Sufficient Grace
Stories
Object:
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Prayer at Valley Forge"
Shining Moments: "Sufficient Grace" by Joyce Schroer
Good Stories: "Before a Fall" by John Sumwalt
Scrap Pile: "With Us Always -- Yes!" by John Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
We received one of those dreaded phone calls this week: "There has been an accident." Jo's sister was coming home from visiting her daughter's family, got confused at an intersection, and pulled out in front of a pickup truck. The news got worse after that, as I share in the Scrap Pile. The good news is that, however bad the bad news, "God is our refuge and strength" -- as Joyce Schroer writes in Shining Moments. Get a pail of wet sand and a waterproof tarp, and tell the "Before a Fall" story in Good Stories to the children in your congregation.
A Story to Live By
Prayer at Valley Forge
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea...
Psalm 46:1-2
When George Washington was leading his troops in the struggle for independence, he was greatly discouraged during the harsh winter at Valley Forge. A resident of Valley Forge, Isaac Potts, was walking through the woods when he heard a man praying aloud. He peeked through some trees to see it was General Washington himself! Isaac Potts later told his pastor, Rev. Nathaniel Snowden, that the prayer he heard was "a plaintive sound" coming from a man in need of divine help. Mr. Potts went on to say that he saw Washington on his knees, his sword on one side and cocked hat on the other. He heard Washington beseeching God for aid and direction. "Such a prayer," Isaac said, "I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying."
Shining Moments
Sufficient Grace
by Joyce Schroer
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear...
Psalm 46:1-2a
Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:8-9a
I recently had a most unsettling dream. It awakened me in the night and I could not go back to sleep. I dreamed that I was sitting on a creek bank and chatting with an unidentifiable friend, when suddenly I looked down to see an adder's den below our feet. I started to jump up, but the snakes had crawled up into our clothing and jackets. They frightened me, but not one of them bit me.
I awakened and thought, "What a strange dream. I ought to call my friend Mindy (who was always interested in dreams) and see if she can help me understand the meaning." Of course, by morning too many other things were on my mind and I did not give Mindy a call.
Two nights later, I had another unsettling dream. This time I was swimming. The water was murky and I felt something around my legs. Through the murky water I could see a huge sea creature. I jumped out of the water and onto the bank just in time, again without injury.
I awakened and thought, "Another strange dream! I really do need to call Mindy." Once more, I was too busy the next day to follow through.
Several nights later, I had a third unsettling dream. This time I was in a large house with many rooms, and I was part of a procession. There were six of us, walking from room to room in a most orderly fashion. We were carrying bowls of jello. As we neared the screen door, one person turned and exited, and the screen door slammed shut.
I awakened. I lay in bed and wondered, "What do these dreams have in common?" I thought and thought. Then I prayed: "God, I don't understand what these strange dreams mean, but if you have a message for me, please make it clear. You know that I can be rather slow and dense." Nothing came as I waited for God to speak to me. Then, before drifting off to sleep, the verse "My grace is sufficient for thee" came to my mind. I thought "OK, and thanks, God, but I still don't understand." My grace is sufficient for thee. I did not sense that I was going through a time in my life when I needed reassurance of God's grace. I decided I had waited long enough. I definitely needed to call Mindy.
Mindy has been one of my prayer partners for over ten years. There were six of us that covenanted with one another, and we met weekly for study and prayer. Over the years we became a very close-knit group of friends. Each one of us was different, and we all had different gifts. I appreciated Mindy's gift of insight and her expertise when it came to dream interpretation.
I called Mindy first thing in the morning. She answered, and I started with the formalities: "Hello, how are you?"
She said, "I'm dying!"
"What? Dying?"
Mindy proceeded to tell me that had I waited ten more minutes to call, she'd have been on her way to the hospital. Her cancer was back, and it had snaked its way all through her body. The tumor was so large it changed the shape of her body, such that she looked distorted; the treatment she was scheduled for was so severe that the last time she'd had it, she nearly died.
