We Shall Meet Again!
Stories
Object:
StoryShare
Edited by John Sumwalt and Jo Perry-Sumwalt
Epiphany Sunday (Cycle A), January 2, 2005
Based on Revised Common Lectionary Texts:
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "We Shall Meet Again!"
Shining Moments: "Metacosmic Light" by Gail Ingle
Good Stories: "Treasure"
Scrap Pile: "A Dog Gone Good Year" by John Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt
There is a story behind the story in this week's Shining Moments. The author of "Metacosmic Light," Gail Ingle, passed on June 13, 2004, just before her story was published in Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives. We celebrated her life on a perfect summer evening three days later, in her church in the beautiful village of Genesee, Wisconsin. Her family and friends told of her great love for all of the people who crossed her path. One of her colleagues at Waukesha South High School, where Gail taught for over 20 years, related how much she was loved by her students, and how often graduates would return with their children to introduce them to their favorite teacher.
My sister-in-law Linda called me a few days before Gail died to tell me that she was near death. She said that Gail, who was her co-worker and friend, had asked to meet me. I went the next day, because Gail is the contributor of two marvelous personal stories to the Visions series and I was eager to meet her. Linda told me that Gail was at peace and full of love and light. She was right. I have never met anyone about to pass over who was so full of joy. Gail blessed me immediately with a warm smile. She thanked me for the opportunity to publish her stories. I told her what a blessing her brave witness had been to the many souls who had already read her "Dreams" story in Sharing Visions, and who would soon read "Metacosmic Light." I give thanks for a life full of loving and light.
A Story to Live By
We Shall Meet Again!
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage.
Matthew 2:11a
In a slum in one of the poorest parts of Mexico City, there lives a very ordinary woman who has become famous for something very special. On the small patch of ground outside her tumbledown shack of a home, every year she puts up a nativity scene. The baby Jesus (in the manger) is in the center, of course, but around him she puts dozens and dozens of figures -- people and animals -- figures of all styles and colors and shapes and sizes; odd figures she's collected together over the years, and continues collecting; figures people have brought from faraway countries, figures people have thrown away, castoffs from other people's nativity scenes. Some are just an inch high, others are several feet tall. But together they stand or kneel, gathered around Jesus, the Christ child. There is space for all of them, however diverse and different they are.
Shining Moments
Metacosmic Light
by Gail Ingle
For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.
Isaiah 60:2
I have been interested in spiritual matters for a long time. On May 19, 1989, I had a spiritual experience that I will never forget. I was at my friends' home to participate in a prayer/healing circle. We were all standing in a darkened room lit only with candles. My arms felt weightless and they involuntarily began to rise until they were above my head. Suddenly, I felt something like a bolt of lightning enter my head and go through my body. I began to cry. My friends asked me if I was all right, and I nodded silently. They told me they could see the colors violet and green surrounding me. I must have stood there for about five minutes with my arms straight up in the air before they slowly returned to my side. I felt extremely peaceful long into the night. When I got home, I sat down and wrote the following poem.
Metacosmic Light
Little white candles flicker
As the smooth pink crystals glow.
My arms lose all their feeling
When the energy starts to flow.
My wrists are pulled by magnets,
The force too much to bear;
I raise my arms to heaven
To seek the mystery there.
My hands stretch out and upward,
Stretch as far as they will go.
The light comes crashing through me
Like an arrow from a bow.
As the tears flow down my cheeks,
Friends are reaching out to me,
But I want nothing from them,
So they step back graciously.
When all the light has pierced my brain,
My arms shine violet and green.
My friends applaud my courage,
Delighted by what they've seen.
Now, my arms, demagnetized,
Fall silently to my side.
The warmth of love surrounds me,
For a part of me has died.
The little white candles burn down,
Though the crystals will always glow.
My heart is full of loving.
My life has begun to grow.
If you wish to send your condolences to Gail's family, write to us at jsumwalt@naspa.net and we will forward them.
(This story also appears in the Proper 8 [Cycle C] edition of StoryShare for June 27, 2004.)
