A Comforting Dream
Stories
Object:
Contents
What's Up This Week
Stories to Live By: "You Fool"/ "Us Who Are Being Saved"
Shining Moments: "A Comforting Dream" by Harold Klug
Good Stories: "Mercy, Mercy" by John Sumwalt
Scrap Pile: "The Souper Bowl of Caring" by Jo Perry-Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt
The story behind the story this week is just as powerful as the story. It happened when I was doing a visions seminar for the clergy association in Random Lake, Wisconsin, in the fall of 2003. There were three sessions at three different churches. When we came to the Lutheran church on the second evening, I asked if anyone had a vision experience to share, as I always do when I give these seminars. There were about 45 people present. At first I thought no one was going to speak. This is not unusual -- it's difficult to tell these kinds of personal stories in public. More often than not people come up to me afterwards and very quietly tell me their stories.
I waited a little while just to be sure, and just when I was about to move on an old farmer named Harold Klug stood up and said he was about to tell something he had never told anyone in church before. We were meeting in his church that night. Harold had probably been a member there for over 50 years; perhaps he had attended there all of his 80-some years. Harold said:
"Many years ago, I had my tractor hitched onto a new Case corn shredder and wanted to see how it worked. So I decided to try it out in the orchard, where the grass was about three feet high. My little four-year-old daughter wanted to sit on the tractor with me, but I told her she couldn't go along. She followed without my noticing. I ran her over, and she died in my arms as I carried her to the house."
You will have to read the rest of the story in this week's Shining Moments to see why it is shared here. You will see that what Jesus said is true: those who mourn are blessed and comforted.
I still get tears in my eyes when I read this story. We are grateful to Harold for being willing to share this wonderful witness to God's healing presence.
Stories to Live By
You Fool
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
1 Corinthians 1:18-19
Anthony Lewis recounts in The Poet Judge the familiar advice of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. to President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933: "In a war there is only one rule: form your battalions and fight."
But some say this was not the first time Holmes gave military advice to a president. On July 12, 1864, at Fort Stevens, just outside Washington, this perhaps apocryphal exchange occurred with Abraham Lincoln. "The President climbed a parapet. He had never seen a battle... The firing began... On the parapet five feet from him a man fell. Three feet away, so close Lincoln could have touched him, an officer fell dead. 'Get down, you fool!' a young voice shouted. Automatically the President stepped back. It was Wendell Holmes, angry and terrified. From the protection of the bulwark, Lincoln looked down at the white face streaked with dirt, at brown hair wild... 'Captain,' he said, 'I am glad you know how to talk to a civilian.' " (Catherine Drinker Bowen, Yankee from Olympus)
Us Who Are Being Saved
Perpetua, a native of North Africa, was just twenty years old when she was imprisoned for giving her life to Christ. Fortunately, Perpetua was imprisoned with five other Christians. This small band of believers continued to worship God and uplift one another throughout this ordeal. They all remained strong in their fight, confident that they were doing God's will. Perpetua reported that the suffering she experienced in prison only brought her closer to God and increased her joy and peace. Twice, Perpetua's father came to the jail and begged her to renounce her faith. He was from a noble, well-connected family, and he could have assured her freedom if she had cooperated. Though it broke her heart to refuse him, she held fast.
The day before they were executed, this tiny band of Christians gathered together and had an agape meal, an honored tradition in the early Church. Then, each of the believers was thrown in the arena with a wild animal. Most of the believers were gored to death, but the crowd protested the sight of Perpetua's body covered in bloody wounds, so she was removed from the arena and beheaded by a soldier. Somehow they thought this was more humane than death at the mercy of an animal.
(Edith Deen, Great Women of the Christian Faith, Harper & Row, 1959, pp. 3-7)
Shining Moments
A Comforting Dream
by Harold Klug
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
My healing vision from God came in a dream.
Many years ago, I had my tractor hitched onto a new Case corn shredder and wanted to see how it worked. So I decided to try it out in the orchard, where the grass was about three feet high. My little four-year-old daughter wanted to sit on the tractor with me, but I told her she couldn't go along. She followed without my noticing. I ran her over, and she died in my arms as I carried her to the house.
At the funeral, I could not stand at the coffin as people came up to grieve with me. I was so devastated that I cried every day for a full year. Then, I believe, the Lord decided I had grieved enough. The Lord is sometimes slow to heal, but He is very dependable.