I told her that I thought I had a message for her from God: "My grace is sufficient for thee." I cried, and I told her how much I loved her and that she'd be in my prayers. Then I proceeded to look up 2 Corinthians 12:8. I have not had any unsettling dreams since.
Joyce Schroer is the pastor of First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) in Berlin Heights, Ohio. She is certified as a specialist in Christian Education through the United Church of Christ. Joyce is active on the Church Development Team of the Northwest Ohio Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of the United Church Homes.
Good Stories
Before a Fall
by John Sumwalt
"Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell -- and great was its fall!"
Matthew 7:24-27
Two boys were building sand castles on the beach beside the ocean. Both built very fine castles with beautiful towers, turrets, moats, and bridges. When they were finished, each boy in turn stepped back to admire his work. Both boys were very pleased with themselves.
The first boy went up and down the beach calling out for everyone to come and see his castle. When people came to look, he proudly pointed to his work and said, "I build the best sand castles in the world." Everyone admitted it was one of the finest sand castles they had ever seen. The first boy beamed and held his head up high.
A small girl came by and asked if he would show her how to build a sand castle. "Oh, no," said the first little boy, "I couldn't show you. My technique is a secret. If I show you, you might show someone else, and before long everyone would know how to build fine sand castles, and I would no longer be the best sand castle builder in the world."
The little girl hung her head and walked away sadly. Soon all of his admirers were gone, and the first little boy was left alone. When the tide came in and washed his sand castle away, he cried and vowed never to build another sand castle.
The second boy, after admiring his sand castle, began immediately to build another. As people came by and commended him on the beauty of his work, he invited them to join him. Soon there was a happy throng of castle builders all around him, including the little girl who had been turned away by the first boy. When the tide came in and washed their sand castles away, they all laughed and began to build bigger and better castles a little higher up on the beach.
Scrap Pile
With Us Always -- Yes!
by John Sumwalt
Jo's sister, Carolyn Sutherland of Viola, Wisconsin, died Sunday evening, May 15 at University Hospital in Madison from injuries sustained in an auto accident on Saturday, May 14.
They kept her alive until all of our immediate family was able to gather and pray with her. Carolyn was 64, had just retired, and was enjoying making the rounds visiting her five children and many grandchildren. She was returning from her daughter's home in Evansville when the accident occurred just south of the beltline near Madison.
We received word of the accident late Saturday evening. We knew she was seriously injured, but did not know her life was in danger. The call to come quickly came just as we had finished the last worship service Sunday morning.
This one is more difficult than the passing of Jo's father a few days before Easter. Lester was 93, infirm, and in pain. Death for him was a much-needed release which we celebrated as we gave thanks for his life. We were not ready to let Carolyn go. Our hearts will ache for a long while. It is hard to imagine life without her.
When I spoke in our family prayer circle before she died, I said, "This doesn't make any sense today. We were not finished with her yet. There will come a time when we will understand." I truly believe that, and it is not something I could have said with any confidence a few years ago.
We are struggling to embrace this mystery with faith. It is a part of the human journey that we have all had to face at one time or another. Jesus assures us, as he assured his disciples before his death, that he will not leave us desolate, that he will send a comforter to be with us. We felt that Holy Spirit moving through us on Sunday. There was a lot of love in that hospital room. For me, and I expect for all of us who were there, it was transforming. I will never be the same. I experienced a deep, abiding love that I know is unending.
It happened that I preached Sunday on the peace that Jesus gives (John 14:27). I shared a couple of stories that have been a comfort this week:
"A few years ago, Elaine St. John and a friend were riding down a twisting canyon road and somehow left the road. Their car ended upside-down in some bushes. Elaine's friend was thrown clear of the wreck, but Elaine was pinned underneath. Her neck was broken; she was completely helpless. Then a miracle occurred. Elaine should have been overcome by fear, she wasn't. Elaine writes that suddenly she was in the presence of God. She heard a voice in her head saying soothingly the words from Matthew 28:20, 'Lo, I am with you always.' She felt complete peace as her friend eased Elaine's broken body out of the car. She didn't panic or go into shock. Throughout the whole frantic evening, Elaine remained calm. She knew she was wrapped in God's love, so she didn't need to fear."
