A REAL CLOSE FAMILY SERVANT

Through the years, it has been my good fortune to cross paths with serving leaders who serve in various categories. One of the very best family serving leaders has been Sue's father, Hal Herweck, Sr. Sue and I were both divorced and came into each other's lives in 1976. From 1976 to July 4, 1979, we dated and sang together in the gospel group, "One Accord." Sue and I were married on that July date and blended our families together. She had two daughters, Jamie and Holly. Rick, my son, and I moved to St. Charles when he was four years old. Putting the two families together was special for each of us and was made easier than most situations such as this because each member of the family wanted the blending to take place.

Anyone who is or has been married knows that getting married not only includes the bride and groom (and in our case children), but in-laws also. Enter Hal Herweck, Sr. Hal is a great role model for everyone in our family. If you want to know how to treat your wife. look in Hal's direction. LaVerne, his wife, was, is, and always will be "The Queen." He lovingly and forcefully modeled how his children should treat their mother. If one of his children talked back to "The Queen," he would say the following: "Who do you think you are talking to?" "Would you like to pick your teeth from my fist?" He always opened the car or house door for his bride. He did so many things to make life as easy as possible for "The Queen" and his children.

When Rick and I entered the picture, he treated us as a son and a grandson immediately. We simply were part of the family. How often he and "The Queen" would take the grandchildren to their modest lake home. There, they would raise the American Flag with their granddad. Hal would take them fishing and they loved that.

Hal and "The Queen" loved to come to One Accord concerts. It was not unusual to find them traveling a great distance to hear us sing and more importantly be with a part of the family. Many times they expressed how much fun it was for them to be so heavily involved. When One Accord needed financial assistance, there they were.

My mother passed away 15 years ago Christmas eve. There at that difficult time in my life were Hal and "The Queen" giving their support. Five years later, my father passed away and they were there again. In time of need, they were incredibly present.

Now, to see Hal in the last days of his life having little recall of the many great times he enjoyed and made possible, is difficult to experience. However, he still knows who his is Savior and most of the time remembers the names of most of his family. He can't express himself like he once did, but you can still see the marks of Christ all over him. Would it not be a good thing to be able to see those marks on all of us?

SPECIAL SERVANTS

I feel I am especially blessed to have so many friends who are serving those around them in very special ways. Sue, of course, serves her family and those who write and those who enjoy Christian music. It isn't easy to do this living in St. Charles when the real thing to do is live in Nashville full time. That would be much easier. Her father and mother live here and she feels a real need to assist them in any way she can with their health concerns.

Ed Watkins has been my friend for many years. Sue and I often vacation with Ed and Janet. They are special "trench buddies." Everyone needs a trench buddy. Ed is heading up a very important program of how "Volunteers Impact Prosperity." Rick Warren sees this as a model for America. Ed is also heavily involved in MOHELA's seeding of a kindergarten program for 200 "at-risk" children who enter kindergarten next academic year. Janet, a great singer, leads the praise and worship of the Church of the Shepherd United Methodist Church, a place where the Gospel is both preached and sung.

Harlan Pals and Ben Blanton have been instruments God has used to help so many folks. Harlan continues to do volunteer work as co-chairman with Ed in the VIP program and is also helping in the kindergarten program. Ben furnished the building supervisor when we built Christian High School in O'Fallon. He more than encouraged the vendors to lower their prices and built an outstanding building where Christian young people can receive an excellent education. He was heavily involved in the building process of Lindenwood University. That project, my friends, is a modern day miracle.

Down in Springfield, Dr. Arthur Mallory is serving on more boards than I have fingers and toes. He is the founder of the Parents and Teachers program that he continues to say is "Missouri's best export." PAT is in every state and several foreign countries. Arthur is one of my heroes. He knows more about education than anyone I know and at one time was asked to serve as Secretary of Education for the United States. Too bad he didn't take that job!

Barbara Reibold and Beverly Thieme are nearly identical twins. I knew them at Greenwood where their beauty was never challenged. They are still beautiful physically and more beautiful inwardly as they endeavor to help needy folks with their Sunday School outreach. They cook a breakfast for disadvantaged people, go by and pick up many of them, see that their needs are taken care of and especially encouraging these people as they uplift them with not only a serving attitude, but by putting feet to all of this. By the way, Arthur Mallory is the teacher of this class.

I am growing weary of receiving phone calls from folks with political agendas. I am tired of Republicans and Democrats. I have made up my mind to find out what kind of leadership these folks want. Accepting more of the same greed and lining their pockets will no longer work. I want ONLY leaders who know what real leadership is all about. That leadership is called Servant-Leadership and only serving leaders need apply for my vote and my money.

THE SERIOUS AND FUNNY SIDE OF JESUS

A number of years ago, a book was written about the Humor of Christ. As I have read the Bible, it is interesting to see if you can find some things that might be taken as humor in the life of Christ as we view it from God's Word.

One day, Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and as usual, great crowds were pressing to hear His every word.He noticed two empty boats and stepping into one of the boats asked Peter to push the boat out into the water and He used the boat as His pulpit. I wonder what words came from the lips of Jesus! The Gospel of John ends with the apostle saying if all the words of Jesus were printed, the whole world would have difficulty holding them. Did He talk about how to end suffering? What about making enough money to survive? Perhaps He shared how to be a good parent. That would be a good word for the 21st Century.

When Jesus was finished speaking, He said to Simon: "Now go where it is deeper and let down your nets and you will catch many fish." Here was a non-fisherman telling the professionals what to do. Strange!! Peter shared with Jesus that they had worked all night and had caught nothing. The fish simply were not biting. In the King James translation, Peter said: "Nevertheless, we will do what you say. We have FAILED catching fish, NEVERTHELESS (faith) we will do what you say. Sue wrote a song for One Accord"s final recording project that was called 'Nevertheless.' Janet Watkins sang the thunder out of that song.

When the disciples followed the instructions of Jesus, they caught so many fish it appeared that the boat was sinking (FORTUNE). Following the success of doing what Jesus said, Peter realized he was a sinful person. I wonder, however, if Jesus didn't have an inward chuckle at the fruitless labor of professionals and then their success in following His simple instructions.

The entire experience is one many of us have endured. We have a task to do and FAIL. We take the problem to our Lord and with FAITH, believe His instructions, only to have FORTUNE as the result.

That's not a bad idea for a sermon: "Failure, Faith, and Fortune."

THE SERIOUS AND FUNNY SIDE OF JESUS