Reformation Day

Yesterday it was 593 years that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, the eve of All Saints' Day. That event is considered the beginning of the Reformation.
 

His actions that day led Martin Luther to break away from the Catholic church and found the Lutheran Church. His contemporary, Ulrich Zwingli, followed his lead shortly after and founded the Reformed Church. Luther retained more of the Catholic beliefs than Zwingli. Ironically, the one thing that separated them was their divergent teachings on the chief Sacrament of Christian unity: the Eucharist. Martin Luther believed in Transubstantiation, or that the  bread and wine was turned into blood and body of Christ. Ulrich Zwingli thought that it was a symbolic transformation. Zwingli carried the reformation further than Luther and also removed the images, candles, gold trimmings, and other decorative things from the church.

Our Anabaptist founder, Felix Manz, was a student of Ulrich Zwingli. Felix and his friends, Conrad Grebel and George Blaurock, felt that Zwingli was not carrying the reformation far enough. They believed infant baptism was not Scriptural and that the church and state should be separate. Seeing debate with Zwingli was fruitless, they practiced believer's baptism in January 1525 which is considered the founding of the Anabaptist church.

In 1926, General Synod of the Reformed Church voted to "designate the Sunday nearest October 31 as Reformation Day." This year, Reformation Sunday was observed on October 27. Not much is made of Reformation Sunday in our Anabaptist churches as we do not recognize Martin Luther as our founder. But we are the beneficiaries of his courage in challenging the false doctrines of the Catholic church. People listened to him, started thinking and reading the Scriptures for themselves instead of just swallowing whatever the priest told them.

Felix Manz and Conrad Grebel were highly educated, able to read the Scriptures in the Hebrew and Greek languages in which they were originally written. The key to the Reformation was not the work of any man. It was the work of the Holy Spirit opening the eyes of men who read the Scriptures.

Jesus said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The Catholic church had strayed far from the truth and invented doctrines that were not found in the Scriptures. But God was not going to let His church fall into ruin. He raised up men who read the Scriptures and saw the Truth.

As with Christmas and Easter, the devil has a counterfeit for October 31 and has a heyday on Reformation Day. How much better it would be to celebrate something positive on October 31 and make it a day of thanks to God for building His church!

 

 

German Bible and Martyrs' Mirror book which were used by Christian Burkholder (1746-1809).

Sometimes I Wonder

I went to the post office this morning and with a huge sigh of relief mailed off one of the writing projects I slaved over all week. I can't explain why it seems I'm not satisfied unless I have just a little more than is sensible on my to-do list. I had a stack of five books I was supposed to review and report on and was already working on three other writing projects. What possessed me to start the fourth one?

I guess the main reason was that the person who wanted it done has been waiting since May. I hated to make him wait any longer and  it was a comparatively small project. So I dived in and started it on Monday. And once I have started something, I feel driven to complete it. I'm not one to let a lot of things lie around unfinished. This one took me three days of solid typing to complete, which is relatively fast. Fifty-six handwritten pages were reduced to thirty typewritten pages. I'm relieved to have it off my conscience and my desk.

That leaves me with "only" three more projects to complete. I am hoping to wrap up another one this month, which will bring my work load down to a more manageable level. One of those is a sort of on again-off again research project but the other is rather involved and I'm sure will keep me occupied all winter. I'll be happy if I can finish by spring.

I always have a mental list of what I want to do over winter and this year is no exception. I reserve doing photo albums for winter so that will be on the list for the beginning of the year. I want to crochet an afghan and maybe put a quilt in the frame. Of course there is always the regular house and volunteer work I do. And usually other things I hadn't even thought of when I made my to-do list pop up and get worked in somewhere.

I'm glad I can be busy and productive, but sometimes I wonder about my own judgment.

Gruber Wagon Works

We've been having summer weather so far this month. It felt more like July than October this week. We took Saturday afternoon off to attend the Berks County Heritage Festival. We didn't see a whole lot there because we spent most of the time touring the Gruber Wagon Works which is on the grounds. I've wanted to do that for years and today seemed like the perfect opportunity.

 

The Gruber Wagon Works was built in 1882 by Franklin H. Gruber who had begun making farm-use wagons in the 1870s. As demand increased, he built the Wagon Works. It remained a family-owned business until it closed in 1971. It was unusual for its time because all of its processes, from start to finish, were under one roof.
Originally, the Wagon Works was on the Licking Creek, about 1000 feet from where it flows into the Tulpehocken Creek. The Licking Creek was used to supply power for the machines in the early days of the Wagon Works. Part of the creek was diverted to run through the basement, turning a small water wheel before flowing back into the creek.
With increases in business, the Wagon Works modernized. A steam engine was installed in 1896, replaced in 1906 by a gasoline-powered engine, which was used through the 1950's. The water diverted from the creek was still used, only now to cool off the engine.
Because the Wagon Works was along a dirt road, painting was done on the second floor where there was not as much dust. An elevator, designed by one of the Gruber sons, was built in the building in 1905. With the installment of the elevator, two men could lift the wagons into the upper levels of the shop in a few minutes, a process which had previously taken five to six men half an hour.

In 1912, E. I. Shower put in electric lighting. It was the first electric lighting in the rural Berks area, and Shower encouraged people to go to the Wagon Works to see how it worked. This was also beneficial for the Grubers, as they could show off their wares while the people were there.
At its peak period, between 1910 and 1920, up to 20 men worked there at a time. They worked for 11 hours a day, six days a week, and were paid 15 to 20 cents an hour. At this time, approximately 100 wagons were being produced each year. Here is the price list from 1917 on the blackboard in the paint shop.

 

One of the keys to the success of the Wagon Works was its use of patterns. Having a pattern for each part meant that less work had to be done in sizing the pieces and the wagon could be built faster and more efficiently. With more wagons being built, more orders could be taken, and more money flowed into the business. During slow times, they would build extra parts to have some ready for the future.
As a family business, the Grubers were very concerned about the safety of their workers. They put in special safeguards, such as barriers on saws and other machinery to keep workers from cutting their hands while using them. During its entire operation, there were no major accidents.
No glue was used in the wagons; instead, the parts were fitted tight enough that they stayed together by themselves. This cold press, used to permanently weld the metal rims to the wooden wheels, is one of only a few to survive in the country. It was featured on the Smithsonian calendar.

The paint they used was linseed oil-based and had to be mixed every morning. The body of the wagon was always painted green, while the chassis was always painted red. Intricate scrollwork was painted by hand on the sides of the wagon by hand. Leroy remembers helping a neighbor load hay on one of these which had been modified to be pulled by a tractor.

With the advent of the tractor and automobile, demand for horse-drawn wagons decreased. To keep in business, the Grubers began making wooden truck bodies and socket wrenches for cars. One auto dealer had a deal where he would give a complete set of wrenches, made at the Wagon Works, to everyone who bought a Model-T. A set of Gruber tools would last a lifetime.
After 1956, until it finally closed in 1971, the Wagon Works was a wagon repair shop. The ultimate dominance of the automobile and modern farm equipment meant that the services of the Wagon Works were no longer needed. The last man to operate the Wagon Works was Franklin Gruber's grandson. When he retired in 1971, he simply closed the doors and left everything in place.

When the Army Corps of Engineers, in charge of the Blue Marsh Project, went into the Wagon Works a few years later, they realized they had found a national treasure. Over 19,000 tools, supplies and inventory was all left in place, as if the workers had simply gone home and would be back the next day. The machines and gas engine that runs them are all operational. Someone could go in there and build wagons the same way the Grubers made them.
The building was moved to the Heritage Center in early December 1976. It was cut into four major sections and moved about five miles down the road to the Berks County Heritage Center. Restoration on the building began immediately and the Wagon Works got a second life. The building and everything inside it, including the placement of tools and materials, is as it was when the business was operating. In 1977, the Wagon works was designated as a National Historical Landmark.

 

 

 

Like A Hammock

This morning I was reading about Peter walking on the water to meet Jesus. I was reminded of this unpublished poem I wrote some years ago. Maybe it will encourage someone.

 

 

Like A Hammock

Eager, and full of ambition,

Peter tried hard to show

How much he could do for Jesus,

There was nowhere he would not go;

So when Jesus came walking on water

Toward the boat of disciples one night,

Peter impulsively walked out to meet Him,

Quite sure he’d get there all right.

