A Gift Named Dyslexia
Stories
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Dwight L. Moody's Marvelous Shortcomings"
Shining Moments: "A Gift Named Dyslexia" by Constance Berg
Good Stories: "Hometown Prophets Don't Get No Respect" by Steve Burt
"A Prophet without Honor" by Jo Perry-Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
In this week's epistle passage, Paul speaks eloquently to the Christian community in Corinth about his struggles to serve God despite his shortcomings, and of his determination to persevere in the face of difficult circumstances. In A Story to Live By and Shining Moments, we share similar accounts of ministers who also strived to overcome their defects and allow God to use their strengths in his service. Then in Good Stories, we share a pair of tales about the painful fate that sometimes awaits prophets in their hometowns -- just as Jesus experienced in this week's Gospel text.
A Story to Live By
Dwight L. Moody's Marvelous Shortcomings
by Chuck Cammarata
This week's epistle passage (2 Corinthians 12:2-10) reminds me of the opening words of Psalm 127 (which I wish was the lectionary Psalm): "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Our particular strengths and weaknesses are much less important when it comes to ministry than the fact that the Lord is in us and in the work. Puny David defeats giant Goliath because "the battle was the Lord's." Gideon wins a mighty victory against thousands of Midianites with an army of only 300 soldiers because "in this way Israel will know that it was I (Yahweh) who won this victory." Moses, a stutterer with no army, stares down Pharaoh, one of the most powerful men in the world, because God was with him. God uses what is weak in the world to humble the mighty. God uses what is foolish in the world to humble the wise. God uses us, in all of our weaknesses, to reveal to the world a love that is unimaginable, and a life that is indestructible. Amazing stuff. The following story illustrates this truth.
***
Dwight L. Moody was one of the most successful evangelists in history. He was the Billy Graham of his day. But to people who knew him he was a source of constant wonder. One facet of this wonder was that the effects of Moody's ministry were so out of proportion to the actual quantity and quality of his gifts. He was not a great preacher, nor was he a charismatic person. He was a very ordinary-looking man who had not been ordained by any ecclesiastical group. Furthermore, he was uneducated (he never attended college or seminary), uncultured, and even considered uncouth and crude by many people who knew him and saw him at work. And yet God powerfully anointed his work, bringing thousands of men and women to Christ through him.
At the height of Moody's effectiveness (in the years 1874 and 1875), Dr. R. W. Dale, one of the most prominent clergymen in England at the time, attended a four-day revival led by Moody. Dale wanted to discover the secret to Moody's amazing power. What technique did Moody use? What skill or gift did he possess? After watching Moody for four days, Dale could find no organizational or ministerial secrets. After the revival ended, Dale spoke with Moody about his work. Dale told Moody that the power of the revivals most certainly lay in the work of the Holy Spirit, since he could see absolutely no relationship between Moody's personal gifts and what was being accomplished in Moody's revivals.
A smaller person might have been offended by this comment, but Moody simply laughed and replied that he would be very sorry if it were otherwise. Moody wasn't interested in people being impressed by him so much as he desired that men and women would be touched by the Holy Spirit and moved to follow God.
It was in and through the weaknesses of D.L. Moody that God did great work. In fact, it may well have been because of these weaknesses that God was able to draw people unto him rather than into a state of admiring D.L. Moody.
Chuck Cammarata is the pastor of Fairview Presbyterian Church in Fairview, Pennsylvania. He is the author of the CSS titles Lighting the Flame and Lectionary Worship Workbook, and editor of the funeral resources anthology Life Everlasting.
Shining Moments
A Gift Named Dyslexia
by Constance Berg
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
2 Corinthians 12:7
When Matthew met Rhonda, he was a youth director in a very affluent church. He had a large luxury apartment close to the church, respected the senior pastor, and had many friends in the congregation. Life was good -- but something was missing.
Matthew enjoyed working with kids. He enjoyed playing with kids. But most of all, he loved challenging them and seeing them grow.
