Hi everyone,
I am was a friend of Pastor Ed Mutum. My wife and I have traveled to be with him for weekend meetings and I tried to talk to him every Tuesday morning and when I got to busy, then he woud call and check on me. I have received many emails about Paster Ed, so I decided to start this blog so that anyone could post a story about Ed and how he affected their lives. Just remember as Ed would say "I love you and there is nothing you can do about it."
A friend asked me what i was going to do to honor Ed's life. I decided that
ReplyDeleteone thing i am going to do is go out of my way to notice people who are
performing a service, like wait staff, and the like, and try to do or say
some little thing that might make their day brighter. I watched Ed do that
and saw its impact and, in his honor, i am going to do it and i invite you
to join me.
Sherrie
Hi Friends of Ed,
ReplyDeleteI met Pastor Ed about ten years ago when he spoke at our Southern NJ
(Area 45) Convention
on Saturday night. Up to that point in my life (I had 15 years of sobriety
at the time) I had never
been so "moved" by an AA talk. I remember waiting in the traditional "thank
you line" for a long time
to thank Ed for his inspirational talk. (There was still a long line behind
me too!)
When I finally got to Ed; with tears in my eyes (as they are now), I
hugged him and said, "Pastor
Ed, tonight I "felt" your God and His presence during your talk and right
now." He pulled me away,
put his gigantic hands on my shoulders and while looking "through me to my
soul" said, "Robbie, you
felt my God tonight because that's what you were looking for!" He then
continued to talk to me and
bless me for what seemed like an eternity. I remember looking behind me, he
sensed that and said,
"Don't worry about them, let's pray ......" Then Pastor Ed said a prayer for
my spirit that to this day
I will never forget ...
Since that evening, I have had the honor to "speak" with pastor Ed
in West Palm Beach at the
Way of Life Conference and of course hear his "Forgiveness Workshop" from
the front row. What a great
workshop and talk. Just last year I had Ed speak at our Waves of Sobriety
Roundup in Cape May, NJ.
Everyone that met Ed thanked me for getting him to speak. Ed was truly an AA
Giant.
I utulized Ed as my Spiritual Advisor. He would give me advise on
spiritual matters and also listen
to me and give me guidance on my speaking engagements. I really thought Ed
was going to be one of
those oldtimers with 50 years of sobrity; I can only surmise that our all
loving, kind, caring, and merciful
God had a role for Ed in Heaven, and he needed him now.
If anyone is reading this that is Ed's Family, thank you. I will not
be able to fly out for the proceedings
but I will be there in spirit. Ed was and is the most influential member of
AA that has transformed my life.
All my future talks in AA will be dedicated to Ed's memory. Thank you for
taking the time to read this. let's
all carry on Ed's legacy and rejoice in knowing him.
In Enthusiastic Love and undying service to God and AA,
Robbie W.
Panel 48 Delegate Area 45 Southern NJ
office (609) 465-5000
Robbie W.
Wow. Reading this made me cry. He was a giant in so many ways. I feel so blessed to have been at a retreat w him. He impacted me for a lifetime. Thank u
Delete> To all of you who have been a friend to Ed, and he has been a friend
ReplyDelete> to you, I just wanted to join you, and let you know what a huge loss
> this is to me, and to all the people he befriended here in Oklahoma,
> there wasn't anyone like him, and my world will be a different place
> without him in it. We spoke many times of our faith, my prayer is
> that you believe so that you can see him again, he will be greatly
> missed, wish we could attend his service - it would be so nice to
> have a copy of the program that they print for him, if anyone does
> get a copy, please email or mail to me please, i would so greatly
> appreciate it
> Kelly Mann
> 17608 Copper Creek Dr.
> Edmond, OK 73012
>
> Love and peace to all
he first sponsored me 25 years ago at PG in los angeles and has been
ReplyDeleteafriend ever since I know he is at peace and still talking care of all
of us
Rick
Dawn,Ed's niece just called and said the visitation will be from 3 to 8 and
ReplyDeletethe funeral will still be at 11 on Sat.
Ed has been a friend of mine since my first meeting over 28 years ago and
i'm happy to say always been a good friend.We didn't always agree on
everything and had some wonderful debates but at the end I always got one of
his big hugs and left with our friendship intack.If anyone has any questions
please feel free to email or call me(563)650-2837
Ron (bubbles)Foster
Ed shared his remarkable story of forgiveness at the Crested Butte
ReplyDeleteConference this year in Crested Butte, Colorado.
I had the pleasure and privilege of getting to know this wonderful person.
