Latest / Travel With A Purpose / Earl and Pearl at the Catfish County Church of Christ

Transcript

Earl and Pearl at the Catfish County Church of Christ · Travel With A Purpose

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, fellow sowjourners.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Dave Light, and welcome to Travel with a Purple, a podcast designed to keep sojourners and friends informed, entertained, and inspired.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: In today's episode, we're going to peek in on Earl and Pearl Traveler's second sojourn.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Earl and Pearl were fresh off their first sojourn at the Friendly Church of Christ where they helped with vacation Bible school, and Earl made a friend for life.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now they were ready for sojourn number two.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: It promised to be a grand adventure at a small country congregation called the Catfish County Church of Christ.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Earl was already hooked, if you'll pardon the pun.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: To Earl, anything that involved catfish was sure to be a winner.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Bob and Deanny Dissaker, along with David and Sheila Little, made up the rest of the team.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Bob was team leader and Earl was official co leader.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: David?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, he just came along for manual labor assistance.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Now just a bit about Bob.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: He's a retired Marine who still shows the grit and determination that were part of his successful career.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: What most people don't know until they meet him is that Bob is a gentle giant, and his wife Deannie is best described as a cheerleader.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: She brings song, laughter, and joy wherever she goes.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: And you know about David and Sheila, hard workers, faithful Christians, and ever ready to lift someone's load.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: And Sheila, well, she's always ready to provide an interesting insight into any predicament.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Earl Traveler expected a peaceful sojourn at the little Catfish County Church of Christ.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: After all, the congregation only had about fifteen members, half of whom introduced themselves by saying things like I remember when this church had indoor plumbing installed, or that contrary out back was where old Brother Wilson used to tie up his mule.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: The church sat just off a gravel road surrounded by catfish ponds, tall grass, and enough mosquitoes to qualify as a small air force.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: The faded sign out front leaned slightly to the left.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: It gave visitors the impression that the building itself might be tired.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Still, that Saturday afternoon when the sojourners rolled in, the congregation was excited and waiting and treated them like arriving royalty.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Well, one elderly sister whispered while watching the RV caravan pull in, looks like the cavalry arrive.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Bob stepped out of his truck wearing sunglasses, work gloves, and the expression of a man prepared to rebuild the Pentagon if necessary.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Earl leaned over to Pearl and whispered, I feel like a recruit on the first day of basic training.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Bob strolled over to where Earl and Pearl and David and Sheila waited.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Well, team, he started in his Texas draw, let's get parked and organized.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: To everyone that sounded like a true leader.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: They snapped two and started off to their rigs.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: Earl, under the direction of David Little, even parked the RV with only a minor close call with the church sign.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Sheila said, It's a good thing that sign is crooked.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: It gave you just enough room to miss it.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Then Bob called everyone into the church building to discuss the upcoming activities.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Several of the congregation's members also attended.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: The sweet tea and peach cobbler was an added benefit.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Earl asked Danny if that was why Bob decided to go ahead with the planning meeting.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Danny just smiled and said, probably knowing Bob.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: As they got started, Bob reminded Earl that since he was the co-leader, he would be in charge of devotionals every morning.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: This made Earl sit up just a little taller.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: His mind began to plan rousing messages.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Then Bob began to list projects they would be working on.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Work seemed simple enough.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Repair a few loose steps, paint classrooms, fix a leaky baptistry faucet, replace old lights, clean out a storage shed nobody had entered since approximately the Eisenhower administration, and fix that crooked sign.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: The next morning during Sunday worship, Bob noticed the singing was not very uplifting.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: He also thought that the sermon was just a bit tired.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: The next Monday, everyone met to begin the day.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: David Little led singing as usual.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Bob led a prayer and had one of the members who showed up to help lead the closing prayer.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: And Earl launched into a lesson on the history of the restoration movement.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: He thought that would be a good topic to cover during devotions over the next two weeks.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Afterwards, everyone got busy.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Earl quickly discovered every small country church project came with surprises.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: The first surprise happened in the storage shed.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Bob opened the door carefully and shined a flashlight inside.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Looks clear, he announced.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: That was the exact moment three raccoons exploded from the darkness like furry cannonballs.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Earl screamed.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Earl screamed.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: David Little screamed.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: One raccoon climbed onto Earl's shoulder briefly before launching itself into a bush.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Bob never moved.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: The retired Marine simply folded his arms and calmly said Recon team.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Later that afternoon, Earl attempted to repair the church sign.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: What's your plan?
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: David asked.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Earl adjusted his tool belt importantly.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Precision leveling.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Five minutes later the sign leaned farther than before.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: Another ten minutes later it leaned in the opposite direction.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Finally, Sister Martha stepped outside carrying sweet tea and quietly observed the situation.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, she said kindly, at least folks can now read it from both directions.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: By the second day, however, Earl noticed that something began to change.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: The church members lingered around the workers.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: They brought pie, homemade biscuits, catfish, and enough banana pudding to create spiritual weakness in even the strongest believer.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: But more than food, they brought stories.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: One older gentleman named Brother Lewis sat beside Earl during lunch and said softly, We used to have over a hundred folks here years ago.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Earl nodded quietly.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: Brother Lewis smiled faintly.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we wonder if people forgot about little churches like ours.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: That statement stayed with Earl all afternoon.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well that evening, while the others cleaned brushes and packed tools away, Earl sat alone inside the little auditorium looking at the worn pews.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: The carpet had faded, the songbooks were old, the attendance board still used plastic numbers.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: But every seat represented faithfulness.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: These people kept serving, they kept gathering and kept praying, they kept singing, even when nobody noticed.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: The next morning, Earl announced something unusual before the devotional began.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: After a couple of songs and the opening prayer, Earl stood at the front holding his Bible with the seriousness of a man preparing to address Congress.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: He cleared his throat dramatically.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Well, friends, Earl began.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: I came here thinking we were fixing a church building.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: Turns out this church has been fixing us.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Earl looked around at the sojourners and the congregation members there to help.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: You folks keep showing up.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: You keep encouraging others, you keep loving people, and honestly, that's bigger than paint or light bulbs.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Sister Martha dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Brother Lewis smiled.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Even Bob looked suspiciously emotional, though he blamed it on sawdust irritation.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: From that point forward, Earl shared hopeful thoughts about faithfulness, endurance, and encouragement.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: One devotional especially touched everyone.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: Earl said, Sometimes we measure churches by size, but God measures hearts.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: And from what I've seen this week, Catfish County Church of Christ has a mighty big heart.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: By the end of the first week, the entire congregation began staying after devotionals just to visit and laugh together.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Benny leaned over to Pearl and said, Have you noticed something?
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: The older members are standing a little taller.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: They seem to smile more and laugh louder.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Pearl replied, Yes, the work matters, but the con the encouragement does too.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: On the final evening the congregation gathered outside under strings of lights for a farewell meal.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Fried catfish covered the tables alongside hush puppies, slaw pies, and sweet tea strong enough to remove rust.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Brother Lewis stood slowly and addressed the group.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: We asked God to send workers, he said.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: What he sent was family.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody spoke for a moment.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Then Earl whispered to Pearl.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think somebody's cutting onions.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Even Bob chuckled at that.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: As the sojourners prepared to leave the next morning, Sister Martha handed Bob a small wooden plaque.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: It read Catfish County Church of Christ, where encouragement lives.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: Later that evening as they sat in Bob and Deanny's RV for one more round of hand and foot, Bob asked, Well, Earl, what do you think of this week?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: You know, he said, This may be the only church where I got chased by raccoons, nearly flattened a sign, and still left spiritually refreshed.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Bob grinned.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's because you finally figured out the mission.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: Earl nodded thoughtfully.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: You mean travel with a purpose?
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: And for once, everybody agreed Earl had said exactly the right thing.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: Well, friends, sometimes the greatest work on a sojourn has very little to do with paint, tools or repairs.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: A kind word, a shared laugh, a listening ear, or a hopeful devotion can strengthen hearts in ways that last far longer than fresh lumber or new light fixtures.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: Bob and his team discovered that encouragement itself is a ministry.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: Small churches may seem quiet and overlooked to the world, yet faithful people gathered in simple places continue to shine brightly for the Lord.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: Every congregation, no matter its size, matters deeply because every soul matters deeply.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: As Paul reminds believers in first Thessalonians chapter five verse eleven, therefore encourage one another and build one another up.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: The Catfish County Church of Christ reminded the sojourners that sometimes the most important thing we build is one another.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thanks for listening to this podcast.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: I invite you to subscribe and share it with others.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Dave Leighton, and remember we glorify God as together we travel with a purpose.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: Happy sojourning!