Well, Gerry Sandusky has come and gone, and what a great meeting it was! We had lots of visitors, and even some of the members that struggle to come to midweek services made it now and then.

I want to use a trait of Gerry as the topic of the bulletin today. You know, when my son Dave first heard Gerry speak, Gerry started right in telling those wonderful stories. Dave was very interested, but at first he though the guy was a little nutty, telling these tales to clarify and encourage us as he spoke about Ephesians. After a while, Dave saw where Gerry was going with things and decided he was a pretty good preacher man after all. Those storys really caught his attention.

All through the week, I heard various people mention Gerry's obvious story telling style of speaking. Kieran expressed doubts in himself (just a little teasing with me.) He seems to think he can't be called one of those "old preachers" because he doesn't have any of those old preacher stories (but we have heard many stories from Kieran, and besides isn't he old and a preacher?) Mr. Mo commented to me that we have never seen a preacher of this type before, I believe referring to all those stories.

I was asking Steve Mayo when he was going to write up a bulletin for me, and he mentioned that he had one done but since he was up for preaching I couldn't have it. He was needing the story to be his sermon topic! Steve claimed that he couldn't come up with that many stories that fast, and yes, he mentioned the amazing way Gerry could illustrate almost anything with a life experience or plain speaking story.

Now, I must confess that Gerry (pronounced Gary) was preaching the way I spent my first 20 years of my life listening to -- from my uncle who was a preacher and elder at the church in Lisbon, Ohio. He also was/is an interesting person, who could really drive a point home in short, simple, personal words. Many times here in this bulletin I mention an old preacher story I heard as a kid, and many of these came from my Grandpa's brother (thus my great-uncle) Gerry (pronounced Jerry.) Strange coincidence, isn't it? They're both also bald. Do-da-do-dum Do-da-do-dum...

But my point is this. My uncle, and Gerry, both use easy to understand stories to get us thinking about the word of God. Neither of them try to be stand up comics. They both are very careful to speak as the bible speaks, and to be silent where it is silent. At the end of the day, it isn't the stories they told that they want you to remember. They want you to remember the teachings of our heavenly Father.

Jesus told a lot of stories too. He used them to get people to open their hears and open their minds. When I get the chance at work, at a party, or even in a quiet moment with my son, I often relate what's going on with something from the bible. One time at work I was relating something to the demise of Haman, how he planned for the destruction of God's servant, but instead was hung on his own gallows. A few weeks later, something similar came up and one of my co-workers said "it's a Haman!" They remembered the story, and better yet they remembered the application. Some people feel threatened by the truth, but when you find ways like this to apply it, they don't feel so afraid of you and they may think about the word.

And, of course, if you do come up with an an interesting story, I sure wouldn't mind your writing up a bulletin about it! <Grin!>

Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

Matthew 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures F28 of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Matthew 13:34-35 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Matthew 21:33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

Matthew 21:45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

Matthew 22:1-2 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: