| Grandpa Jerry Williams was a great admirer of Saint | | | | ME Church hove into view. The salesman gave an |
| Paul and would not have invoked the name of the | | | | exclamation of relief. He knew there would be a |
| revered apostle deliberately to frighten the wits out | | | | horse-shed for his car, and the church door would be |
| of a St. Louis drummer. Besides, Grandpa had to | | | | open. Hurriedly he dashed through the rain and dark |
| replace the church-yard gate and repair the steeple.In | | | | to open the church-yard gate, park his car and take |
| those days of southeast Missouri, folks took their | | | | refuge in the church.The salesman lit matches to find |
| religion more seriously than some of us today. | | | | a pew in the back of the sanctuary and scrunched |
| Grandpa Jerry, for instance, always felt he remained | | | | down to check his eyelids for light leaks until the rain |
| a poor carpenter-farmer because he had not heeded | | | | let up.But, repose was not to be. From the darkness |
| a "call" by the Lord to be a preacher.Grandpa was a | | | | and beating rain, a sonorous voice began to intone: |
| pious man, nevertheless, and tried to understand and | | | | "And I persecuted this way unto death, binding and |
| obey the Lord in all other respects. Thus, he was a | | | | delivering into prisons both men and women. And it |
| pillar of the Methodist Episcopal church -- passing the | | | | came to pass that as I made my journey, and was |
| collection plate on Sundays and preaching the sermon | | | | come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly |
| when the regular pastor was on vacation or | | | | there shone from Heaven a great light round about |
| attending a bishops' conference.Saint Paul was | | | | me. "And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice |
| Grandpa's favorite biblical hero -- perhaps because | | | | saying unto me, Paul, why persecutest thou me?"By |
| both had been called by Christ and resisted. In any | | | | now the drummer's hair was prickly at the back of |
| event, Grandpa read and re-read Paul's many letters | | | | his neck. The graves he had casually noted as he |
| that comprise a quarter of the New Testament. He | | | | parked his car now loomed large in his imagination.It |
| was a recognized authority on Paul and often quoted | | | | was, of course, Grandpa Jerry warming up to this |
| the saint on perplexing or momentous occasions.It | | | | favorite topic -- thinking he was alone in the |
| was Grandpa's custom, when substituting in the | | | | darkened church. Or, maybe he was aware of the |
| pulpit, to propose a weighty spiritual problem, then | | | | visitor and was laying on an effect. "And what did |
| ask the rhetorical question:"What did Paul say?"What | | | | Paul say?" roared Grandpa just as a bolt of lightning |
| Paul said on the subject usually took a solid hour, or a | | | | hit he church steeple with an horrendous crash.In the |
| bit more, to relate. Grandpa didn't get many | | | | awful, split-second flash round about, followed |
| opportunities to atone for his youthful disobedience | | | | instantly by an ear-splitting crash of thunder, the |
| to God's call, so he made the most of every | | | | salesman saw a giant in the pulpit, his eyes burning |
| one.Despite Grandpa Jerry's scriptural verbosity, he | | | | coals and a white halo gleaming about his head.With a |
| was an imposing figure in the pulpit. He was a large | | | | screech, the salesman leaped over the pew and |
| man, tall, with a wild crop of bushy white hair. When | | | | gained the door with one mighty lunge. By some |
| he got wound up about Paul, he commanded | | | | divine miracle, the Model T engine coughed into life at |
| attention. He voice boomed, and he emphasized his | | | | the first spin of the crank. The salesman departed |
| words with thumps on the pulpit.Folks allowed as | | | | the premises with noteworthy alacrity.Unfortunately, |
| how the regular-ordained pastors were easier to | | | | he did not pause long enough to unlatch the |
| take, week-end-week-out. Still, a good dose of Saint | | | | church-yard gate. It was a good gate with may |
| Paul now and then purged the soul.The spiritual home | | | | years of useful service remaining. Under the |
| for that little country congregation was about five | | | | circumstances, however, it seemed more appropriate |
| miles from town. As was the custom, it was left | | | | to take the gate along on the front hood of the car |
| unlocked so passersby could enter for mediation or | | | | than to tarry longer in the vicinity.Thus it was that a |
| shelter.Grandpa Jerry's farm was nearby, and he | | | | badly frightened salesman, with a church gate for |
| often went there in the evening, after chores, to | | | | company, pulled up to the Campbell Tavern. "There's |
| look after the church. After mending a window pane, | | | | a mad-man back there in a church!" he stammered.A |
| or mowing the grass in the graveyard out front, he | | | | table of men didn't bother to look up from their |
| would commune with God in the empty sanctuary.It | | | | game of five-card stud."Was he talking about Paul?" |
| was on such an occasion during Lent that Grandpa | | | | some one asked."Yes, yes! That's him.""Oh, that's |
| Jerry and the St. Louis salesman encountered each | | | | only Deacon Williams. You should have hung around a |
| other briefly. Grandpa went to the church that | | | | little longer. He would have taken up a |
| evening to sweep the floor and make sure the | | | | collection."They kidded Grandpa a lot after that, |
| hymnals were evenly distributed for Easter Sunday. | | | | scaring strangers and all; but he wasn't amused at |
| This done, he lingered to think and pray.Darkness | | | | being thought non compos mentis."Probably the first |
| came on with a raging thunder storm. Grandpa's | | | | time that jasper has been to church in 20 years," |
| mood, the Holy season, and the natural elements | | | | groused Grandpa. "Too bad the Lord's aim was a little |
| inspired him to preach. He strode to the pulpit. Amidst | | | | off with that bolt of lightning."Lindsey Williams is a |
| the flashing lightning and rumbling thunder, he let his | | | | Sun columnist who can be contacted at:Website: with |
| heart pour forth.The salesman, in his Model-T Ford | | | | several hundred of Lin's Editorial & At Large articles |
| touring car, was caught in the area by that sudden | | | | written over 40 years.Also featured in its entirety is |
| storm. The rain beat in through the open sides. He | | | | Lin's groundbreaking book "Boldly Onward," that |
| careened down the road at a dizzying 40 | | | | critically analyzes and develops theories about the |
| miles-per-hour --- looking for a barn or some other | | | | original Spanish explorers of America. |
| place for him and his vehicle.At last, the White Oak | | | | |