The second story is from James Van Praagh's book Healing Grief: Reclaiming Life After Any Loss. He shares the witness of a woman named Joerdie whose son died in an explosion and fire in his home:
"I can barely remember what life was like before December 17, 1997. It seems that life before was a blur, and life now is clearer and filled with more light and love. The sudden passing of our son changed the lives of many people.... When Ian crossed over... he opened doors for us to discover and experience the eternal life of the spirit. He helped us to remember that we are indeed spiritual beings having a human experience. The night before Ian passed over a dear friend of mine came to me in a dream. She was dressed all in white and told me to meditate on three things upon waking: (1) Death is never an accident. (2) There are no coincidences. (3) Only love is real. The next morning, I told my husband about the dream and how peaceful my sleep had been. It was that very evening when the emergency room physician told us that Ian's injuries had taken his life. I knew then that Ian wasn't really gone. Instead I felt that Ian's spirit was released to a place of love and peace." (James Van Praagh, Healing Grief, New American Library, 2000, pp. 111-112)
Carolyn's oldest daughter, our niece Ellen (whose home Carolyn had been visiting), related a remarkable event to Jo that occurred after her 4th grade daughter, Lauren, returned to school on Monday. (Lauren was the flower girl in our daughter's wedding.) She told her classmates about her grandmother's passing. That night Ellen received a call from the mother of one of the boys in the class. She told Ellen that she had come upon the scene of the accident on Saturday. Another near neighbor of Ellen's who is a paramedic stopped at the same time. The two of them, along with the other driver (who had already taken off his sweatshirt and covered Carolyn with it to keep her warm), released her from the seat belt so she could breathe more easily. She was able to tell them that her name was Carolyn. They all wrapped their arms around her and assured her that she was loved and stayed with her until the helicopter came to med-flight her to the hospital. The woman said to Ellen, "Your mother was never alone."
Please keep our family in your prayers.
**********************************************
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
**************
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, May 29, 2005, issue.
Copyright 2005 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
A Story to Live By: "Prayer at Valley Forge"
Shining Moments: "Sufficient Grace" by Joyce Schroer
Good Stories: "Before a Fall" by John Sumwalt
Scrap Pile: "With Us Always -- Yes!" by John Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
We received one of those dreaded phone calls this week: "There has been an accident." Jo's sister was coming home from visiting her daughter's family, got confused at an intersection, and pulled out in front of a pickup truck. The news got worse after that, as I share in the Scrap Pile. The good news is that, however bad the bad news, "God is our refuge and strength" -- as Joyce Schroer writes in Shining Moments. Get a pail of wet sand and a waterproof tarp, and tell the "Before a Fall" story in Good Stories to the children in your congregation.
A Story to Live By
Prayer at Valley Forge
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea...
Psalm 46:1-2
When George Washington was leading his troops in the struggle for independence, he was greatly discouraged during the harsh winter at Valley Forge. A resident of Valley Forge, Isaac Potts, was walking through the woods when he heard a man praying aloud. He peeked through some trees to see it was General Washington himself! Isaac Potts later told his pastor, Rev. Nathaniel Snowden, that the prayer he heard was "a plaintive sound" coming from a man in need of divine help. Mr. Potts went on to say that he saw Washington on his knees, his sword on one side and cocked hat on the other. He heard Washington beseeching God for aid and direction. "Such a prayer," Isaac said, "I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying."
Shining Moments
Sufficient Grace
by Joyce Schroer
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear...
Psalm 46:1-2a
Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:8-9a
I recently had a most unsettling dream. It awakened me in the night and I could not go back to sleep. I dreamed that I was sitting on a creek bank and chatting with an unidentifiable friend, when suddenly I looked down to see an adder's den below our feet. I started to jump up, but the snakes had crawled up into our clothing and jackets. They frightened me, but not one of them bit me.
I awakened and thought, "What a strange dream. I ought to call my friend Mindy (who was always interested in dreams) and see if she can help me understand the meaning." Of course, by morning too many other things were on my mind and I did not give Mindy a call.
