R and R (Rest and Recuperation)

"Do not let your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1) 

Hey Gang, Do you have a very special place where you can go when it seems everything that can be shaken is being shaken.  We just returned from the place that we have adopted as being our oasis out of the storm, Shipshewana, Indiana.   We make several trips to Shipshewana each year but this time it has a very special significance, we were celebrating our fifty-seventh year of marital bliss together.    

Shipshewana is in the heart of Amish Country (The Plain People).  I readily admit that for many folks, a day in Shipshe, as many refer to Shipshewana, would be a boring experience, especially if they have teen aged children.  When it comes to the bangles and beads of the world, it is lacking.  One does not go to Shipshe for excitement and entertainment.    While in the military serving in Korea, we were blessed with periodic trips which were referred to as R and R (Rest and recuperation).  Going to Shipshe is a time of R and R for me.

When you ask for directions in Shipshewana most folks use the Blue Gate restaurant and theater as the starting or ending point.  Breakfast at the Blue Gate is usually enough to take you through the day with a great deal of gusto.  Blueberry pancakes with all the trimmings is worth driving the 120 miles to get there – but big pretzels are always a must. 

One would think a theater in Amish Country would have a hard time surviving.  I mean, who would drive to a tiny town of less than a thousand people to attend a theatric presentation.  The show that was being offered was a musical titled "Josiah For President".  We had the privilege of reading the book before attending so we were anxious to see how they presented the story on the small stage to the three hundred attendees.

It was a story that one could place in the "miracle category if it could happen".  An Amish man becoming president?  You’ve got to be kidding.    True, but for two hours we were treated to a wonderful play and deep inside I found myself saying, “Lord, if could only be!"   His presidency was centered on "of the people, by the people, for the people - "So Help Me God".    His platform was very simple, if God said it, so be it. 

When Josiah finally agreed to run, after much cajoling on the part of a burned out politician who wanted nothing more to do with politics the political world thought it was some sort of pun but the people on the street did not think so and soon a ground swell began to take place in support of this bearded man who wore clothing that appeared odd to them and rejected such things as electricity and automobiles.

Though the drama and book don’t end like you might expect, I don't  believe there was a dry eye in the auditorium.  I prayed silently with tears in my eyes, "Lord, if it could only be" that You would raise up a person who loves you with all their hearts and committed to Your ways alone and restore this once great country to the principles it was founded on.

Soooo, as I thought about the story line in the ‘Josiah For President’, I could see the not so subtle message that the author was sending to the reader.  "For God so loved you and me so much that He sent His only Son into the world be go to a hideous cross to give us the option to be freed from the bondage of sin".   In this day when the sky seems to be falling I strongly recommend you read the red in your Bible and, if you want to escape the shaking that is going on around you, you might pick up a copy of ‘Josiah For President’, shut of the electronics and find a tree in the meadow and rest and recuperate for a spell.