Just before I left on vacation I preached a sermon called- When you find yourself in a pile of manure…

I thought about telling that old joke-

Once upon a time, there was a little bird who refused to fly south for the winter. His friends tried to convince him that winter was coming and he should go, but the little bird was adamant. Finally, his friends left on their journey, but the little bird remained behind. Pretty soon the weather turned bitter cold. The little bird began to shiver. After a while, he decided he had made a mistake, so he too headed south. But he was too late and the weather descended upon him. As he flew, ice formed on his wings. He grew more and more weary until finally he fell to earth in a cow pasture, freezing and exhausted. He was convinced he was going to die. As he lay there, freezing to death, a cow came by and dumped on him. The manure warmed his body and wings. The bird realized he would live. He was so happy, he began to sing. A cat was passing by and heard the singing. The cat dug into the manure, uncovered the bird and promptly ate him.

There are three morals to this story:

1. Not everyone who dumps on you is necessarily your enemy.

2. Not everyone who gets you out of the manure is necessarily your friend.

3. And, if you're happy in your own pile of manure, keep your mouth shut.

I decided it was a little too risky and besides, it is a very OLD joke.

When I returned from vacation there was a message that a woman had called to complain about my sermon title.  She is not a member and was not in church.  I guess she saw the title in the paper and was offended enough to call and complain.

The title came directly from the scripture passage for the day.  It was the parable Jesus told about the fig tree that would not bear fruit.  The owner wanted to rip it out but the gardener wanted to put a pile of manure on the tree and try to save it.

If someone listens to me and is offended by what I say I am truly sorry and want to apologize.  If someone is offended by what the scripture says there is not much I can do about it.