Stumps and Sweet-Smelling Soap
Memories of the Ministry
by
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There was a sign in a textile mill where my father once worked which stated, "If your thread gets tangled, send for the foreman."
I was at work one day, and our younger son came to the office crying. His pet hamster was sick and he wanted me to "fix it." How in the world do you "fix" a sick hamster? I had no idea what to do, but he was so heartbroken, I knew I had to do something. I dried his tears, took his hand and we went next door to our house. There, in the hamster cage lay a still-breathing hamster who was obviously not going to breathe much longer.
I found an eye dropper, put some warm water in a cup, added lots of sugar, mixed it and filled the eye dropper with the "magic potent." I gingerly held the little hamster and forced it to drink the dropper-full of sugar-water. I wrapped it in a piece of flannel, put it back in the cage and admonished my son to keep close watch on it until I came home. I emphasized over and over that this might not work, but we could hope and pray. I stressed that sometimes we do all we can, and things still don't work out the way we want.
Wonder of all wonders, the hamster survived and lived quite a long time. My son did not know anything about "thread being tangled" but he did know to send for one who would listen, care and attempt to help his treasured pet.
When the threads of our lives become tangled in a morass of anger, grief, or pain, do we know to send for the one who will listen, care and help? When life is unexpectedly wonderful and we have some great joy to share, do we send for the one who will listen, care and rejoice with us?
So often, our lives were turned upside down by some unexpected turbulence. Had we not known to "send for the foreman", the tangled threads of life would probably have strangled us. God was only a breath away from our stringy mess and was waiting for us to acknowledge the need for his listening, caring help. Were it not for the faithful assurance of his love, mercy and salvation, how could we have survived?
I hope, as you read this, that you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and that your friendship with him is so close you go to him in time of crisis or joy! He longs to listen, care and help his children but he waits for us to "send for the foreman."
Jesus does not have to guess. He knows exactly what to do.
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About the Book
This book features real life-experiences the author has had, and tells how the King James Bible has directed her through difficult and joyful times.
About the Author
Helen Lane gives this account of why she writes
her memories:
Awaking abruptly on the staircase to the office, I realized the last few minutes had been a dream. In this dream, a young medical doctor was saying, “I am so sorry, Mrs. Lane, I am so sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” I asked. Again he started a sentence with, “I am
so sorry, Mrs. Lane, but you have
early Alzheimer’s.”
My reply was, “Well, I had better go write down my memories while I still have them.”
Lane grew up in South Carolina and met her preacher-husband at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Together they reared five children, one of whom died in 1994 from pancreatic cancer. They have twelve grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.
Lane and her husband have served as pastor or interim in Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisiana, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota as well as in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. They presently live in Arnegard, North Dakota, where Lane writes a weekly column for the local newspaper, and her husband, John, pastors the First Baptist Church of Watford City, Watford City, North Dakota.