Bro Gary Hawkins 24: Smoking Meat

[Ozlsn]

16 hours ago, thoughtful said:

Oh, joy - Gary got some positive feedback for wearing his opinions on his head.

Gary, he may be your President but he's not President of the USA. If you want to follow the Golden Calf, well there is Biblical precedent I guess, but you might want to double check God's instructions on that.

4 hours ago, thoughtful said:

We are to be adorned as a bride.

Oh now Baker's fine with drag.

Edited April 21 by Ozlsn

[thoughtful]

A comment under Gary's announcement that he is preaching this morning:

Terry, three things:

1. It's OK to say or type hell - after all, you get preached at about it for hours per week.

2. Gary does not need any encouragement to give people hell.

3. Hades - no i needed. I know it rhymes with ladies, and I bet you make jokes about that, but it's not spelled the same.

[AmazonGrace]

So if Jesus can have all these godly men as his bride (oh boy he is going to be busy or what) , what on earth is their problem with gay marriage.

[Xan]

Oddly, this came to me while pondering over Baker's sermon.  They have to have marriage be between a man and a woman because they can't have one man over another man.  The subservient person in this relationship always has to be female.  This entire "the church is Jesus' bride" suffers if they accept gay marriage.  The metaphor breaks down.  Of course, it's a faulty metaphor anyway and dependent upon the societal norms and translations of the various times.  (Not that that stops the idiot legalists like Baker.)

 

[thoughtful]

O boy! I get to recap a Gary sermon - a rare event these days.

And it's not even my birthday!

After the piano pounds out There is Power in the Blood (and my mind changes it to The Corner Grocery Store, a song I taught my first grade classes for years), and some singing, the assistant pastor, Steve Wipf, prays. Then, more music, greeting (hidden from us, as is usual now), and announcements.

We find out that the reason Gary gets to preach is that the Bakers are on vacation. Todd Monaghan is coming back in May to do his "jail revival and annual MMA camp," and a Hyles-Anderson tour group is coming in May. 🤮 to both from me.

More singing, then Steve introduces Gary, saying  he's willing to help out in any way, and "I love the guy - he's got a great sense of humor, and . . . and . . . he knows howta preach too, so we're gonna use him."

Another prayer, another special, kids dismissed for Junior church, then up comes our boy, with his already-unwrapped bible and a water bottle. He perches, looking apprehensive, on a chair.

I noticed, during the Wednesday service in which Gary asked for prayers for his license test, that Baker wasn't looking over at the place where he and Becky had always sat, and today Gary pops up from the other side of the dais. I don't know whether sitting in a different spot was some sort of response to not wanting to be seen on camera (which he wouldn't have been anyway, in his old spot) or for some other reason.

He and Steve do nothing for a while, just staring - watching the kids leave, I guess. Then they exchange a look and Steve makes a funny:

Spoiler

Gary says "Amen, 's good t'be in church. Am ah on?"

He fusses with his sound stuff for a while.

"John chapter tin, John chapter tin. Ah've already been instructed bah the Sundee school teacher an' mah wahf ah gotta be outta here in about 15 minutes, so. That's what ah figure." He laughs heartily at his own humor.

Ah, Gary, Gary, Gary.

To be continued.

[thoughtful]

Gary repeats "John chapter tin" a few more times, and tells them that he had two different messages on his heart, then, "someone said somethin' to me in the van. Ah was takin' 'em to their place of - of where we was takin' 'em to, and then she said somethin' an' the Lor' just confirmed that that was it, but John chapter tin, verse tin, the bahble says the thief cometh not, but for to steeyul, and to keeyull, and to destroy. Ah am come that they might have life, and that they may have life - have it - may have life more abundantly. Did ah read that - have - and that they may have it more abundantly."

Oh, Gary, I've missed your incredible mangling of the English language.

Here's what he was trying to read:

Quote

 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

After his usual pre-sermon prayer, he says that the thief is the devil and "we're no doubt in the last days, you read your bahble, and the devil's on a rampage. Mah wahf was textin' somebody last week, an' tellin' she was prayin' for her, an' that we really need it, the devil's fighting. The devil knows this book better 'n we know this book. An', uh - he knows he's got very little tahm left, an' so . . . ah jus' wanna let you know this mornin' the devil's after ya."

He rambles through some of his usual stuff about how the devil is after saved people, especially those who are doing things for God.

"Ah'm gonna give ya a few illustrations this mornin'. Turn over to Ginisis real quick-lahk."

