Va-Va-Voom
Stories
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Va-Va-Voom" by C. David McKirachan
"Not So Dumb Idols" by C. David McKirachan
"The Extraordinary Son" by Ron Lavin
"Don And Ada And The Extraordinary Love Of God" By Ron Lavin
What's Up This Week
This time of year may seem dull. The holiday lights are put away, the hours of daylight are diminished, and gray skies often look overhead. Our readings remind us that God delights in us in many ways. He was delighted so much that he gave his Son to us to brighten our world. Seek to find ways in your community, your congregation, your family, and yourself that show God's delight. In this search, let this delight brighten your life.
Va-Va-Voom
By C. David McKirachan
Isaiah 62:1-5
I'm getting married in August. At my age to be getting down on my knee was a major undertaking. But it worked.
She said yes. Being in love drives us to do all kinds of strange things.
I asked the kids in a children's sermon what love was. One of the eight-year-old sages said, "First you get the flu and then your head explodes." Okay.
Something happens to us in this process of "falling" into love, something that changes our way of approaching the world. Love is an engine within us that sits idle in our normal living. It waits. And then the fuel of affection and intimacy and probably hormones all commingle -- a heady brew. But it is the spark of the presence of the beloved that alters the factors to a raging furnace and all the factors come to focus as our systems churn with new energy and power.
Such is the exultation of the bride and groom at a wedding. No matter their future, solid and hopeful or doomed, on that day there is a sense of victory and hope. All is possible. All is glory.
"I will not hold my peace, I will not rest, I will lift up righteousness as a burning torch."
I wish we could all fall in love. Regularly. I wish we could look at the world with that sense of gratitude and wonder that makes it shine so brightly it is hard to consider life without weeping. I wish we could know with all the humility of one amazed that we are loved, that we are "a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord."
But being a crown of glory and amazed by my beloved doesn't alter the problem of getting people to agree on what dresses to wear. Sounds like the church.
Not So Dumb Idols
By C. David McKirachan
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Paul had a lot of gall. How dare he tell perfectly wonderful members of the Corinthian church that they had worshiped dumb idols "... as their impulses led you." Impulses! Well! Obviously these were not good Presbyterian folk or he was gravely mistaken.
But gratefully, this has no meaning for our people. Our idols aren't dumb. They're smart and verbal.
There's the idol of Convenience. It precludes the necessity for sloppy human interaction with gifts like drive thrus and email and instant messaging and shopping on the internet. Hey, quick and easy... Sounds like a litany to me.
Then there's Comfort. It allows us to grow fat and ignorant as well as insensitive with gifts like Super-sized, non-nourishing trans-fat polluted fast food, remote controls for TV's that hypnotize and sell rather than inform and challenge, and people who act like preachers and insist on supporting our prejudices rather than challenging our idolatries. Where's the flag in your church?
There's the Bottom Line. It insists on ignoring social injustice and environmental destruction for the sake of the short run "practicalities" of business. (see above)
There's Nondelayed Gratification. It tells us we never have enough and it insists the good life can be had with plastic. It instructs us to guzzle everything because the object is obviously Convenience, Comfort, and the Bottom Line rather than any sort of appreciation.
And then there's Me First...
Nope, they're not dumb or stupid. And we, if we are in the Spirit are supposed to have given them up.
But I think too often we get to the latter list of gifts for the building of the body while we still worship the idols that entangle our culture and our lives. No wonder we have a hard time acting like the Body of Christ. We're still pagan.
But Paul knew this and the Lord knew this. We'll always be a mixed bag. It's not the idols that are dumb. It's us. I guess that's why love not perfection is the "more excellent way." God must love us. It's the only reason we haven't been deep fried long ago.
But does this mean I have to give up the heated seats in my car?
C. David McKirachan is pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury in central New Jersey. He also teaches at Monmouth University. Two of his books, I Happened Upon a Miracle and A Year of Wonder, have been published by Westminster John Knox Press. McKirachan was raised in a pastor's home and he is the brother of a pastor, and he has discovered his name indicates that he has druid roots. Storytelling seems to be a congenital disorder. He lives with his 21-year-old son Ben and his dog Sam.
The Extraordinary Son
By Ron Lavin
John 2:1-11
Jesus turned ordinary water into extraordinary wine ("the good wine" in John 2:10). This was a sign of what he would do everywhere he went in his ministry. He turned ordinary people into extraordinary saints (forgiven sinners). He did this because he was the extraordinary Son of God.