Good Stories
Treasure
There is a nativity story about a man named Simon who was from the Congo. He had joined an English-speaking church two years before, but felt very awkward about speaking in church. He was self-conscious speaking English, and no one in the church could understand his native language, Kicongo. But on the morning of the church nativity play, things were different. Simon was assigned to the group of wise-folk (magicians, kings, and queens) who were to present the newborn Jesus with gifts. Simon was very tall, and he towered above the other wise ones. Clad in royal, magical garments, he was clearly in the spotlight, and he seemed to enjoy it. After offering the baby Jesus his present, he turned to the congregation and to everyone's surprise burst into song: a treasured hymn from his childhood in the Congo. And although no one else in the church that day knew a single word of Kicongo, everyone who heard Simon's singing, and saw his awkwardness turn to joy, heard and saw the good news of God for all people.
Scrap Pile
Excerpts from Our Christmas Letter: A Dog Gone Good Year
by John Sumwalt
Yes, it has been a doggone good year in Milwaukee. More about the "dog gone" part later.
Jo and I are in our eleventh year at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church. Jo is the director of Christian Education. Last year she introduced an innovative program called Rotation Sunday School which has increased attendance by 40%.
Together we edit a weekly online subscription service for CSS Publishing Company called StoryShare. And we just completed the third book in the "vision" series. We are promoting it shamelessly at every opportunity because we know what a difference these stories make in people's lives. (See our shameless promo at the end of this edition.)
I enjoy telling the stories from the books in vision workshops and storytelling events. Rosmarie Trapp, of the Sound of Music von Trapp family, joined me in a tour of four Wisconsin cities in June. The evening at Willow Valley, my home church near Richland Center, was a special treat. Jo and I made many new friends at vision events in Osceola and Plainfield, Iowa. It was while I was driving back from Osceola in February that I got the call from Jo that Eli, our beloved West Highland Terrier, had died. (Eli was named for the priest who mentored Samuel. We always give our pets biblical names.)
Eli was only ten years old and in good health. He grew up with our now adult children and was a great comfort to Jo and I in our early empty nest years. We buried him under the weeping willow tree behind our farmhouse in southwest Wisconsin. Eli loved going to the farm. He especially loved running free in the backyard, tracking rabbits, rolling in the lush green grass, and warming his belly in the sun.
In April we began an intensive renovation of the farmhouse. There are a number of new rooms, including the kitchen and bathrooms. We may be mudding drywall and painting for the next 15 years. Feel free to drop in any time -- and bring sandpaper.
We enjoy watching all kinds of wildlife from the new deck which overlooks the creek: the beaver as they build the biggest dam we have ever seen, a big white goose that can be seen swimming on the beaver pond every morning, raccoons, deer, turkeys, ducks, geese, mourning doves, kingfishers as they dive for fish, muskrats -- and one dear old widower blue heron who lost his mate 12 years ago when Dad and Mom were still on the farm. The crew that is finishing the maple floor this week reported seeing an eagle sitting on the limb of the cottonwood that hangs over the big hole just above the dam.
In August we adopted a seven-week-old West Highland Terrier puppy who is a delight -- most of the time. She is always into something, running off with one of our socks or chewing on something "verboten." Her name is Chloe, after an early church leader the Apostle Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 1:11. Her middle name is No -- as in "Chloe, No!!!" Sometimes we have to use her full name, which is "Chloe, No, Stop That!!!!"
Chloe has restored our joy. She loves to go to the farm. She especially loves running free in the backyard, tracking rabbits, rolling in the lush green grass, and warming her belly in the sun.
These excerpts from our Christmas letter are shared here as a New Year's greeting. Send us a copy of your Christmas letter, especially if it includes a good story!
**********************************************
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.
How do I get a free sample of StoryShare?
Discover for yourself the real value of StoryShare. Click here http://www.csspub.com/storysample1.lasso to see some of our weekly editions.
How do I subscribe to StoryShare?
Subscribing online is convenient using our secure server -- or you can all CSS toll-free at (800) 537-1030 Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM (Eastern Time) or send an e-mail to orders@csspub.com, and our customer service team will be happy to assist you. Subscribers receive weekly installments of StoryShare -- plus full access to the StoryShare archives -- for an annual subscription rate of only $19.95. A two-year subscription is available for only $34.95. We think this is the best value in preaching, teaching, and devotional resources available anywhere. If you don't agree we will refund the balance of your subscription payment. To subscribe online, click here http://www.csspub.com/css-secure/storysubscribe.lasso.
