PREACH IT AND LEECH IT

While I might be inclined to digress on the relevance of preaching and giving, I’m going to avoid it in this case. Not because I don’t think it would be a good posting, but because I have a different agenda in mind.

Preaching to me is a form of public speaking where you are trying to express a given point of view. That isn’t a monopoly type of speaking that is solely the domain of bible thumpers.

The reality is that a whole lot of preaching takes place on the part of a great many people. Politicians do their share. I know because I do it myself lots of times.

My main point with the issue of preaching is as a rule it will sooner or later be related to money. And in this case, I will have to admit that the bible thumping speakers have got this part down pat and rightly so. They don’t have to lie about preaching to leech it. Heck it is incorporated into the rituals and people who listen expect them to leech it.

So call me envious a little. I can get up and preach my stuff and then take up and offering. I have to get up a preach it and then explain why it relates to taxes.

I have to confess that in that regard I sure would wish I could take up an offering. Then I wouldn’t have to raise taxes.

Alas it just isn’t the same when I talk about saving the city as compared to saving a person’s soul. That just isn’t fair from my point of view. I simply can’t compete with that kind of option.

So I do the best I can to try to accept my preaching will never quite leech it as I would like. Plus it helps me to appreciate why their has to be a separation of church and state. Heck if there wasn’t, those darn bible thumper pros would put the politicians out of business!

People can think what they want about the founding fathers, but as far as I’m concerned the whole separation of church and state was intended to be sure the reverends didn’t take over. Hey, they were smart. After all they were rich and sure didn’t get that way by sharing the power with others. I figured that much out.

Still, I guess nothing is going to change any time soon. So when nobody is watching I do turn on to watch the bible thumpers on television and hope to get a few pointers for my own preaching and leeching. I haven’t quite figured out a way to come up with an altar call yet. I’ll have to work on that some.

In the meantime, I have got a few of my help to get used to being called “ushers.” I’m not sure if they are quite willing to practice passing the plate though. I’m going to work on that part. Perhaps if I start by putting some food on the plate they might cooperate more. Maybe some nice angel food cake would inspire. No, on second thought I guess I better try devil’s food cake considering my approach.