Over the head again

Its now Monday Night !
And I have thought and thought again about Sundays message on Exodus 20:16 - the point I was driving home this week was we hold each others reputation in our hands .
How I say my car works will determine possibly if you buy one to.
So I wanted to drive the point home that when we give wrong or unverified information we tarnish the reputation of others or even the Church....
So I gave an illustration about a lady who said that one Wesleyan church in our area was worldly because they had a snow man in front of it with a pipe and she went on to tell every one how wordly the church was .
The illustration was given so I preached on...but sometimes some types of people don't move on with you, and they meet you at the door :( as I was meeted by a guy who agreed with the lady that having a snowman with a pipe was worldly and they were a wrodly church. So I then mentioned Mr. Wesley smoked a pipe, he might have before he was sanctified holy I was told but not afterwards,
To edge the guy on I said he probably smoked it while he road his horse and wrote his sermons.
( by then I would have loved to have smoked a pipe myself lol)
The fact is legalism kills, and once again I was reminded that people never change as much as you think and how some can spot the tinest splinter and not see the forest in their own life.
I support our doctrine 100 % but It must be mixed with grace and focus more on the majors and forget the minors.
And I didn't tell him that while I preached with the Free Will Baptist it was told to me that they have down south ash trays before you go in to church so you can but out, will they not be in heaven ?
Must we go to war over a pipe and lose a whole community ? I hope Not.
Oh well this Sunday is now on the horizon.

Sunday we also took off tenting, a couple in our Church have let us set up camp on their lot in front of lake fanning.
What a great time to get away and drink perked coffee old style and eat marsh mellows toasted over a open fire.
And let the kids swim and do some shore fishing.
I am not taking an office vacation - were just gonna lay low , and enjoy where were at while were here.

Later