August 18, 2015

IT IS FAIR TIME and opportunity for a great community gathering to revel in the accomplishments of the farm economy. There for all to see are horses and pigs, cattle and sheep, rabbits and chickens, and a bunch of other critters carefully raised, groomed and shown by men and woman, boys and girls with pride and anticipation of a prize. Huge tractors and implements right down to lawn tractors are displayed for the farmer in all of us. Prize flowers and veggies, jams and jellies, pies and cakes, foods of all shapes and colors are in place to be judged and sorted with a rainbow of colored ribbons given to folks who have invested heart and soul into their horticultural and culinary aspirations.

 Oh, and the food: pork chops on a stick, fried ice cream, cotton candy, and a host of delicacies to take the palate with a storm of flavor. This is all for a price of course, and such prices as to turn food stand operators into bandits, and those who purchase their treats as sheep willingly fleeced because; “Oh well, it’s the fair and it only happens once a year.”

 Then, vanity of vanity, there is the midway, where children purge their parent’s pockets for two minutes of adrenalin rush in contraptions designed to inflict all kinds of torture upon the human body all in the name of fun. Let us not forget the games where one can test his skill against operators rigged to be nigh impossible to win, but the huge Teddy is winking with the possibility of coming home with you, and somehow, its glass eye has magical power to overcome common sense.

 You can come to Tinkers’ Alley beneath the roofs of large open buildings where an army of folks display their wares and services to the public. You need your basement fixed, financial advice, a house built, rain gutters, a septic tank, jewelry, magical soaps, and salves, and supplements which promise the fountain of youth? Then come and gaze upon booth after booth of human invention.

 Last, but hopefully not least, there within the maze of Tinkers’ Alley is one booth designed to introduce people to something which is totally priceless, which no fairgoers can afford, and yet all may freely access if they will see their need of it. Please pray for Calvary Baptist’s church booth as we seek to introduce people to JESUS CHRIST. Pray for the tracts and the witness shared to continue long after the fair has come and gone, to continue as vital seed planted within human hearts to later sprout into victories for God and the eternal salvation of the souls of men and women and children.

 Only Because Others Shared Christ to Me,

 Pastor John Schofield