The Story of a Stove
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- Member
- Posts: 1442
- Joined: Sun. Oct. 14, 2012 7:52 pm
- Location: Mid Coast Maine
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: New Yoker WC90
- Baseburners & Antiques: Woods and Bishop Antique Pot Bellied Stove
- Coal Size/Type: Stove/Nut/Pea Anthracite
- Other Heating: Munchkin LP Boiler/Englander Pellet Stove/Perkins 4.108 Cogeneration diesel
Last fall we needed a new stove and a local paper advertised a pot bellied stove for sale not far away, and so Katie and I went to retrieve it, never knowing what sort of story that stove would have. Not of the stove itself, though as a Woods and Bishop Pot Bellied Stove, it was an antique. No, the story is rather about the people who owed it.
As we talked things over, it became apparent that the owners of the stove we Christians as well, and soon they handed back the $100 bill I had given them for the stove. In fact I left with a lot more, as retired house movers, and a love of farmers, we got tons of odds and ends for moving buildings that the man no longer needed.
But as the pot bellied stove warmed our house last winter, cancer took its toll on me, along with my inability to work, then a logger stole $11,000 in timber theft, Katie and I lost an unborn child, and we were forced to sell our flock of sheep to pay our property taxes. Having become friends on Facebook though, the owners of the stove kept sending us cards, and yes with money in it...$500 for Thanksgiving, $400 for Christmas, and money throughout the year in small allotments.
But the best part came ironically after a good friend of mine had died. He had given me the gospel, and at age thirteen I accepted it, but at the man's funeral was the people who had owned the stove, but why? How did they know him? Apparently before getting into house moving, the stove owner had been a truckdriver, and in the cab of a truck, teaching my friend to drive for a particular company, had given him the gospel. The owner of the stove had led the man to Jesus, whom in turn, lead me to Jesus years later!
As the dancing blue ladies waltz and foxtrot in that stove now, more then my fanny is warmed, but also my heart. It will NEVER be just a stove for me, for I might have to shovel coal on this side of the sod, but I know I will never shovel coal into a lake of fire.
As we talked things over, it became apparent that the owners of the stove we Christians as well, and soon they handed back the $100 bill I had given them for the stove. In fact I left with a lot more, as retired house movers, and a love of farmers, we got tons of odds and ends for moving buildings that the man no longer needed.
But as the pot bellied stove warmed our house last winter, cancer took its toll on me, along with my inability to work, then a logger stole $11,000 in timber theft, Katie and I lost an unborn child, and we were forced to sell our flock of sheep to pay our property taxes. Having become friends on Facebook though, the owners of the stove kept sending us cards, and yes with money in it...$500 for Thanksgiving, $400 for Christmas, and money throughout the year in small allotments.
But the best part came ironically after a good friend of mine had died. He had given me the gospel, and at age thirteen I accepted it, but at the man's funeral was the people who had owned the stove, but why? How did they know him? Apparently before getting into house moving, the stove owner had been a truckdriver, and in the cab of a truck, teaching my friend to drive for a particular company, had given him the gospel. The owner of the stove had led the man to Jesus, whom in turn, lead me to Jesus years later!
As the dancing blue ladies waltz and foxtrot in that stove now, more then my fanny is warmed, but also my heart. It will NEVER be just a stove for me, for I might have to shovel coal on this side of the sod, but I know I will never shovel coal into a lake of fire.
- freetown fred
- Member
- Posts: 30302
- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
Nice NS--------------:)
- Sunny Boy
- Member
- Posts: 25756
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
- Location: Central NY
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
- Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
- Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace
+1.
It's amazing the paths with coincidences that life can sometimes take us on.
Paul
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- Member
- Posts: 4837
- Joined: Wed. Apr. 03, 2013 1:24 pm
- Location: Elkhart county, IN.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: 1 comforter stove works all iron coal box stove, seventies.
- Baseburners & Antiques: 2014 DTS C17 Base Burner, GW #6, GW 113 formerly Sir Williams, maybe others at Pauliewog’s I’ve forgotten about
- Coal Size/Type: Nut Anth.
- Other Heating: none
there is no way the mortal mind can even begin to concieve a story that outshines the intentional, unstoppable goodness of Abba God. what a testamony !!
happy for you. keep your soul in the fire, HE will pluck you out when all the junk is burned off but you, are yet unconsumed. that is the glorious day we all await together.
steve
happy for you. keep your soul in the fire, HE will pluck you out when all the junk is burned off but you, are yet unconsumed. that is the glorious day we all await together.
steve
- CoalJockey
- Verified Business Rep.
- Posts: 1324
- Joined: Sun. Mar. 09, 2008 11:18 am
- Location: Loysburg, PA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Several EFM 520 refurbs...one 900, one 1300 mega-stoker
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: (2) Warm Morning Stoves
Awesome testimony... nothing will ever quench the Spirit’s fire in that stove!
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- Member
- Posts: 6515
- Joined: Sun. Feb. 10, 2008 3:48 pm
- Location: Cape Cod, MA
- Stoker Coal Boiler: want AA130
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine BS#4, Harman MKII, Hitzer 503,...
- Coal Size/Type: Pea/Nut/Stove
You never know the consequences of the good you do...
while doing them...
But the reward comes back to you when you were least expecting it some times...
The impact you make may seem trivial to you at the time...
But the good things compound over time...
while doing them...
But the reward comes back to you when you were least expecting it some times...
The impact you make may seem trivial to you at the time...
But the good things compound over time...