Quote

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

He says the devil "will getya t'doubtin' God."

He says that can happen when you pray for something and your prayer isn't answered. "Ah prayed for patience here 'bout what? 'Bout fahve - four fahve weeks ago, ah'manna tellya raht now ah think ah may-ah shoulda not asked for it. Amen? Ya say 'Wha?' Well, the devil knows how t'gitcha. He's real, amen? Ah mean a lotta people don't even know that th'devil existses because they're never botherin' him you know you think about Job, an' we'll say a little bit about him a little bit later."

Of course you will. He babbles on about Job and whether the devil has ever considered you. He won't consider someone who just holds down a pew.

The sound goes weird, so I can't understand some of the next part, but, at the end of it, he's saying "You think 'bout this, ah'm still tryin' t'get mah license ___ (?), the devil's real on that part."

We find out why he didn't want to go to school for the license upgrade - it costs $3500. "Ah ain't never had t'pay a day in goin' t'school amen? Ah go down t'the college every week an' just set there in the van - don't cost me a thing."

I think he says that God solved that problem - it sounds like he said God "overwrote" it. But the devil will keep trying. He does his bit about Eve being a perfect person, since she was made in the image of God, and, if the devil could fool her, he can fool you.

That was the second mention of a van. I wonder if Gary's current job is driving people around for pay.

Oh, and we're up to two "Am ah makin' sense" iterations, so far.

He reads from Genesis again, getting most of it right:

Quote

 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

The devil will get you to "desahre things you shouldn't be desahrin'."

"Now when ah traveled all over th'different places that ah traveled to, you'd see these bill - billetin - bullboards."

Becky, please sit Gary down, show him pictures of each, and have him practice alternately identifying them as "billboard" and "bulletin board," and then practice saying "billboard" when he preaches this part of his sermon.

He continues into his usual bit about skinny nekkid women in beer ads.

"Hey, ah've known some people, ah even had one daughter, she  never really pursued it or whatever, and she was a pretty good artist - she could draw some pretty good things. But ah'manna tellya the best artist there is is the devil."

The very nerve of one of these patriarchal shits commenting that his daughter "didn't pursue" her ability for art pisses me off no end - like he would have tolerated that.

He says Eve was tempted by the fruit because the devil made it look so good and so desirable. So much for biblical literacy - according to the bible, God made the fruit, and it was a snake that spoke to Eve. The ideas that the snake was Satan or that the devil made the fruit look good are not in there.

If you want to know how Gary knows the devil is deceiving people, here is his clear and concise answer. "Ah ah ah when ah was travelin', an' even somebody said somethin' to me the other day, ah dunno ah was talkin' or whatever, and uh, you know what, there's never - ah've never not seen many people come ah - there's a few - but ah see more Baptists leavin' th'Baptist than ah see people comin' to the Baptist. Zat make sense?"

No, Gary, it does not. Sure was a fun ride, though! I think he was saying that the fact that people are leaving the Baptist church is proof that the devil is deceiving people.

He tells his story about his sister in law (only now he says "Ah had an ex-sister in law one tahm") who worked with a person who said she used to be a Baptist until the Jehovah's Witnesses gave her the truth. Oddly, he first says the co-worker told his SIL she was an atheist. Getting your stories mixed up, Gary, or just the groups of people you hate?

He goes on about how wrong and bad JWs are for a while, and asks if he's making sense again.

"Look in Job chapter 3."

I'll meet you there. Maybe there will be something new and original and inspiring!

Spoiler

 

[postscript]

8 minutes ago, thoughtful said:

their place of - of where we was takin' 'em to,

 

9 minutes ago, thoughtful said:

God "overwrote" it

 

10 minutes ago, thoughtful said:

bullboards."

Oh, Gary. I, too, have missed your unique command of the English language. 

[thoughtful]

Gary fumbles with his bible for a while, then says "Look in verses 1." He reads.

KJV:

Quote

 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.

2 And Job spake, and said,

3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

4 Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

5 Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

BGV:

 "An' after this an' after this Job opened his mouth, and cursed his days.

And Job answered and said,

Let the days perish wherein I was born, and that the - and the night in which I was said - which was said, There was a child conceived.

Let - let that day be darkened; let - and let not God regard it from uh - above, neither let the light shine upon it.

Let darkness and shadows of death stain. It let the clouds dwell upon it; let the blackness of the city - let the blackness of the night terrify."

Giving that perfect scripture, never to be altered, the full Gary treatment, eh?

