Orange Sherbert and the Pool Hall 8/24/13

Good Morning,

This morning will start with some exercise, and a cup of Door County Blueberry Cobbler Coffee.

I was going way back into the memory vault of my mind for no particular reason to try and recall why I like Orange Sherbet ice cream. It made me think about where I may have tasted it for the first time. I couldn't recall anything except that when I was around 6 years old and my sister was three we lived on the South Side of Milwaukee in a typical neighborhood. What made it typical for Milwaukee is that on one corner was a bowling alley and bar and on the other corner was a mom and pop small grocery store and lots of kids.

Just next to the grocery store was a Billiards Room. It was owned by an elderly gentleman named Joe Burgerino. Joe also had a chest freezer where he sold ice cream from his pool emporium. The only flavor he had was orange sherbet. A bunch of us would walk the neighborhood and find soda bottles which at that time were glass and could be redeemed for the deposit money. When we had enough bottles we would take them by Joe and he would redeem them in ice cream cones for us.

What does this have to do with a devotional. Note I said I was 6, my sister who was 3 often tagged along. We walked past a bar, went to a pool hall, scrounged in the neighborhood with other kids. Note no adults were with us. But we were safe. We had learned how to cross the street safely and be home at a certain time. Most mom's were home back then and watched out for all of us when we would walk by. But we were safe. No one bothered us and as much as this old mind can remember I was never kidnapped. Kids today do not have that luxury. This world has gone bad. Each day I read of another tragedy that involves kids. More and more there are incidents of school shootings.

My point is this. We need to pray for our world to change. We need to pray for the safety of kids even if they are not ours. We need to pray for a Godly revival.

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV         
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

I wish I could give kids today a neighborhood like that again

God bless,
Marty