I have felt the magic ever since I attended a concert by the Philadelphia Symphony. Maestro Eugene Ormandy opened the concert with Samuel Barber’s Suite for Strings. I never knew that 100 strings could sound as one. Beethoven’s 5th Symphony was the second piece. With the down beat the corpulent lady next to me elbowed my ribs. I felt my…
Author: Larry Yeagley
Miracles
A west coast seminary offered a course called Miracles. The class was withdrawn after one semester. The teachers failed to define miracle. Lots of ideas were bounced around in an atmosphere of controversy, but seminary leaders deemed it unprofitable. Religious leaders in Jesus’ day considered miracles evidence of divine calling, really BIG miracles. Eugene Peterson hit a home run when…
South Mountain Test
My brother Carl had a foolproof test of a car’s worth. If the car could climb to the top of South Mountain without shifting into second gear, it was a keeper. He challenged our father to the contest. Carl’s ’38 Ford easily passed the test, but our father’s old clunker was known to require low gear to reach the summit.…
Learn to Be Content
What a surprise! I walked into the music department of Barnes & Noble. I was met by a whole wall of vinyl records and a turntable. In December of 1955 I bought a portable phonograph. By the time I paid for it I had just enough money to buy one record — Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony, the Pathetique. I played it…
Songs We Didn’t Know
I had a curious revelation with the hymnal in my childhood church. The hymnal was called Christ in Song. Believe it not, there were 949 songs. As I thumbed through the pages I found about 30 that I recall singing. Unless, that is, when the pastor chose a song among the 919. Mrs. Brown bravely attempted to play an introduction…
Brotherly Love
The city of brotherly love came as a shock to this country boy. I left the boarding house at 7 a.m. for school. Waiting for the trolley I noticed a man lying on the sidewalk. I ran to a nearby phone booth. The Philadelphia police dispatcher said, Mister, we can’t be bothered by an old drunk. He’ll sober up in…
A Masterpiece of Praise
John requested that the elders of his church anoint him. His life was hanging by the proverbial thread. I listened carefully when he prayed. I expected him to cry out to God for healing. Not a word. Instead, he honored God for His majesty and power. His three-minute prayer was a masterpiece of praise. Many years ago I attended a…
I Am Lonely
In his dehydrated state Allen’s arms were dry and scaly. His lips were cracked and bloody. Walking required the assistance of a cane. His voice was slightly above a whisper. He cherished every visit from hospital staff. I asked him, Are you eager to get home? His answer was deeply sad. When I go home I’ll go home to nobody…
Love Never Quits Touching
For three years I taught elementary school. That was 1957 to 1960. I never considered myself an ace in the classroom. Maybe I was too harsh a judge. Last week my grandson met one of my students. Now retired, he had received many awards as an elementary school teacher. He said I was his role model. His mother died the…
Looking Back
A new family moved to the farm next to ours. The father was tired of factory work. He bought new machinery and proceeded to plant his fields. One day he walked over to our fence. Young man, I have a problem. I can’t make straight rows to save my life. Can you help me? I tied my team to the…