A story is told about a wealthy man and his son. This story is a manifestation of the sacrificial love of the extraordinary Son of God who died for the salvation of us all. That death on the cross is an epiphany that dawns on those who have ears to hear...
The father and son loved to collect works of art. They had everything in their collection from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. He gave up his life that another might live. The father was notified. He grieved deeply for his only son. About a month after the death, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
The young man said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day. I was wounded. He was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart. He died instantly. He often talked about you and your love of art." The young man held out a package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.
"Oh, no, sir," the young man said. "I could never repay your son for what he did for me. He died that I might live. The picture is a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home, he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later.
There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase them for their collections.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"
There was stone cold silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."
The auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100? $200?"
Another voice shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"
But still, the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long-time gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give you $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, that's all he could afford.
"Ten dollars is the bid. Won't someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, sold for $10."
"What about the other paintings?" a woman asked in a shrill voice.
"I'm sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything."
The extraordinary Son of God died on the cross to save us all. Anyone who takes him as Lord and Savior gets everything else the Father has to give.
The Son! The Son! Who'll take the Son?
Ron Lavin is the award-winning author of more than twenty books, including Turning Griping Into Gratitude, Way to Grow! and the popular Another Look series (CSS). He is the former Pastor-Director of Evangelical Outreach for the Lutheran Church in America, and pastured five thriving congregations, all of which grew substantially under his leadership. Lavin is a popular speaker and church consultant on the dynamics of small groups and evangelism.
Don And Ada And The Extraordinary Love Of God
By Ron Lavin
Psalm 36:5-10
The steadfast love of God extends to the heavens (Psalm 36:5). The extraordinary love of God is precious (Psalm 36:7). God's love extends to those who know him (Psalm 36:10). This extraordinary steadfast love of God was at work in Cana in Galilee as Jesus turned water into wine (the ordinary becoming extraordinary) as a sign of what the ministry of Jesus was all about (John 2:1-11). That's true enough, but what difference does it make for us today? A story may help to drive home the meaning of the steadfast love of God in terms of life today.
A young boy by the name of Don used to describe foods like spinach by saying, "I hate it." His wise mother responded, "Don't say you hate it. Just say, 'I'm not fond of it.' " She also taught her son that when he really liked some food to say, "I'm really fond of this." The boy said he was "really fond" of cookies, candy, and cake. His mother said, "Don, too many cookies, too much candy and cake can be bad for you. You can be fond of the wrong things." She told him about the things to be avoided in life -- materialism, immorality, and lying. More than telling him, by the way she lived she showed him the difference between the right things to be fond of and the wrong things to be fond of.
Don learned a lot from his mother. He learned to be fond of God and the ways of God. He watched her as she dealt with the hardships of life with a strong faith. He learned from her about steadfast love for people, especially difficult people. He was an ordinary boy who learned about the extraordinary love of God from his mother.
Later in life, Don was called into the ministry. At seminary he learned about the Hebrew word chesed. "That word means steadfast love, mercy, lovingkindness and faithfulness," his Old Testament professor said. "It's the most important word in the entire Old Testament."
When Don was called to his first church in Lebanon, Indiana, he took the theological definition of chesed with him. In the life of one of his church members he saw this concept put into action.
Ada Gleb was a widow who lived in a run-down house on the south side of town, "the wrong side of the tracks" as it was described by some of Pastor Don's church members. Ada's clothes were clean, but not expensive. She drove an old car. She never talked much about stewardship, but her actions spoke louder than words. She had experienced the love of God in Jesus Christ and she let that love show through her life and her giving. She put her faith into action by using money for God's work and for other people.
Pastor Don was faced with the task of trying to build up a very small, failing mission church that worshiped in a run-down garage into a vibrant congregation. Most of the members were not rich by the standards of the world. Ada Gleb was one of the poorest of the poor, but she was one of the top givers in the congregation. When her pastor asked her about her giving, she humbly said that as a little girl she had learned to tithe, to give ten percent of her income to the Lord through the church, right off the top, before bills were paid. She didn't have much income now, she said, mostly Social Security money, but she was glad to share it with her church.