We invite you to forward this offer to all of your friends who are looking for good stories.
**************
New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), is now available from CSS Publishing Company. (Click on the title for information about how to order.) Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Anne Sunday, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music. The stories follow the lectionary for Cycle A.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
You can order any of our books on the CSS website; they are also available from www.amazon.com and at many Christian bookstores. Or simply e-mail your order to orders@csspub.com or phone 1-800-241-4056. (If you live outside the U.S., phone 419-227-1818.)
**************
About the Editors
John E. Sumwalt is the pastor of Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee, and is the author of eight books for CSS. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (UDTS), John received the Herbert Manning Jr. award for Parish Ministry from UDTS in 1997. John is known in the Milwaukee area for his one-minute radio spots which always include a brief story. He concludes each spot by saying, "I'm John Sumwalt with 'A Story to Live By' from Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church."
John has done numerous storytelling events for civic, school, and church groups, as well as on radio and television. He has performed at a number of fundraisers for the homeless, the hungry, Habitat for Humanity, and women's shelters. Since the fall of 1999, when he began working on the Vision Stories series, he has led seminars and retreats around the themes "A Safe Place to Tell Visions," "Vision Stories in the Bible and Today," and coming this spring: "Soul Growth: Discovering Lost Spiritual Dimensions." To schedule a seminar or a retreat, write to jsumwalt@naspa.net or phone 414-257-1228.
Joanne Perry-Sumwalt is director of Christian Education at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee. Jo is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, with a degree in English and writing. She has co-authored two books with John, Life Stories: A Study In Christian Decision Making and Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit: 62 Stories For Cycle B. Jo writes original curriculum for church classes. She also serves as the secretary of the Wisconsin chapter of the Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF), and is a member of the National CEF.
Jo and John have been married since 1975. They have two grown children, Kathryn and Orrin. They both love reading, movies, long walks with Chloe (their West Highland Terrier), and working on their old farmhouse in southwest Wisconsin.
**********************************************
StoryShare, January 2, 2005, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
Edited by John Sumwalt and Jo Perry-Sumwalt
Epiphany Sunday (Cycle A), January 2, 2005
Based on Revised Common Lectionary Texts:
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "We Shall Meet Again!"
Shining Moments: "Metacosmic Light" by Gail Ingle
Good Stories: "Treasure"
Scrap Pile: "A Dog Gone Good Year" by John Sumwalt
What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt
There is a story behind the story in this week's Shining Moments. The author of "Metacosmic Light," Gail Ingle, passed on June 13, 2004, just before her story was published in Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives. We celebrated her life on a perfect summer evening three days later, in her church in the beautiful village of Genesee, Wisconsin. Her family and friends told of her great love for all of the people who crossed her path. One of her colleagues at Waukesha South High School, where Gail taught for over 20 years, related how much she was loved by her students, and how often graduates would return with their children to introduce them to their favorite teacher.
My sister-in-law Linda called me a few days before Gail died to tell me that she was near death. She said that Gail, who was her co-worker and friend, had asked to meet me. I went the next day, because Gail is the contributor of two marvelous personal stories to the Visions series and I was eager to meet her. Linda told me that Gail was at peace and full of love and light. She was right. I have never met anyone about to pass over who was so full of joy. Gail blessed me immediately with a warm smile. She thanked me for the opportunity to publish her stories. I told her what a blessing her brave witness had been to the many souls who had already read her "Dreams" story in Sharing Visions, and who would soon read "Metacosmic Light." I give thanks for a life full of loving and light.
A Story to Live By
We Shall Meet Again!
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage.
Matthew 2:11a
In a slum in one of the poorest parts of Mexico City, there lives a very ordinary woman who has become famous for something very special. On the small patch of ground outside her tumbledown shack of a home, every year she puts up a nativity scene. The baby Jesus (in the manger) is in the center, of course, but around him she puts dozens and dozens of figures -- people and animals -- figures of all styles and colors and shapes and sizes; odd figures she's collected together over the years, and continues collecting; figures people have brought from faraway countries, figures people have thrown away, castoffs from other people's nativity scenes. Some are just an inch high, others are several feet tall. But together they stand or kneel, gathered around Jesus, the Christ child. There is space for all of them, however diverse and different they are.
