Preface: After a lifetime of attending an ELCA Lutheran church the Holy Spirit guided me to the Branson United Methodist Church. This is the story of how I was guided to BUMC. BUMC The long story, but short journey, of how the Holy Spirit guided me to Branson, MO has been written. To my surprise, His guidance did not end …
Chapter 28–Make It Happen
Preface: This story is about the involvement of God, The Holy Spirit, and Maxine with Christmas 2011. My family was preparing to celebrate the seventh Christmas since Maxine died. The story shows she still watches over all of us, knows what is happening in our lives, and wants us to be happy as we move on with life on earth. …
Chapter 29–The 700 Mile Sermon
Preface: I drove 700 miles to DePere, Wisconsin to attend a silent retreat with my sister. I planned to fade into the congregation during Sunday church but the Holy Spirit had other plans. This was one of those sermons where you feel like the pastor was talking directly to you. My plans for the future were about to be changed. The …
Chapter 30–Gifts to Give––Gifts to Accept
Preface: The story stresses the importance of giving and accepting simple gifts like a kind word, a phone call, a hug, an e-mail, or any number of other simple gifts. This story is a sermon I gave in July 2006 about the gifts God gave my wife and I when our daughter was killed by a drunk driver. GIFTS TO GIVE …
Chapter 31–Lenten Sermon
Preface: This is a sermon about C.H.A.N.G.E. , an acronym for Christians Having A New Growth Experience. I gave this sermon during Lent of 2007 when Pastor Diane had to be absent on a Sunday. Lenten Sermon March 11, 2007 C.H.A.N.G.E. At the beginning of Lent, Pastor Diane’s message in the newsletter encouraged us to consider adding something to our …
Ethical Will
Coming Soon—Ethical Will: In an ethical will you describe your values and philosophies to your grandkids. You give them the will when you are still alive and I have done that. My paternal grandfather died before I was born and I didn’t have a close relationship with my maternal grandfather. Modern families are spread out across the U.S.A. and we …
Road Trip Stories
Road Trip Stories I traveled a lot in my job for John Deere. I share some of my experiences during these adventures. Stories coming soon.
Welcome
Welcome to Stump’s stories. I began writing these stories in 2006 for my grandkids. Currently, my grandkids all live in the digital world and this site allows me to provide them better access to my stories. This site is also in response to close friends who have encouraged me to publish my stories. The stories are about my experiences on …
Pirate Town Stories
Coming in the future. Pirate town stories are fictional stories, loosely based on actual events, that occurred in the a fictional place called Pirate Town. Any resemblance between the story characters, real events, or real life are purely accidental.
Save Room For Us
Save Room For Us It was an ideal summer day in Nevada as I walked down the street to the 130th Alumni Banquet. The sun was bright in the clear blue mile high Iowa sky. The temperature was pleasant for this time of year. The humidity was low, uncommon for a summer day in Iowa. The leaves whispered in the gentle …