The idealistic pastor visited Ada in her home and tried to convince her that maybe she should give a little less to the church and spend a little more on herself. Ada smiled. "You are young, pastor, and I know you mean well, but as you grow older and more mature as a Christian, you'll learn that giving out of love for God and people means setting the right priorities -- God first, neighbor second and self third."
Pastor Don had not learned anything about Christian stewardship in seminary. He had a very small salary in this struggling mission congregation, but he decided that if Ada could tithe on he little income, so could he. "Professor Ada" as he came to think of her, had something to teach him about stewardship.
The little mission church in a garage grew. The leaders decided to hold a building fund drive for a new church building. Ada's building fund pledge was one of the largest in the congregation. "How can you do that?" her pastor asked. "No problem," Ada responded, "I'll just take the money out of my savings account each month. Don't be so surprised, pastor. Maybe you've never heard the principle I learned as a child: 'You can never out-give God.' " "Professor Ada" taught the pastor a great principle about Christian stewardship. After he thought about the steadfast love of God, he raised his pledge from ten percent to eighteen percent of income that year.
After several years, the pastor moved to another church. When Ada died, she left him $1,000 from her small estate. The pastor still had a small salary and was tempted to use the money for his growing family. When he thought about "Professor Ada" and her example, he changed his mind. What would be in harmony with Ada's lifestyle and example? he wondered.
A recent high school graduate from his church had just been thrown out of her home by an irate father. She had come to live with Pastor Don, his wife, and their three small daughters. The young girl was smart, but had no money for college. In Ada's name Pastor Don and his family gave the $1,000 to the girl for school. She went away to college and eventually earned a doctor's degree in biology.
"Professor Ada" was fond of the right things. She was fond of God and his church. She wasn't fond of money used selfishly. She was fond of people who needed the gospel. She was fond of people who needed help. She helped people with money.
The pastor thought, "The extraordinary love of God stretches to the heavens. It is precious. You find it in the hearts of people who know God. Ordinary people become extraordinary when they know God and his steadfast love. Ada was one of those people."
(adapted from Only The Lonely by Ron Lavin, CSS Publishing Co., Lima, Ohio, 2006, pp. 95 and 96)
**********************************************
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 email the story to us.
**************
StoryShare, January 14, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 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
"Va-Va-Voom" by C. David McKirachan
"Not So Dumb Idols" by C. David McKirachan
"The Extraordinary Son" by Ron Lavin
"Don And Ada And The Extraordinary Love Of God" By Ron Lavin
What's Up This Week
This time of year may seem dull. The holiday lights are put away, the hours of daylight are diminished, and gray skies often look overhead. Our readings remind us that God delights in us in many ways. He was delighted so much that he gave his Son to us to brighten our world. Seek to find ways in your community, your congregation, your family, and yourself that show God's delight. In this search, let this delight brighten your life.
Va-Va-Voom
By C. David McKirachan
Isaiah 62:1-5
I'm getting married in August. At my age to be getting down on my knee was a major undertaking. But it worked.
She said yes. Being in love drives us to do all kinds of strange things.
I asked the kids in a children's sermon what love was. One of the eight-year-old sages said, "First you get the flu and then your head explodes." Okay.
Something happens to us in this process of "falling" into love, something that changes our way of approaching the world. Love is an engine within us that sits idle in our normal living. It waits. And then the fuel of affection and intimacy and probably hormones all commingle -- a heady brew. But it is the spark of the presence of the beloved that alters the factors to a raging furnace and all the factors come to focus as our systems churn with new energy and power.
Such is the exultation of the bride and groom at a wedding. No matter their future, solid and hopeful or doomed, on that day there is a sense of victory and hope. All is possible. All is glory.
"I will not hold my peace, I will not rest, I will lift up righteousness as a burning torch."
I wish we could all fall in love. Regularly. I wish we could look at the world with that sense of gratitude and wonder that makes it shine so brightly it is hard to consider life without weeping. I wish we could know with all the humility of one amazed that we are loved, that we are "a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord."
But being a crown of glory and amazed by my beloved doesn't alter the problem of getting people to agree on what dresses to wear. Sounds like the church.
Not So Dumb Idols
By C. David McKirachan
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Paul had a lot of gall. How dare he tell perfectly wonderful members of the Corinthian church that they had worshiped dumb idols "... as their impulses led you." Impulses! Well! Obviously these were not good Presbyterian folk or he was gravely mistaken.