"Ah'll tellya somethin' else the devil'll do t'gitcha out, git a holt t'ya, is yer health. You wouldn't believe how many people ah've met in mah lafhtime that have committed suicide or whatever an' killed theirselves because of health issues."

He says he hates pain, that he has to watch his wife experience pain daily, and that, while he never heard her say it himself, his sister told him that their mother, with her health issues, sometimes said, "if this is all life is about, ah'd as soon just dah."

"You say, 'What is that?' Well, we been through that with the preacher whenever he done uh - done the depression for Sundee school. 'At's what that is. The devil whisperin' in yer ear 'It ain't worth it.' You really ain't worth anything.' Well ah kin tellya this much, ah knew of a preacher's wahf  in Noth Ca'olahna, she had a lotta health issues she was in the hospital more than she was at home. An' she won more souls bein' in the hospital than she woulda been if she'd been at home. Amen."

Later: "Ah even ah even we even take some girl to a place an' she ___(? sounds like "icks") ah dunno wha they would even allow that t'happen, ah hope it never happens t'me again, but she done wonna her sessions with wonna her case workers last Frahdee goin' up a road or whatever an' an' she was talkin' to her case worker an' she said 'Yeah last week ah had that mahgraine headache an' ah had some other issues, an' ah considered killin' mahself.' That's what th'devil'll do t'ya - he's real."

I'm having a hard time figuring that one out - my best guess is that Gary drove a woman and her case worker somewhere, and they discussed things that private, or even had their session, in the vehicle. But that's just a guess.

Discretion? Gary don't need no stinkin' discretion. Everything is grist for his mill.

"An listen, hey, you think ah lahk watchin' mah wahf in health an' hearin' of other people that have health issues an' things lahk at? Ah don't lahk, but ah'm gonna tellya somethin' - God in heaven has a reason for it. Amen? It ain't that he don't love you, an' it ain't because he wants to see that - that's just called life. Amen?"

Gary has enough "arthurahtis" for "the whole Tennessee, from the toppa mah head to the bottom of mah feet. Even had wonna th'girls tell me on the bus th'other day, she said 'Mah head hurts real bad' she said 'Ah think ah got arthurahtis in mah head.' Could be - ah don't know.  Ah'm not gonna examine her t'fahnd out amen."

After some more talk about how the devil is real, and God has a reason for your health issues, he asks them to go to Matthew 26.

See you there.

[Joyster]

3 hours ago, thoughtful said:

That was the second mention of a van. I wonder if Gary's current job is driving people around for pay.

Gary’s has been recommending SCATS for transportation needs on the community Facebook page, so I decided to dig. He works for the SCATS Lewis public transportation as a van driver. There is also a picture of him and Becky at a staff Christmas party. However, he did inquire about the pay for a dump truck driver on a post in February and a car wash place in March, so he might be looking elsewhere. The starting pay as a driver is $15 an hour, and it’s not known if he’s full time.

 

[thoughtful]

"Matthew chapters 26 look at verses 40." He gets most of it right.

Quote

 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

The devil will take time away from you to keep you from praying. "Ah trah t'git up early enough every mornin' 'fore ah go t'work because if ah don't spend God with in more 'n' lahkly ah'm not gonna git to ya say 'Wha?' 'Cause the devil's gonna have somethin' goin ohn. Amen?"

He blabs on with his usual stuff about how we'd better pray, because the country, world and churches are in a mess.

"Ah listen to a radio station throughout the day when ah'm workin', when ah can, t'try t' - so ah don't have t'talk t'people amen."

Some oldies - pray for your pastor, worry about kids going off to college, cell phones are killing families and destroying churches, take your bible everywhere because people can't tell you're reading the bible if you read it on your phone.

"Go t'Mark chapter tin. Mark chapter tin. Look at verses nahn."

Technically, Gary reads every syllable of every word correctly, but he seems to punctuate it creatively.

KJV: What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
BGV: What there. For God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

The devil is after marriages. He says the divorce rate in churches is more than in The World.

"Ah wa - in in in talkin' to these people up in New York, we're tryin' t'help 'em, there's another church that they just got a pastor, an' he was even part of  - he was over the funeral up there whenever we was a part of it, an' two weeks ago or maybe a little bit longer than that, found out that they had had t'step down because they was havin' marriagal problems. It happens, amen."

If I understand his babbling correctly, Gary is talking about the man who presided over Henry Kicinski's funeral.

"Me an' mah wahf are totally opposite people. But ah'manna tellya somethin' - if you put God in the center of it, it'll happen. It'll last, amen?"

