Some years ago in
our meetinghouse in Darmstadt, Germany,
a group of brethren was asked to move a grand
piano from the chapel to the adjoining
cultural hall, where it was needed for a musical event. None were professional
movers, and the task of getting that gravity-friendly
instrument through the chapel and into the cultural hall
seemed nearly impossible. Everybody knew that
this task required not only physical strength,
but also careful coordination. There were plenty of
ideas, but not one kept the piano
balanced correctly. They repositioned the brethren
by strength, height, and age over and over again. Nothing worked. As they stood around the piano,
uncertain of what to do next, a good friend of mine, Brother
Hanno Luschin, spoke up. He said, "Brethren,
stand close together and lift where you stand." It seemed too simple. Nevertheless, each
lifted where he stood, and the piano rose
from the ground and moved into the cultural
hall as if on its own power. That was the answer
to the challenge. They merely needed to
stand close together and lift where they stood. I have often thought of
Brother Luschin's simple idea and have been impressed
by its profound truth. Tonight I would like to
expand on that simple concept, "Lift where you stand." Although it may seem simple,
lifting where we stand is a principle of power.