America, the melting pot

We went boating on Buckeye Lake for July 4.

My father-in-law has a huge pontoon boat and has it parked on Buckeye Lake this year. No offense to the other bodies of water where you can go boating in Ohio, but I have to say that Buckeye Lake is my favorite. I love to hear stories about the amusement park that used to be there.

There are beautiful houses and condominiums there, and several channels off the main lake with private homes and boat docks. I had the privilege of stopping to eat at a couple of the restaurants on the lake for the first time this year. If you get a chance, try the cod at the Copper Penny. It is absolutely amazing.

We pulled into one of the parks there to eat lunch at a shelter house. There was a large black family using most of the shelter, but they cleared a couple tables off for us to use. While we were eating, one of them was fishing off the bank and caught a decent sized catfish. I overheard it was the first time he had ever caught a fish so we clapped along with his family in celebration.

Over the course of lunch, we enjoyed pleasant conversation with them and overall it was a great time.

I could not help but smile when I thought about the fact that this is the America I grew up in.

One of the major themes in the writings we have from the apostle Paul is unity. Christ came to put people together without any of the differences we seem to focus on. That trip to Buckeye Lake gave me a small glance of the way things should be. Take time to think about what church would be like if we learned to pull together instead of focusing on our differences.

Dennis McFarland is the pastor of the Plumwood Church of Christ in Christian Union, 175 Arthur Bradley Road. He can be reached at (740) 857-1714 or by e-mail at: plumwoodpastor@yahoo.com