I love Demopolis and I love being the Pastor at the First Christian Church. This town is filled with awesome and amazing people. I love talking to our police chief Jeff Manuel, what a great guy. I love Roy and Kay Geiger, they are members at the First Baptist Church and I coached thier son Mark in football, truly awesome people. I love our Mayor. I love Chris Cameron who happens to be a bar-b-q master. I love Mitchell Snipes and I think the world of his son Andrew. I love all my church members. I love Paul Willingham, a true comedian on the sidelines during a high school football game. I love all the area pastors, truly great men of God. I love the people in the Lions Club. I love Jay Shows, a fun guy to be around. I love the Sports editor of the Demopolis Times, Jerry Hinnon who is a wacky and zanny kind of guy and the list could go on and on and on.

I really love Demopolis, but the weather in Alabama is a different story. I have thought about writing the Governor of our Great State and asking hime to think about changing our state bird to the Mosquito. We have, most likely, the craziest weather in the world. Yesterday morning I ran the air conditioner in my truck on the way to work…. before daylight! By the time night came, we were using the heather in the house in the and shivering from the cold. It is almost a joke here when you talk about the weather because you never know what it will be.

As a result of these re-occurring, quick changes, many of us seem to stay sick. One day your head is full of the spores that float in the air and the next day, they are frozen in your nose. Well, that is Louisiana and we have learned to live with it… but it still pesters us.

Many of us live our lives like Louisiana weather. Sometimes we are hot and sometimes we are cold. Jesus talked about a church using temperature to illustrate. When talking to the church at Laodicea He said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:15-16).

We get hot and there is not enough we can do. We volunteer for any and everything that comes up. We are on fire for the Lord and there is no task we cannot conquer. Then, before you know it, we are a block of ice. Stone cold! So cold, in fact, that you could not move us with a wedge. We say nothing, do nothing and possibly, think nothing.

We as believers are encouraged to “walk” a life worthy of our calling. There is a lot of sense to that. Do you remember the story of the “Tortoise and the Hare?” Sure you do. The ole rabbit ran and ran, stopped took naps and had all of the confidence in the world that he would win the race. On the other hand, the ole turtle just kept a steady pace and before it was over he had won the race. The one who walked won over the one who ran.

We need to seek a level in the Body of Christ. There is no need to run at it like there is no tomorrow because most who do will burn out and turn stone cold. Those who have turned to ice, thinking, “I’ve put my time in. It is time for the younger people to take over,” need to thaw out and get in the walk.

There is so much talent in the church today that is simply going to waste. We sit by thinking, “Man, I cannot keep up with that bunch.” We have been convinced that if we are not running we are not productive. Not so!

If you are hot, cool off a bit. If you are frozen or in a deep chill, stand near one of the hot ones and not only will you warm up, but you will cool them off a bit. When it all levels out, let’s take a walk in our faith and do the work here that God has given us to do. Take your temperature and adjust.

God Bless and GOOOOOO DAWGS,

Rev. Marshall Murphy