Date: Sat, 28 Jul 200121:55:44 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: just remembering
once a young girl in our Church said about people: "people are funnier than anything" and I have found through the years that she was right. thinking of those we have known through those years of ministry makes me remember we all are prone to days of greatness and days of not so greatness. one of our true friends in Lone Tree we called Shorty because he was that in stature but not in character, when we resigned to go to our second Church he was the chairman of the Deacons so I gave him the letter of resignation and he read it in Church and then said and I shall never forget it: "we are truly sorry to see these good friends leave but we as a Church have always gotten along better without a pastor than with one" the poor guy really got it from the people afterward and he wondered why they were upset-- he did not remember what he said. we kept in touch for years and remained good friends, in another Church a man -- a real Scotsman. at a Men's breakfast one morning one of the men was telling about a race he had seen lately(didn't tell how much he had lost on that race) how those two horses had come in with just two inches between first and second and then said I don't think any one has ever seen a closer race. this Scotsman
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looked at him and then with a very sober face but with eyes that twinkled, said I have" every one looked at him with awe. Did HE ever go to the races? finally some one asked "What race was that?" without a change of face but with a quiet voice "the Scottish Race" he was truly a real Man of God. but sometimes he spoke before thinking-- for years he had almost carried that Church and sometimes felt he should make the decisions -- one evening at a business meeting there was a motion made and carried that he didn't approve and as the moderator announced the result of the vote he very firmly said "1 veto that" there was quietness for long moment then one of the young girls spoke: "we all voted for that so who is this old man to veto it why do we have to listen to him?" I was sitting where I could se his face. I really felt sorry for him at that moment -‑ then he got up and walked out. The next morning he called me and asked me to come to se him -- he was not really deeply hurt but really surprised and asked me to be truthful -- am I like that? I had to be truthful and say yes he was often like that. then he just asked God to forgive him and help him to be what God would have him to be. and will say God answered that prayer and that man was different - still strong in his faith and concern for the Church but was one of our most thoughtful and cooperative members. God IS good to use us even when we are sort of unusable like some of my memories of me (which I wont share) thank God for you all with whom I can share with love and appreciation for WHO you are. Just Me
7/30/2001