Another Brother

This time its Jeff.

Heart of gold, this guy. Best man at my wedding. He was so afraid of public speaking that when he gave the toast at the reception, there was nothing left in the glass by the time he got finished, his hand was shaking so badly.

He moved to central Missouri a long time ago as the Convention Coordinator at one of the resort hotels. In his spare time, he lived out a childhood dream by volunteering for the Fire Department. After being named volunteer fire-fighter of the year, he gave up his successful career in the hotel industry and took a job full-time as a fire-fighter.

Turns out he was pretty good at that, too. He's now the fire chief for the Osage Beach Fire Department.

He, too, is a die-hard Cardinal fan. The two of us appear weekly on a Sports radio show and argue about baseball. Funny how two guys who love each other as much as we do find so much to disagree about - but it makes for better radio, anyway.

He has a beautiful wife, Diana, and two wonderful children. Jeff, Jr. - a handsome and intelligent and athletic young man; and Erica, a young lady with a smile a mile wide and a happy disposition.

A Thought from a student of White Prvilege and its effects on the Church and America...

Without revealing for whom I voted or whom I supported in the election, I use this space for the following:

On April 15, 1947 a Jewish family in the Bronx was celebrating the Passover. The youngest child at the table, playing his role to perfection, asked the patriarch of the family the same question every other family was asking that night, as they had for thousands of years: "What is different about this night?"

The father's response altered the script, but spoke words that revealed how much had changed on that night: "What is different about this night is that a Black man is playing baseball."







Tomorrow, children all over America will be asking: "What is different about this day?"

The front page of Yahoo answers with this picture and headline:

AMERICA'S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT

From a Rock to a 'stone

Well, the day started at Shadow Rock in North Phoenix. It was covenant Sunday and I was present as they celebrated their 35th Anniversary and looked forward to their 36th year of ministry in the Southwest Conference.

Having heard about the beauty of their sanctuary, I experienced it for the first time. The discerning eye could pick out my house from the first pew, looking west.

In between services, I tasted the celebratory carrot cake (very good), and visited with members from both services. The enthusiasm in the worship was infectious, and children came crawling out of the woodwork to participate in the choir anthem.

I hustled from their celebration down to Tombstone - a town rich with history and legend. I do regret that my first trip there had to be such a short one - but I do plan to return soon.



The occasion was the Installation of their newly called Pastor, Tina Squire. The sanctuary was full, and adorned with red: hats, dresses, stoles, shoes, ribbons, purses, pins - you name it. The president of the church read from one of the town founders diaries, a George Parsons, and dressed as if he himself could have been in town in 1861 when those words were written. I felt right at home in my cowboy boots and Levis.

All agreed to leave their holsters and pistols at the door, and so we proceeded without rancor through the Installation. There was laughter, music, and great joy felt by all both in the sanctuary on historic Allen Street, and around the dinner tables afterward in the fellowship hall. My favorite line of the day? The President Patrick Greene, upon finishing the call to worship, announced: "Would you please stand and sing Come Holy Spirit if you are able?" (Did I mention there was laughter?)

It was a long drive there and back, but well worth the time and effort. I can't wait to go back - and when I do next time, I will take in more fully all that this beautiful place has to offer.