Author: Dave Burchett

Last year I wrote this post about eight months into Joni’s breast cancer journey. As Thanksgiving looms I thought it might be worth a revisit. We feel so blessed for every day together.

Ronald Reagan had a favorite joke that he told so often that the joke itself became a joke with staff members. A CBS News piece related the story as remembered by former Reagan aide Ed Meese. The joke was told about twin boys who were six years old. Worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities — one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist — their parents took them to a psychiatrist.

First the psychiatrist treated the pessimist. Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears. “What’s the matter?” the psychiatrist asked, baffled. “Don’t you want to play with any of the toys?” “Yes,” the little boy bawled, “but if I did I’d only break them.”

Next the psychiatrist treated the optimist. Trying to dampen his out look, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with horse manure. But instead of wrinkling his nose in disgust, the optimist emitted just the yelp of delight the psychiatrist had been hoping to hear from his brother, the pessimist. Then he clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to his knees, and began gleefully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands. “What do you think you’re doing?” the psychiatrist asked, just as baffled by the optimist as he had been by the pessimist. “With all this manure,” the little boy replied, beaming, “there must be a pony in here somewhere!”

“Reagan told the joke so often,” Meese said, chuckling, “that it got to be kind of a joke with the rest of us. Whenever something would go wrong, somebody on the staff would be sure to say, “There must be a pony in here somewhere.’”

This may seem like an odd lead in to a Thanksgiving article but regular readers know that odd linkings are part of my brain function. On this Thanksgiving Joni and I could choose to be the pessimist in the joke. This has been a tough year. Joni has been in the middle of her breast cancer treatment for eight very long months. Her prognosis is good but we know it is never certain. So we could choose to wonder why this has happened to us.

Forgive me if this is a bit crude but I can tell that when you start digging through the crap of life on a fallen earth you will often find the pony. We have found so many blessings in the midst of the storm. This is just a partial list of the blessings we are grateful to God for on this special day of Thanksgiving.

• Experiencing the peace that is inexplicable. How can we find peace in the middle of a battle with cancer? It is only through the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Paul talks about this in his letter to the Church at Philippi.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

• The friends who have been there with us throughout this trial.
• The countless “strangers” who are praying for us. Many are praying for Joni because of this blog. Others through prayer lists around the country. What an amazing blessing to realize that people who don’t even know us are praying for us.
• The privilege of glorifying God through this trial. When I first told our Sons about their Mom’s diagnosis I told each of them the same thing. “If our faith in Christ doesn’t work now it is not of much value”. It has worked. And it is of great value.
• The realization that we can get through anything with Christ.
• A changed perspective on life’s little irritants. Joni’s cancer has changed how I view my world. My biggest concern is that I will forget when the treatments end and the tests are good. In the words of the Apostle Paul…God forbid.
• An even deeper appreciation for my bride. Her courage and faith have been inspiring…and humbling.
• Priorities…priorities…priorities. I want my life to count for eternity. Every day is a precious gift and not to be taken for granted.

As you face this Thanksgiving you may be looking at circumstances that may make it hard to be thankful. I understand that it can be hard at times. But I also know the value of continuing to dig through the pile. More often than I would have ever dreamed there is a “pony” in there somewhere. Don’t miss a blessing this Thanksgiving.

We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

I pray on this Thanksgiving that you will never give up. And never quit digging for the blessings that are hidden. They are the greatest treasures to find.

 

 

There is nothing more self-affirming than a good round of feeling stupid. Jeopardy usually fulfills that need for me.

“I’ll take categories I don’t have a clue about for $50, Alex.”

Today I picked up the Metro section of the local paper and saw a little feature called “Good Kid”. Every week they highlight (not surprisingly) a good kid from the community and ask them about their likes, hobbies, etc. Today the good kid was a young man from Rowlett, Texas named Marcus Pyle. He is a good looking young man and obviously gifted. His favorite subject is epistemology. Not that any of my regular readers don’t know this, but epistemology is the theory of knowledge. My favorite subject was wood shop and I still plan to finish that end table. Marcus’s resume at seventeen is better than my current one. But what made me feel stupid was his answer to this statement.

The people I’d most like to meet are: Jacqueline du Pré and Dmitri Shostakovich

Uhhhhhhh. These are the two people he would most like to meet in the world and I have any idea who they are. At seventeen I would have said I would have most liked to meet Raquel Welch (based on her poster from One Million B.C.) and The Monkees from TV. What an intellectual fest that would have been.

