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by Dennis Wheeler
Yesterday afternoon I had lunch at Dairy Queen with Tom, the Youth Minister that I serve with. As we sat there finishing our hamburgers and fries Tom said, "Hey, let me treat you to some ice cream!". Well...I never turn down dessert...especially a FREE dessert! So, we eagerly headed up to the counter and ordered our frosty treats...vanilla ice cream cones!! Yummy!!
It was 1904 and people were lining up at Arnold Fornachou's booth at the St. Louis World's Fair to enjoy some ice cream. It was a hot, sticky day and ice cream was the perfect refreshment. However, Arnold could not keep up with crowd and the demand as each ice cream order was served in a ceramic bowl. Trying to wash the bowls and scoop up the ice cream was more than one person could handle.
In the booth next to Arnold was Ernest Hamwi, a pastry chef from Damascus, Syria. He was selling a wafer-thin confection called zalabia...but no one was interested. When Ernest saw Arnold's booming business and frustrated customers...he was struck with an idea. He grabbed a warm zalabia and twisted it into a cornucopia shape and rolled it in sugar. He then ran over to Arnold's booth, scooped some ice cream on top of the cornucopia and handed it to a waiting customer.
Immediately the two men were working side by side - - Ernest made 'edible bowls' and Arnold scooped ice cream. Back then, they were called World's Fair Cornucopia's, and they were indeed the hit of the fair. Today, we simply called them ice cream cones - - and they're still a hit!
This is exactly what the Scripture has been telling us for generations. Look at Ecclesiastes 4..."Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."
Hey...why not call a friend and go out for an ice cream cone this evening??!!
He serves as the Senior Pastor with southwest Virginia church... a loving church family in Abingdon.
He and his wife Sharon have been married for over 27 years and are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, one son-in-law, and two precious grandchildren, the second arrived arrived on the scene in September 2004!!
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