I just got me the music for my upcoming church service.

I had a kindred spirit make me a CD of some pretty good Gospel music, most of which actually comes from the black community. It's pretty lively and ought to serve for giving me a background for a pretty good tent revival type service.

What this is about is that there is a shoot of sorts I sometimes attend. The nearest neighbor is constantly calling the local law enforcement people to shut us down. They have been there any number of times and have had only good things to say about the way things are run.

The neighbor objects to the noise, apparently. Truth is he brought it on himself when the landowner bought the land. He came over and gave the new owner a hard time rather than simply trying to be civil. The issue has been in and out of court a couple of times and the neighbor has lost. The neighbor has also apparently perjured himself in his effort to get things shut down. 

I suppose these things happen but what irked me at my most recent attendance were the signs the neighbor put up that I read on the way in and out. They said that we should go back the hell which is where we came from among other things. There were also references to Sunday being the Lord's day.

Apparently the neighbor fails to realize that almost all of us are basically good Judeo-Christian men even though we may not look a whole lot like it.

Incidentally, there is a church in the distance and they are inside of hearing range during the winter and fall so we secure range operations Sunday mornings until they let out.

I was offered the job of putting together a service when someone noticed the sticker on my pickup that says I am a minister. I was instantly appointed chaplain and asked to put together a service.

I agreed but made it clear that it will be a bona fide service, open to all religions and with a Judeo-Christian bent to it.

It ought to be pretty good because I plan it to be a lively service with music and an ad-lib sermon celebrating the day the Lord has given us, rain or shine.

It should serve as a reminder to the neighbor that he has no business posting those offensive signs calling us devil worshipers.

Quite frankly, I think he's going to call the police on us yet again over this but I really don't care. The right  to conduct divine services is protected by the First Amendment.

To tell you the truth, I hope the police ARE called. They are getting tired of this guy and his antics and will likely take satisfaction telling him that divine services are protected by the First Amendment and to simply stop whining.

I just thought of something as I end this epistle. 

I'm now a officially an appointed Sky Pilot. 

Cool!

For those that are not familiar with the term, a sky pilot is a chaplain. The term comes from the Royal Navy. There were and still are people with local knowledge of certain waters that are hired to pilot ships through them. They are called ship's pilots. 

Royal Navy sailors started calling chaplains sky pilots because they figured they knew the way to heaven.

It's a charming term when used in the proper context that is seldom heard anymore. It's too bad in a way.

Back when I was in the service I referred to the DivArty chaplain (a tough Jesuit, no less) as a sky pilot and he grinned. He was a tough old bird.

Also after I got out I met a retired Navy chaplain that once referred to himself as being a 25-year Navy Sky Pilot. He was pretty funny when he confessed he liked being assigned to the Marines. 

"Up front, good old fashioned sinners," he grinned.

Anyway I'll keep you posted when I get around to holding my service. 












To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY