500.

Back in 1985, the secretary told me that if I could get my newsletter column in by Tuesday mornings, we would have no problems. Oh, OK, no one told me anything about writing a column for the newsletter. Secretaries have a way of looking at you with a silent look that lets you know it doesn't matter what you were told, you are playing on their turf now. Writing really wasn't my thing. Oh, I had written research papers in school, fully annotated and double checked. But there was time to write them. One had to be at least 100,000 words long and allowed for only five mistakes total. Spelling, grammar, content. But I had a year to write that paper. However, this column thing was another matter. I figured it had to inform, entertain and maybe do some good. Not my kind of thing.

But then, oddly, I found I enjoyed writing. As time went by, I found it was more interesting to me than preaching. I reached more people. Writing that column just felt good.

After a decade at that church, I left. At the next church the secretary told me that if I could get my newsletter article in by Tuesday mornings, we would have no problems. (What is it about secretaries that make them like that?) I think I surprised her when I said, no problem. And it was no longer a column! Now it was an article! So much more impressive! It was at this church that I began to write for magazines and newspapers, too. But that extra stuff all went away as it became harder and harder to find the time. 

Then I switched over to being staff clergy at a funeral home. I figured the writing was done and I would do no more. It wasn't long, though, before I found myself doing writing that wasn't strictly church related. Much of it was, but much of it wasn't. It was, however, all fun!

And then, I went to the church in Indiana. There, the secretary told me that if I could get my newsletter column in once a month, we would have no problems. (Carolyn, Lorie, Denise and Rene. I always wanted to take these four ladies who have shared my office space with me and have made my life interesting, to a fancy restaurant, have them order whatever they wanted and, when they were feeling all good and warm inside, run out and stick them with the bill. Actually, I loved each of these ladies and count them as dear friends. Carolyn has gone on to be with the Lord and is probably telling St. Pete what to do and setting a time limit.) I was actually disappointed that this newsletter was just once a month, but you take what you can get. After about six months or so we did a series called Forty Days of Prayer. It was already made up and all I had to do was to post it in a daily e-mail. But I also added some thoughts and had some fun with it. It had just ended when I ran into some of our ladies at a funeral. Eileen Weck took me aside and said she had really enjoyed my musings in the Forty Days of Prayer. Could I do something weekly? Well, our newsletter is only a monthly letter. Really, I am afraid of Rene and I wouldn't want to ask her to do more. Eileen laughed like she thought I was kidding and then said I should talk to Mary Earle since she did something weekly. So I had Miss Mary explain to me what she did.

Well, now, Miss Mary wrote a BLOG! Blog is short for web log and it is on the internet. Oooooooo! That sounded like real fun! I started writing columns, moved up to articles and now might write a blog! Miss Mary set me up and on my birthday in 2017, I started. And I have continued even though I left the church. 

And this blog today, is number 500. Of course, whether it is a column or an article or a blog, it is essentially the same thing. I have written many more such writings than 500, but these have been different. It seems there are a couple of people in Turkmenistan that have nothing better to do with their lives than read this thing. I have gotten comments from all over the place. And, yes, I do feel a pride in that. That pride, though, is that the message of Christ is still making the rounds in a new way. The internet can be such a cesspool, but it can also be a miracle.

So, I leave you now with number 500. (And, if you want to read some really good stuff, go to mary-marysmoments.blogspot.com Miss Mary is my mentor, my coach and my friend. She talks directly to God and shares the conversations. She writes about her good friend Bill and some guy named Norman and all sorts of stuff.) I want to thank all of you for hanging out with me over the years. Drop me a line at oldirishguy51@yahoo.com

Now, go out and be a blessing.