Henry Surber is a distant and ancient relative of mine. The following is from “History of Montgomery County, Kansas”: The Rev. Henry Surber, a Campbellite preacher and an early settler of the "Hoosier State." The latter took his family to Iowa in the early settlement of that state and he aided materially in shaping the moral sentiment of his community. He was a positive determined, vigorous-spoken man of the old school, to illustrate which qualities it is only necessary to present one conspicuous incident. During the early years of the progress of the Civil war Southern Iowa contained a small, but troublesome and outspoken secession sentiment. It became noised about that this element had planned to disturb the Rev. Surber in his effort at preaching on a certain evening, and finally break up his meeting. Mr. Surber learned of this design and took with him two good Colts pistols and, when he arose to begin service, laid them up in front of him, at the same time remarking what he had heard and stating that the first fellow that made a crooked move could expect to be taken care of by the blue-barreled six-shooters doing picket duty for the evening. The house was filled and the disturbing element was out in force and occupying front seats, and nobody seemed to enjoy the meeting more than they.
While I greatly suspect that none present have intention of disrupting the service this morning, surely all of us have brought into the house of worship disrupting concerns for the previous week’s toils; concerns too great and numerous to recount; which yet hold sway of our hearts and minds.
I want to invite you this morning to lay all of that aside as we enter into the Scripture and as we prepare our hearts to enter into the Scriptures. Quiet all disrupting thoughts not for fear of man, but for love of God! Lay aside all that distracts not for the sake of human endeavor, but for the sake of Christ!