Well it is superbowl sunday again. I always wonder how many people will give just a little of their time to Jesus today. I firmly believe that if people had tailgate parties on sunday for Our Lord like they used to, less people would be lost to this world and certainly less people would be going through life asking the age old question” WHY ME LORD”.

In what we now affectionately call the olden times, going to church was akin to superbowl sunday celebrations now. In the movies we see people of those olden times going to church regularly but this was not the norm, most people lived quite a ways from each other and life required seven days a week working to simply survive. They studied our Bible at home as a family unit.

News of a circuit riding preacher coming to town was normally cause for folks to travel, sometimes many miles, and sometimes for days each way, and gather for church. these times were planned far in advance and it always was cause for celebration. Many people only saw each other on these occasions. Great fellowship, great eats, great music and especially great Preaching!

I have some great memories from my childhood when my grandmother took me to an old Baptist Church out in the woods of East Texas. Sadly, it has been so long ago that I don’t remember where it was. However I do still have my memories. There was no air conditioner, so we had all the windows open and the ladies had little a hand fan trying to cool themselves as much as possible. It was an old fashioned Hell,Fire and Brimstone Preacher. We had a Baptizing in the creek, and Dinner on the Grounds.

You met all sorts of your kin, Got right with God, Got Baptized if you hadn’t already,and for that one time a year, you could eat as much as you wanted to!  And lets not forget the music! It wasn’t a well rehearsed musical group like churches have today. It was people from all over, who might be a great musician or might only know one or two chords on their instrument. Whatever the case was, they were playing for Our Lord. I still can sit somewhere quiet and close my eyes and hear that great Gospel Music. It came from the heart. I listen to a lot of Gospel Music today but nothing compares to those old Gospel Meetings!

You could just feel the Presence of Our Lord everywhere! Everyone was here for the same thing, Worshiping God and fellowship. You took those memories home with you and they kept you going until the next time. I could walk around the courthouse square in our little town and the old men sitting there would be talking about the recent church meetings for months.

I guess what really stands out was the fact that no matter which denomination you claimed for your own, you all came together in peace and fellowship at these meetings. You see, There could be several preachers there at once, from different denominations and never once did you hear anything about those different denominations. It was simply about saving souls and living for Jesus.

Did I mention that it would rival any superbowl sunday football celebration?  And it was all for Jesus Christ!!!!!