When he realized what he was doing,

And looked down at the waters below,

He felt himself sinking and knew

He’d drown in a minute or so.

Peter desperately shouted to Jesus

To save him from certain death,

Jesus lovingly reached down and caught him;

Took him back to the boat and the rest.

How many of us are like Peter?

We barge confidently out on our own

Without depending on Jesus,

Thinking we can make it alone.

Then in trouble, we cry out and ask Him

To save us as we’re going down;

He’s a big safety net to catch us

And save us before we drown.

 

How vastly different was Job;

His faith was fixed on the Lord,

Though destitute and deserted,

He firmly believed in God’s Word.

For his faith in God was in place,

And supporting him long before

All the troubles came to test him;

And all he had left was the Lord.

 

For Job knew God is in charge,

And He alone knows what is best;

Even though Job did not understand it,

He could trust and peacefully rest.

 

So his faith was to him like a hammock;

Underneath him, supporting and strong;

It kept him from fretting and worry

When everything seemed to go wrong.

 

What kind of faith do you have?

Is God to you nothing more

Than a big safety net to catch you

When you’re needing  to be restored?

How much better is faith like a hammock,

Underneath you, supporting and strong!

You can rest, secure in the knowledge,

God never does anything wrong.

(Romaine Stauffer)

Tractor Show

Five years ago Leroy started collecting parts to build a miniature unstyled John Deere B tractor. The pieces were basket cases he salvaged here and there. Finally this summer he got it all together and running. It needs a little work to get it running better but is good enough that he was able to take it to a couple shows this month.

Someone who saw it at Myerstown East End days invited him to bring it to their tractor show at Oley Mennonite Church on September 28. That was the third Saturday in a row he took it to a show and I think the last one for awhile. It was just a small show but a beautiful day to be out. We met some new friends and old acquaintances there.

 

 

 

They told Leroy to park his little tractor at the end of the toy row. Before long, the owner of the full size John Deere B moved his tractor and parked beside him. Maybe he thought the little guy needed a big brother to watch over him. When people look at his little tractor they don't really know what they're seeing until he starts telling them how he built it from scrap parts. Then they see it in a different light.

 

One little guy climbed up and tried it out.

Calm Change

Sometimes the fall equinox is accompanied by violent and/or very abrupt changes in the weather. The year of 1983 was one of those times. Our youngest child was overdue and the summer heat continued with a vengeance. When we finally left for the hospital in the early morning hours on September 20, it had only gone down to 80 degrees overnight. Fall came with a terrific crash during the days I was in the hospital. (In those days they let you rest a couple days and didn't push you out six hours later.) The nurses kept saying how cool it was but I found it hard to believe until the moment I stepped out of the hospital. There was a definite chill in the air and summer had come to an abrupt end.

This year that child had his 30th birthday. His wife hosted a party for him at their home. Since their house is too small for a party crowd, she planned to have it on the lawn. Uh-oh! I thought. That's chancy. It's the equinox after all.

But this year the equinox came in rather calmly for a change. There were no hurricanes or violent storms. A line of thunderstorms passed through Saturday night. They dropped about a half inch of rain and ushered in cooler temperatures but by Sunday it had cleared and the lawn party went on as planned. It did get a bit chilly as the evening wore on, and especially after the sun went down. But by then the party was nearly over. I got a bunch of pictures at the party and after I was home I realized I don't have one of the birthday boy. What kind of a mom does something like that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross That Bridge

The bridge we crossed to get to the main road was closed for several years, which meant we had to go the long way around. Back at the end of April we saw work had begun to repair the bridge. I thought in about a month it would be open again. Well, that was a vain hope. Instead of being repaired the bridge was completely torn away and replaced with a totally new bridge. There were intervals when nothing was happening; at least nothing we could see. What I thought might take a month took 4.5 months. It finally opened on Wednesday and I drove across it for the first time today. After all those years of using the detour, I'm afraid I'll forget it's open again and automatically turn the other way.

 

Brand spankin' new bridge.

 

Another positive thing happened this week when I had an injection in my spine. The difficulty I've had walking all summer disappeared in less than 24 hours. I can walk again without a cane and sleep in bed all night without pain. If an injection was all it took, why did it take four months to figure that out? If it isn't a permanent fix and doesn't last, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. At the moment, I'm very thankful for the relief.