McKinney pastor feeling #blessed that Blue Bell is back

Blue Bell's return to shelves is proof that God blessed Texas, we know.

But Pastor Fred Thomas from McKinney has taken his love for the Brenham-based creamery a step further. He's created a handful of gospel music videos on YouTube extolling Blue Bell's bounce back.

So we called the pastor and asked him a few questions about his love for Blue Bell.

First and foremost, what's your favorite Blue Bell flavor and why?

Oh man. Butter Pecan, but I guess I've got to wait for it.

Why did you decide to make these videos?

Especially the African American church world is excited about Blue Bell. We don't eat Dreyer's or Häagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's. We're Blue Bell people. Most of my followers [on YouTube] were churchgoers and churchgoers have a lot to do with the return of Blue Bell.

What was your reaction when Blue Bell got pulled from shelves?

It was devastating. We have a big family, we have 40 people that come to picnics. Giving the small cups of Blue Bell with our cake is just normal.

Not having that was like having a funeral.

Did I hear you blame "a demon called Lester"?

Yeah, I just took a spin on Listeria.

I also saw some of your other videos where you bring humor to the pulpit. Why is that?

The Bible said laughter is like medicine. It allows people to deal with pressures and pains in a better mindset. Laughter opens people up to deal with problems they wouldn't deal with. I do it to talk to the hearts and minds of people. I love being a preacher. I love being on the stage. It's been who I am.

Did you see that Blue Bell's Oklahoma plant started production today?

I did. I was in Oklahoma City on Sunday. I wrote those little songs and I sang one of them up there. Maybe that started something in Oklahoma.

What advice do you have to the poor folks who are still waiting for their Blue Bell?

Be patient, help is on the way. Don't over-indulge, don't over do it, but enjoy it.

Preach it, Pastor Fred. Preach.

Follow reporter Charles Scudder on Twitter at @cscudder.