the    sides

We had our staff Christmas Party tonight. I think you could feed a small country with the amount of food that was there.

On the way, we picked up some summer sausage and cheese and crackers. Tell me, is there anything better than those three? That’s a meal right there. I love summer sausage. Brings back memories of my grandfather for some reason and Christmas.

Why is it summer sausage only comes out around Christmas? That’s a food that should be good all year round…unlike fruitcake which shouldn’t even be classified as food.

The only bad thing about summer sausage is that normally everyone likes it which means no leftovers. And there wasn’t any tonight either.

Marjie - the senior pastor’s wife - wanted to go caroling. I felt bad for her but not bad enough to go actually go. It’s not that I don’t like caroling. I just don’t like walking around in the cold singing to perfect strangers in the dark. It’s like the opening scene of a bad horror flick or something.

We laughed pretty hard during the night as some pretty funny stories were swapped. Of course none of those stories will be told here to protect the guilty.

But a good night. Ray said that if he had to put the past year into one word that described Pinecrest right now - it would be “peace.”

I started thinking about that (while he was still talking…hope he didn’t notice) and it made me realize what a wonderful word that word is. And then I started thinking about how some churches in our city don’t have that right now…whether it be because of their pastor’s failings or a church divided.

Then I started thinking about families whose sons and daughters are in a desert thousands of miles away, and families whose sons and daughters who might as well be thousands of miles away because of hurt or bitterness, and friends who are in the middle of the crisis of their life.

Peace.

What a wonderful word. I’m thankful for it but I wish more of it was around. Just like bickering and backstabbing and gossip can infect a team, I think peace can too. I think it’s harder and it’s more work, but I gotta believe it’s possible.

Here’s hoping that this staff infection spreads.