From the mountains and palm trees of Phoenix, Arizona:
Happy 50th Birthday, Pastor Jeff!

Like my triplet brothers, I met you while in high school. You were walking the halls at Marquette, which is unusual for a pastor. I came to know later, and to no surprise to those who know you well, that as you were "hanging around" -- you were praying for the students and faculty. Thanks for those prayers; they certainly covered me.

My favorite sermon of your's was one I didn't even attend. I was away at college, and the Pope was coming to St. Louis. You had explained that if the Pope's presence and all the media attention caused just one person to think about God more, then God was still being honored.

So I view my life for God as the same -- if by knowing me, someone thinks about Jesus today, then I'm just as much about my Father's work as someone preaching from the rooftops. Afterall, it is far better to be a candle in the darkness than to curse the darkness. You taught me that, Pastor Jeff.

For in the words of Charles Dickens, "No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another," or from Proverbs, "He who freshens others will himself be refreshed," so have you been for me and my family.

One last note - my favorite "Pastor Jeff Moment" has to be when you stand still for the camera -- try it on your birthday!

Love from the "Rose Among the Thorns"
Martha R. Schneberger