One night at a restaurant, Rhonda asked Matthew how long his ministry as a youth director would last. Matthew was open and told Rhonda that while he had always wanted to be a pastor, he knew something was wrong whenever he would read. They were best friends and trusted each other. Matthew told Rhonda that he tried to go to college one semester, but he wasn't good at taking tests. He told her that while he was young his mom sent him to "reading camps," reading tutors, and remedial reading classes. It was a "thorn" in his side, he said.
The teachers had been puzzled: Matthew's level of comprehension was fine; his listening was great. But he couldn't write very well. The teachers couldn't offer a reason why. Matthew wasn't a loner like most children with learning disabilities. He wasn't a rebel like most of the children with special needs. He was polite and helpful. Surely he couldn't have a learning difficulty and be so courteous! No one had an explanation.
So Matthew was resigned that he couldn't go to college. He would just stay doing what was closest to being a pastor -- he would continue to be a youth director. Life was good.
Deep down inside, something was bothering him. Matthew couldn't fight the feeling that he wanted to be a pastor. He loved being in the church, in the sanctuary, in the pews. He loved working with the kids, visiting the homebound, and being with people as they mourned or celebrated. He really would have wanted to be a pastor.
At 25, Matthew enrolled at the state university. Slowly, painstakingly, he took a class, then another and another. He was going along fine -- until he had to take math. His eyes seemed to see one number, yet his brain was calculating another. He just couldn't get it. His friend Ed stayed by his side in the class, and together they struggled through college math - three times! The teacher saw Matthew struggling, and he admired Ed's encouraging remarks after the class. Matthew finally passed his college math, and he graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology with a high B average. He was ready to try seminary!
He and Rhonda, his wife of five years now, moved all the way across the country to go to seminary. He had finished his first year when one of the teachers took him aside. The professor was very matter-of-fact. "Matthew," he said, "you can't write, your spelling is atrocious, and you are the worst test-taker I have ever seen. I don't think you were meant to be a pastor." Wow! What a blow! Matthew walked home, determined to pack up and leave.
But Rhonda wouldn't hear any of it. They were 3,000 miles away from family, had finally had a baby, and she was working three jobs to put him through seminary. Forget it! One "high and mighty" Greek professor wasn't going to change all this. So Matthew enlisted the help of a director of a reading clinic, and it was there that he first heard the word "dyslexia." Matthew had a classic form of dyslexia, she explained. Parts of letters jumped from the page. Numbers were transposed. And much of the information was heard and instantly memorized to relieve the brain of the stress of trying to read. Wow! Finally there was an answer to this thorn in his side!
Matthew took their newborn daughter Kjrstin to the reading school. The reading director taught Matthew to read through a colored plastic sheet and draw a little picture or symbol on a note card to use during a sermon. She showed him countless tricks to help his brain capture information. What a blessing!
Matthew worked harder and harder. And it changed him. He passed Greek. Then he passed Hebrew. It was difficult, but Matthew wanted to get to the goal. The professors noticed a more confident man, one not afraid to ask or answer questions. At the end of his fourth year, at the age of 33, Matthew graduated with his Master of Divinity degree.
Today, Matthew works as a hospital chaplain. He loves the challenge of not knowing what his day will bring. He loves the knowledge that no matter what, God will carry him through. And he loves the fact that the experience of overcoming a learning difficulty has made him more sensitive to others facing life difficulties. He is thankful for the thorn that became a learning opportunity -- a blessing.
Constance Berg is a former missionary to Chiapas, Mexico. She is currently based in Bakersfield, California, where she serves as the director of 18 nursing homes for handicapped individuals. Berg is the author of three volumes of the CSS series Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit.
Good Stories
Hometown Prophets Don't Get No Respect
by Steve Burt
He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him?"... And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house."
Mark 6:1-4
Caroline grew up in Phillipsville, and she spent all her life there before going to college to study health and nutrition. Folks remembered her as a Girl Scout. Others knew her from church and school. Now, after six years at college and graduate school, she was back.
