Jim Drummond was  first a neighbor and then a friend of mine (and Paulette) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. But what is more important, he was a wonderful Christian whose life I have tried to emulate. For many years he was a Sunday School superintendent, and each Sunday he wrote a small parable aimed at children. They were written before I knew him. I wish I could have seen him give some of them. They were cute little stories each with a kindly made simple point. His widow, Magee, said that the children liked them, and I am sure that the adults did as well. When he died, Magee gave me two folders that contained his parables. We computerized them so that some of his friends and other family members could read them.

Jim and Magee grew up in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, where Jim’s church was the Congregational Church. He loved singing in the choir and he was an active member until he entered the Army during WWII. Jim was greatly influenced by his minister. He told me that he was inspired to write his parables by this minister, who had written and published a book of parables. When I was asked to contribute to this blog, I was very hesitant for good reason; I was a math geek, who had never written anything other than math papers. It was the memory of Jim and his parables that inspired me to give it a try. I haven’t been able to write any parables, yet, but I think I will pass on several of Jim’s in future blogs.

I hope you see a chain here. I was inspired by Jim. Jim was inspired by his minister. His minister was probably inspired by others, but the most important link is the original one; Jesus and his parables are the ultimate inspiration. Maybe this story about parables is in effect a parable. It’s really not about writing little stories; it’s about how both Jim and his minister were witnesses that inspired others to live a Christian life. Please read the instructions Jesus gave us on being a witness in Matthew 5:14-16 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Jim

Jim’s first blog for us, originally posted on September 6, 2017