He mentions Pastor Baker's video about never fighting, and says "Mah wahf lahks t'fight, ah don't, y'all pray for me amen." This gets a big laugh, so he goes on. "It's a war every day. It's th'reason ah work 12 an' 14 hours a day amen."

He makes some stupid marriage jokes, saying he's not sleeping in the doghouse tonight, and "It ain't 50-50. Ah don't know where this ahdeer of 50-50 come from amen? Ah have to do a hunnerd an' fifty an' she does the other seventy fahv amen."

But they think it's funny.

Pray for your marriage, and "Go t'Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22, look in verses 54."

He reads a bunch of verses - the story of Peter denying Jesus three times. Lots of unfunny errors, and this gem on verse 59:

KJV: And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.
BGV: And about the space of an hour after another. Confiterry affirms, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galeranian.

Galeranian? Gary, you have been immersed in this stuff for years, and you can't remember the word Galilaean? I practically have this story memorized, why don't you?

The devil will get you to do things you never thought you'd do.

"Ah think about far as lahk dope or whatever, listen hey, ah only trahd it twice in mah lahf an' ah thank God for it, an' that was before - listen, hey, if they woulda had the needles when ah was growin' up, ah woulda never trahd it ya say 'Wha?' Ah don't lahk a doctor put a needle in me much less me puttin' one in mahself."

We've heard this from Gary before - he seems to think that injecting drugs is a recent development. Gary, they've "had the needles" for many, many years. I have no idea if he thinks "it" is all the same substance.

"Ah watch mah mother an' mah wahf stick theirselves with needles an' things lahk 'at ah say ah'd just have t'dah. Ah ain't touchin' mahsel - ah ain't touchin 'em needles."

He tells his usual story about how smoking his two joints didn't make him high, and he thanks God, because he knows he would have "got hooked."

He yammers on about the devil, then "go to first Peter chapter five. First Peter chapter five, look in verses eight."

KJV: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
BGV: Be sober, be village-ant; because your aversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walkin' about, seeking whom he may devour:

I wish village-ant was a real adjective. I imagine it would mean having the qualities of a small town. The captions thought he said "diligent," and I suspect that Gary has, in fact, somehow mixed up vigilant and diligent and made his own word.

Mrs. Malaprop lives.

Gary does a brief bit about how the devil is stalking them all, trying to find his next victim, then announces yet another reading - Acts 26:28.

KJV: Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
BGV: Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadeth me to be saved.

He says the devil wants them to stay unsaved.

"Ah mean, ah talk t'all these different ones, ah even got a lady there that - she's goin' down th'hill insteada up gittin' better, an' th'doctors ain't really givin' her a whole lotta hope, an' ah'll talk t'her an' she'll say 'Ah think ah'm saved but ah'm not for sure' then ah'll talk t'her a little bit about it an' tell her what she's gotta do. 'Well ah trahd that. It just didn't  work.'" He finally pauses for a breath. "Ah trahd it almost - Joolah 11 this year it'll be  twenty fahv year ah trahd it, an' it ain't, it ain't changed. Ah'm still saved amen? An' then ya go back to John chapter tin real quick-lahk an' ah'm done."

He reads John 10:10 again (still wrong), and tells them "Jesus still can in '24. Jesus is still able in '24."

"Don't let the devil have any way - listen, hey - don't, don't give him th'ruler an' let him have a inch you say 'Wha?' He'll end up takin' the ruler."

Steve does the altar call, warns them about the devil again, and tries his hand at some humor. "Come back tonight, be in your places, we'll have another preacher - a different one. If ya didn't like that one, we'll just keep changin' 'em, rotate 'til we find one ya like. And, if you're really havin' problems with that, ask me later and we'll see if we can set you up. Yeah, didn't think so."

He gets laughs with this routine.

They're such an easy crowd.

Edited April 22 by thoughtful
riffles

[Dana723]

On 4/20/2024 at 10:44 PM, thoughtful said:

After some singing, he says they're going to take "the Lord's Supper" (aka communion), tells them to think about "what Jesus did on the cross," and says a prayer that emphasizes the suffering and sacrifice. Again, this strikes me as a combination of the general IFB love of emphasizing the gory stuff and slathering on the guilt, and not having any rituals or services for Holy Week. By Easter, I think most Catholics and mainstream Protestants are past dwelling on the crucifixion and are celebrating the resurrection. But not at Family Baptist!

