A Most Excellent Friend

When a pastor is forced to empty his study before a deadline set by his (ex-) congregation expires, a friendly person wishes him well. A friend volunteers his truck. A good friend helps to carry things out to his truck and to unload them at the new destination. An outstanding friend calls for another reason, finds out what the pastor is doing, and helps pack all his books and periodicals, tote them, filing cabinets, bookcases, bust of Martin Luther, works of art, and various knickknacks, doodads, and fixtures to his truck, and then helps to unload it all at its new location.

My deadline was today, 15 July.

My outstanding friend was (and is and, God willing, will remain) the Rev. William Heine, religion instructor and Dean of Chapel for Saint Paul Lutheran High School in Concordia. He called to ask me about writing a hymn and wondered how things were going since the church forced me to resign. When he heard what I was up against, he finished a couple things at his place, then came over here and put in about 7 hours of heavy, dusty work.

Thank you again, Bill.

Cross-posted from Happenings.

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