Archive Entry #69: March 5, 1992

In 1992 a connection with a local clergy colleague who was the president of the area Rotary district led me to one of the great adventures of my life: a six week, all expenses paid trip, literally around the world. From Chicago to Paris (only for a 10 hour layover), then to India for nearly five weeks, then to Hong Kong for three days, to Tokyo for three days, and finally back to Chicago. It was a unique and transcendent experience.

But in the middle of our team’s stay in India, tragedy struck our church in the form of the sudden and unexpected death of Marcia Martin, who at that time had served as our secretary for a decade. Seldom have I felt as powerless as I felt when I received word of Marcia’s death from such great distance. In the first newsletter column I wrote after returning to the States, I reflected on that moment and my response to it. I’m pretty confident that there is something in the following 23 year old story that you can identify with.

COMING NEXT: From March 1997, another example of the variety of styles I’ve employed in my columns over the years: a “news report” from Jerusalem chronicling the developing controversy as Jesus makes his way to town. Find it HERE.