 

As a Christian, I don't like dwelling on the suffering of Jesus.  Yes, as a Christian, I believe He went through the torture on the cross and yes, I believe He rose again.  I remember when The Passion of the Christ came out and Christians everywhere were talking about how watching His suffering changed their lives.  No thank you!  I'm grateful for what Jesus did, but again, I'd rather dwell on His Resurrection rather than the blood and gore.

[AmazonGrace]

They have all the bases covered, there's no way any of this can be disproved.

1. If a lot of people believe it's proof that Jesus is real. Like, if a lot of people joined the church after Jesus was resurrected (well, if th Bible says a lot of people did) , it's proof that it really happened and it's all true.

2. If a lot of people do not believe, and a lot of people leave the church, it's proof that the devil is deceiving people and it's all true.

[Alisamer]

1 hour ago, AmazonGrace said:

They have all the bases covered, there's no way any of this can be disproved.

1. If a lot of people believe it's proof that Jesus is real. Like, if a lot of people joined the church after Jesus was resurrected (well, if th Bible says a lot of people did) , it's proof that it really happened and it's all true.

2. If a lot of people do not believe, and a lot of people leave the church, it's proof that the devil is deceiving people and it's all true.

It's always the way, isn't it? If it's good, God did it. If it's bad, Satan did it. If it proves their point, it's obviously true. If it disproves their point, it's Satan deceiving you. 

16 hours ago, thoughtful said:

He says he hates pain, that he has to watch his wife experience pain daily, and that, while he never heard her say it himself, his sister told him that their mother, with her health issues, sometimes said, "if this is all life is about, ah'd as soon just dah."

He never heard it because he was gallivanting around the country living in hotel rooms and church basements telling other people how to live, likely while his sister did much of the helping and caring. 

It makes me wonder just HOW bad Becky's health had to get for him to give in on the traveling and get (apparently a series of unskilled) real jobs himself. 

The fact that he listens to the radio to keep from having to talk to people he's driving around makes me wonder if he wasn't specifically warned against proselytizing to his passengers, as well. 

[Xan]

3 hours ago, Alisamer said:

It makes me wonder just HOW bad Becky's health had to get for him to give in on the traveling and get (apparently a series of unskilled) real jobs himself. 

I got the feeling the Becky might have put her foot down and said she wasn't going to travel anymore.  Gary was either going to be left on his own to handle his food, laundry, and travel arrangements or else he was going to have to park his stupid truck and quit making Becky ride all over the country.  I've known too many men of Gary's upbringing and age and I doubt many of them would choose to start learning to cook and figure out how to iron a shirt.

He may not like the types of jobs that he gets now but at least he has someone else still cooking for him and washing his underwear.  He may love Becky in his own way but there are just enough snarky remarks about Becky and about women in general that he makes during his infrequent sermons that make me think he's still feeling a little hostile over not getting his own way.  Driving around and yelling the occasional Sunday message was way easier than having to work at a dump or drive a bus.

Edited April 22 by Xan

[Joyster]

18 hours ago, thoughtful said:

The devil is after marriages. He says the divorce rate in churches is more than in The World.

No surprise here, but Gary wasn’t the best student in Pastor Baker’s “Never Fight with your Spouse Again” webinar. Unlike Gary or the pastor, I will back my statement with evidence from Baker’s presentation:

Maybe Gary has a special study about independent KJV Baptist churches, and they are worse with divorce than worldly churches. Baker did say the devil is after marriages, but I think Gary already thought that.

On another note, Jacob appears to still be in North Carolina. He was in a lumber cutting video that Gary’s brother posted. He looked well. Also, Gary and Becky might be heading out soon to Southport. The brother made a post about being ready for Southport, and Gary commented that Becky is ready for her sand therapy.

[thoughtful]

Comments under the video of Gary's sermon:

I guess some people don't need to hear a sermon that's made up of coherent sentences.

[thoughtful]

20 hours ago, Alisamer said:

On 4/21/2024 at 8:53 PM, thoughtful said:

He says he hates pain, that he has to watch his wife experience pain daily, and that, while he never heard her say it himself, his sister told him that their mother, with her health issues, sometimes said, "if this is all life is about, ah'd as soon just dah."

He never heard it because he was gallivanting around the country living in hotel rooms and church basements telling other people how to live, likely while his sister did much of the helping and caring. 

I was thinking that as I heard him say it, and hoped someone would notice and post that thought.

Between their culture of women being expected to serve cheerfully and what little we've seen of her personality, Sheila may not have complained to Gary even when he was visiting. She may have been the type to  only express any concerns or discomfort to other women.

