Good Night John Boy!
February 24th, 2010

“Good Night, John Boy!” Staff meetings at Ridgedale are every pastor’s dream (or nightmare!). It’s a time when all the ministers get together, have lunch, have a devotional, pray together, coordinate our ministries, and share a lot of opinions! The event takes place every week and usually takes half a day. It’s the only time that we all get together in a typical week and sounds much like the Walton’s “Good Night” routine.

Even though there are no rules for our meetings, there’s a general expectation of what our purpose and personal involvement are. Each week, a different minister leads the weekly devotion. The assigned minister also gets to choose where we eat. We go to some interesting places!

Recently, it was Judi’s week. I pulled rank on Judi and chose Genghis Grill (downtown on Market). Great place to eat. You choose your own meat, vegetables, sauces, etc and they cook it for you. I give it 4 stars!

Afterwards, back in the staff meeting, Judi talked to us about the earthquake in Haiti. That was a bummer. Like an attacking war general, she saw the opportunity to drop a bomb. She asked us if we believed that Jesus was the only way to Heaven. Then, she asked if we believed that non-believers would go to a literal Hell. One by one, she asked us to name a non-Christian in our lives. As I listened to the names being given and listened to Judi’s prayer for those individuals, my chest tightened. It wasn’t a bad feeling; it was more like God wrapping His arms around me and giving me a big hug! It was if God said, “If you don’t want this person to go to Hell, shouldn’t you do more than pray?” God’s always right, you know: we all need to do more than pray. Hope God hugs you today!

Posted by Bill Owens

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