From the very first time I heard hie voice mail message ringing out his
mantra "Remember, I love you and there's nothing you can do about it" I
began telling people about this genuinely nice person. When I had the
opportunity to spend time with him at the conference I found out how true he
was in his love for everyone. Since the August '08 conference I have
received an email from him almost daily and was proud to have my family's
picture "on his refrigerator" so he could remember to pray for us every
day.
He will be missed. God has a new speaker at the Big Conference.
Larry Dillon
larry.dillon@wavelightstudios.com
Here is an article about Pastor Ed. I received it from Bill C. Sorry if
ReplyDeleteany of you are getting this twice. I will be unable to attend the services
as I am not able to fly. The thought of the love in that will be in Iowa on
Friday is giving me goosebumps.
Ed taught me what it means to practice these principles in all of my affairs
by his actions. His talks on forgiveness changed my life. Here is an
article on him & forgiveness - -
cool article from 2000 at
http://articles.latimes.com/2000/apr/23/news/mn-22518
About 10 years ago, at 14 years sober, I had “hit a wall” in my spiritual
ReplyDeletelife and was questioning the value of AA to me . . .and of my value to AA.
I met Ed at the February Jekyll Island conference, we talked briefly, and I
went to spend a day with him in Iowa a few weeks later. We began regular
contact and have maintained that for the intervening years. For the last
three years, Ed was my sponsor. He has been a guest in our home on three
occasions. On one visit, we had 20 men over for chili and cornbread and a
couple of hours of AA fellowship. On another visit, he gave the sermon at
morning worship at our small Presbyterian church. His positive influence on
my life, the lives of several other men in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, my
wife, and even my assistant cannot be measured. She remembers a day when all
was not going well for her, Ed called . . . heard the hurt in her voice . .
. and offered words of encouragement. She never forgot !
Ed was with me when a man I sponsored suffered a fatal stroke. We went to
the hospital and stayed with the family for two days. Ed taught me how to
put aside my own grief and be a comforter. His great, peaceful spirit filled
the room. His simple prayers strengthened all present when the decision to
turn off the respirator was finally the only option.
We spoke at a conference last year . . . my first such talk. The highest
honor I have ever received for any endeavor was Ed’s “That was a good AA
talk” as we shared a table at lunch.
I will miss him, but my life will be forever better, and I shall be better
able to serve others, because Ed Mutum took the time to share his great love
for God and others with me.
E. Lynn
I have only known Ed for the last 5-6 years. Over these years Ed and I had
ReplyDeletesome great conversations that were not just behavior changing, but life
transforming.
Ed never shirked, never held back what he believed. He was more concerned
with honoring God than he was "catering to others character defects" as he
put it. He was a follower of Jesus Christ and a sheperd to many.
Ed reminded me of the Apostle John. John was once known as one of the "Sons
of Thunder" and later known as the "Apostle of love". Ed was not John, but
his rough early life and later life filled with compassion and love sure
paralleled Johns.
To honor Ed, I will continue to share the Gospel with the lost and broken. I
will share what I have found with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). I
will work to live a life that glorifies God. I will not mourn his absence
but rather rejoice because he is at home with the King.
I pray that everyone who receives this message will take a moment to reflect
on Ed and who he knew God to be. For those of you who are not followers of
Christ, I implore you to put aside any prejudices you may have and research
who Jesus Christ is. Make it a front burner issue in your life. The answer
of "who is Jesus Christ?" is of profound importance.
I will miss the big heart that God gave this gentle giant. Farewell Ed, see
you sooner or later ...
--
Michael
I wanted to respond to the last email. I was with him when he died. I had
ReplyDeletebeen staying with him for the week.
Ed was out blowing the snow in the driveway, when he started getting chest
pains and his left arm went numb. He came in the house and got me. I
called 911 and we prayed while we waited for the ambulance. When they came
and got him, he was still coherent and talking. While we were on route to
the hospital, Ed went into distress and his heart stopped. They tried to
revive him for 45 minutes. At the hospital, the nurses informed me that
they had done everything that they could but he was gone.
I believe that everyone has recieved all the pertinent information on his
funeral plans. If anyone has not and would like it, please feel free to
email me. Also, if I can answer any further questions, it is okay to ask.
I had only been seeing Ed for a little while now, but he shared his life
with me. He spoke so much about a lot of you who have emailed me and I
heard all the time how much he loved you all. Even if you met him at a
conference and think that he did not remember your name, you would be
surprized. Ed was so touched by the impact that people in his life made on
him and he voiced it a lot. Thank you for being so loving to him and
sharing your lives with him.
