Goodbye Pastor Joel

Saying for the Day-It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference."-- Tom Brokaw, Journalist

I almost don’t want to go to church today. It is going to be one of those sad happy days. We are celebrating Pastor Joel’s ministry on the last Sunday he will be with us. On Wednesday he retires from the active ministry. Then he and his wife will join a different Lutheran Church so that he won’t be in the way of the next pastor. Pastor Joel was and is everything I could want in a pastor. He loved Jesus and preached biblically based sermons. He had respect for liturgy but saw it as a tool for praising God and not a straightjacket . He loves to sing Jesus Loves me and do all the motions. He taught that Jesus called us to a life of service. His confirmands served meals at the shelter, built tables for Habitat for Humanity, and served in other ways as well. He put together what he called a softball team but was really a work group that helped people in a wide variety of ways. He was ecumenical and St. Marks has a great relationship with the nearest Catholic Church. He is one very special Pastor. He will be missed.
So I feel sad and yet I want to be part of the celebration that tells him how much we appreciated his ministry. So I will go to church and rejoice with tears. A sad happy day indeed.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. Pastor Joan talked about Halloween as a Church holiday so corrupted by American nonsense that it bears no real relationship to its roots. Halloween comes from All Hallows Eve . It was a time of preparation for All Saints day. A time to think of those who died in the faith and await us in heaven. Out of that have come pumpkins, witches, goblins, and all the rest of the nonsense. But she told the congregation, ”We can’t get the original back so we might as well enjoy the nonsense . Just in the middle of all the silliness take a moment and remember all those who died in the faith , all the Saints.”
Petrovich heard what was being said about him down at the Fly Inn Bar and Hotel and he is upset. He told Nancy he has just tried to help Pigeon Falls and the thanks he gets is ridicule. He spent hours translating driblets and looking for solutions. He has worked and worked for the community. They make fun of him. When the next terrible thing happens maybe he won’t share with them the key. Just let them suffer in it. Then we’ll see who is laughing.
At that point Nancy asked if there was another driblet that seemed to center in Pigeon Falls but he didn’t answer her. He just kept saying “ They’ll all be sorry. They’ll all be sorry.” So poor Nancy is left wondering what else can happen to Pigeon Falls.
The football coach for the New Potatoes quit after the terrible season they had. He found a job in a different school system where he can just teach and doesn’t have to coach football. One wonders if they can get one of the men from the Fly Inn as the new coach. Or perhaps Petrovich. He could read the team a driblet before each game. That should inspire them.
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Today's Link-Not Alone- Some thoughts about evil.
We went to church and we did cry a little or as my mother used to put it my glasses fogged. We came home and worked in the basement. Betty started on the mountain sides that come down from the upper village. She took a clue from Margaret and thought outside the box. I can not believe what she used as the support for the plaster cloth. Then we came up and Betty, Pennie, and I played canasta. I won. Pennie had a rough day. She was called to the hospital a number of times because of people trying to commit suicide. It might have something to do with Halloween.
Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA