Sunday in Conrad

Sunday in Conrad

We went to Conrad Christian Reformed Church this morning. It being our second time and the fact that our kids go there, we were warmly received. Walking in, I met Jim Morren for the second time and expressed my condolences on the recent loss of his father, the Reverend John Morren. Jim is from Michigan and connected to Conrad because his father used to be the preacher here. Way back when Reverend John was going to Calvin Seminary, he worked summers for my dad doing concrete work. Jim told me that they recently replaced the concrete sidewalk at the parsonage here and it was real tough to remove. His dad had poured it back when he preached here (preachers do leave lasting legacies in a lot of ways, you know). Jim said his dad had learned how to do good six-bag concrete from my dad. So I told him that when my dad died, I made the comment at his funeral that Henry Vander Veen’s up in heaven complaining to the building and grounds angel about those streets of gold, and that six-bag concrete would be harder, last longer, and be a whole lot cheaper. It’s good to tell stories when your dad dies.

The prayer requests consisted of thanksgiving for successful knee surgery, condolences to Jim Morren, a grandfather dying of Alzheimer’s, and somebody with a bowel problem. The thing that struck me is that the requests were pretty similar to what I could have heard back at Fourteenth Street Church. But to God there’s no déjà vu. Mr. ?”s knees in Conrad are u-knee-kly special to God just like Linda’s are back at Fourteenth Street. Kind of a comforting thought, isn’t it?

The lead-in song was “Lord Our Lord, Thy Glorious Name” out of the blue songbook. The words really set the tone for worship, but I have to confess the tempo was pretty slow and it made me miss Gus from the Branding Iron more than a little. Reverend Reese then went on to tackle that tough issue in Colossians about Headship and Respect. I’m probably guilty of picking and choosing what to get from the sermon (along with my mind wondering – can I get the broken furnace fixed in the camper tomorrow), but here’s what I walked away with. Reese said that husbands should respect their wives because they are a suitable helper, critical, essential, necessary, rescuer, savior, perfect counterpart, without whom I’d be lost (kind of like a hand held GPS for life issues). And here’s the best – the other half - who makes me whole. Mickey is all that and more. After reading that, gentlemen, you better go give her a hug, along with some appropriate words, and when she asks “what’s up?” tell her it came from Reverend Vander Veen. Oh, and back to wondering minds, along with good sermons to keep your marriage close, forty degrees last night and a broken furnace also helps stay close.

Last Names

After dinner at the local café, we read the newspaper and then on to that time honored tradition of a Sunday afternoon nap (when I was little I always wondered why my parents had to go take a nap on Sunday, now that I’m older I know – to sleep).

The Great Falls Tribune listed the names and schools of local graduates and for some small town schools, there weren’t very many. Hinsdale and Brady each had five, Denton eleven, and Heart Butte eight. Browning, next to Glacier National Park and home of the Blackfoot Indian Reservation, appeared to be holding their own with about 100.

Here’s the names of some of them; Rowdy Cole Bird Rattler, Misty Autumn Dawn Burdeau, Summer Rose Gobert, Brandon Cole Heavy Runner, Jordan Evart Longtime Sleeping, Kati Hannah Rides At The Door, Edward Skunk Cap, Tyler James StillSmoking, and so on. Now being Dutch, I was always kind of proud that my name had meaning , and I’m sure my mom and dad would have applauded just as hard when I graduated (SCHC 1967), if they would have called out congratulations to Gary From The Swamp. However, it just doesn’t have the same ring as Misty Autumn Dawn Burdeau. Perhaps you younger couples and my kids can do something about this when naming time comes.

From Mickey:

As I proof Gary’s entry, he is in the kitchen helping Anna put together dinner, spinach triangles. He’s stuffing the spinach filling into the dough and folding them! What a sight! Good father/daughter time, eh? The boys are looking forward to watching the NBA Finals; the girls will do…I don’t know what. Tomorrow we’ll just “hang” with the kids, do some wash, some shopping. Gary was able to fix the furnace in the camper easier than thought…it just needed a new fuse! But last night, when it was soooo cold and we were tired, he didn’t have the patience to figure it out. I was already half asleep, buried under blankets. But once we warmed up, we stayed warm all night…and it rained all night! The sun is shining right now, but it’s cool because of the blasted wind! It’s always windy here! Looking forward to one more day with the kids; time goes so fast. But Tuesday morning we’ll continue on our journey. I’m thankful for Camas, getting my dog fix. And at the parade yesterday, I found the dog I want to get. Has anyone ever heard of a miniature Australian Shepherd? Just adorable!!! Gary said no more pets, and I think I have to agree. But I’m going to research the Mini Aussie and can’t wait to bring one home!