But gratefully, this has no meaning for our people. Our idols aren't dumb. They're smart and verbal.
There's the idol of Convenience. It precludes the necessity for sloppy human interaction with gifts like drive thrus and email and instant messaging and shopping on the internet. Hey, quick and easy... Sounds like a litany to me.
Then there's Comfort. It allows us to grow fat and ignorant as well as insensitive with gifts like Super-sized, non-nourishing trans-fat polluted fast food, remote controls for TV's that hypnotize and sell rather than inform and challenge, and people who act like preachers and insist on supporting our prejudices rather than challenging our idolatries. Where's the flag in your church?
There's the Bottom Line. It insists on ignoring social injustice and environmental destruction for the sake of the short run "practicalities" of business. (see above)
There's Nondelayed Gratification. It tells us we never have enough and it insists the good life can be had with plastic. It instructs us to guzzle everything because the object is obviously Convenience, Comfort, and the Bottom Line rather than any sort of appreciation.
And then there's Me First...
Nope, they're not dumb or stupid. And we, if we are in the Spirit are supposed to have given them up.
But I think too often we get to the latter list of gifts for the building of the body while we still worship the idols that entangle our culture and our lives. No wonder we have a hard time acting like the Body of Christ. We're still pagan.
But Paul knew this and the Lord knew this. We'll always be a mixed bag. It's not the idols that are dumb. It's us. I guess that's why love not perfection is the "more excellent way." God must love us. It's the only reason we haven't been deep fried long ago.
But does this mean I have to give up the heated seats in my car?
C. David McKirachan is pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury in central New Jersey. He also teaches at Monmouth University. Two of his books, I Happened Upon a Miracle and A Year of Wonder, have been published by Westminster John Knox Press. McKirachan was raised in a pastor's home and he is the brother of a pastor, and he has discovered his name indicates that he has druid roots. Storytelling seems to be a congenital disorder. He lives with his 21-year-old son Ben and his dog Sam.
The Extraordinary Son
By Ron Lavin
John 2:1-11
Jesus turned ordinary water into extraordinary wine ("the good wine" in John 2:10). This was a sign of what he would do everywhere he went in his ministry. He turned ordinary people into extraordinary saints (forgiven sinners). He did this because he was the extraordinary Son of God.
A story is told about a wealthy man and his son. This story is a manifestation of the sacrificial love of the extraordinary Son of God who died for the salvation of us all. That death on the cross is an epiphany that dawns on those who have ears to hear...
The father and son loved to collect works of art. They had everything in their collection from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. He gave up his life that another might live. The father was notified. He grieved deeply for his only son. About a month after the death, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
The young man said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day. I was wounded. He was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart. He died instantly. He often talked about you and your love of art." The young man held out a package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.
"Oh, no, sir," the young man said. "I could never repay your son for what he did for me. He died that I might live. The picture is a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home, he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later.
There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase them for their collections.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"
There was stone cold silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."
The auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100? $200?"
Another voice shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"
But still, the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long-time gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give you $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, that's all he could afford.
"Ten dollars is the bid. Won't someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, sold for $10."
"What about the other paintings?" a woman asked in a shrill voice.
"I'm sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything."
The extraordinary Son of God died on the cross to save us all. Anyone who takes him as Lord and Savior gets everything else the Father has to give.
The Son! The Son! Who'll take the Son?
Ron Lavin is the award-winning author of more than twenty books, including Turning Griping Into Gratitude, Way to Grow! and the popular Another Look series (CSS). He is the former Pastor-Director of Evangelical Outreach for the Lutheran Church in America, and pastured five thriving congregations, all of which grew substantially under his leadership. Lavin is a popular speaker and church consultant on the dynamics of small groups and evangelism.
Don And Ada And The Extraordinary Love Of God
By Ron Lavin
Psalm 36:5-10
The steadfast love of God extends to the heavens (Psalm 36:5). The extraordinary love of God is precious (Psalm 36:7). God's love extends to those who know him (Psalm 36:10). This extraordinary steadfast love of God was at work in Cana in Galilee as Jesus turned water into wine (the ordinary becoming extraordinary) as a sign of what the ministry of Jesus was all about (John 2:1-11). That's true enough, but what difference does it make for us today? A story may help to drive home the meaning of the steadfast love of God in terms of life today.
