Pastor’s Piece – Pastor Kevin Cernek, FCFI Chaplain

November 16, 2025

Winter came early last week. Little did I expect we would avoid the snow. But we did. I came down with a little something on Thursday and by Friday I had completely lost my voice. I suggested to my wife that since I was unable to talk, and therefore would be of little use on Sunday, maybe we should head south for a little rest and healing time. On Saturday we were on a plane out of town.The flight was uneventful except for a family sitting in the row ahead of us with a baby and a four year old. The children were quite active and the parents were quite active in responding to their active children. They kept us all entertained the entire flight. When we landed we all said our good byes and God bless yous and we each headed in our own directions. It’s funny how you will make friends in that short amount of time, and then, just like that, you part ways, never to see each other again.

On Sunday, we immediately started receiving pictures of the snow back home. It looked nice in the pictures. But the warm sunshine sure felt better. There’ll be plenty of time for us to enjoy the snow.

On Sunday morning, we got ready and headed out the door to visit our favorite church in Florida. We timed the trip so we would arrive at the exact minute the service started. Our plan worked flawlessly until we got to the parking lot where, upon entry, we discovered it was pretty-much full and we had to circle around a couple of times until a space opened up at the back of the lot. My wife was thankful for the extra steps. I was thankful I didn’t have to park on the grassy, decorative, landscaped knoll over the curb in the center of the lot that wasn’t meant to be parked on.

We were greeted at the door by a couple of smiling people who shook our hands and we hurried inside. They had coffee, but no donuts, (we’re used to coffee and donuts) but the strong coffee made up for the lack of carbs and sugar. While the congregation sang, we stood at the back of the sanctuary scanning the seating situation. The place was packed wall to wall. Upon finding no empty seats, an usher offered to take us “down to the front where some seats are available.” He then proceeded to lead us to the front row. We sat right under the preacher’s chin – so close we could see the cavities in his upper molars (if we were looking).

The text for the message was 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. My takeaway for the day was two-fold. 1) The love of Christ compels us and also sends us. And 2) If you have to park in the back of the parking lot that means you’ll be sitting in the front of the church. That’s Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion by the way: “For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.” (Back of the lot means front of the church).

After church we went to see a friend. Our friend is Carlos. He immigrated here from Cuba in 1965 when he was 7 years old. Fidel Castro had confiscated his family’s farm and they fled to the U.S. as political refugees. We’ve known each other for a few years. I talked to him earlier this year when I needed a recommendation for a serviceman in Florida. He had one of his friends call me and he was able to do the work I needed done. When I offered to pay him, he said he would not accept any money from a friend of Carlos’. Instead, he said to me: “When you come to Florida, take care of Carlos.”

From a previous conversation with Carlos, I knew he loved Midwest beef. He once told me about a hunting trip to Elizabeth, Illinois, where he’d had a cheeseburger at a local establishment and he swore it was the best he’d ever eaten.

I called Carlos to let him know we were coming and found out that he was under the weather and had spent some time in the hospital but was now recovering at home. So, wanting to surprise him, before we left home, I picked up some ribeye steaks and freshly ground beef. I carried it through TSA and onto the plane (they allow frozen meat, as long as it stays frozen!). When we arrived, we delivered our little Midwest treasure to Carlos who received it quite graciously.

We meet a lot of people in life, some for a moment, others for a lifetime. A few leave an imprint that time can’t erase. Carlos is one of those. I’ve been blessed to share the love of Jesus with him, and I look forward to the day when our friendship continues at the great wedding feast in heaven — where joy never ends and fellowship is forever.

(Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin)