Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 19, 2014

OPINION Mountain Views News Saturday, April 19, 2014 
B5 
Mountain 
Views 
News 
PUBLISHER/ EDITOR 
Susan Henderson 
CITY EDITOR 
Dean Lee 
EAST VALLEY EDITOR 
Joan Schmidt 
BUSINESS EDITOR 
LaQuetta Shamblee 
SENIOR COMMUNITY 
EDITOR 
Pat Birdsall 
SALES 
Patricia Colonello 
626-355-2737 
626-818-2698 
WEBMASTER 
John Aveny 
CONTRIBUTORS 
Chris Leclerc 
Bob Eklund 
Howard HaysPaul CarpenterStuart Tolchin 
Kim Clymer-KelleyChristopher NyergesPeter Dills 
Hail Hamilton 
Rich Johnson 
Merri Jill Finstrom 
Lori KoopRev. James SnyderTina Paul 
Mary CarneyKatie HopkinsDeanne Davis 
Despina ArouzmanGreg WelbornRenee Quenell 
Ben Show 
Sean KaydenMarc Garlett 
Mountain Views News 
has been adjudicated asa newspaper of GeneralCirculation for the County 
of Los Angeles in CourtCase number GS004724: 
for the City of SierraMadre; in Court Case 
GS005940 and for the 
City of Monrovia in CourtCase No. GS006989 and 
is published every Saturday 
at 80 W. Sierra MadreBlvd., No. 327, Sierra 
Madre, California, 91024. 
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Mountain Views News 
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mtnviewsnews@aol.comThere is a new pastor in town. His name is Briant Cuffy and his 
lovely wife’s name is Carrie. They are the new pastors at BethanyChurch in Sierra Madre. Carrie is from San Diego originally.
And when I tell you where they have been the last two years youwill understand why they are probably excited to be here. 
Briant is a native of Dominica, an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of theCaribbean Sea. More specifically Briant is from Grand Fond, Saint David located onthe eastern side of the island. It says it is bordered by St. Andrew, St. Joseph, St. Paul 
(I think not Minnesota), St. George and St. Patrick. Hoping for a St. Rich but therearen’t many of those around. The population of Grand Fond is listed as only “verysmall”. 
For the last two years Briant and Carrie have been employed in the town of mybirth. Minneapolis, Minnesota. I think our friend from the Lesser Antilles in theCaribbean is probably glad to be in a bit warmer environment. I’m sure wife Carrieshares the same sentiment, being a San Diego native. 
We welcome Briant and Carrie to Sierra Madre. Come visit them at BethanyChurch at one of two services Sunday Morning: 8:00am and 11:00am. The church is 
at 93 No. Baldwin between Montecito and Highland. 
JUST IN CASE YOU FORGOT! 
JUKEBOX Concert Saturday April 19th. My last big push inviting you to attend. Theshow is at the Peppertree Grill located at 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. The concert isfrom 6:30 pm to 9:00pm. The food at the Peppertree Grill is terrific as are the serversand bartenders. 
We call ourselves a “fun rock” band. We do songs that may be a little “bubble 
gummy” for other classic rock bands. Songs like “The Locomotion”, “Love Potion #9,
“Secret Agent Man”. 
The place is filling up, so make reservations at (626) 355-8444. And thank you forsupporting us and local business. 
RICH Johnson 
New Pastors, NewCouncilmembers and Old 
Really Old Rock ‘N Roll Bands 
OUT TO PASTOR 
A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 
RIGHT TURN 
GREG Welborn 
EASTER US MORE THAN 
BUNNIES SCHLEPPING EGGS 
A PEDICURE THAT CURED ALL MY 
PET PEEVES 
Since I was a young 
person, I always had 
some pets around. 
Most of these have 
been dogs, hunting dogs in particular. And 
I loved my pets. 
In getting older, I discovered that having 
a pet dog around is a lot of work. More 
work than I care to do in light of my busy 
schedule. So I have exchanged these pet 
dogs for a few pet peeves. 
