by 
Fred Patterson
Oracle Church of Christ
Special to the Crier
A freighter was looking for a man to deliver supplies to a remote mining camp. The mountain road was narrow and dangerous, with sheer drops of hundreds of feet.
The first applicant wasn’t afraid: “Given a good team, I can drive that wagon within inches of the edge.”
The freighter asked Hank, a grizzled mule driver, “How close to the edge can you drive, Hank?”
“Don’t reckon we’ll ever know. Goin’ gets chancy, I’ll be hugging the inside, maybe scraping the hubs on the rock face. But I’ll get her there, and on time.”
Simon Peter was like that first driver. In Matthew 26:34, when Jesus said Peter would disown Him, Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”
Peter wasn’t afraid. He had stuck to Jesus through the lean times, when they were sometimes just a step ahead of the guards sent by the Chief Priests. Now, after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, with people shouting Hosanna, there was no way he would abandon his Lord.
But he did. And so might we.
The way to avoid that is to be like Hank, and stay close to the rock.
We’re the Church of Christ, meeting at 2425 El Paseo in Oracle. Visit us Sundays for Bible study at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m.
Fred Patterson lives in Oracle with his wife, Shelia, and does the preaching at the Oracle Church of Christ, 2425 El Paseo. He came to Oracle six years ago after retiring from Mesa Community College where he taught reading and study skills. Fred was born near Pittsburg, PA attending schools in Castle Shannon, Gibsonia and Mars, PA. He graduated from Clarion State Teachers College with a B S in Education, later obtaining a MA in education from ASU. Fred is married, with 4 children, 11 grandchildren and 3 great grand children with two on the way. He enjoys reciprocal visits with the family, working around the house, working out daily at Waldo’s gym and helping out at the Oracle Community Center--usually with a hammer, paintbrush, dishcloth or his tractor.
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