I dreamed one night that I went into a cemetery that was underground. The caretaker asked if I would like to see my father. I said yes, and he pulled a slab out from the wall, and there lay my departed father. The caretaker then asked if I would like to see my daughter. I said I would, so he took me to a little creek, and there she was, picking flowers and happy.
This vision ended my life of grieving. I thought I would never laugh or smile again, but God showed me that all is well in His care.
My daughter, Linda, was the first to be buried from St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Random Lake, Wisconsin. We had just finished building it, and I was the head of the building committee. It still brings tears to my eyes to tell this tragic story, but the whole horrible experience made a better person out of me.
Harold Klug, of Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, is a retired farmer and a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Random Lake.
Good Stories
Mercy, Mercy
by John Sumwalt
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Matthew 5:7
There was once a little girl named Mercy. Isn't that an unusual name? Mercy didn't think it was unusual, because it had always been her name and seemed perfectly normal to her. In fact, her mom had told her that it was a very special name, which means to show kindness to someone in need or to forgive someone who has wronged you, even though they don't deserve to be forgiven.
One day, Mercy and some of her friends were playing tag in the backyard when a baby robin fell from somewhere overhead and hit the ground in front of them with a loud plop. When they looked up, they could see that it had fallen out of a nest in a large oak tree which stood on the edge of Mercy's yard. One of the children picked up the dazed bird and threw it into the air to see if it could fly. But the poor bird was too young to fly, and it hit the ground again with a thud. "Oh, be careful," Mercy said. "We mustn't hurt it. We must put it back in the nest so its mother can take care of it until it learns how to fly."
Very gently, so as not to harm it, Mercy picked up the little bird. She tucked it into the soft corner of her pocket, carefully climbed up into the oak tree, and placed it back into the nest with its brothers and sisters. The little bird seemed glad to be home.
Mercy felt very good about what she had done. But as she was thinking about how proud her mother would be when she told her about it, something terrible happened. She slipped as she was climbing down and fell out of the tree, right on top of one of her neighbor's prize-winning rosebushes. She didn't fall far, so she wasn't badly hurt; just a scratch and a couple of bruises. But the rosebush was smashed, and Mercy knew it was her neighbor's favorite.
When Mercy looked up, her neighbor, Mrs. Black, was standing over her, looking down at the broken rosebush. She had been watching from the window. Mercy was scared. She was certain that Mrs. Black was going to yell at her, and worse yet, probably tell her mother. Then she wouldn't be allowed to play with her friends for a week.
Mrs. Black helped Mercy up off the rosebush. It was broken near the base, and there was no hope at all that it could be saved. Mercy waited for the worst. Mrs. Black said, "Mercy, I saw what you did. It was very good of you to help that poor little bird. It was a kind and merciful thing to do. It's too bad about the rosebush. I know you didn't mean to break it, so I'm not going to say anything to your mother. But the next time you need to climb a tree, please remember to ask a grown-up to help you."
Mercy was very happy that she wasn't going to be punished. And she never forgot, for as long as she lived, how Mrs. Black had shown her mercy.
Scrap Pile
The Souper Bowl of Caring
by Jo Perry-Sumwalt
Since 1996, the youth in our church have participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring each year on Super Bowl Sunday. If you are familiar with this fund-raiser, you know that participating doesn't involve a lot of effort. Basically, all you need is an announcement in the bulletin or in worship for a couple of weeks in advance, several youth with soup pots, and a congregation with dollar bills and change. But the benefits are significant, and because it is so easy, any church can do it.
The Souper Bowl of Caring actually began in 1990 with the youth fellowship group of a single church in Columbia, South Carolina. The founder and executive director, Rev. Dr. Brad Smith, sees it as a way for youth to put God's love into action. He says: "The goal is for these young people to see they can make a difference and for them to continue contributing through volunteerism when they reach adulthood." To reach that goal, the organization encourages churches, schools, organizations, and individuals across the country to join in the fight against poverty and hunger by collecting dollars in soup pots on or near Super Bowl Sunday.
Youth from 15,000 congregations, schools, and other organizations are expected to participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring this year. Each group will donate the funds they collect to a charity of their choice, but will report their total to the Souper Bowl of Caring headquarters so nationwide totals can be announced to the media. None of the money is sent to Souper Bowl headquarters. In 1995, $1.1 million was raised by men, women, youth, and children across the country. In 2004, 12,759 groups raised $4.26 million for soup kitchens, food banks, and other helping charities in all fifty states, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Puerto Rico, and the Marshall Islands. Since 1990, over $24 million has been given to help those in need, most often benefiting local food banks, although world hunger organizations, denominational missions, and other international ministries have also been recipients of Souper Bowl dollars.
