Looking Like a Man of God

After two full days looking out of our hotel room onto the most amazing pool, I have announced that from 3:00-4:30 I'm taking a break and going to swim and sun. YEA! Then we'll go back over tonight to hear the big dogs preach from 6:00 to 10:00. It's like the perfect day outside too. Hot and sunny. They even have these cool little cabana things next to the pool so that The Husband doesn't burn to a crisp (although, I strongly suspect he'll keep his suit on and stay at the preaching rather than face the dreaded sunscreen).

Side note: we already knew this from past experience, but most people down here sitting in the preaching services are dressed incredibly casually. I'd guess that over 70% of these pastors serve in very traditional churches, but they'll be in worship service here wearing shorts. (They'd freak at their own churches if grown men were in Sunday services wearing shorts.) It's bizarre. They wouldn't go to church that way, but we're singing praise songs and hymns and hearing Bible-centered preaching from powerful men of God, which is Having Church by any standard, and you look around and Steve is one of five men (out of 5,000 so far in attendance) in a suit, and all of the other men in suits are on the stage preaching.

When I was packing for the trip, I asked him if he wanted to gear down this year and wear khaki's and golf shirts. He snorted and said, "Brother Stone would appear in our room a vision and shout me down for not looking like God's Man."

Have to back track here to explain. At Steve's ordination service his long-time Independent Baptist pastor, Rev. Huey Stone (also known as one of the Sons of Thunder for his powerful preaching style), brought the Word. Brother Stone, shouting and snorting and waving that leather KJV Bible as he pounded the pulpit, looked directly at Steve Johnson right between the eyes and proclaimed, "Don't you ever let me catch you down at the hospital visiting the sick wearing jogging britches! You put on a suit and look like a man of God! Bless God! Hallelujah!"

Needless to say, The Right Reverend Steve Johnson, caring not for the convention standard of shorts and T-Shirts, will be wearing suits to everything. Bless God. Hallelujah. You'd all be proud--I brought some dresses so that we'd match. I don't want Brother Stone coming to me in a vision either. Bless God. Hallelujah.