If you are feeling as stupid as me then I will help you out. Jacqueline du Pré was generally acknowledged as one of the greatest cellist performers ever. Dmitri Shostakovich was a Soviet composer. Both are now dead. At least my people were alive.

So I was feeling a little intimidated by young Mr. Pyle when I came across a story that made me realize that my lack of intellectual depth, like everything that happens to you in this country, was not my fault. According to a new study released by a group of scholars with not enough to do, your name can determine your academic prowess. USA Today reported the breakthrough study.

Psychologists in marketing at Yale and the University of California, San Diego studying the unconscious influence of names say a preference for our own names and initials — the “name-letter effect” — can have some negative consequences.

Students whose names begin with C or D get lower grades than those whose names begin with A or B; major league baseball players whose first or last names began with K (the strikeout-signifying letter) are significantly more likely to strike out, according to the report published in the December issue of Psychological Science.

“We found that our own-name liking sabotages success for people whose initials match negative performance labels,” the report says.

Ah-hah! Because my name starts with a “D” I never had a chance to be a great student. I was predisposed to get poor grades. If my parents had named me Albert I would be doing the meaningless studies at Yale today.

Assistant professors Leif Nelson of UCSD and Joseph Simmons of Yale conducted five studies over five years (including one lab experiment) using information from thousands of individuals: 6,398 baseball players (377 had K as either a first or last initial); 15,000 MBA students; 294 undergraduate students; 170 law schools with more than 390,000 lawyers; and 284 participants in their laboratory experiment.

The twist, Pelham says, is that he has believed the name-letter effect would apply only to positive outcomes. Nelson and Simmons, he says, are “showing it applies more so to negative things than positive things.” 

So there you have it. It was not my fault that my initial showed up on my report card several times during an uninspired high school career. My name conspired against me. But I have added a pretty cool title to beef up my resume concerns that I mentioned earlier.

Dave Burchett – Child of God. 

And it doesn’t matter what your given name happens to be. You can have the same designation.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  (John 1, NIV)

Child of God. I have to admit it. I like the ring of that name.

 

 

 

 

Sorry for the delay in the wildly anticipated “Ask A Bad Christian” feature. Yesterday on a business trip I got to circle Nashville for an hour or so and then fly to Huntsville, Alabama to wait out a thunderstorm in the Music City. So that put a dent in the writing schedule. However, the questions are pouring (okay, dribbling) in and we start with a question from Cheryl.

Hi there.

I have begun to wonder about my political affiliation. Always I have considered myself a conservative politically and a Republican but I wonder now if I should be a Democrat or Independent. I have changed so much recently. I am bothered by the conduct of many Christian conservatives and do not wish to be grouped with them. I do not see myself voting for any of the present front-runners, especially considering that the Republican in the lead stood beside Pat Robertson and proudly accepted his endorsement.

Dave, what is your advice concerning politics and Christianity?  Cheryl

Wow. Good question. I have been registered as a Republican for most of my voting career. I will likely change that to Independent because of my discomfort with both parties. I will still likely vote for conservatives because of some issues that are important to me but it will not be automatic. I think that Christians need to be engaged in the political process. We should be knowledgable. I have no problem with Christians entering politics or working on campaigns. I do have a problem with the thinking that we can redeem the culture through politics or media or any vehicle other than through the hearts of individuals. Jesus had a chance to be political. He said to render unto Caesar what was his but Jesus clearly chose to work in the hearts of men and women. I suspect that He could have had a Damascus Road encounter with influential rulers or philosophers. He chose to change the hearts of twelve regular men who helped change the world. I believe we must be good citizens and part of that is voting wisely.

So I do not believe you have to be a Republican to be a Christian. Like it or not, heaven will be bipartisan and I am totally fine that there will not be sides of the golden aisles. I do not believe that God is “judging” America for any particular sin. But if He is judging this country I would suspect it is for the massive squandering of wealth and resources that we have been blessed with while giving back an average of less than three percent.

So I get uncomfortable with leaders who claim that America is being judged for this sin or that sin.

Dr.Gregory Boyd said that, “Christians are not to seek “power over” others – by controlling governments, passing legislation or fighting wars. Christians should seek to have “power under” others – winning others hearts by sacrificing for those in need.”

And that is indeed what Jesus did. That is EXACTLY how a group of men and women in the first century with NO political power turned the world upside down.