At first folks humored Caroline. Some, of course, listened seriously to her advice about diets, lifestyles, and exercise regimes. A few followed Caroline's personal example and became vegetarians, though that wasn't something Caroline advocated openly or for everyone. But she did explain vegetarianism to folks who asked for more information. When word got out that a handful of townfolk had become vegetarians -- despite their insistence that Caroline hadn't coerced them and that they simply believed it would add a few years to their lives -- many of the local farmers, who raised beef cattle and hogs for a living, took offense. They didn't get angry at those who became vegetarians; they got angry at Caroline.
"Who's that whippersnapper think she is?" Farmer Jones complained at the barbershop to Farmer Smith. Mr. Thomas, the delicatessen owner, said, "She'll ruin my deli business."
"Who'll ruin your deli business?" asked Jim Newcomer.
"That woman, Caroline Thretnuss," chimed in Mr. Lerner, the postmaster. "It's hard to believe she grew up here, isn't it?"
"She grew up here?" asked Jim Newcomer, an ex-Californian.
"Sure," said Farley the barber. "She's Sam and Molly Thretnuss' kid, ain't she, Jonesy?"
"Yep," answered Farmer Jones. "I'm surprised they didn't teach her better. She seems set on ruining this town and all it stands for. Imagine, telling folks to boycott eating meat. Telling 'em they'll live longer. The nerve of her."
"She oughta go back where she came from," said the barber.
"But you said she's from here," questioned Jim Newcomer.
"So what? She ought to either shut up with this nonsense or go back and live in that college town," Farley said sharply.
"I guess a prophet isn't heard in her own town," said Newcomer now, a bit of snippiness edged on his voice.
"Profits, you say?" said Farmer Brown. "What about our profits, our livelihood? Farley's right. She oughta shut up and forget this heart-smart nonsense or find another place to live."
"Darn tootin'," Farley the barber added on. "I remember buying Girl Scout cookies from her. She didn't have a problem then. Now I suppose Scout cookies and helping the local girls is off our diets, according to little miss medical expert, right?"
Caroline Thretnuss did leave her hometown six months later. A handful of people gave her a party and said she'd changed their lives and lifestyles forever. They also attested to feeling better overall. Most folks stayed the same. It remains to be seen if folks from the changed or the unchanged group live longer because Caroline Thretnuss came back home for a while.
Steve Burt is a United Church of Christ pastor and an acclaimed author of inspirational and horror stories. He has been the winner of the Ben Franklin, Ray Bradbury, and Bram Stoker Awards, and he is a multiple contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Burt is also known for his church leadership books and devotional material. For more information about Burt and his books, visit his website at www.burtcreations.com.
A Prophet without Honor
by Jo Perry-Sumwalt
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house."
Mark 6:3-4
There was once a young man who grew up in a small farming community. His father was of the third generation to plow, plant, and harvest the family farm. He milked 40 head of cows, raised pigs and sheep, and tended 150 acres of land with the help of his four sons.
The young man loved the land. He spent his childhood wandering its hills and valleys, swimming and fishing in its creeks, picking its wild nuts, berries, and fruits, and learning from his father all of the techniques of farming that had been passed down and learned and improved upon by three generations. And when he was old enough, Josh Watson decided to go away to college to study agriculture and learn even more ways to improve the family farm.
Josh's father was proud that his son would follow in his footsteps, and those of his grandfather and great-grandfather. His greatest desire in life was to have their family farm continue to be passed down from generation to generation. He went on farming with his three younger sons until the eldest, newly graduated from the university, came home at last to rejoin them.