One pet peeve of mine is when a waitress 
calls me "Sweetie." I do not know, it just gets 
under my skin. Of course, it might be good 
for somebody to think of something sweet 
about me. I prefer, rather, it is somebody 
who knows something about me. What 
bothers me is the people who know me 
really do not call me "Sweetie." There may 
be something to that. 
Another pet peeve is when somebody is 
eating broccoli next to me in a restaurant. 
Eating broccoli in public is probably not 
against the law, but it should be. 
And many pet peeves to go along with that. 
Recently a situation developed that caused 
me quite a bit of a quandary. The gist of that 
quandary had to do with money, which is 
another pet peeve of mine. 
When I was in high school, I had smashed 
my right big toe. At the time, the doctor 
had to remove the toenail and it took six 
months for my toenail to grow back. Well, 
it did not quite get back into shape. I have 
had trouble with that toe ever since. 
Lately that toenail was giving me some 
difficulty. It was not growing in the right 
direction and it looked like it was rotting. 
I knew if I went to the doctor, it would cost 
me an arm and a leg. What good is a toe 
when you lost an arm and a leg? When 
checking it out it would have cost about 
$200 to see a doctor about this. Without 
insurance, all of this would have come out 
of my pocket. 
I put it off for a year and it seemed just to get 
worse. It got so bad that it hurt every time 
I walked. I did complain to the Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage, but she only 
insisted that I go see a doctor. It is easy for 
her to say when it is not her $200. 
Being a certified Pennsylvania Dutchman, 
$200 is a lot of money. Trying to get $200 
out of a Pennsylvania Dutchman is about 
as close to suicide as anybody wants to get. 
I tried to think of how I could deal with my 
toe without going to that money hungry 
doctor. 
Several weeks ago, I happened to overhear 
somebody say that they had a badly infected 
toenail. It caught my attention because it 
was the condition of my toe at the time. 
Instead of going to the doctor, this woman 
went and had a pedicure, which took care 
of her damaged toe. 
I really did not know what a pedicure was; 
just that it was some kind of a woman thing. 
As a man, I had no interest in involving 
myself in anything that could be classified 
as a woman thing. However, my toe would 
not quit hurting. 
I pondered this subject for a couple of 
weeks. During that time, my toe got worse 
and it was more painful to walk. Of course, 
my wife kept asking how my toe was and 
I deferred telling her the truth. There was 
no way I was going to go to a doctor and 
hand over to him $200 of my hard-earned 
money. 
I thought to myself, "Self, maybe you 
should try the pedicure." 
Myself thought it was a good idea and so I 
drove over to where they did pedicures. I 
sat in my truck for a few minutes looking 
at the Nail Salon where they did pedicures. 
While I was watching, my toe kept hurting. 
Finally, I decided to leave my manhood in 
the truck, hobble in and see if they could 
do a pedicure for someone like me. I was 
sure they had never dealt with anybody 
quite my size before. I was not even sure 
that they would take a man as a client. 
When I walked in, I discovered that they 
did not speak English. At least most of 
them did not. I inquired and was warmly 
received, then ushered to a chair where 
they could work on my toes. Within 20 
minutes, I received a pedicure to beat all 
pedicures. The young woman who did my 
toes did a marvelous job. I was afraid that 
she would try to paint my toenails and I 
was prepared for a vigorous No. But she did 
not and was very gracious in taking care of 
my wounded toe. 
When I went to pay for the pedicure, I was 
surprised it was only $20. 
I walked painlessly to my truck and sitting 
in my truck was my manhood with $180. 
That is what I call a good day. 
I could not help think of a verse in Proverbs, 
"Better it is to be of an humble spirit with 
the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the 
proud" (Proverbs 16:19). 
Sometimes a proud spirit gets in the way of 
healthy living. When I think too much of 
myself I have too much of myself to think 
of. 
How is it that Easter became the day 
when bunnies (who don’t lay eggs) are 
schlepping eggs in wheelbarrows (they 
can’t possibly lift) to children the world 
over (without even the benefit of a flying 
sleigh like Santa)? I’m sure a historian 
can provide an answer, but the more 
important question is whether the true 
Easter story is relevant for what it really 
is. 
