Post: Readers Respond

Dear Staff,

Thank you for giving us Pietisten to help us “keep it together.” We don’t receive many publications that give us hope, honesty and humor.

Stella Rosenquist and Stew Morton, Apple Valley, Minnesota

“Without the Spirit, the Bible becomes a casket for dead dogmas instead of a garden of life and fragrance.”

Herb Hedstrom of Chicago recently wrote inquiring as to the origin of the quote by David Nyvall that appeared in a cartoon by Steve Elde several years ago (above). We were curious too. Here’s the rest of the story from Reverend Elde:

“Nyvall made the remarks at a lecture delivered to pastors in Princeton, Illinois in 1898. Nyvall said that the Bible was, for the Reformers, ‘first and foremost a means of grace.’”

“A means of grace is an instrument of the Holy Spirit, not only for its origins, but for its continued usefulness.... Without the Spirit of God the Bible is like a sheath without a sword, like a grain of seed corn without a sprout. Without the Spirit, the fundamental thing, yes, literally the very essence is missing, and the Bible becomes a casket for dead dogmas instead of a garden of life and fragrance.” (David Nyvall, “The Inspiration of the Bible,” The Covenant Quarterly, May 1986, p. 20)

I read and reread the Pietisten “premises” to justify sending this. It’s a stretch but the last one on the list is to “say and print anything we want.” If it prints, fine. If not, I’m good with that. Life is good. God is providing beyond measure. Thanks for your great work.

Five years ago, I had a quintuple bypass that changed my life. Shortly afterward, on a Saturday night, I got weepy reflecting on the incredible medical care I was receiving. To thank the hospital staff...beyond chocolate and flowers...I borrowed big time from The Sound of Music (“Favorite Things”). Here comes an old timer’s trip to Cardio Land.

Andioplasty and quintuple bypass,
Cardioversion, chest xrays and blood work,
Ejection fractions and ablation, too.
These are a few of my favorite things.

EKG, HDL, LDL, echoes,
Afib and BP and HDL ratios,
Systolic pressure and Coumadin, too.
These are a few of my everyday things.

Defibrillator, but first a pacemaker.
Less salt, less sugar, less caffeine forever.
Farewell to donuts, so long Mountain Dew;
These were a few of my favorite things.

When the blood flows, when the heart beats,
When I’m feeling fine,
I simply remember my Cardio friends
and that’s when I feeeel so glaaaad!

God’s blessings....

Dan Danielson, Colorado Spring, Colorado