A young boy by the name of Don used to describe foods like spinach by saying, "I hate it." His wise mother responded, "Don't say you hate it. Just say, 'I'm not fond of it.' " She also taught her son that when he really liked some food to say, "I'm really fond of this." The boy said he was "really fond" of cookies, candy, and cake. His mother said, "Don, too many cookies, too much candy and cake can be bad for you. You can be fond of the wrong things." She told him about the things to be avoided in life -- materialism, immorality, and lying. More than telling him, by the way she lived she showed him the difference between the right things to be fond of and the wrong things to be fond of.
Don learned a lot from his mother. He learned to be fond of God and the ways of God. He watched her as she dealt with the hardships of life with a strong faith. He learned from her about steadfast love for people, especially difficult people. He was an ordinary boy who learned about the extraordinary love of God from his mother.
Later in life, Don was called into the ministry. At seminary he learned about the Hebrew word chesed. "That word means steadfast love, mercy, lovingkindness and faithfulness," his Old Testament professor said. "It's the most important word in the entire Old Testament."
When Don was called to his first church in Lebanon, Indiana, he took the theological definition of chesed with him. In the life of one of his church members he saw this concept put into action.
Ada Gleb was a widow who lived in a run-down house on the south side of town, "the wrong side of the tracks" as it was described by some of Pastor Don's church members. Ada's clothes were clean, but not expensive. She drove an old car. She never talked much about stewardship, but her actions spoke louder than words. She had experienced the love of God in Jesus Christ and she let that love show through her life and her giving. She put her faith into action by using money for God's work and for other people.
Pastor Don was faced with the task of trying to build up a very small, failing mission church that worshiped in a run-down garage into a vibrant congregation. Most of the members were not rich by the standards of the world. Ada Gleb was one of the poorest of the poor, but she was one of the top givers in the congregation. When her pastor asked her about her giving, she humbly said that as a little girl she had learned to tithe, to give ten percent of her income to the Lord through the church, right off the top, before bills were paid. She didn't have much income now, she said, mostly Social Security money, but she was glad to share it with her church.
The idealistic pastor visited Ada in her home and tried to convince her that maybe she should give a little less to the church and spend a little more on herself. Ada smiled. "You are young, pastor, and I know you mean well, but as you grow older and more mature as a Christian, you'll learn that giving out of love for God and people means setting the right priorities -- God first, neighbor second and self third."
Pastor Don had not learned anything about Christian stewardship in seminary. He had a very small salary in this struggling mission congregation, but he decided that if Ada could tithe on he little income, so could he. "Professor Ada" as he came to think of her, had something to teach him about stewardship.
The little mission church in a garage grew. The leaders decided to hold a building fund drive for a new church building. Ada's building fund pledge was one of the largest in the congregation. "How can you do that?" her pastor asked. "No problem," Ada responded, "I'll just take the money out of my savings account each month. Don't be so surprised, pastor. Maybe you've never heard the principle I learned as a child: 'You can never out-give God.' " "Professor Ada" taught the pastor a great principle about Christian stewardship. After he thought about the steadfast love of God, he raised his pledge from ten percent to eighteen percent of income that year.
After several years, the pastor moved to another church. When Ada died, she left him $1,000 from her small estate. The pastor still had a small salary and was tempted to use the money for his growing family. When he thought about "Professor Ada" and her example, he changed his mind. What would be in harmony with Ada's lifestyle and example? he wondered.
A recent high school graduate from his church had just been thrown out of her home by an irate father. She had come to live with Pastor Don, his wife, and their three small daughters. The young girl was smart, but had no money for college. In Ada's name Pastor Don and his family gave the $1,000 to the girl for school. She went away to college and eventually earned a doctor's degree in biology.
"Professor Ada" was fond of the right things. She was fond of God and his church. She wasn't fond of money used selfishly. She was fond of people who needed the gospel. She was fond of people who needed help. She helped people with money.
The pastor thought, "The extraordinary love of God stretches to the heavens. It is precious. You find it in the hearts of people who know God. Ordinary people become extraordinary when they know God and his steadfast love. Ada was one of those people."
(adapted from Only The Lonely by Ron Lavin, CSS Publishing Co., Lima, Ohio, 2006, pp. 95 and 96)
**********************************************
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 email the story to us.
**************
StoryShare, January 14, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 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.