Easter is an old story. The main 
characters, world powers, national 
borders, and political conflicts of the 
time are all gone. Perhaps that’s why 
Easter has been “updated” to something 
as timeless as cute bunnies, pretty eggs 
and sweet treats. But what if Easter 
didn’t need to be updated? What if the 
heart of the Easter story is as relevant 
to our world, politics and culture as it 
was at its inception? That’s the better 
question. 
I’d like to suggest that the best way 
to answer it is to look into the life of 
a modern man, a twentieth century 
man, who, like Easter’s progenitor, was 
willing to give up all he had for the 
benefit of people he would never know. 
Most years, Easter lands in April. 
And April, April 9th specifically, is when 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged at the 
personal order of Adolph Hitler for 
trying to free his people from Hitler’s 
tyranny. The back story here is hugely 
relevant, because as mentioned above, 
Bonhoeffer had a choice. 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a devout 
Christian theologian. Early in the 
ascendancy of German fascism, 
Bonhoeffer spoke vigorously 
in opposition to Hitler and his 
treatment of Jews, Christians and the 
downtrodden. So threatening was his 
opposition and eloquence that he was 
counseled to leave Germany lest he, too, 
be imprisoned like so many others who 
resisted Hitler. He fled to the United 
States to continue his work exhorting 
others to stop Hitler before it went too 
far. But of course, it went too far. Hitler 
took over and began liquidating those 
he deemed undesirable. 
Bonhoeffer, despite living in the U.S., 
was still on the black lists. He knew 
this. His supporters kept him informed 
and tried to protect him, which to them 
meant remaining in the safety of the 
U.S. to wait out the Nazi regime. 
We can debate the wisdom and 
the practicality of his returning to 
Germany, but we cannot debate his faith 
and commitment. In speaking to his 
vast audiences, he made clear that his 
faith compelled him to believe in duty 
beyond his self-interests and physical 
safety. He would 
return to Germany 
and, ultimately, 
give action to his 
beliefs by joining in 
a plot to kill Hitler. 
His concern for his 
fellow-Germans animated his desire to 
save them, and his faith animated his 
commitment to act. 
The plot was ultimately unsuccessful, 
and Bonhoeffer was imprisoned. In the 
waning days of WWII, while hunkered 
down in his bunker, Herr Hitler 
personally ordered the hanging of the 
still-young theologian. At 39, Dietrich 
Bonhoeffer was hanged April 9, 1945 at 
the Flossenburg Concentration Camp. 
Regrets? No. Fear? Almost certainly. 
But he didn’t cower. Instead, he told a 
fellow prisoner, “This is the end. But for 
me, the beginning of life.” So how is it 
that someone with such a bright future 
and the option to avoid the fate of a 
martyr would voluntarily put himself 
into such danger and meet such a fate 
at peace? 
Because he believed the Easter story. 
To him it was not about bunnies, pretty 
eggs, or sweets. It was about faith in the 
truth of a God who volunteered to pay 
the price which all humanity deserved. 
Our history, even in bible times, was not 
pretty. Humans were cruel, relentlessly 
selfish sinners; we still are. God 
demands righteousness, but he loves 
with equal passion. We could never 
measure up; we could never absolve 
ourselves sufficiently. So He sent His 
one and only son – God incarnate – who 
through His power could have avoided 
the death of the barbaric Roman cross. 
Jesus voluntarily sacrificed that His 
people – all of us, then, now and in the 
future – could be redeemed. Christ 
paid the price so that we all could have 
everlasting life with God. That is the 
true Easter story. Believe in Christ and 
live eternally!!! 
In conclusion, I offer an admission. 
I lied – or at least misled. Bonhoeffer 
couldn’t know all of the people for 
whom he willingly made a sacrifice he 
did not have to make. But Jesus does 
know all the people for whom He made 
the sacrifice He did not have to make. 
More importantly, it is possible for us 
to know Jesus. That’s the on-going 
wonder and beauty of Easter. Each of 
us can accept Christ as our Lord and 
savior, can have a relationship with 
God, and have ever-lasting life. I don’t 
think we need the bunnies, eggs or 
sweets to have a great day. 
Mountain Views News 
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Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com