What a proud achievement from a simple youth group project! And what a simple way to get the youth of our churches involved in helping others. Check out the website at http://www.souperbowl.org or call 1-800-358-SOUP for details.
**********************************************
How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply click here share-a-story@csspub.com and e-mail the story to us.
**************
New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), is now available from CSS Publishing Company. (Click on the title for information about how to order.) Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Anne Sunday, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music. The stories follow the lectionary for Cycle A.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
You can order any of our books on the CSS website; they are also available from www.amazon.com and at many Christian bookstores. Or simply e-mail your order to orders@csspub.com or phone 1-800-241-4056. (If you live outside the U.S., phone 419-227-1818.)
**************
About the Editors
John E. Sumwalt is the pastor of Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee, and is the author of eight books for CSS. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (UDTS), John received the Herbert Manning Jr. award for Parish Ministry from UDTS in 1997. John is known in the Milwaukee area for his one-minute radio spots which always include a brief story. He concludes each spot by saying, "I'm John Sumwalt with 'A Story to Live By' from Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church."
John has done numerous storytelling events for civic, school, and church groups, as well as on radio and television. He has performed at a number of fundraisers for the homeless, the hungry, Habitat for Humanity, and women's shelters. Since the fall of 1999, when he began working on the Vision Stories series, he has led seminars and retreats around the themes "A Safe Place to Tell Visions," "Vision Stories in the Bible and Today," and coming this spring: "Soul Growth: Discovering Lost Spiritual Dimensions." To schedule a seminar or a retreat, write to jsumwalt@naspa.net or phone 414-257-1228.
Joanne Perry-Sumwalt is director of Christian Education at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee. Jo is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, with a degree in English and writing. She has co-authored two books with John, Life Stories: A Study In Christian Decision Making and Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit: 62 Stories For Cycle B. Jo writes original curriculum for church classes. She also serves as the secretary of the Wisconsin chapter of the Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF), and is a member of the National CEF.
Jo and John have been married since 1975. They have two grown children, Kathryn and Orrin. They both love reading, movies, long walks with Chloe (their West Highland Terrier), and working on their old farmhouse in southwest Wisconsin.
**********************************************
StoryShare, January 30, 2005, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
What's Up This Week
Stories to Live By: "You Fool"/ "Us Who Are Being Saved"
Shining Moments: "A Comforting Dream" by Harold Klug
Good Stories: "Mercy, Mercy" by John Sumwalt
Scrap Pile: "The Souper Bowl of Caring" by Jo Perry-Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt
The story behind the story this week is just as powerful as the story. It happened when I was doing a visions seminar for the clergy association in Random Lake, Wisconsin, in the fall of 2003. There were three sessions at three different churches. When we came to the Lutheran church on the second evening, I asked if anyone had a vision experience to share, as I always do when I give these seminars. There were about 45 people present. At first I thought no one was going to speak. This is not unusual -- it's difficult to tell these kinds of personal stories in public. More often than not people come up to me afterwards and very quietly tell me their stories.
I waited a little while just to be sure, and just when I was about to move on an old farmer named Harold Klug stood up and said he was about to tell something he had never told anyone in church before. We were meeting in his church that night. Harold had probably been a member there for over 50 years; perhaps he had attended there all of his 80-some years. Harold said:
"Many years ago, I had my tractor hitched onto a new Case corn shredder and wanted to see how it worked. So I decided to try it out in the orchard, where the grass was about three feet high. My little four-year-old daughter wanted to sit on the tractor with me, but I told her she couldn't go along. She followed without my noticing. I ran her over, and she died in my arms as I carried her to the house."
You will have to read the rest of the story in this week's Shining Moments to see why it is shared here. You will see that what Jesus said is true: those who mourn are blessed and comforted.
I still get tears in my eyes when I read this story. We are grateful to Harold for being willing to share this wonderful witness to God's healing presence.
Stories to Live By
You Fool
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
1 Corinthians 1:18-19
Anthony Lewis recounts in The Poet Judge the familiar advice of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. to President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933: "In a war there is only one rule: form your battalions and fight."
