September 10, 2018 - Back in 1960, I was called to be pastor of the newly organized Woodlawn Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon. The church was located near the beautiful Columbia River and the members enjoyed a generous supply of fresh fish (like salmon and sturgeon) and Oregon’s deep top soil produced some of the most beautiful vegetables I’d ever seen. Linda Kyle, the church’s best cook, and her husband Lee, invited us to dinner one Sunday evening.
When we sat down at the table, Mrs. Kyle suddenly turned to Lee and said, "Lee, is that dog still in the house?" and before he could answer, she said, "Get him out …now!" Lee went to the corner of the kitchen, picked up the dog and literally tossed it into the yard.. "Preacher," I have told Lee a dozen times to get him out of the house", she barked. Mrs. Kyle’s meal that followed proved her reputation as a great cook.
I met Lee the next day and asked him how his dog was doing. "Oh, he’s still dead", he laughed. "He died in the kitchen three days ago and Linda had the perfect right to want him out of the house. "A kitchen is no place for a dog to be", he said……
…… "and especially if the dog is dead."