Shining Moments
Metacosmic Light
by Gail Ingle
For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.
Isaiah 60:2
I have been interested in spiritual matters for a long time. On May 19, 1989, I had a spiritual experience that I will never forget. I was at my friends' home to participate in a prayer/healing circle. We were all standing in a darkened room lit only with candles. My arms felt weightless and they involuntarily began to rise until they were above my head. Suddenly, I felt something like a bolt of lightning enter my head and go through my body. I began to cry. My friends asked me if I was all right, and I nodded silently. They told me they could see the colors violet and green surrounding me. I must have stood there for about five minutes with my arms straight up in the air before they slowly returned to my side. I felt extremely peaceful long into the night. When I got home, I sat down and wrote the following poem.
Metacosmic Light
Little white candles flicker
As the smooth pink crystals glow.
My arms lose all their feeling
When the energy starts to flow.
My wrists are pulled by magnets,
The force too much to bear;
I raise my arms to heaven
To seek the mystery there.
My hands stretch out and upward,
Stretch as far as they will go.
The light comes crashing through me
Like an arrow from a bow.
As the tears flow down my cheeks,
Friends are reaching out to me,
But I want nothing from them,
So they step back graciously.
When all the light has pierced my brain,
My arms shine violet and green.
My friends applaud my courage,
Delighted by what they've seen.
Now, my arms, demagnetized,
Fall silently to my side.
The warmth of love surrounds me,
For a part of me has died.
The little white candles burn down,
Though the crystals will always glow.
My heart is full of loving.
My life has begun to grow.
If you wish to send your condolences to Gail's family, write to us at jsumwalt@naspa.net and we will forward them.
(This story also appears in the Proper 8 [Cycle C] edition of StoryShare for June 27, 2004.)
Good Stories
Treasure
There is a nativity story about a man named Simon who was from the Congo. He had joined an English-speaking church two years before, but felt very awkward about speaking in church. He was self-conscious speaking English, and no one in the church could understand his native language, Kicongo. But on the morning of the church nativity play, things were different. Simon was assigned to the group of wise-folk (magicians, kings, and queens) who were to present the newborn Jesus with gifts. Simon was very tall, and he towered above the other wise ones. Clad in royal, magical garments, he was clearly in the spotlight, and he seemed to enjoy it. After offering the baby Jesus his present, he turned to the congregation and to everyone's surprise burst into song: a treasured hymn from his childhood in the Congo. And although no one else in the church that day knew a single word of Kicongo, everyone who heard Simon's singing, and saw his awkwardness turn to joy, heard and saw the good news of God for all people.
Scrap Pile
Excerpts from Our Christmas Letter: A Dog Gone Good Year
by John Sumwalt
Yes, it has been a doggone good year in Milwaukee. More about the "dog gone" part later.
Jo and I are in our eleventh year at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church. Jo is the director of Christian Education. Last year she introduced an innovative program called Rotation Sunday School which has increased attendance by 40%.
Together we edit a weekly online subscription service for CSS Publishing Company called StoryShare. And we just completed the third book in the "vision" series. We are promoting it shamelessly at every opportunity because we know what a difference these stories make in people's lives. (See our shameless promo at the end of this edition.)
I enjoy telling the stories from the books in vision workshops and storytelling events. Rosmarie Trapp, of the Sound of Music von Trapp family, joined me in a tour of four Wisconsin cities in June. The evening at Willow Valley, my home church near Richland Center, was a special treat. Jo and I made many new friends at vision events in Osceola and Plainfield, Iowa. It was while I was driving back from Osceola in February that I got the call from Jo that Eli, our beloved West Highland Terrier, had died. (Eli was named for the priest who mentored Samuel. We always give our pets biblical names.)
Eli was only ten years old and in good health. He grew up with our now adult children and was a great comfort to Jo and I in our early empty nest years. We buried him under the weeping willow tree behind our farmhouse in southwest Wisconsin. Eli loved going to the farm. He especially loved running free in the backyard, tracking rabbits, rolling in the lush green grass, and warming his belly in the sun.