Two nights later, I had another unsettling dream. This time I was swimming. The water was murky and I felt something around my legs. Through the murky water I could see a huge sea creature. I jumped out of the water and onto the bank just in time, again without injury.
I awakened and thought, "Another strange dream! I really do need to call Mindy." Once more, I was too busy the next day to follow through.
Several nights later, I had a third unsettling dream. This time I was in a large house with many rooms, and I was part of a procession. There were six of us, walking from room to room in a most orderly fashion. We were carrying bowls of jello. As we neared the screen door, one person turned and exited, and the screen door slammed shut.
I awakened. I lay in bed and wondered, "What do these dreams have in common?" I thought and thought. Then I prayed: "God, I don't understand what these strange dreams mean, but if you have a message for me, please make it clear. You know that I can be rather slow and dense." Nothing came as I waited for God to speak to me. Then, before drifting off to sleep, the verse "My grace is sufficient for thee" came to my mind. I thought "OK, and thanks, God, but I still don't understand." My grace is sufficient for thee. I did not sense that I was going through a time in my life when I needed reassurance of God's grace. I decided I had waited long enough. I definitely needed to call Mindy.
Mindy has been one of my prayer partners for over ten years. There were six of us that covenanted with one another, and we met weekly for study and prayer. Over the years we became a very close-knit group of friends. Each one of us was different, and we all had different gifts. I appreciated Mindy's gift of insight and her expertise when it came to dream interpretation.
I called Mindy first thing in the morning. She answered, and I started with the formalities: "Hello, how are you?"
She said, "I'm dying!"
"What? Dying?"
Mindy proceeded to tell me that had I waited ten more minutes to call, she'd have been on her way to the hospital. Her cancer was back, and it had snaked its way all through her body. The tumor was so large it changed the shape of her body, such that she looked distorted; the treatment she was scheduled for was so severe that the last time she'd had it, she nearly died.
I told her that I thought I had a message for her from God: "My grace is sufficient for thee." I cried, and I told her how much I loved her and that she'd be in my prayers. Then I proceeded to look up 2 Corinthians 12:8. I have not had any unsettling dreams since.
Joyce Schroer is the pastor of First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) in Berlin Heights, Ohio. She is certified as a specialist in Christian Education through the United Church of Christ. Joyce is active on the Church Development Team of the Northwest Ohio Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of the United Church Homes.
Good Stories
Before a Fall
by John Sumwalt
"Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell -- and great was its fall!"
Matthew 7:24-27
Two boys were building sand castles on the beach beside the ocean. Both built very fine castles with beautiful towers, turrets, moats, and bridges. When they were finished, each boy in turn stepped back to admire his work. Both boys were very pleased with themselves.
The first boy went up and down the beach calling out for everyone to come and see his castle. When people came to look, he proudly pointed to his work and said, "I build the best sand castles in the world." Everyone admitted it was one of the finest sand castles they had ever seen. The first boy beamed and held his head up high.
A small girl came by and asked if he would show her how to build a sand castle. "Oh, no," said the first little boy, "I couldn't show you. My technique is a secret. If I show you, you might show someone else, and before long everyone would know how to build fine sand castles, and I would no longer be the best sand castle builder in the world."
The little girl hung her head and walked away sadly. Soon all of his admirers were gone, and the first little boy was left alone. When the tide came in and washed his sand castle away, he cried and vowed never to build another sand castle.
The second boy, after admiring his sand castle, began immediately to build another. As people came by and commended him on the beauty of his work, he invited them to join him. Soon there was a happy throng of castle builders all around him, including the little girl who had been turned away by the first boy. When the tide came in and washed their sand castles away, they all laughed and began to build bigger and better castles a little higher up on the beach.
Scrap Pile
With Us Always -- Yes!
by John Sumwalt
Jo's sister, Carolyn Sutherland of Viola, Wisconsin, died Sunday evening, May 15 at University Hospital in Madison from injuries sustained in an auto accident on Saturday, May 14.
