Gary Arp was my circuit counselor in my first parish in Iowa and became a dear mentor and father in Christ to me and the young pastors in our circuit. He and his dear wife Marge were so gracious and kind to us and our families and their great source of joy were their children and grandchildren. I remember him once telling us pastors at a Wenkel meeting, "I visited a congregation on vacation and as I left the service I shook the pastor's hand and complimented him on not failing properly to distinguish law and Gospel but told him the only reason that was possible was because his sermon had contained no law and no gospel at all."