[thoughtful]

I keep meaning to post something about Tennessee Brando here - every time I watch one of his videos, I think of Bro Gary and his buddies, because, while his accent is different, he uses a lot of the same southernisms as Gary. It's like he's redeeming the whole southeastern US for me (he's a progressive Democrat who talks about politics).

This video seemed especially apt - it's his take on the evangelical pastor who came out against the Trump bible.

Spoiler

 

There's so much the pastor says, and so much about his style, that would be right up Gary's alley. But he's Pentecostal, his church is large, and it looks like they do the worship music stuff that Gary hates - no smokestacks, though.

Now, if Pastor Baker came out against Trump and his bible, that would blow Gary's mind.

Edited April 26 by thoughtful

[thoughtful]

Looks like Gary's getting another chance to preach. Pray as well open up GOD word to be a help!

[Ozlsn]

On 4/23/2024 at 12:58 PM, thoughtful said:

Comments under the video of Gary's sermon:

I guess some people don't need to hear a sermon that's made up of coherent sentences.

I think a lot of people zone out in church, and are posting comments for public consumption to show they are good church going people (and quite possibly to support Gary and Becky). It would be interesting to see the views stats on it, particularly if we could exclude FJ views!

[thoughtful]

OK, FJ folks, I will check it out when the livestream is done. I need to clean the house, but that's OK - taking sit-down breaks to listen to Gary's ramblings in small increments will work out just fine.

[thoughtful]

I kept getting interested in the Rod thread when I took my breaks from cleaning, and taught a piano lesson in there, as well, but I think I have time to tackle some of Gary's inspiring words before bedtime.

This morning, Gary preached at Zion Hill Baptist Church in Murfreesboro TN. That means that Becky had to ride for about 83 miles each way, rather than the usual 42 to Family Baptist.

The video is almost three hours long, but don't be alarmed, from the 52 minute mark to the end, the service was over. A man in shorts and a woman in a skirt above her knees (I bet Gary was not happy about them!) chatted for a while, the lights got turned out, but the camera was still on for another two hours!

As the video starts, Gary is already into his message, so I don't hear his bible reading. But the first sentence I hear tells me it must have been Job. Gary just loves Job. Suffering, persecution, boils, dead children - right up his alley.

Spoiler

Gary says, about Job: "We got a man here that's had his world turns upsahd down. Now, here's the title of the message: When Your World is Turned Upsahd Down."

He talks about the things that turn a person's world upside-down - in his case, his mother's final illness and death. He says he misses her more now than when (well, of course he says "whenever") she passed. He talks about the fact that they are without a pastor - he doesn't know who God will send to them, but he tells them "don't quit," and comes down from the pulpit to pace.

Spoiler

 

"Ah know that - ah know how it is; mah daddy was a church planter, an' stuff lahk 'at, an' ah know how this works out an' everything, but listen hey, when the - what is it - when the cat's out playin' around, th'm- when the cat's gohn, th'mouse go t'playin', amen?"

🐁 

He looks at the back of the church and says, "Y'all c'mon in." Someone must have been hesitating due to that bizarre cat and mouse statement.

He babbles about how persecuted Jesus was, and the church still is. He says he's going to give them some examples of people whose worlds were turned upside down (from the bible, of course), and "show you that they done it, we kin still do it in 2024, amen? Turn t'Ginisis, chapter 41. Ginisis, chapter 41. Ginisis, chapter 41, look in verses, uh, 40 - uh, let's see here - verses 41."

I'll meet you there tomorrow, to hear all about Fay-row and Joseph.

[thoughtful]

Looks like Gary enjoyed the experience, and Donald felt the need to shout about it:

[postscript]

For someone who despises dancing, Gary seems to do a lot of quasi-dancing during his sermons. That picture with his arms outstretched bears a strong resemblance to Tevye in a community theater production of Fiddler on the Roof. I wouldn't be surprised if he burst into a rousing chorus of "Tradition!" 

[thoughtful]

9 hours ago, postscript said:

For someone who despises dancing, Gary seems to do a lot of quasi-dancing during his sermons. That picture with his arms outstretched bears a strong resemblance to Tevye in a community theater production of Fiddler on the Roof. I wouldn't be surprised if he burst into a rousing chorus of "Tradition!" 

A lot of his moves look like he's playing Tevya. I see a bit of "One" from A Chorus Line now and then - imagine if he had a top hat to play with! And sometimes it's just:

Spoiler