In April we began an intensive renovation of the farmhouse. There are a number of new rooms, including the kitchen and bathrooms. We may be mudding drywall and painting for the next 15 years. Feel free to drop in any time -- and bring sandpaper.
We enjoy watching all kinds of wildlife from the new deck which overlooks the creek: the beaver as they build the biggest dam we have ever seen, a big white goose that can be seen swimming on the beaver pond every morning, raccoons, deer, turkeys, ducks, geese, mourning doves, kingfishers as they dive for fish, muskrats -- and one dear old widower blue heron who lost his mate 12 years ago when Dad and Mom were still on the farm. The crew that is finishing the maple floor this week reported seeing an eagle sitting on the limb of the cottonwood that hangs over the big hole just above the dam.
In August we adopted a seven-week-old West Highland Terrier puppy who is a delight -- most of the time. She is always into something, running off with one of our socks or chewing on something "verboten." Her name is Chloe, after an early church leader the Apostle Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 1:11. Her middle name is No -- as in "Chloe, No!!!" Sometimes we have to use her full name, which is "Chloe, No, Stop That!!!!"
Chloe has restored our joy. She loves to go to the farm. She especially loves running free in the backyard, tracking rabbits, rolling in the lush green grass, and warming her belly in the sun.
These excerpts from our Christmas letter are shared here as a New Year's greeting. Send us a copy of your Christmas letter, especially if it includes a good story!
**********************************************
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.
How do I get a free sample of StoryShare?
Discover for yourself the real value of StoryShare. Click here http://www.csspub.com/storysample1.lasso to see some of our weekly editions.
How do I subscribe to StoryShare?
Subscribing online is convenient using our secure server -- or you can all CSS toll-free at (800) 537-1030 Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM (Eastern Time) or send an e-mail to orders@csspub.com, and our customer service team will be happy to assist you. Subscribers receive weekly installments of StoryShare -- plus full access to the StoryShare archives -- for an annual subscription rate of only $19.95. A two-year subscription is available for only $34.95. We think this is the best value in preaching, teaching, and devotional resources available anywhere. If you don't agree we will refund the balance of your subscription payment. To subscribe online, click here http://www.csspub.com/css-secure/storysubscribe.lasso.
We invite you to forward this offer to all of your friends who are looking for good stories.
**************
New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), is now available from CSS Publishing Company. (Click on the title for information about how to order.) Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Anne Sunday, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music. The stories follow the lectionary for Cycle A.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
You can order any of our books on the CSS website; they are also available from www.amazon.com and at many Christian bookstores. Or simply e-mail your order to orders@csspub.com or phone 1-800-241-4056. (If you live outside the U.S., phone 419-227-1818.)
**************
About the Editors
John E. Sumwalt is the pastor of Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee, and is the author of eight books for CSS. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (UDTS), John received the Herbert Manning Jr. award for Parish Ministry from UDTS in 1997. John is known in the Milwaukee area for his one-minute radio spots which always include a brief story. He concludes each spot by saying, "I'm John Sumwalt with 'A Story to Live By' from Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church."
John has done numerous storytelling events for civic, school, and church groups, as well as on radio and television. He has performed at a number of fundraisers for the homeless, the hungry, Habitat for Humanity, and women's shelters. Since the fall of 1999, when he began working on the Vision Stories series, he has led seminars and retreats around the themes "A Safe Place to Tell Visions," "Vision Stories in the Bible and Today," and coming this spring: "Soul Growth: Discovering Lost Spiritual Dimensions." To schedule a seminar or a retreat, write to jsumwalt@naspa.net or phone 414-257-1228.
Joanne Perry-Sumwalt is director of Christian Education at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee. Jo is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, with a degree in English and writing. She has co-authored two books with John, Life Stories: A Study In Christian Decision Making and Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit: 62 Stories For Cycle B. Jo writes original curriculum for church classes. She also serves as the secretary of the Wisconsin chapter of the Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF), and is a member of the National CEF.
Jo and John have been married since 1975. They have two grown children, Kathryn and Orrin. They both love reading, movies, long walks with Chloe (their West Highland Terrier), and working on their old farmhouse in southwest Wisconsin.
**********************************************
StoryShare, January 2, 2005, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