But some say this was not the first time Holmes gave military advice to a president. On July 12, 1864, at Fort Stevens, just outside Washington, this perhaps apocryphal exchange occurred with Abraham Lincoln. "The President climbed a parapet. He had never seen a battle... The firing began... On the parapet five feet from him a man fell. Three feet away, so close Lincoln could have touched him, an officer fell dead. 'Get down, you fool!' a young voice shouted. Automatically the President stepped back. It was Wendell Holmes, angry and terrified. From the protection of the bulwark, Lincoln looked down at the white face streaked with dirt, at brown hair wild... 'Captain,' he said, 'I am glad you know how to talk to a civilian.' " (Catherine Drinker Bowen, Yankee from Olympus)
Us Who Are Being Saved
Perpetua, a native of North Africa, was just twenty years old when she was imprisoned for giving her life to Christ. Fortunately, Perpetua was imprisoned with five other Christians. This small band of believers continued to worship God and uplift one another throughout this ordeal. They all remained strong in their fight, confident that they were doing God's will. Perpetua reported that the suffering she experienced in prison only brought her closer to God and increased her joy and peace. Twice, Perpetua's father came to the jail and begged her to renounce her faith. He was from a noble, well-connected family, and he could have assured her freedom if she had cooperated. Though it broke her heart to refuse him, she held fast.
The day before they were executed, this tiny band of Christians gathered together and had an agape meal, an honored tradition in the early Church. Then, each of the believers was thrown in the arena with a wild animal. Most of the believers were gored to death, but the crowd protested the sight of Perpetua's body covered in bloody wounds, so she was removed from the arena and beheaded by a soldier. Somehow they thought this was more humane than death at the mercy of an animal.
(Edith Deen, Great Women of the Christian Faith, Harper & Row, 1959, pp. 3-7)
Shining Moments
A Comforting Dream
by Harold Klug
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
My healing vision from God came in a dream.
Many years ago, I had my tractor hitched onto a new Case corn shredder and wanted to see how it worked. So I decided to try it out in the orchard, where the grass was about three feet high. My little four-year-old daughter wanted to sit on the tractor with me, but I told her she couldn't go along. She followed without my noticing. I ran her over, and she died in my arms as I carried her to the house.
At the funeral, I could not stand at the coffin as people came up to grieve with me. I was so devastated that I cried every day for a full year. Then, I believe, the Lord decided I had grieved enough. The Lord is sometimes slow to heal, but He is very dependable.
I dreamed one night that I went into a cemetery that was underground. The caretaker asked if I would like to see my father. I said yes, and he pulled a slab out from the wall, and there lay my departed father. The caretaker then asked if I would like to see my daughter. I said I would, so he took me to a little creek, and there she was, picking flowers and happy.
This vision ended my life of grieving. I thought I would never laugh or smile again, but God showed me that all is well in His care.
My daughter, Linda, was the first to be buried from St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Random Lake, Wisconsin. We had just finished building it, and I was the head of the building committee. It still brings tears to my eyes to tell this tragic story, but the whole horrible experience made a better person out of me.
Harold Klug, of Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, is a retired farmer and a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Random Lake.
Good Stories
Mercy, Mercy
by John Sumwalt
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Matthew 5:7
There was once a little girl named Mercy. Isn't that an unusual name? Mercy didn't think it was unusual, because it had always been her name and seemed perfectly normal to her. In fact, her mom had told her that it was a very special name, which means to show kindness to someone in need or to forgive someone who has wronged you, even though they don't deserve to be forgiven.
One day, Mercy and some of her friends were playing tag in the backyard when a baby robin fell from somewhere overhead and hit the ground in front of them with a loud plop. When they looked up, they could see that it had fallen out of a nest in a large oak tree which stood on the edge of Mercy's yard. One of the children picked up the dazed bird and threw it into the air to see if it could fly. But the poor bird was too young to fly, and it hit the ground again with a thud. "Oh, be careful," Mercy said. "We mustn't hurt it. We must put it back in the nest so its mother can take care of it until it learns how to fly."
Very gently, so as not to harm it, Mercy picked up the little bird. She tucked it into the soft corner of her pocket, carefully climbed up into the oak tree, and placed it back into the nest with its brothers and sisters. The little bird seemed glad to be home.
Mercy felt very good about what she had done. But as she was thinking about how proud her mother would be when she told her about it, something terrible happened. She slipped as she was climbing down and fell out of the tree, right on top of one of her neighbor's prize-winning rosebushes. She didn't fall far, so she wasn't badly hurt; just a scratch and a couple of bruises. But the rosebush was smashed, and Mercy knew it was her neighbor's favorite.
When Mercy looked up, her neighbor, Mrs. Black, was standing over her, looking down at the broken rosebush. She had been watching from the window. Mercy was scared. She was certain that Mrs. Black was going to yell at her, and worse yet, probably tell her mother. Then she wouldn't be allowed to play with her friends for a week.
