Along the Main street sidewalk in Longmont, Colorado, there is a plaque marking the spot where a butcher opened a store and went bankrupt. But wait a minute. They don't usually honor business failures with plaques. There must be more to the story. There lS. That butcher then moved north to Wyoming where he opened a dry goods store. It did rather well. His name was J.C. Penney. He knew that a failure need not be fatal.

A biblical character who learned that essential lesson was Simon Peter, unofficial chairman of the board of Jesus' disciples. Simon was nicknamed "Petra" or Peter by our Lord. That name means one who is rock-like, solid, dependable. It's the same as calling someone "Rocky" or "Old Gibraltar." The other disciples must have laughed at that nickname. Simon was the opposite of ro…