Here we are again – Matt, Ed and his wife Alice – at the Midwinter Conference in Chicago.  We had dinner  together at TGI-Friday’s.  We had taken the Covenant Orientation Classes together and they passed us along as fast as they could in order to save the sanity of the professors.  Matt is from Pennsylvania and Ed from Texas.  Good people.  Committed ministers of the gospel.  

Then we sat together for the opening worship service and heard two inspiring preachers, one being daughter Karin’s pastor, Efrem Smith, from Minneapolis.  His message could be summed up: No matter what the crisis we are in economically, politically, or personally – Jesus is Alive!  We are not on the road alone.  

We are off to a great start!

His name was Paul. He lived in a small town in the Pacific Northwest some
years ago. He was just a little boy when his family became the proud
owners of one of the first telephones in the neighborhood. It was one of
those wooden boxes attached to the wall with the shiny receiver hanging on
the side of the box. and the mouthpiece attached to the front. Young Paul
listened with fascination as his mom and dad used the phone. and he
discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device called a telephone
lived an amazing person.

Her name was “Information Please”. and there was nothing she did not know.
 Information Please could supply anybody’s number. and the correct time!
Paul’s first personal experience with “Information Please” came one day
when he was home alone and he whacked his finger with a hammer. The pain
was terrible and he didn’t know what to do. and then he thought of the
telephone. Quickly, he pulled a footstool up to the phone, climbed up,
unhooked the receiver, held it to his ear and said: “Information Please”
into the mouthpiece. There was a click or two and then a small clear voice
spoke:  “Information.” “I hurt my finger,” Paul wailed into the phone.
“Isn’t your mother home?” “Nobody’s home but me,” Paul cried. “Are you
bleeding?”  “No,” Paul said. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it
hurts.” “Can you open your ice-box?” “Yes.” “Then go get some ice and hold
it to your finger.” Paul did and it helped a lot.

After that Paul called “Information Please for everything. She helped him
with his geography and his math. She taught him how to spell the word
“fix.”  She told him what to feed his pet chipmunk. And then when Paul’s
pet canary died, she listened to his grief tenderly and then said: “Paul,
always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow that
helped and Paul felt better.

When Paul was nine years old, he moved with his family to Boston. and as
the years passed he missed “Information Please” very much. Some years
later as Paul was on his way out west to go to college, his plane landed
in Seattle. He dialed his hometown operator and said, “Information
Please.”

Miraculously, he heard that same small clear voice that he knew so well.
“Information.” Paul hadn’t planned this, but suddenly he blurted out:
“Could you please tell me how to spell the word “fix?” There was a long
pause. Then came the soft answer: “I guess your finger must be all healed
by now.” Paul laughed. “So it’s really still you. Do you have any idea how
much you meant to me during that time when I was a little boy?” “I
wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your calls meant to me! I never
had any children and I used to look forward to your calls so much.”

Paul told her how much he had missed her over the years and asked her if
he could call her again when he was back in the area. “Please do,” she
said, “just ask for Sally.” Three months later, Paul was back in Seattle.
This time a different voice answered. He asked for Sally. “Are you a
friend?” the operator asked. “Yes, a very old friend.” Paul answered.
“Well, I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said. “Sally had been
working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died 5
weeks ago.” Before he could hang up, the operator said: “Wait a minute.
Did you say your name was Paul?”

“Yes.” “Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you
called. Let me read it to you. It says: ‘When Paul calls, tell him that I
still say: there are other worlds to sing in.’ He will know what I mean.”

Paul thanked her and hung up and he did know what Sally meant.

Into my office just after 1:00 PM today walks two Zion members carrying a styrofoam container reading:

TO OUR SHEPHERD FROM YOUR LAMBS:

ENJOY YOUR TIME AWAY!

I opened the container to see a “Leg of Lamb dinner” from the “Duke of Devon” restaurant!  Incredible.  I was speechless.  The two  “lambs” had lunch there today and thought of me because I just love the taste of lamb.  I only have it when dining out because Kathy can’t even stand the smell of lamb cooking.  Or I cook lamb shanks in the slow cooker when Kathy is out of town at a scrapbooking conference.

