"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." - 1 Timothy 6:11
Years ago, while growing up in the small town of Corning, Iowa (population 1,800 - on a good day), I had the opportunity to be influenced by so many people other than my Parents and siblings. Dad was a former Mayor of our great little "Metropolis," and was the Mayor when I was born. My coming into the world in 1958 was not by accident, but by "Divine Providence." Let me explain: Mom became pregnant in late fall of 1956 with what would have been their 5th child (that was to be their last), but it was not to be, for she miscarried in April of '57. As traumatic as that was for the family, it gave them more determination to plan their 5th child (this was before we adopted Joseph Darwin ("Little Joe") in 1966 and Jeffrey Dennis ("Jedd") in 1968). That 5th child became me, and I grew up in a loving household where God and Family (and the Green Bay Packers!) was first and foremost. Dad was also a Minister for the United Methodist Church, and served the Congregations of Carbon, Iowa, and Mount Etna, Iowa; combined population at the time of no more than 300 people - yet 22 miles apart (he had 30 minutes between services to get from Carbon to Mt. Etna via gravel roads, and he did this from 1949 until 1977). My Mom (still living - soon to be 88 and racked with full-blown Parkinson's Disease) and Dad (passed away at the age of 82 on May 18, 2002) were living examples of the verse that was chosen for today.
Another fine example was a true gentleman by the name of John Riegel. By the time I knew John (when I was 2-3 years old), he was already a widower, but was a living example of the type of person that the verse describes. John used to babysit me when my sisters and brothers were at school, and Mom had a morning Doctor's appointment, or something similar. I always remember that we read the Bible each time we were together, and then he would fix hard-boiled eggs. The lesson involved with the eggs was that "A hard boiled egg is an example of life; we must break through the shell that we are in before we find the good inside, just as a Christian must work through the challenges of life to find his place in God's World." I'll never forget that lesson, or that exact phrase, and I still enjoy hard-boiled eggs today (I pass on the salt now). John entered Heaven in the early 1970's, but he was a tremendous influence in my life and in my family's world. My sister Jane (63 next month), when asked what she thought God looked like, once responded "Why, he must look just like John Riegel!"
God Bless You, John! Someday, we'll be reunited - and what a story we'll have to share over a hard-boiled egg! I'm looking forward to that day . . .
Yogi - 8:22AM CDT 9/2/2010
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