Quite an interesting week last week.   On top of the usual, we had Clergy Day here-hosting around 250 clergy with a contingency of St. Paul’s people who served as outstanding hosts.  We had our daughter Rachel visit us for her 30^th birthday as well as a friend from St. Louis.  He brought us all gifts, but mine of course was the best one.  It came in a box about ten inches long and eight wide.  A very ordinary box with nothing on the outside which would give away its contents.  As I opened it, I was given no more clues by its packaging.  It had Styrofoam and plastic around it.   Finally, having been convinced the packaging people really didn’t want me to open what was inside, it appeared in all its glory.  A very nice wood box in which to put one’s remains after one has been cremated.  What do you say when getting such a gift.  I laughed heartily and of course realized with some help the story that went with it.  The friend offered to take it back home with him, but I became quite indignant and said “no way”.  He gave it to me and I was going to keep it.  

Second, 99% of you, unless you have served on the Trustees or painted up stairs at the parsonage have any idea how steep the stair steps are and how slick the carpeting has become.   Thursday I found myself in an intimate relationship with both the steps and the carpeting, closer than I had ever desired.   I am pretty good at holding onto the railing on the way down, but evidently not at 10:00 p.m.   Down I went – what a terrifying experience, I’m serious!  Amazingly, when I got to the bottom, having ridden on my right bottom side all the way down, I landed on my feet.  I think I was like a cat who tries to be dignified and after some cataclysmal event tries to stand erect like nothing had just happened.  I “sort of” dusted myself off and walked into the next room only to have Julie come half way down the stairs, having come awake from a sound sleep after hearing. the thundering noise.   This was an experience she had already had and the sound of it was too familiar.  I assured her that I was alive and probably I would live and she went promptly back to bed and asleep.   My male pride won’t let me admit it, but I do feel the affect of my downfall.   Looks like I might have needed the cremation urn sooner than I thought.   Have fun this week (which is how God created us ) even if you get something like a cremation box or fall down the stairs.   Till next week…H

P.S.  The theme this week in worship, is marriage and we will actually be using the order of worship for a wedding service as our format for worship.  Any comments you have on marriage?  Be sure to bring a wedding picture with you which we can display.

You can reach Pastor Howard at: hhintzman@wisconsinumc.org.

 * To receive Howard's Message by email, contact him at: hhintzman@wisconsinumc.org.  

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