Thank you for the emails. I have recieved so many from people who shared
how he impacted them and it has helped with the grieving process. I look
forward to meeting some of you at his funeral or in the Fellowship of the
Spirit.
God bless you all and I wish you uncommon peace as we say goodbye to our
dear friend and loved one,
Stacy Speedlin
soberghost@gmail.com
Dear Kasberg,
ReplyDeleteEd would want you to "rejoice" in his life and not be saddened that he
is gone. For he is still
with you deep down in your heart. Almost the exact same place our all
loving, knowing,
powerful and merciful God resides. We are all here for you now Kasberg. Ed
has touched us all.
Right now Ed is on a Higher Mission. Ed has taught us all to have faith
and to believe in
the power of a forgiving God. We are all feeling the pain of Pastor's Ed's
passing .... At the
same time many of us remember his talks and know that Ed would want us to go
out and
now help God's kids - all the time! Be kind to the least of the least. Reach
out to someone
this Holiday that is less fortunate than yourself. Ed would like that!
I am extra kind to waiters and waitresses, bus boys and Chambermaids
and janitors; Ed
taught me that. Be a shining example of AA and always let your light shine
.... Ed would be
pleased with you. All of us that know Ed (notice i use the presnt tense for
he lives in my
heart at this very moment), need to now emulate what he taught us be his
Godly example.
Kasberg, I feel your pain. I don't know you, I'm a drunk from New
Jersey. But if you loved
Ed than I love you. May God ease your pain in the coming days.
In Sympathy, Love, and Understanding,
Robbie W.
Sobriety Date 10/31/83
Member of God's Army (AA) in Good Standing
Office # (609) 465-5000 Please call me if you need
yo talk. I'll be in my office on Friday 12/26/08 and
Sat. 12/27/08 from 9 am - 5 PM .....
> ; 2008 17:22:42 -0
>
> I keep wanting to call Ed and talk to him about how I am feeling and
dealing
> with this loss...
>
> I have only known Ed for a short while, yet when I met him I knew him and
> knew he knew me and loved me.
> He prayed for me and my fiance at a conference he spoke at-- we both felt
> it...
>
WARNING: This e-mail is a suspected phishing scam.
Our lovely friend has fully accepted the invitation that he forwarded us just last Sunday. God must've needed a GREAT BIG ANGEL. Blessings and comfort to you all.
ReplyDeleteDeirdre
Remember, Ed loved us and there's nothing we can do about it.
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
ReplyDelete—Franklin D. Roosevelt
I keep wanting to call Ed and talk to him about how I am feeling and
ReplyDeletedealing
> with this loss...
>
> I have only known Ed for a short while, yet when I met him I knew him and
> knew he knew me and loved me.
> He prayed for me and my fiance at a conference he spoke at-- we both felt
> it...
>
I found Ed this last week. He is on a speaker CD I borrowed from my AA home group. He is a lovely guy. I wish I could have met him. I love him anyway. His legacy lives on!
ReplyDeleteI met Ed at a Men's retreat in Grand Haven MI. I spoke of my inability to know if my relationship then was the one God had planned for me. Ed told me to "love her recklessly" to find my answer. I spent a long weekend w Ed and he affected me severely. He died a few short months later and I cried so hard, it was like losing an old friend. I think I cried because I wouldn't be able to spend time w him again. I cried for my loss. I discovered send the FDNY shirts to his son as promised. I miss u Ed. See you in time. Michael T.
ReplyDeleteJust found Ed on Youtube under the "#1 AA talk of all time" and I have to say I agree! Being from Iowa myself I wish I could have met him but am thankful to be able to listen to his wonderful and inspiring talks!
ReplyDeleteToday was the 1st day I've searched for Ed Mutum. I'm sorry to those hurt by his so long ago. In your heart please know his memory lives in my heart.
ReplyDeleteI'd recently posted to FB a comedian, John Mulaney, who shared his recent experience of becoming sober. I coined it as a funny speaker meeting.
I was surprised by someone's response and contemplated a response, if you really want to hear a fantastic speaker, Ed Mutum puts forgiveness in an obtainable perspective. I love his BB reading ending, you're now at step 3.
I'm blessed to have a rough version of Ed's talk on CD, recorded someplace on the east coast of FL before 2003. It was handed down from two other members along w speakers like Sandi B. I listen to the forgiveness talk at least once a week because forgiveness is much better than resentment. Thank you God for bringing Ed's voice to my ear. May you all be well.
T F