They kept her alive until all of our immediate family was able to gather and pray with her. Carolyn was 64, had just retired, and was enjoying making the rounds visiting her five children and many grandchildren. She was returning from her daughter's home in Evansville when the accident occurred just south of the beltline near Madison.
We received word of the accident late Saturday evening. We knew she was seriously injured, but did not know her life was in danger. The call to come quickly came just as we had finished the last worship service Sunday morning.
This one is more difficult than the passing of Jo's father a few days before Easter. Lester was 93, infirm, and in pain. Death for him was a much-needed release which we celebrated as we gave thanks for his life. We were not ready to let Carolyn go. Our hearts will ache for a long while. It is hard to imagine life without her.
When I spoke in our family prayer circle before she died, I said, "This doesn't make any sense today. We were not finished with her yet. There will come a time when we will understand." I truly believe that, and it is not something I could have said with any confidence a few years ago.
We are struggling to embrace this mystery with faith. It is a part of the human journey that we have all had to face at one time or another. Jesus assures us, as he assured his disciples before his death, that he will not leave us desolate, that he will send a comforter to be with us. We felt that Holy Spirit moving through us on Sunday. There was a lot of love in that hospital room. For me, and I expect for all of us who were there, it was transforming. I will never be the same. I experienced a deep, abiding love that I know is unending.
It happened that I preached Sunday on the peace that Jesus gives (John 14:27). I shared a couple of stories that have been a comfort this week:
"A few years ago, Elaine St. John and a friend were riding down a twisting canyon road and somehow left the road. Their car ended upside-down in some bushes. Elaine's friend was thrown clear of the wreck, but Elaine was pinned underneath. Her neck was broken; she was completely helpless. Then a miracle occurred. Elaine should have been overcome by fear, she wasn't. Elaine writes that suddenly she was in the presence of God. She heard a voice in her head saying soothingly the words from Matthew 28:20, 'Lo, I am with you always.' She felt complete peace as her friend eased Elaine's broken body out of the car. She didn't panic or go into shock. Throughout the whole frantic evening, Elaine remained calm. She knew she was wrapped in God's love, so she didn't need to fear."
The second story is from James Van Praagh's book Healing Grief: Reclaiming Life After Any Loss. He shares the witness of a woman named Joerdie whose son died in an explosion and fire in his home:
"I can barely remember what life was like before December 17, 1997. It seems that life before was a blur, and life now is clearer and filled with more light and love. The sudden passing of our son changed the lives of many people.... When Ian crossed over... he opened doors for us to discover and experience the eternal life of the spirit. He helped us to remember that we are indeed spiritual beings having a human experience. The night before Ian passed over a dear friend of mine came to me in a dream. She was dressed all in white and told me to meditate on three things upon waking: (1) Death is never an accident. (2) There are no coincidences. (3) Only love is real. The next morning, I told my husband about the dream and how peaceful my sleep had been. It was that very evening when the emergency room physician told us that Ian's injuries had taken his life. I knew then that Ian wasn't really gone. Instead I felt that Ian's spirit was released to a place of love and peace." (James Van Praagh, Healing Grief, New American Library, 2000, pp. 111-112)
Carolyn's oldest daughter, our niece Ellen (whose home Carolyn had been visiting), related a remarkable event to Jo that occurred after her 4th grade daughter, Lauren, returned to school on Monday. (Lauren was the flower girl in our daughter's wedding.) She told her classmates about her grandmother's passing. That night Ellen received a call from the mother of one of the boys in the class. She told Ellen that she had come upon the scene of the accident on Saturday. Another near neighbor of Ellen's who is a paramedic stopped at the same time. The two of them, along with the other driver (who had already taken off his sweatshirt and covered Carolyn with it to keep her warm), released her from the seat belt so she could breathe more easily. She was able to tell them that her name was Carolyn. They all wrapped their arms around her and assured her that she was loved and stayed with her until the helicopter came to med-flight her to the hospital. The woman said to Ellen, "Your mother was never alone."
Please keep our family in your prayers.
**********************************************
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
**************
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, May 29, 2005, issue.
Copyright 2005 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.
