How I Lost My Faith – In Preachers

Farm, Ranch Life, Travel / March 24, 2019 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com

t was a cold and muddy Sunday
Our little caravan of Christians
children, parents and student minister
stuck in the spring mud a mile from church

Me and city cousin Wayne
the chosen ones at age seven
chosen to walk
to the nearest neighbour
while the others wait in the cars

The neighbor’s not home
but his Cockshutt 40 tractor is

Some combination of farm boy bravado
and reluctance to slog
back to the cars in defeat
comes out as "I can drive a tractor!"

One foot each on the clutch
and a good deal of grinding
gets us into low gear
and off at about two miles per

The student minister meets us
two thirds of the way back

As our leader
in all things spiritual and practical
he decrees that we are going
far too slow
and selects another gear
(probably at random, he’s from the city too)

The one he picks is the fastest
known in these parts as “Road Gear”
and we quickly accelerate to thirty

which causes the preacher to panic
(or remember that he forgot his bible)
and leap off

leaving us to wrestle the big red monster
now wildly careening from rut to rut
and rocketing toward the mired cars
and fearful families

Wrenching the wheel to the right
at the last possible moment
we narrowly avoid death and destruction
and stall to a stop in the water-filled ditch
amidst the prayers of the congregation

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2 thoughts on “How I Lost My Faith – In Preachers”

Wolfgang March 24, 2019 at 6:02 pm

Another good one Neil. A great story and a great close.
You are at your best describing life on the range or ranch.
Keep ’em comin’!

Reply ↓
Barbara Reichlin March 24, 2019 at 8:09 am

Sounds like SOMEONE was looking after you, even if it wasn’t the preacher man.

Reply ↓

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