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Peanut Butter Crisis |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 2/24/2009 3:58 PM | Greetings on this chilly morning,
As if the news about the economy, job layoffs, plant shut downs, industry collapses and the like wasn’t enough. Now they are saying I have to get rid of my peanut butter! Will it never end, this cycle of bad news? Will we ever be able to eat that Snickers bar or dig into a fresh jar of Jif without wondering about our safety? Will I have to check packaging to see if anything I buy was made on machines that also processed peanuts? What will become of Mr. Peanut? Will he become destitute, with a soiled top hat and a broken cane, his monocle scotch taped together, living out his days with people staring and whispering, “What a shame. He used to be somebody, I just can’t remember who.”
Well, I for one am not going to take it. We can argue about how much CEO’s make, and whether or not socialized medicine is the way to go. We can talk about the billions that are needed to shore up our economy, our housing market. We can debate (as they are in the Arkansas legislature) whether it should be legal to carry a concealed weapon in church. We can endlessly debate the merits of higher taxes, lower taxes, educational vouchers, charter schools, magnet schools, magnetized charter schools. We can drone on endlessly about the need for oil exploration, solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, hybrid cars, electric cars, hydrogen cars. We can filibuster about the proper roles of the federal government versus the state governments, the validity of judicial activism, the evils of bureaucracy. Yes, we can talk and talk and talk about those things until we are blue in the face, until the cows come home, until Ohio freezes over. But somebody better do something about this peanut butter thing! And I mean now!
How can I face the world without peanut butter? Without peanut butter, why would I bother buying bread? Or jelly? Without bread to put the peanut butter on, I have no need for any number of things: a toaster, table knives, a cold glass of milk to wash down the PBJ. Without peanut butter, why would I ever buy crackers to dab it on? How about celery to fill with peanut butter? I’ve got no use for that anymore! The cycle is endless: without peanut butter our entire economy is doomed! Doomed, I tell you! The automobile industry is important, but cars are only transportation: we can still ride bikes, or take buses, or walk. What is the substitute for peanut butter? There is no substitute for peanut butter! Without peanut butter, America as we know it will collapse.
Well, as much as I love Peanut Butter, I don’t actually believe most of what I just wrote. But it serves to show how we can spin so far out of control when we are constantly bombarded by negative stories, images and sound bites. The level of anxiety gets ratcheted up to a point of frenzy and we can no longer sort out what is real and what is not. We live in difficult times, and that is all the more reason that while we should do our best to stay informed, we should not let go of what is most important: God’s comforting presence will see us through, some how, some way. I don’t know exactly what that will look like, but I know that God is with us and when we put our faith in God for the important things, it helps us clear our heads so we can deal with difficult times in the best way possible. We need to tune out the bad news and go to God in prayer. We need to stay away from constant negative messages and gather in our community of faith where the message of hope is loud and strong, where together we can support each other, comfort each other and strengthen each other. But we must be intentional about seeking that out, lest we forget that God is not through with us, as long as we are not through with God.
We will make it through the difficult times, together. And when we realize that the hard times are past, I’m pretty sure there will be peanut butter involved.
For an updated prayer list and list of upcoming events, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org
For your prayer list:
Please keep Michelle Engle in your prayers as she recovers from gall bladder surgery that took place early this morning. Melissa Rodgers reports that Doug said all went well and she should be home by this afternoon.
Announcements
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday March 7th – the Brookhaven Spring Tea is coming back! Watch for ways you can sign up, help out, participate. If you have questions, please contact Evelyn Lester or Crystal Evans.
If you or your child is interested in taking part in the Pastors Baptism and Membership Class during Lent, please let me know by calling 404-237-3030 or by e-mail at brad@brookhavenchristian.org
We will meet during the Sunday school hour for 4 weeks beginning March 15th. All ages are welcome.
I hope you can make it to worship this Sunday as we once again gather to celebrate the Lord’s day together. The scripture is Isaiah 40: 21-31 and the sermon is titled “Have You Not Heard?” Have a great rest of the week.
Be peaceful,
Brad
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