I am so going to enjoy my supper tonight.  I wonder what Kathy will eat?  We have some very fine restaurants in Sheboygan! But even finer people who belong to Zion!

This story originally appeared in the play, “Some Folks Feel the Rain.”A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn’t injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.

“Warwick can get you out of that ditch,” said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, “Yep, old Warwick can do the job.” The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins he shouted:

“Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!”

And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch.

The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, “Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?”

The farmer grinned and said, “Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn’t mind pulling.”

Friday night, Jon picked me up to go out for a “Blues Concert” at Lakeland College. We went to hear Blues legend John Hammond. He’s been playing blues guitar and harmonica for over 45 years. Before the concert we stopped at Klemme’s Wagon Wheel for something to eat. We met friends of Jon’s brother, Joey, and talked with them after we took a number to wait our turn for a table. Looking at the clock, Joey’s friend says to Mr. Klemme, “This guy is Joey’s brother and he is with the Rev. here going to a concert tonight at Lakeland.” “What time is the concert?” Klemme asks. We tell him 7:30. Shortly thereafter a waitress comes and pulls us by the arm – “I got a table for you. Follow me.” Someone who knew me asks, “Hey – how do you get to go in ahead of us?” “Its who you know this time – not what you know!”  Grace surprises me in the most unlikely times and places.  I guess tha’s why it is called “grace.”

After a great plate of Haddock we made it to the show by 7:25 PM. There was a half filled auditorium. If you like old style blues, this guy had it down. My favorite song was the Blind Lemon Jefferson song “See That My Grave is Kept Clean.” Man, did I feel I was at a wake for a poor, black, dead man. I wanted to go to a cemetery and look for his grave! For a fantastic review of the show read what Mike had to say. He says it better than I ever could.

Saturday Kathy and I brought a crock pot meal over to Frieda and Emmet’s to share: Pork roast, sour kraut and mashed potatoes. Frieda made apple pie. Following dinner we all watched the Badgers upset the Michigan Wolverines. Good to see the Badgers win their last home game.    I then went home and joined “FACEBOOK.” Why don’t you?

Saturday night Kathy and I attended the Sheboygan Symphony. It was a fun evening of “light” classical music with an incredible accordion player, Stas Venglevski. He was from Moldova and came to the US in 1992. He plays a “bayan” type accordion. Stas performs on the ‘B’ system bayan by Petosa. This full-size, 5 octave concert accordion has 120 buttons arranged in six rows on the left hand, and 106 buttons arranged in five rows along the keyboard on the right hand. Increasing the bayan’s ability to produce an incredible range and spectrum of sounds are 15 registers (stops) on the right, five in the bass, and seven chin registers.

The bayan was invented in the early 20th century, and the first solo bayan concert occurred in 1935 in St. Petersburg. It is one of the most beloved folk instruments in Russia. At first all original music for the bayan was composed by bayanists for their own use, but when the modern composers began to create serious concert works for the instrument it came to be respected as a classical instrument. It’s versatility lends itself to all types of music.

It was a very fun concert!  It is a joy to soak in the musical talents of inspired performers.  God speaks such beauty in the performing arts.

Of course, what a joy to be able to call my son-in-law in MINNESOTA to convey my condolences at the Vikings loss in Lambeau field! What kind of loss, you ask? A 34- 0 drubbing! Apparently Trev said Andy had been text messaging him throughout the game and rubbing it in. I knew this, since I called Andy first to ask him who should call to express our deepest sympathy to all those Viking fans near and ear to us!

And then there is pastor Jim, a Minnesotan by birth, who laid a bet with me on who would win this game. Oh, the taste of that sausage he owes me will be so sweet!

What a great weekend – friends, family, music, worship, winning sports teams.  God is good!

Jesus commanded us to “love one another” as disciples of his.  The New Testament upacks that command with a list of how we are to relate to one another: 

The Believers are devoted to one another and give preference to one another (Romans 12:10).
They love one another (Romans 13:8).
They refrain from judging one another (Romans 14:13).
They edify one another (Romans 15:14).
They serve one another (Galatians 5:13).
They don’t hurt one another (Galatians 5:15).
They don’t provoke one another through conceit (Galatians 5:26)
They help carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).
They are patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2).
They are kind and forgiving toward one another (Ephesians 4:32).
They submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21).
They esteem one another (Philippians 2:3)
They stimulate one another to do good works (Hebrews 10:24).
They don’t slander one another (James 4:11).
They don’t complain against one another (James 5:9).
They confess their sins to one another and pray for one another (James 5:16).
They extend hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9).

