ARE YOU A KAWLIGA CHRISTIAN?

by Barbara Chadwick

Kaw Liga  by Hank Willliams
Kaw-liga was a wooden Indian standing by the door.
He fell in love with an Indian maiden over in the antique store.
Kaw-liga just stood there and never let it show,
So she could never answer 'yes' or 'no.' CHORUS:
Poor ol' Kaw-liga, he never got a kiss.
Poor ol' Kaw-liga, he don't know what he missed.
Is it any wonder that his face is red?
Kaw-liga, that poor ol' wooden head.

He always wore his Sunday feathers and held a tomahawk.
The maiden wore her beads and braids and hoped some day he'd talk.
Kaw-liga, too stubborn to ever show a sign,
Because his heart was made of knotty pine.

Kaw-liga was a lonely Indian, never went nowhere.
His heart was set on the Indian maid with the coal black hair.
Kaw-liga just stood there and never let it show,
So she could never answer 'yes' or 'no.'

And then one day a wealthy customer bought the Indian maid,
And took her, oh, so far away, but ol' Kaw-liga stayed.
Kaw-liga just stands there as lonely as can be,
And wishes he was still an old pine tree.

We just got back from a trip to Oklahoma. Driving across the country, seeing old friends and family , sharing meals and stories – it was great!

On Sunday we went to Friendship Baptist Church in Owasso, OK. These people live up to their name. Just about everyone we got close to talked to us. They made us feel welcome and included. They seemed to be full of joy.

Well, some of God’s people are wonderful after you get to know them. But at first glance it seems that their name could have been Kawliga! We’ve been in more than a few churches across our country where no one spoke to us. Cold. Unfriendly. No passion. Wooden! Makes you wonder why they came
.
When you go to a church like Friendship Baptist Church, it makes you glad you came. You want to sing. You want to pray with them. You listen to the sermon with your heart. And you’re so glad you’re not an old pine tree but a living, breathing human being able to worship the Creator God. Joy seems to emanate from the center of your soul.

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let is come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song… Come, let us bow down in worship, let is kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture… Psalm 95:1-2;6-7

As you go to your place of worship today I pray that you will smile, shake hands and give hugs with joy in your heart – that your worship will be real and your actions will be alive – full of love -  not wooden and lonely like Kawliga. Dead where you stand.