Gordon's Way: Entertaining Strangers

    AUTHOR'S BLOG...

4 February 2012 -  This morning, I received the CD that Ronald had promised to send. I'm so excited! The brown paper wrapped package is covered with all sorts of exotic stickers and stamps, some written in Hebrew text. As I open it, even the protective covering seems wonderfully exotic. It's a section of a Cheerios box, printed in Israel. To Ron, I'm sure this seems run-of-the-mill, but to me, it's a connection to a far away land.

Included with the CD is a letter explaining Ron's inspiration for each song in great detail. There is also a card with some coins from Israel fastened to it. Some of them are still  in circulation, some are no longer used.

I must admit that I did not expect the level of quality and professionalism that was put into the production of the music, singing, and recording. Both Diane and I were very pleasantly surprised.

26 January 2012 -  It is a new year, and with it, come many surprises. Today, I wanted to share one of those surprises with all of you.

  Did you ever notice how the very best things come to you, unexpectedly? Well this is the unexpected pleasure that happened to me recently.

  The other day, I was checking my e-mail, when I noticed one from a man named Ronald Feldege. The name didn’t ring any bells with me, and usually I am cautious of e-mails from strangers, but this was in my ‘author’s’ mailbox, so I was curious.

  The electronic letter that followed began with the greeting “Shalom and greetings from Nazareth Illit Israel”. At first, I figured  I was going to read that this guy was a lawyer and I was the unknown heir of millions of dollars. I’m sure we’ve all seen those sorts of scams on occasion. They make me chuckle, wondering why anyone would fall for such an outlandish story. However, this was not one of those stories.

  The e-mail went on to explain that that he wrote some songs and his album’s title is “Songs in the Night, Gordon’s Way”. He said his songs are in English, were inspired by the writings of “our old King Solomon,” but have the feel of modern day Israel and a Messianic flavor. Now I was intrigued. “What does this have to do with me?” I wondered. He said that because of the title of his album, he did a search on the internet for anyone else who may have titled their music “Gordon’s Way” and was surprised to find my book.

  Interested in reading such a book, he contacted me immediately. In his e-mail, he said he realizes that bartering is not the way in America, however for some reason he was ‘led’ to send this request to me.

  His proposal is simple. He is willing to send a copy of his musical album to me in advance. Once I receive it, I will send a copy of my book to him. Then, as he put it “Perhaps your book will shine some light on me as I read it and we may be able to correspond further and share our thoughts with one another about what I found in your book and what you heard in my music.”

  Ron and I have corresponded back and forth a few times. I asked him why he named his album “Gordon’s Way” and here is his response:

  “As to how I came up with the name Gordon's Way, let me explain it like this. Here in Israel, there are 1000's of Jews that have come to believe in the Messiah Jesus and my wife and I are a part of this movement. In Jerusalem, there are two sites that claim to be the place where Jesus died and was buried and rose again. The first is the traditional place where an ancient church is located. The second is a place known as the garden tomb, just outside the old city. Its official name is Gordon's Calvary.  Because of this, it seemed to me that Gordon's Way was a good choice for a name. Since the entire album is written metaphorically, I felt that it was just meant to be. So Gordon's Way is a street name that Israelis are wandering upon until they finally connect with the Messiah.”

  I have also learned that Ron is a preacher, married to a woman named Edie. His wife’s maiden name is Enoch (as in the book in the Bible). He is about my age (52) and is a Jew who believes in Jesus as Messiah.

  I had no idea, way back when I first chose the name Gordon for my main character, or the phrase “Gordon’s Way” for my series of books, that this was such a pivotal thing. Do I think it to be chance? No, I don’t. I think it goes to prove that God has His hand in all of our lives, and every once in a while, He shows Himself as if to say, “See? I am here with you.”

  I will keep you all informed as this new and wonderful friendship develops. Meanwhile, in the greeting of God’s chosen people, I say, “Shalom”.

I would like to hear your views on this amazing story.

Please contact me via e-mail at STEPHENJGRANGER@YAHOO.COM

or on my FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.