It was only a matter of weeks after the young man's return, however, before trouble began to erupt. Josh began to share his newly acquired knowledge and ideas and bombard his father and brothers with plans on how to accomplish the farmwork more efficiently, more productively, and more safely. Not only did he openly criticize some of his father's methods, but began to lecture neighbors and friends as well. Contour plowing, eliminating the use of DDT, stopping runoff of manure and pesticides into creeks and rivers: each thing he suggested opened a new wound. A mid-morning coffee break at the cafe in town, or a conversation over the corn grinder at the feedmill, often resulted in harsh words and bruised egos.
"Who does he think he is, anyway?" the neighbors asked.
"Yeah, old Ben Watson would turn over in his grave if he could hear the things that young'un wants to do to 'his' farm."
"The kid's still wet behind the ears. Let him try his new ideas and fall on his face. That'll teach him there's a difference between real farming and book learning."
And when his own father admitted that the young man's ideas were too radical for him as well, Josh Watson became quite depressed and withdrawn. He began to consider his options, and within four months he left home to join the Peace Corps.
The young man traveled to strange, distant lands where food, water, and hope were scarce. He learned right away that attitudes everywhere were similar to those of his family, friends, and neighbors. But the young man had regained faith in his own ideas. He believed that God had led him to those who needed his knowledge the most. Within four years his careful planning and implementation ended the famine. New sources of fresh water were located and wells dug. Irrigation systems were devised and put to use. New farm animals were introduced for food and to provide eggs, milk, and cheese. Josh applied all of his training, and the farms began to sustain the people.
The folks at home continued to farm in their own familiar, comfortable ways. They read newspaper accounts of the young man's success and his letters, and they were thankful that he had found a place that "needed" his kind of learning, for they still believed that they did not. But the people whose lives were changed by Josh Watson's work praised him for his knowledge and skill. They admitted that they owed him their very lives, and thanked God for his presence among them.
Jo Perry-Sumwalt is director of Christian Education at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in suburban Milwaukee. She is an officer in the Wisconsin chapter of Christian Educators Fellowship, and is the co-author with her husband John of Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit and Life Stories. Jo and John served as co-editors of StoryShare for three years.
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StoryShare, July 9, 2006, issue.
Copyright 2006 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., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Dwight L. Moody's Marvelous Shortcomings"
Shining Moments: "A Gift Named Dyslexia" by Constance Berg
Good Stories: "Hometown Prophets Don't Get No Respect" by Steve Burt
"A Prophet without Honor" by Jo Perry-Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
In this week's epistle passage, Paul speaks eloquently to the Christian community in Corinth about his struggles to serve God despite his shortcomings, and of his determination to persevere in the face of difficult circumstances. In A Story to Live By and Shining Moments, we share similar accounts of ministers who also strived to overcome their defects and allow God to use their strengths in his service. Then in Good Stories, we share a pair of tales about the painful fate that sometimes awaits prophets in their hometowns -- just as Jesus experienced in this week's Gospel text.
A Story to Live By
Dwight L. Moody's Marvelous Shortcomings
by Chuck Cammarata
This week's epistle passage (2 Corinthians 12:2-10) reminds me of the opening words of Psalm 127 (which I wish was the lectionary Psalm): "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Our particular strengths and weaknesses are much less important when it comes to ministry than the fact that the Lord is in us and in the work. Puny David defeats giant Goliath because "the battle was the Lord's." Gideon wins a mighty victory against thousands of Midianites with an army of only 300 soldiers because "in this way Israel will know that it was I (Yahweh) who won this victory." Moses, a stutterer with no army, stares down Pharaoh, one of the most powerful men in the world, because God was with him. God uses what is weak in the world to humble the mighty. God uses what is foolish in the world to humble the wise. God uses us, in all of our weaknesses, to reveal to the world a love that is unimaginable, and a life that is indestructible. Amazing stuff. The following story illustrates this truth.
