An Authentic Life 1.1 for pdf - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

Suddenly, they were happy to give me what I
asked for previously, and the contract was agreed
upon.
❡
July 25, 1999, was the date set for me to return and do
a candidate sermon for the Comstock Park congregation,
after which the congregation would vote
whether or not they wanted me as their pastor before
signing the contract. They flew Geraldine and I there
for a more extended stay at a less expensive motel so
we could buy a home. They didn’t pay enough for us
to live in the suburbs with them, and after eight years
in Iowa and North Dakota, we were ready for an urban
experience.
E.J. helped us find an old two-story, threebedroom
home in a fairly hip, progressive inner city
area of Grand Rapids two miles from downtown and
six miles from church, which made our church and
home life separate. Grand Rapids has a quarter million
people with about a million in the county. North
Dakota only has around 660,000 in the whole state. It
felt good to be back in civilization again.
I preached and the congregation had a question
time after worship. They voted to call me as their
pastor. Although Comstock Park was now a suburb,
the older members remembered its rural past. Coming
from North Dakota must have given them certain
ideas about me. We went to lunch with Ron Shoemaker,
the chair of the deacons. Geraldine and I went
to Charlie’s Crab on the Grand River for dinner to
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