Wednesday thoughts

Bishop Richard Wilke is preaching Sunday. Bishop Wilke is one of the authors of the Disciple Bible Study. He is one of the most influential Bishops in the United Methodist Church and he will dedicate the church members who have been through the Disciple Bible study this past year.

His sermon "A Famine in the Land" focuses on the importance of integrity and the ways we miss it.

This is one of Bishop Wilke's favorite stories from his childhood:

"When I was a teenager, I worked summers raising alfalfa hay. We had no cattle, so I would sell the hay to farmers and ranchers. One day a Mennonite farmer bought my hay, shook hands with me, and agreed on a price: $20 a ton in the field. Then he added, 'My dog will be in the cab.' I was only sixteen, so I told my dad about the transaction. He nodded in agreement with the price, smiled at the handshake, but then grew very serious when I mentioned the dog. 'What did he mean,' I asked, 'the dog will be in the cab?' Bad carefully explained that the driver would weigh his truck, empty, and then would weigh it again, loaded with hay. The elevator operator would note on the weight ticket whether the driver was in or out of the truck. But the dog? If the dog were weighed in the empty truck but jumped out of the loaded truck, I would be cheated.

Now I was only 16, but I started figuring: $20 a ton, a penny a pound. If the dog weighed 27 pounds, I would lose 27 cents. I smiled, but Dad was thoughtful. 'He wanted you to know that his handshake meant absolute integrity.'"

We are in for a treat listening to Bishop Wilke. What examples do you have of absolute integrity? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing for others to read your response click on the box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.


Charles Schuster