I HAD DINNER

last week with friends at the home of Sally Scholl. I remember when Sally came to faith. A professional teacher then, and a teacher in life who she is still, now in her 80s. The salmon we ate she had purchased. The rest came from her garden. She shared how she prepared each dish, asked questions about our lives, and did it all while seasoning the conversation with her retirement stories.

STORIES

of working with children and families in the Peace Corps. Climbing Kilimanjaro. Teaching and learning and serving others in distant lands. Her book club. Her bible study group. Her church. Her family. Her neighbors and friends. Oh, and the book she failed to mention, “What’s Up Sally,” a recently recorded memoir of her many adventures. A warm evening dinner with old friends, surrounded by plants, flowers, and trees in the backyard of a San Ramon, California, home where Sally has lived for more than 40 years. That is when she isn’t exploring, learning, and teaching somewhere else in the world.

THIS MUST BE

what the Creator first intended, don’t you think? God and a few good friends sharing life stories and adventures around a dinner table, set in a beautiful garden? When Jesus came to visit, he did it all the time, right? And with him, food, fellowship, and conversations often became life-changing. So, what stories and adventures have you heard or shared lately with good friends around your dinner table?

===

“A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books.”

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

===

WHAT AM I WORKING ON NOW?

“PERSPECTIVE,” as you can tell, is becoming a newsletter with the same name. I am including inspirational articles you can send to a friend, use in your church or business, or maybe fit perfectly with a talk you’re giving. I’ll add some personal anecdotes, or something someone sends me that’s worth passing along, and who knows what else. Even Gage, the wonder dog, may get a woof in now and then.

Subscribing is easy for your friends. Just CLICK HERE to leave name and email address.

“A CAIN FAMILY THRILLER” series is taking up a lot of my time. This is a major task, but exciting. Telling the story of Jesus through the power of story. As we get closer to the release date of the first novel, I will share more. My hope is once readers begin, they won’t want to put these stories down.