***
Dwight L. Moody was one of the most successful evangelists in history. He was the Billy Graham of his day. But to people who knew him he was a source of constant wonder. One facet of this wonder was that the effects of Moody's ministry were so out of proportion to the actual quantity and quality of his gifts. He was not a great preacher, nor was he a charismatic person. He was a very ordinary-looking man who had not been ordained by any ecclesiastical group. Furthermore, he was uneducated (he never attended college or seminary), uncultured, and even considered uncouth and crude by many people who knew him and saw him at work. And yet God powerfully anointed his work, bringing thousands of men and women to Christ through him.
At the height of Moody's effectiveness (in the years 1874 and 1875), Dr. R. W. Dale, one of the most prominent clergymen in England at the time, attended a four-day revival led by Moody. Dale wanted to discover the secret to Moody's amazing power. What technique did Moody use? What skill or gift did he possess? After watching Moody for four days, Dale could find no organizational or ministerial secrets. After the revival ended, Dale spoke with Moody about his work. Dale told Moody that the power of the revivals most certainly lay in the work of the Holy Spirit, since he could see absolutely no relationship between Moody's personal gifts and what was being accomplished in Moody's revivals.
A smaller person might have been offended by this comment, but Moody simply laughed and replied that he would be very sorry if it were otherwise. Moody wasn't interested in people being impressed by him so much as he desired that men and women would be touched by the Holy Spirit and moved to follow God.
It was in and through the weaknesses of D.L. Moody that God did great work. In fact, it may well have been because of these weaknesses that God was able to draw people unto him rather than into a state of admiring D.L. Moody.
Chuck Cammarata is the pastor of Fairview Presbyterian Church in Fairview, Pennsylvania. He is the author of the CSS titles Lighting the Flame and Lectionary Worship Workbook, and editor of the funeral resources anthology Life Everlasting.
Shining Moments
A Gift Named Dyslexia
by Constance Berg
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
2 Corinthians 12:7
When Matthew met Rhonda, he was a youth director in a very affluent church. He had a large luxury apartment close to the church, respected the senior pastor, and had many friends in the congregation. Life was good -- but something was missing.
Matthew enjoyed working with kids. He enjoyed playing with kids. But most of all, he loved challenging them and seeing them grow.
One night at a restaurant, Rhonda asked Matthew how long his ministry as a youth director would last. Matthew was open and told Rhonda that while he had always wanted to be a pastor, he knew something was wrong whenever he would read. They were best friends and trusted each other. Matthew told Rhonda that he tried to go to college one semester, but he wasn't good at taking tests. He told her that while he was young his mom sent him to "reading camps," reading tutors, and remedial reading classes. It was a "thorn" in his side, he said.
The teachers had been puzzled: Matthew's level of comprehension was fine; his listening was great. But he couldn't write very well. The teachers couldn't offer a reason why. Matthew wasn't a loner like most children with learning disabilities. He wasn't a rebel like most of the children with special needs. He was polite and helpful. Surely he couldn't have a learning difficulty and be so courteous! No one had an explanation.
So Matthew was resigned that he couldn't go to college. He would just stay doing what was closest to being a pastor -- he would continue to be a youth director. Life was good.
Deep down inside, something was bothering him. Matthew couldn't fight the feeling that he wanted to be a pastor. He loved being in the church, in the sanctuary, in the pews. He loved working with the kids, visiting the homebound, and being with people as they mourned or celebrated. He really would have wanted to be a pastor.
At 25, Matthew enrolled at the state university. Slowly, painstakingly, he took a class, then another and another. He was going along fine -- until he had to take math. His eyes seemed to see one number, yet his brain was calculating another. He just couldn't get it. His friend Ed stayed by his side in the class, and together they struggled through college math - three times! The teacher saw Matthew struggling, and he admired Ed's encouraging remarks after the class. Matthew finally passed his college math, and he graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology with a high B average. He was ready to try seminary!
He and Rhonda, his wife of five years now, moved all the way across the country to go to seminary. He had finished his first year when one of the teachers took him aside. The professor was very matter-of-fact. "Matthew," he said, "you can't write, your spelling is atrocious, and you are the worst test-taker I have ever seen. I don't think you were meant to be a pastor." Wow! What a blow! Matthew walked home, determined to pack up and leave.
