In 1959 in Indianapolis, I attended the great Broadway Methodist Church. The charismatic, handsome, extraordinarily gifted minister at the time was a man named Dr. James Armstrong. My soon to be husband, Ken also attended Broadway Church.
I was living with friends at the time but casually told Dr. Armstrong one Sunday morning as we were leaving church, along with several hundred others, that my dad owned a little dry cleaners in a not too safe area near downtown.
That week he visited my dad at the dry cleaners. I was astounded.
Later Ken and I were married, Dr. Armstrong baptized our first child, and we moved to Florida.
Dr. Armstrong went on to become world famous. A man of considerable influence in the lives of folks in very low and very high places. Then came many ups and downs in his life. After becoming the youngest bishop ever elected in the Methodist Church and serving in that capacity for 15 years, he eventually left the church, became a professor at Iliff, and later a minister in the United Church of Christ.
I'm grateful that our lives intersected many times over the past 50 plus years.
Dr. Armstrong is now almost 88 years old. His mind is as sharp as ever. He's teaching here at Rollins College. He's writing another book. He's still as outspoken, controversial and charismatic as he's always been.
And, soon, if all goes as planned, he and his lovely wife are joining my local United Methodist Church. Dr. Armstrong is coming home.
Welcome back, my friend!
(I wrote a blog posting about Dr. Armstrong on December 15, 2010 titled "My Friend Jim.")
***
I was living with friends at the time but casually told Dr. Armstrong one Sunday morning as we were leaving church, along with several hundred others, that my dad owned a little dry cleaners in a not too safe area near downtown.
That week he visited my dad at the dry cleaners. I was astounded.
Later Ken and I were married, Dr. Armstrong baptized our first child, and we moved to Florida.
Dr. Armstrong went on to become world famous. A man of considerable influence in the lives of folks in very low and very high places. Then came many ups and downs in his life. After becoming the youngest bishop ever elected in the Methodist Church and serving in that capacity for 15 years, he eventually left the church, became a professor at Iliff, and later a minister in the United Church of Christ.
I'm grateful that our lives intersected many times over the past 50 plus years.
Dr. Armstrong is now almost 88 years old. His mind is as sharp as ever. He's teaching here at Rollins College. He's writing another book. He's still as outspoken, controversial and charismatic as he's always been.
And, soon, if all goes as planned, he and his lovely wife are joining my local United Methodist Church. Dr. Armstrong is coming home.
Welcome back, my friend!
(I wrote a blog posting about Dr. Armstrong on December 15, 2010 titled "My Friend Jim.")
***