Dr.Boyd also noted that “America is not the light of the world and the hope of the world. The light of the world and the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.”

Hard to argue with that. American has been blessed beyond measure. But I fear we are in danger of forfeiting the blessings God has bestowed by becoming self-absorbed and not generous. I have written often about the lack of giving in the evangelical community. We (protestants) give a paltry 2% on average. Evangelicals are only slightly better at 4%. If we simply tithed we would have enough resources to feed evey hungry person AND have enough left over to fund outreaches to tell the world about Jesus. But we choose to buy a better car, a bigger screen TV, and demand that politics make a difference. The fact is that laws and government can only restrain. Jesus can change the heart and change behavior from the inside out. 

I am not smart enough to decide what God has called people to do. If He has placed a desire for people to impact the culture through political action I am not about to question their motives. But I do agree that His house should be a house of worship and not a house of political promotion. Political outreaches should, in my opinion, find venues outside of the sacred space that is God’s sanctuary.

I am active politically. I study issues and candidates and I always vote. I give to causes that I believe in and I would be willing to work for a candidate that shared my goals for our country. But Sunday should be about Jesus. I think the church (on Sundays) should steer clear of politics. God’s Word taught effectively will mold followers of Jesus that will view social issues wisely. Moralizing on sexual issues has produced guilt but not real results. Jesus forgave the woman caught in sin and THEN said go and sin no more. My goal is to introduce people to Jesus, disciple them into a real relationship with Him, and then  watch as the Holy Spirit changes what my sermonizing cannot.

The body of Christ is about Jesus. About being a good citizen that respects authority. And about demonstrating His amazing grace to a desparately needy world. The message should be grace, redemption, and the forgiveness available to everyone. All parties are welcome at the foot of the cross. We need to spend more time there…for the good of America.

One of the wildly popular features (more than one person responded) in the history of these humble ramblings was the “Ask A Bad Christian” column. We are opening up the electronic mailbox again for your questions. I am posting an earlier edition of Ask a Bad Christian to give you an idea of how it works. Or doesn’t work.

Dear Bad Christian,

Question for you: Today in church the pastor said both he and his wife were asked this week if they are ever down. He said they both replied negatively since they have the Wonderful Counselor on their side they are never down or negative. I felt as if I should throw a BS flag or something. Or is there a level of communion with Christ where you never feel down? He didn’t mean it like this, but I twisted his words in my brain that if you are ever down you aren’t a real Christian.

Bridgette

Dear Bridgette,

First of all, you have to know that Bad Christian loves the idea of a “BS flag” to throw when we feel a member of the family says something that does not past the authenticity smell test. Throwing the “BS flag” would be like a replay challenge in football. The elders would review the tape and see if the statement is valid and defensible.

“After further review, the statement made from the pulpit stands as proclaimed. Start the clock, the sermon resumes from point 2”

Or the ruling might be,  “After further review the comment is overruled, the pastor is penalized 5 minutes from the sermon allowing us to beat the Presbyterians to Dennys. The sermon will resume from the spot of the flag.”

As for your actual question, I would have to respectfully disagree with your pastor. And I do mean respectfully. I would say that as you grow in your relationship with Christ that you will not stay down or negative. But I cannot say that you never get down or negative. I have found that the time frames that I remain down or negative grow shorter as I  mature a bit in my faith. But I have not personally reached the point in my journey with Jesus that I never get down. I have not come close to the point where I am never negative. Remember, I am a guy who has scoured the Bible to see if cynicism is a spiritual gift. But I can tell you that I am much better than I used to be. And that is what the journey is all about. I understand what your pastor is saying about the Wonderful Counselor retooling your emotional responses and that has and is happening in my life. But to say you are never down is unrealistic. As Jesus prepared for the Cross at Gethsemane it appears He was both down about the agony that was ahead and negative toward His sleeping Apostles.

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”   (Matt 26)

So Bridgette…you have the full support of “Ask a Bad Christian.” And I am sure that is reassuring!

Dear Bad Christian,

I am 17. I describe myself as a “bad christian.” Why can’t I be a good christian?

Charles

Dear Charles,

Can I tell you something from the depths of my heart? You are well on your way to being a better Christian because you are honest enough to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal your condition. Calling myself a “Bad Christian” is not done to make me feel bad about myself or to punish myself. I use that description as a daily reminder of my potential to sin and the need to depend on Christ in every moment.

Do I really think that I am a “Bad Christian?” I often feel like the Apostle Paul who said this to Timothy.