But Rhonda wouldn't hear any of it. They were 3,000 miles away from family, had finally had a baby, and she was working three jobs to put him through seminary. Forget it! One "high and mighty" Greek professor wasn't going to change all this. So Matthew enlisted the help of a director of a reading clinic, and it was there that he first heard the word "dyslexia." Matthew had a classic form of dyslexia, she explained. Parts of letters jumped from the page. Numbers were transposed. And much of the information was heard and instantly memorized to relieve the brain of the stress of trying to read. Wow! Finally there was an answer to this thorn in his side!
Matthew took their newborn daughter Kjrstin to the reading school. The reading director taught Matthew to read through a colored plastic sheet and draw a little picture or symbol on a note card to use during a sermon. She showed him countless tricks to help his brain capture information. What a blessing!
Matthew worked harder and harder. And it changed him. He passed Greek. Then he passed Hebrew. It was difficult, but Matthew wanted to get to the goal. The professors noticed a more confident man, one not afraid to ask or answer questions. At the end of his fourth year, at the age of 33, Matthew graduated with his Master of Divinity degree.
Today, Matthew works as a hospital chaplain. He loves the challenge of not knowing what his day will bring. He loves the knowledge that no matter what, God will carry him through. And he loves the fact that the experience of overcoming a learning difficulty has made him more sensitive to others facing life difficulties. He is thankful for the thorn that became a learning opportunity -- a blessing.
Constance Berg is a former missionary to Chiapas, Mexico. She is currently based in Bakersfield, California, where she serves as the director of 18 nursing homes for handicapped individuals. Berg is the author of three volumes of the CSS series Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit.
Good Stories
Hometown Prophets Don't Get No Respect
by Steve Burt
He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him?"... And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house."
Mark 6:1-4
Caroline grew up in Phillipsville, and she spent all her life there before going to college to study health and nutrition. Folks remembered her as a Girl Scout. Others knew her from church and school. Now, after six years at college and graduate school, she was back.
At first folks humored Caroline. Some, of course, listened seriously to her advice about diets, lifestyles, and exercise regimes. A few followed Caroline's personal example and became vegetarians, though that wasn't something Caroline advocated openly or for everyone. But she did explain vegetarianism to folks who asked for more information. When word got out that a handful of townfolk had become vegetarians -- despite their insistence that Caroline hadn't coerced them and that they simply believed it would add a few years to their lives -- many of the local farmers, who raised beef cattle and hogs for a living, took offense. They didn't get angry at those who became vegetarians; they got angry at Caroline.
"Who's that whippersnapper think she is?" Farmer Jones complained at the barbershop to Farmer Smith. Mr. Thomas, the delicatessen owner, said, "She'll ruin my deli business."
"Who'll ruin your deli business?" asked Jim Newcomer.
"That woman, Caroline Thretnuss," chimed in Mr. Lerner, the postmaster. "It's hard to believe she grew up here, isn't it?"
"She grew up here?" asked Jim Newcomer, an ex-Californian.
"Sure," said Farley the barber. "She's Sam and Molly Thretnuss' kid, ain't she, Jonesy?"
"Yep," answered Farmer Jones. "I'm surprised they didn't teach her better. She seems set on ruining this town and all it stands for. Imagine, telling folks to boycott eating meat. Telling 'em they'll live longer. The nerve of her."
"She oughta go back where she came from," said the barber.
"But you said she's from here," questioned Jim Newcomer.
"So what? She ought to either shut up with this nonsense or go back and live in that college town," Farley said sharply.
"I guess a prophet isn't heard in her own town," said Newcomer now, a bit of snippiness edged on his voice.
"Profits, you say?" said Farmer Brown. "What about our profits, our livelihood? Farley's right. She oughta shut up and forget this heart-smart nonsense or find another place to live."
