One of my favorite drinks is a Route 44 Diet Cherry Limeade from Sonic. And in thinking about why I love this drink so much it occurred to me that it could be used as a metaphor for God. So bear with me because here we go. The Route 44 is something that is known in one form in the beginning, like God the Creator. It is good just the way it is, perfect really. It doesn’t need to change but because this drink (God) is so good it does change. When you finish consuming your Route 44 Limeade you are then left with the ice, a lime wedge and a cherry in the bottom. The ice begins to melt and you get a bonus drink, a new way to experience the drink. You get flavored water (would be like God deciding to dwell on earth in Jesus Christ as a new way for creation to know God). And then when the water is finished you are left with a new way to experience the drink – the consumption of the cherry and sucking on the lime wedge. This drink gives us a third way to experience the goodness just like God gives us the Holy Spirit. Now the drink does end but we do have the lasting memory of its goodness and for some people (like me) you’ll do things differently and try to get the experience over and over again in your life (Sonic happy hour is always a call to me if I’m near a Sonic). God will always be a constant and will always be around us but the next time you’re having your favorite beverage think of God’s
As a minister I have the honor of performing rites and ceremonies for people at a variety of stages of life: baptisms, blessings, marriages, funerals, etc. I usually enjoy planning and leading these events. But lately I've had a rash of folks shocked that as a minister, I would have a fee to do some of these services. So lets talk about why I have fees. To start with, if you are a member of my congregation you do get my services as a part of my contract with the congregation as long as they are spelled out in the contract. Generally if you're a member of the congregation I serve, it is expected that I will preform baptisms, blessings, funerals, weddings, etc for you because I want to remind you of God's continuous blessing in your life and especially at important moments in your life. However some folks are shocked that there would be an honorarium suggested for the minister. The reality is that these blessings, weddings, funerals, etc. are extra work in our wee...
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