Which one another do you need the most?  Which one will you practice today?

It was not a quiet day in Lakeview.  A busy Sunday morning preparing for worship with many folks coming to me with jokes, cartoons, pats on the back and encouragement before the service began.  Sweet.  I talked with some visitors from other churches visiting us and telling me that they heard me speak at one of their Lenten services in the past.  They enjoyed the non-political message…

After a bustling coffee hour hosted by the Habitat Mission Team, Kathy and I joined church ladies who treated us to Prime Rib dinners.  Savory food and stories had us chuckling which of course helped the digestion.   Also, the conversations, not drawn down by worn-out  negative subject matter, lifted our spirits.  Right now I hope my grammar is acceptable?

Then we went home changed clothes, and with Eric already having filled the van with motor scooter and clothes, we headed southwest for the Witte dorm in Madison where he will reside his final year as a senior.  Where did the time go?  Every time I get to the campus I lose 3 decades of dead, drudgery induced skepticism.  My mind clears, my dreams return and then I drink a cup of coffee and reality brings me back to earth like a stone.  I cannot walk up those dorm flights of stairs like Eric, a robust stag bounding up the mountain. But of course, he was running on adrenalin waiting for his Brittany to walk around the next hallway…remember those days?

Kathy and I visited with Lu and Bill at their place while Eric took one last load of stuff from their basement back to the dorm.  Bill and I watched Steve Stricker from Madison, sink the winning putt of the PGA Tour ending his 6 and 1/2 year drought. When Eric returned we dined on Dolly’s Chicken divan casserole with brownies as a dessert. Get me a wheelbarrow to carry me home, pah-leeze and thank you.

Driving back to Sheboygan was as smooth as room temperature butter on warm raisin bread toast.   (I gained 30 more calories writing that last sentence, didn’t you?)

Today was a full and varied day of good experiences.  It was a gift of God – an oasis in a cactus cluttered past few days.  Have a good Monday and week.

Duane is my friend.  He is a retired pastor from the UCC/Presbyterian church.  Duane called me today after reading the infamous “letter to the editor.”  Encouragement and spiritual strength come from his words.  “Dorothy’s letter was from the pit of hell,” he said, “so don’t even comment on it in the paper.”

I met Duane in the O’Hare airport on our way to Germany with the Wisconsin UCC delegation for the Bonhoeffer symposium in 2000.  Actually, I knew Duane as a “name” after I started in ministry in my first churches in Monroe and Monticello, Wisconsin.  I followed him as the pastor before me.  He moved on to Arizona and I began my ministry in 1980 as pastor of a yoked parish – Monroe was “Union Presbyterian” and Monticello was, “Washington Reformed UCC.”  It was a great time in my life with these two wonderful congregations shaped by Duane.  Eventually the churches grew to be able to need a single pastor of their own.  So after five years and two building programs, I was called to Ohio to St. John UCC of Strasburg.  Again, beautiful people to pastor just 20 minutes south of the Football Hall of Fame.

But, back to Duane,  my ego was constantly challenged as a new pastor, because the members always talked about how wonderful Duane was as a pastor.  Imagine that your spouse talked about their former spouse being so great… it would make you self-conscious and anxious.  But they got over the loss of Duane and embraced me and my ministry which gave me confidence to be myself.

Then, finally I met Duane after he had been through the “meat grinder” of divorce and finding his way into ministry again in Wisconsin. Since our time in Germany we have had good times together. He found a new wife in Barb and a new ministry until he retired.  We have stayed in touch by phone and the internet.  He lives in Northern Illinois.

Talking with him today just gave me so much more strength.  The hugs and good words from Zion members Sunday morning made me feel so determined to “trust and obey” the voice of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Andy Hopp’s Partnership is invaluable.  Duane’s words were Holy Spirit infused with light and love.

I hope God gives you a friend like Duane.