The Parable of the Jesus Creeders

Nice job Peggy! Now I have to start visitin' your "saloon" ... or is it "salon?"

Very clever--nice!

Hey Miss Peggy, thanks a bunch!

That is really cool. Reading that made my day. Thanks for posting that. By the by, I don't play poker.

Shameless plug time!! Reading this post reminded me of the opera that we're working on here at North Park, Carlisle Floyd's "Susannah." (The dialect, not the content!) If you're not familiar with the opera, it's set in a small town in Tennessee in the 1950's. It should spark very interesting conversation if anyone is in the Chicagoland area this weekend (Friday@7:30 and Sunday@3:00).

Here's the website: http://www.northpark.edu/home/index.cfm?northpark=RNews.RNews_Story&ID=2679

All of that business aside, this was a very enjoyable read, and I think Peggy's story represents beautifully the community at Jesus Creed. Well done!

Hey, anybody know how to ride a horse :)?

Good stuff Peggy, my hat's off to you.

Great story Peggy! I too enjoy moseying up to the Saloon and listening in on the conversations, not always commenting. What I love about this "place" is that the rules are fair and the people really try to live the Creed. It's a regular part of my day.

Peggy, great job! It reminded me a little of Garrison Keillor's "The Lives of the Cowboys" and also, inexplicably, an old song called "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?" :)

Are we to assume that you and John are One-T's deputies all the time or just while he is over there in Africa for a couple of weeks? Because I'm very particular about who I submit to. :) :)

Shucks, folks... 8) It was fun to do and I'm pleased as punch to have rustled up so many simley faces. :)

Mike #1, would you believe I've never been into a Cracker Barrel? I have, however, spent my fair share of time in the South and with Southern folk.

The first voice running through my head while I was writing was Wilford Brimley -- in so many of the Louis L'Amor movies that my husband and I love and especially as the narrator in "Last of the Dogmen."

The other was Pat Buttram from "Green Acres" -- but especially as the Sheriff of Nottingham from Disney's "Robin Hood" ... that's where I learned "criminetly" so many years ago.

...and this was about the most "intentionally" dense thing I've written in quite a while.

Diane #2, Hehehe...The Abbey has a bit of a different atmosphere -- and accent! ;)

John #7 -- 8) Boy howdy, indeed!

Allie #8, There's usually a good game of "Go Fish" or "Crazy Eights" or, one of my favorites, "Dominoes" ... you do have to watch out for those as like to bump the table, though.... ;)

Bob #17, Ole "One T" may own the saloon, but he ain't the Sheriff, if you catch my drift. No, John and I aren't the only ones -- just the ones with the itchiest fingers, I reckon. I've seen Deputy badges show up out of lots of different pockets. We Jesus Creeders all submit to each other out of respect for the Sheriff...so you might just want to ponder that a spell and see if that makes it go down a bit smoother.

Deputy Peggy (#18),
The characters I "hear" are Robert Duvall and Kevin Coster in *Open Range.* Well, I guess I'll go "rustle up some grub." :)

Yeah. So true and well said, Peggy. I need to get back here more often. I can just smell the coffee now.

Peggy,

I love it. If people were to tell their story or verbally draw their picture of this community, we would all benefit. From each person we would learn a different perspective, as well as learn about the author/artist him/herself. Each view is an interpretation affected by experience. It would be fascinating to see a collection of such interpretations.

Great post, Peggy! But when do you suppose the salon keeper is going to wise up and start serving Calvinus Beer? :)

I was kind of thinking about how Marty McFly in Back to the Future III...

Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen: What's your name, dude?
Marty McFly: Uh, Mar-, uh... Eastwood. Clint Eastwood.
Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen: What kind of stupid name is that?

or

Marty McFly: Listen, you got a back door to this place?
Bartender: Yeah, it's in the back.

Michael #26,

I just run the Boarding House ... you'll have to find the bartender to get that question answered?

Is the bartender out there somewhere? 8)

Jonas #27,

An old pot? That's only for wagon train "camping" -- I bet McK will spring for a honest-to-goodness bell for you to ring out on the One T's porch! :D

Mike #29,

Sorry about your Paw ... is there a veternarian in town?

....about 30 years ago, just before I left for the mission field, my sister and I went to one of those old time photographers out in Rockford, MI ... and I dressed up as a saloon girl with the feather boa and all ... everyone calling me "Miss Peggy" here is making me think of that "Miss Kitty" picture and wishing I still had it. LOL!

Mike,

I've been to Gurnee, IL! Small world...but I'm out in the rugged Pacific Northwest ... and I might just have to get me one of them old western family pictures of the whole Brown Clan ... hmmm....

Mike,

What Rockford, MI website with a photography link are you talking about?

Is this someone you know? Lovely site.

Miss Peggy (too much like saying Miss Piggy for my taste), re your #18 post, in which you say "Ole One-T may own the saloon but he ain't the Sheriff, if you get my drift":

Jesus as Sheriff and all of us as His Deputies is an image that just doesn't resonate with me. Sorry. Too much law and not enough grace. But this thread is loads of fun nonetheless.

scot - you got me blocked or something? i've been tryin' ta slap up somethin' i was thinkin' but it keeps disappearin'...

this thing takes html b's and i's, don't it?

Criminetley, Mike ... when you remember what you was gonna say, come on back! Sometimes extra long posts get stuck in Scot's spam filter ... so there's still hope he'll find it.

Bob,

You can always call me Ma Brown ;) ... I've had way too much "Miss Piggy" in my lifetime, I can assure you. 8)

And I was actually suggesting that the Holy Spirit is the Sherrif, not Jesus (don't want to split Trinitarian hairs too close, now) -- because it is the Holy Spirit who confronts and convicts us of sin in our hearts. Hope that makes better sense.

Come to think of it, I don't even think that Scotsville has a jail....

That saloon sounds, well, pretty heavenly. Wish it were physical as well as virtual...I'd enjoy playing (sorry, playin') some cards with you folks and letting (lettin', that's hard!) y'all teach me about brews. :)

Bob ... careful now with the name calling ... 8)

I'll meet you for that Dominoes game ... just as long as you can play at a decent clip. My sister used to take so long to decide what to lay down we'd forget whose turn it was ....

Christopher ... hehehe ... we all have to find ways to bring the virtual to life in our circumstances, don't we?

I forgive you. I forgive you. Dang!

Sittin' over thar in that dark corner of the One T with his cowboy hat down over his eyes is Judd Frye (before he died in the musical "Oklahoma"). He might seem like he's asleepin', sittin' thar all peaceful and unconcerned like, but don't let'm fool ya. He's got a sharp eye on the place and a itchy finger on the trigger of his squirt gun. You get too big for yore britches and hot under the collar at the old One T and old Judd'll cool you down right quick like with a few pulls on the trigger. (music from "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly fades as comment ends). :)

Dianne P ... oh, stop ... I'm blushing and your shoulder needs a rest! 8)

...and, John, I'll be sure to steer clear of "Judd" and his water pistol!