"All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth." Colossians 1:6 NIV
I grew up in Madisonville. Most of my relatives, however, have lived in the South – south Hopkins County, that is. In fact, both sets of grandparents, two aunts and uncles, and two cousins all live or lived in greater Mortons Gap. In the 50’s and 60’s, my grandmother Lottie and her sister Mary owned and operated the City Café in downtown Mortons Gap. Their chef was a lady named Florence who could cook anything as long as it could be fried in lard. Of course this was before the age of cholesterol enlightenment. I always liked to go to the City Café. From the hamburgers and fries to the chocolate and coconut cream pies with mile-high meringue (that sat in a three-level glass display case on the counter), it was my favorite place to eat.
When I was younger, we would go to the City Café on Friday nights after visiting Claude’s Barbershop for my bi-weekly flat top. If there weren’t too many patrons in the café, I would put ashtrays (once again, before enlightenment) under the back legs of one of the pinball machines. By flattening out the surface, I could play all night for a nickel. Tommy, the pinball wizard, really didn’t have much on me.
As I grew up, I found that the City Café was a great place to learn what was going on. At lunch, L&N train crews, local business people, miners from White City Mine, and many town folk would gather for one of Florence’s famous hot plate lunches. You could always find out who had been sick, whose kids were going where to college, which families were planning weddings, who had joined which church, and who might need a little help. There was the essence of a caring community right there in the City Café at noon.
Sadly, the City Café is a thing of the past. A lot of community building, beyond that occurring in church worship services and social events, now often comes from electronic communication such as e-mail and social networking websites. Recent studies have shown that both Facebook and Twitter are fairly popular with adults, while MySpace is more popular with kids. Most churches now have websites, blog sites, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and YouTube accounts. Even Pope Benedict XVI is encouraging Roman Catholic priests to use the “rich menu of options” of the internet to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now, don’t get me wrong. My training is in engineering and I still have some slide rules around. I could probably even find an old pocket protector if I look in the desk drawers. I’m really a geek at heart, but I still miss the smiles, handshakes, and face-to-face communication of the City Café. I also miss the warm chocolate pie with a slice of butter on top and a glass of cold milk.
I can't imagine that it's too important to God "how" we spread the Gospel of Jesus and "how" we care for one another, as long as we "just do it." After all, He posted the first blog over 3400 years ago on a couple of tablets (not iPads) held by Moses. That blog is still the best guide for our lives today. By the way, you can follow FPC on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Blogger.
See ya in church and catch ya in cyberspace.
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