"The Great Minnesota Get Together"

It's 12 days of pronto pups, food on a stick, animals, machinery, rides, and crowds of people. The Minnesota State Fair is a great cross section of the people from Minnesota all coming out to celebrate the last days of summer, and eat their hearts out with food that rivals the imagination. My wife and I spent three hours there recently, and enjoyed watching all various types of people. We concluded that God has a sense of humor, and a creative imagination as no two people are alike.  Each person is unique, some awkward in appearance, while others have a charm to them. Inspite of appearances, they all have an eternal soul that was created when they were born, each with a destiny to live out, all directed by education, family, peer influence, and culture. Speaking about culture, "The State Fair is a great commentary on culture and how we are influenced by it."  

• More bodies are sporting tatoos, and not just one, but many, covering more open spaces of skin. The tatoos are as varied as people are, colorful, artistic, and all resounding a message of "I am unique, my tatoo says so."
• Weight is an issue with the majority of people, and the fair has it all on display. It's amazing to me that as Americans we are the best fed country in the world, and yet our food is killing us. The number one grossing food item sold at the fair are the Martha's Chocolate Chip Cookies...$2.3 million worth of gut delicious cookie dough....
• It is the great marketplace of Minnesota. You can buy anything at the fair, at discount prices. (at least that's what is said)  Our culture is never satisfied, it is designed to get us to do more, and have more, at a price we can afford. 
• Families still rule at the fair, and it's encouraging to see all the kids and parents having fun together.

Our experience at the 2011 Minnesota State Fair was a delightful experience. What did I take away from the fair this year.

1. Get dropped off by other family members not going with you to the fair...saves money on parking, more money for pronto pups.
2. Don't mix too many different kinds of food groups, or you will pay for this later that night.
3. Prioritize where you want to go and what you want to do.  You can wear out easily after eating too much, and walking more than you are used to doing. 
4. Watch where you walk while doing the tour of the cow and horse barns.  Sneaky little piles of stuff can be annoying to get off your shoes, and could make the rest of the fair smell like the barns with every step you take.
5. Don't put too much ketchup or mustard on your foot long hot dogs. You will be wearing some of it by the end of the experience.
6. Sit often, talk a lot, make frequent bathroom breaks, and take in all the sights and sounds of people getting together.
7. There are a lot of people all at one place and all at one time.  Each one is important to God, no matter the size, shape, or lifestyle, God's love for people will never cease.

As I reflect on the Fair the day after, I am wondering how many people we passed at the Fair know where they will spend eternity? Someday, there will be another great gathering when Jesus calls those who believe in Him to come to a feast He has prepared for them.  The invitees will be those who have accepted His invitation to give their lives to Him as Lord and Savior.  That is the price of His admission to attend. Here is God's preamble for His great get together.

John 3:16 16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

 Keeping it honest and truthful...K