Preaching & Sweet Tea

It's been a rough couple of weeks. The 1st week of June was real busy for some reason & all last week I was sick w/ a miserable respiratory infection. I'm still not well, but it's more under control today. I'm back in the office after being out all last week w/ this crud.

Yesterday was a great service honoring our Father's. I coughed all morning long & people all over the church could hear me. I asked people to pray God would take it away for church & God provided in a great way as He always does. When church started I was still coughing but a few minutes into the service I felt great & amazingly enough I didn't even have to clear my throat or cough even once until after the invitation was over! I was preaching on Abraham's great faith in obeying God w/ the sacrfice of Isaac & at the end we discussed how Abraham worshiped God & named the mountain "The Lord Will Provide." I was a living illustration of that in the service yesterday.

The funny part about the whole thing is I didn't want a mint in my mouth when preaching & had discovered sweet tea seemed to coat my throat & ease the coughing. So what did I do? I took a bottle w/ sweet tea in it w/ me to the pulpit. (Yes, I am officially an Arkansas Redneck Preacher for drinking sweet tea while preaching) The best part is I didn't need it until the end of the service, though I drank it while everyone sang at the beginning. I had to clarify to the people what it was b/c it was in a clear bottle & some joked it was the other home remedy for curing a cough (whiskey). We laughed about it & when I joked w/ a couple from the choir before the service about what it was several of them started coughing hoping I would give them some!

God is great & gives us great blessings & provides when we are faithful to Him!