This Ole’ Church

I cannot help but to love the Bayou Rouge Baptist Church family. I am serving them for the third time in my 45+ years of pastoral ministry. They tolerated me in the latter 1960’s, accepted me in the mid 1980’s and they are sort of stuck with me in the current 2009 and 2010 years. I have the privilege of serving some who are grandchildren of the congregation of 1967 when I first lived among them. The congregation has diminished over the years as many small rural churches have when many of the youth mature and must move away to engage in their life’s pursuits. However, though church has a history going back to its establishment in 1841 and worships in the same building erected in 1859, I find the mindset of our regular attenders very open and respectful to other religious points of view.

We are of the Baptist persuasion in doctrine, but one does not find our beliefs and views imposed on anyone. Our Bible discussion classes resonate with spirited opinion sharing as we learn from each other and teach each other in a spirit of love. Sadly, you do not find that spirit prevailing in religious discussions. Often instead of discussing it comes close to cussing! Not so in our church family. One reason I usually boycott message boards that abound on the Internet is the mean-spirited flaming that often rages. The same temperament is often observed at political message board postings. Life is just too short for me to waste time and effort to change minds. The lack of civility marking many religious and political exchanges reinforce my steering clear. (Ha! I don’t think my wife knows how I vote! I believe so firmly in “pulling the curtain that our system of secret ballot gives us.)  Truthfully, when I watch the demagogues firing away on the media, I don’t think I ever saw an opinion changed. The zealots in the religious world give me a similar exhibition of closed mindedness. It is no wonder many non-Christians reject our perspective.

My ministry is one that just depends on the Spirit of God to bring about changes in thinking. I know I have been so influenced by the Spirit of God to change much of my thinking as I discovered new truths I never knew before. I never met a human being I could not learn something from. May not agree 100 %, but I can learn from and respect others.

I am fully aware that there are many who disagree with this “openness” I write of above, but that is OK. They have the perfect right to believe mistaken ideas!   PAX be upon you.   ~~ bro_david