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” (1 Tim 1)

Notice something very important here Charles. Paul says “of whom I am the worst” instead of “I was the worst.” Paul knew that his walk was a daily dependence on Jesus. But I do not think that I am a “Bad Christian” in the sense that I am any less in the eyes of Jesus who shed His blood for me. The description is simply a daily reminder of my need for Him and my need to bathe daily in the grace of the Lord Jesus.

Honesty and the realization of your need for help is the first big step to becoming a good Christian.  I would suggest you spend time in God’s Word. Find a older mature Christian to mentor you (if you can). Try to enlist a couple of Christians who will help you be accountable. Realize that all of us are “Bad Christians” now and then. Also realize that not all of us admit that. When you are a “Bad Christian” you need to lean on the grace of Jesus, repair any damage you might have done, forgive yourself and keep going. This is not a sprint but a long and sometimes difficult marathon. I am praying that a few years from now you will look back and say what I often say. “I may still sometimes be a Bad Christian but I am a whole lot better than I used to be!”

I am praying for you Charles. Thanks for being real.

Dear Bad Christian,

Are you going to do this again?

Fake Poster Invented By Author to Conclude Blog

Dear Fake Poster Invented by Author to Conclude Blog,

I await the feedback of my tens of readers. Please don’t force me to make up letters to save face.

Grace,

BC

 

Yesterday I attended the funeral of my friend John Weber. If you have read the last two posts you will not be surprised to learn that it was amazing. All five of the Weber children shared remembrances about their Dad. One particular saying that John favored made its way into several of their recollections.

“Don’t strive for spectacular. Strive for faithfulness.”

Today’s post will be mercifully short. Meditate on that simple thought. God isn’t impressed with spectacular skills and talents.

Paul wrote some words to the Philippian church that seem like they could have come from John Weber as final thoughts before his homecoming.

Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. (Philippians 2, NLT)

None of us will run the race in vain if we remember to strive for faithfulness every day.

I used to seriously resent the actual students at my high school who studied and messed up the curve for our slacker contingent. A similar phenomenon happens in my Christian walk. Occasionally a follower of Jesus will “mess up the curve” for the rest of us by actually demonstrating what it looks like to live for Christ. My friend Bob showed me what it looked like to love your wife like Christ loves the church. I must clarify that I didn’t resent Bob for living his life like that but it did leave me without excuse in my own marriage. And by simply living his life authentically he made me a better husband and follower of Jesus. He never said a word of rebuke nor offered any suggestions on how I should be a better husband. He showed me.

Now my friend John Weber has showed me through his death what it looks like when a man or woman simply lives their life modeling the greatest commandments. I am again without excuse. John showed me that being an effective representative of Jesus is really very simple. Why do I want to make it so maddeningly complex? Jesus said that these two things are the most important.

One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is most important of all the commandments?” 
Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”

Today I sit here and wonder why I ever tried to make it anything else? The scholar who heard the words of Jesus “got it”.

The religion scholar said, “A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that’s better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!” (Mark 12, The Message)

I wonder if I get it? Or do I still get sidetracked by the offerings and sacrifices of the modern church? It is really very simple. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart. Read the Word daily. Love others as you love yourself. That is what Jesus told me to do. Nothing about programs or positions or curriculum or strategies. Love God. Love others. Simple.

Does that actually work? Last night I witnessed the most incredible validation of that simple strategy that I have seen in my life. Hundreds upon hundreds of people lined up at First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas to show their respect and love for John and his family. The line snaked down a very long hallway and twisted around into the sanctuary. Waiting in line were rich people. Poor people. Famous people. Average people. Young people. Old people. All of them touched by the life of this unassuming man.

I know John would not mind me saying this because it puts the credit where he would want it to go. There was nothing at first glance about John Weber that would suggest his passing would draw thousands to pay respect. He was an average guy who understood that Jesus is always looking for willing workers. Perhaps growing up in South Dakota made John particularly aware of the principles of harvest that Jesus described.

When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”  (Matthew 9, NLT)

Pray for more workers like John and Carol Weber. I have read or heard a comment something like this from nearly everyone who knew John.

“He made me feel like the most important person in the world.”

For Carol and her family this is a bittersweet fall. John will be terribly missed. But they have been blessed to see the incredible harvest that Christ can bring in through one worker wholly committed to Him.