"Darn tootin'," Farley the barber added on. "I remember buying Girl Scout cookies from her. She didn't have a problem then. Now I suppose Scout cookies and helping the local girls is off our diets, according to little miss medical expert, right?"
Caroline Thretnuss did leave her hometown six months later. A handful of people gave her a party and said she'd changed their lives and lifestyles forever. They also attested to feeling better overall. Most folks stayed the same. It remains to be seen if folks from the changed or the unchanged group live longer because Caroline Thretnuss came back home for a while.
Steve Burt is a United Church of Christ pastor and an acclaimed author of inspirational and horror stories. He has been the winner of the Ben Franklin, Ray Bradbury, and Bram Stoker Awards, and he is a multiple contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Burt is also known for his church leadership books and devotional material. For more information about Burt and his books, visit his website at www.burtcreations.com.
A Prophet without Honor
by Jo Perry-Sumwalt
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house."
Mark 6:3-4
There was once a young man who grew up in a small farming community. His father was of the third generation to plow, plant, and harvest the family farm. He milked 40 head of cows, raised pigs and sheep, and tended 150 acres of land with the help of his four sons.
The young man loved the land. He spent his childhood wandering its hills and valleys, swimming and fishing in its creeks, picking its wild nuts, berries, and fruits, and learning from his father all of the techniques of farming that had been passed down and learned and improved upon by three generations. And when he was old enough, Josh Watson decided to go away to college to study agriculture and learn even more ways to improve the family farm.
Josh's father was proud that his son would follow in his footsteps, and those of his grandfather and great-grandfather. His greatest desire in life was to have their family farm continue to be passed down from generation to generation. He went on farming with his three younger sons until the eldest, newly graduated from the university, came home at last to rejoin them.
It was only a matter of weeks after the young man's return, however, before trouble began to erupt. Josh began to share his newly acquired knowledge and ideas and bombard his father and brothers with plans on how to accomplish the farmwork more efficiently, more productively, and more safely. Not only did he openly criticize some of his father's methods, but began to lecture neighbors and friends as well. Contour plowing, eliminating the use of DDT, stopping runoff of manure and pesticides into creeks and rivers: each thing he suggested opened a new wound. A mid-morning coffee break at the cafe in town, or a conversation over the corn grinder at the feedmill, often resulted in harsh words and bruised egos.
"Who does he think he is, anyway?" the neighbors asked.
"Yeah, old Ben Watson would turn over in his grave if he could hear the things that young'un wants to do to 'his' farm."
"The kid's still wet behind the ears. Let him try his new ideas and fall on his face. That'll teach him there's a difference between real farming and book learning."
And when his own father admitted that the young man's ideas were too radical for him as well, Josh Watson became quite depressed and withdrawn. He began to consider his options, and within four months he left home to join the Peace Corps.
The young man traveled to strange, distant lands where food, water, and hope were scarce. He learned right away that attitudes everywhere were similar to those of his family, friends, and neighbors. But the young man had regained faith in his own ideas. He believed that God had led him to those who needed his knowledge the most. Within four years his careful planning and implementation ended the famine. New sources of fresh water were located and wells dug. Irrigation systems were devised and put to use. New farm animals were introduced for food and to provide eggs, milk, and cheese. Josh applied all of his training, and the farms began to sustain the people.
The folks at home continued to farm in their own familiar, comfortable ways. They read newspaper accounts of the young man's success and his letters, and they were thankful that he had found a place that "needed" his kind of learning, for they still believed that they did not. But the people whose lives were changed by Josh Watson's work praised him for his knowledge and skill. They admitted that they owed him their very lives, and thanked God for his presence among them.
Jo Perry-Sumwalt is director of Christian Education at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in suburban Milwaukee. She is an officer in the Wisconsin chapter of Christian Educators Fellowship, and is the co-author with her husband John of Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit and Life Stories. Jo and John served as co-editors of StoryShare for three years.
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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.
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StoryShare, July 9, 2006, issue.
Copyright 2006 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., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
