December 23). All for around $50. There’s a definite difference in the ski trip with Scottsville and the ski trip with MJ. Scottsville just about has to beg people to go; goes the cheap way and has an excellent time. By contrast MJ’s way consists of paying as much as possible for skiing at a substandard ski resort and has to make limitations on who can go. We always have to pay more because we’re MJ and we want to pay more for our convenience of a nice comfy bed at a historical hotel. This mentality also bleeds over to participation at summer camp. Some parents wouldn’t even think about sending their kid to summer camp if there wasn’t a pool to swim in, and an air conditioned cabin. Nevermind the spiritual uplifting that summer camp provides. Give me my pool!
You might be saying to yourself, is the only thing that would make you happy is skiing in North Carolina? In a word: yes. I wouldn’t mind paying $100-125 for a lift ticket, rental, and room in Boone. Paying that much in Paoli is silly. We’re paying expensive prices and not getting a good ski resort. Then again, after the ski trip is over I always tell myself…”hmmm…maybe Paoli isn’t such a bad place after all.” I mean I do get to go skiing, which is more than most Alabamans can say.
The Pedigo’s are nice people. I call them up out of the blue and ask to go skiing with them. In turn they give me a place to stay so I wouldn’t have to get up at an unearthly hour in order to leave at 6:30AM from Scottsville. I guess they consider me their unofficial youth minister in absentia…either that or a good friend of the congregation.
Then again, Shelton Peeler, Scottsville’s minister, does a good job of keeping everyone informed through the bulletin. If he hadn’t put it in the church bulletin, I doubt I would have known about the ski trip and would have missed out on going. Their former minister, Ethan, might not have bothered with the ski trip announcement. Instead putting in silly church oriented cartoons or his favorite quote from Cody, Wyoming’s church bulletin.
Speaking of bulletins, I get the feeling that David Shannon secretly hates putting together the church bulletin. I mean putting together a bulletin is not exactly jump-up-and-down excitement. He spices it up with flowery language and hopes no one sees that his overly abundant font choices and large borders are there as filler space. Certainly if the church bulletin were to suddenly vanish, we’d have some very angry shut-ins. (“Shut-ins” – is that really a scriptual word? Seems so negative in today’s politically correct context). And I would notice the vanished bulletin since I look for who’s on the front cover and what Phil has planned for the youth. Otherwise I don’t really read the amature “From Shepherd to Sheep” column or the redundant “Family News” since I know it will be read word-for-word Sunday morning in the announcements. The pictures of the new baptisees are cool and provides fodder for mothers who put together scrap books for their children. “Honey, I saved the church bulletin with your picture in it from when you were baptized. Oh how sweet. Let’s have a good cry now.”
Did you know McDonald’s in Japan serves up hot dogs on their breakfast menu? Random fact. There was no charge for that bit of useless information. So if you are ever in Osaka and it’s breakfast time, try that Japanese hot dog for the cultural experience.