Paul wrote to the church at Galatia…

…Those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. (Galatians 6, NLT)

John has inspired me to finish strong with whatever number of days I have left. The fruit of his life humbles me. I wonder if I am being effective for Jesus. John Weber showed me how to do it. Love God. Love others. Hit the fields.

Simple. And so powerful.

 

 

Yesterday I posted an article about Homecoming at Baylor University. I wrote about an eternal homecoming someday with family and friends. Just hours after I posted that piece one of our long time and dear friends died after finishing a workout at the YMCA. Now I can add the name of my friend John Weber to those I look forward to seeing at my heavenly homecoming.

The media will report that John Weber was the chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys. That is what impressed a lot of people who knew John. That is not what impressed me. What impressed me about John Weber was how consistently he represented Jesus over the years. I have known John since we were young and starving staff members of Athletes in Action back in the late ‘70’s. I have watched his ministry from up close and from afar. I have never heard a single negative word spoken about John Weber. Here are the words from veteran sportswriter Mickey Spagnola in his blog at dallascowboys.com.

“Not a good day today after learning Cowboys longtime team chaplain John Weber, maybe the nicest man I’ve ever known, died of a heart attack. Not many details are known at this time. John would travel with the team to away games to hold pregame chapels and also held bible studies for the guys. He’d also hold great conversations with people like me, and when he talked to you, you were the most important person in his universe. John will be greatly missed by the Cowboys – and by me.”

That is how you represent Jesus effectively to this world. Not by your knowledge (although that is important) but by your life and love. And that is where John excelled. 

Billy Joel sang that only the good die young. I know that is not true but it sure seems that way at times. I have to admit that “young” is a moving target for me but it sure seems like John had a lot more to give. But I suspect that I will learn at my heavenly homecoming that someone came to know the Lord because of John’s death. And that someone else decided to get serious about their walk with Jesus and they made a big difference to others. Someday I believe all of this will make sense. But right now it just hurts to lose a friend.

Andrew Peterson is one of my “go-to guys” in difficult situations. His music is moving, comforting and real. I thought of two of his songs when I heard about John Weber’s death yesterday. The first song I thought of was “Family Man”. Here are some of the lyrics.

I am a family man
I traded in my mustang for a minivan
This is not what I was headed for when I began
This was not my plan
I am a family man

John was first and foremost a family man. He was fiercely devoted to his wonderful family. John and Carol had been an inspiration for us as Carol battled breast cancer and survived. If family is a man’s legacy then John has left a legacy that is truly amazing. His son and daughters are all kind, honest and authentic followers of Christ. I know that nothing made John more proud than seeing that ever increasing tribe gather together.

The second song from Andrew Peterson sums up what John Weber modeled and believed for the thirty plus years that I knew him.

So when you lay me down to die
I’ll miss my boys, I’ll miss my girls
Lay me down and let me say goodbye to this world
You can lay me anywhere
But just remember this
When you lay me down to die
You lay me down to live

That is the message that John Weber wants all of us to remember as we grieve his temporary departure from our presence. We lay him down to live. You can experience the peace and assurance that John dedicated his entire adult life to proclaiming. Jesus is alive. And now John is fully alive in Him. You can click here to read the message that John shared with thousands of men and women over his lifetime.

I will always remember a couple of things about John Weber. He was a collegiate wrestler and he also wrestled with the acclaimed Athletes in Action traveling team. I remember good naturedly trying to wrestle with John. I was almost a foot taller than him but John would twist me into a pretzel in about 3 seconds. The memory that I will cherish most as I remember John Weber is what happened every single time I saw him. John would smile that warm smile. Then he would take your hand with both of his hands, move right into your space, furrow his brow, look deeply into your eyes and ask, “how are you doing?”. The difference with John Weber was that he really meant that question. If you needed three hours to tell him what was going on he would never glance at his watch. That is why he believed God placed him on this earth. To tell people about Jesus and disciple those who knew Him. I will miss John Weber. I know his family will miss him desperately. But I hope they draw the same comfort from Andrew Peterson’s lyrics that I did today as I pictured John in these words.

I’ll open up my eyes on the skies I’ve never known
In the place where I belong
And I’ll realize His love is just another word for Home.

 The Psalmist recorded this message.

Precious in the sight of the LORD
       is the death of his saints.  (Psalm 116, NIV)

If John were here he would twist me into a pretzel for saying this about him but yesterday a saint came marching home. This week was homecoming for John Weber. He was ready. May God give us the grace and strength to follow his example.