PEWS

BY GARY TOOLE

The reason some elder folks sit on the front pew is because they can’t see or hear as good as young people. See, the older we get most people sit closer to the front. Now, when I was just a youngin a few days ago I sat on the second pew from the back so I could pass notes back and forth. At one church my father pastored back in the early 60’s, now that’s the 1960’s not the 1860’s they had home made pews with 2” slats that had a 1” crack between them to make the slats go further. So, with those cracks and my wool britches I really wanted to sing, “When we all get to Heaven,” because I knew the Lord wasn’t going to allow wool britches in Heaven no way. Now that I’m a few years older I’m sitting three pews from the front. By the time I’m 90 I’ll be up there with the preacher saying, “That’s right brother! Tell them like it is! If they had been here you sure would have told them what they neededtohear!” Andhaveyou noticed how we lay claim to everything. My parking space, my songandmypew. Likethe preacher gave a pew grant and this one is mine. I could say, “Honey, let’s take my pew home with us, because someone sat in my pew. We’llbringitbacktonight.” Silly! But we do lay claim to things that really are not ours. Everything in the church is for everyone and it all belongs to God. Amen! Speaking of claiming everything. This one fellow was bad about claiming all that he and his wife owned. He would say, “My house, my car, my this and my that!” She got fed up with it and one night she hit him over the head with a 12” cast iron skillet and knocked a knot on his head so big that the doctor couldn’t cure it for laughing at it. The next morning he got up and rubbed his sore head and said, “Honey, where’s our britches?” Anyway, back to the pews. No matter where you sit, I hope you are comfortable at church. I hope you can hear good and see good, but most importantly I trust and pray that you are blessed. How sweet it is! Can you say amen?

PD. ADV.