Mrs. Black helped Mercy up off the rosebush. It was broken near the base, and there was no hope at all that it could be saved. Mercy waited for the worst. Mrs. Black said, "Mercy, I saw what you did. It was very good of you to help that poor little bird. It was a kind and merciful thing to do. It's too bad about the rosebush. I know you didn't mean to break it, so I'm not going to say anything to your mother. But the next time you need to climb a tree, please remember to ask a grown-up to help you."
Mercy was very happy that she wasn't going to be punished. And she never forgot, for as long as she lived, how Mrs. Black had shown her mercy.
Scrap Pile
The Souper Bowl of Caring
by Jo Perry-Sumwalt
Since 1996, the youth in our church have participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring each year on Super Bowl Sunday. If you are familiar with this fund-raiser, you know that participating doesn't involve a lot of effort. Basically, all you need is an announcement in the bulletin or in worship for a couple of weeks in advance, several youth with soup pots, and a congregation with dollar bills and change. But the benefits are significant, and because it is so easy, any church can do it.
The Souper Bowl of Caring actually began in 1990 with the youth fellowship group of a single church in Columbia, South Carolina. The founder and executive director, Rev. Dr. Brad Smith, sees it as a way for youth to put God's love into action. He says: "The goal is for these young people to see they can make a difference and for them to continue contributing through volunteerism when they reach adulthood." To reach that goal, the organization encourages churches, schools, organizations, and individuals across the country to join in the fight against poverty and hunger by collecting dollars in soup pots on or near Super Bowl Sunday.
Youth from 15,000 congregations, schools, and other organizations are expected to participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring this year. Each group will donate the funds they collect to a charity of their choice, but will report their total to the Souper Bowl of Caring headquarters so nationwide totals can be announced to the media. None of the money is sent to Souper Bowl headquarters. In 1995, $1.1 million was raised by men, women, youth, and children across the country. In 2004, 12,759 groups raised $4.26 million for soup kitchens, food banks, and other helping charities in all fifty states, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Puerto Rico, and the Marshall Islands. Since 1990, over $24 million has been given to help those in need, most often benefiting local food banks, although world hunger organizations, denominational missions, and other international ministries have also been recipients of Souper Bowl dollars.
What a proud achievement from a simple youth group project! And what a simple way to get the youth of our churches involved in helping others. Check out the website at http://www.souperbowl.org or call 1-800-358-SOUP for details.
**********************************************
How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply click here share-a-story@csspub.com and e-mail the story to us.
**************
New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), is now available from CSS Publishing Company. (Click on the title for information about how to order.) Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Anne Sunday, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music. The stories follow the lectionary for Cycle A.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
You can order any of our books on the CSS website; they are also available from www.amazon.com and at many Christian bookstores. Or simply e-mail your order to orders@csspub.com or phone 1-800-241-4056. (If you live outside the U.S., phone 419-227-1818.)
**************
About the Editors
John E. Sumwalt is the pastor of Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee, and is the author of eight books for CSS. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (UDTS), John received the Herbert Manning Jr. award for Parish Ministry from UDTS in 1997. John is known in the Milwaukee area for his one-minute radio spots which always include a brief story. He concludes each spot by saying, "I'm John Sumwalt with 'A Story to Live By' from Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church."
John has done numerous storytelling events for civic, school, and church groups, as well as on radio and television. He has performed at a number of fundraisers for the homeless, the hungry, Habitat for Humanity, and women's shelters. Since the fall of 1999, when he began working on the Vision Stories series, he has led seminars and retreats around the themes "A Safe Place to Tell Visions," "Vision Stories in the Bible and Today," and coming this spring: "Soul Growth: Discovering Lost Spiritual Dimensions." To schedule a seminar or a retreat, write to jsumwalt@naspa.net or phone 414-257-1228.
Joanne Perry-Sumwalt is director of Christian Education at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee. Jo is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, with a degree in English and writing. She has co-authored two books with John, Life Stories: A Study In Christian Decision Making and Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit: 62 Stories For Cycle B. Jo writes original curriculum for church classes. She also serves as the secretary of the Wisconsin chapter of the Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF), and is a member of the National CEF.
Jo and John have been married since 1975. They have two grown children, Kathryn and Orrin. They both love reading, movies, long walks with Chloe (their West Highland Terrier), and working on their old farmhouse in southwest Wisconsin.
**********************************************
StoryShare, January 30, 2005, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
