Jean and I have just gotten back from a three-week vacation trip up in Northern California. When I returned to the office I discovered that a lot of people thought that we were in Germany. That is because four weeks ago this weekend, there was a wonderful event here at this church celebrating my twenty years as one of the ministers on the staff. That evening it was announced that we would be given a trip to Germany. That was the first we had heard of it. It was a surprise. So we have yet to even start to plan that trip. I want to thank you again for the gift, and let you know we haven't used it yet. In fact, I haven't even seen it.

At that party recognizing my twenty years of service, I was going to tell the story of the duke and the duchess who owned a country estate, and had a whole lot…