Come on Down!

Let me tell you about my new best friend, Drew Carey. Well, ok, he’s not actually my best friend, but I did get a chance to meet him when I was a contestant on The Price Is Right. Here’s my story:

This April, the Seminary Chorus took a trip to Utah, California, and Nevada to share the message of Jesus with members of WELS churches. While we were travelling through California, 29 members of the choir had an opportunity to be in the audience of the popular game show The Price Is Right. Imagine my surprise when I heard the words, “Dustin Blumer! Come on down! You’re the next contestant on The Price Is Right.” I had always wondered what that would be like…

If you happened to be watching that day, you may know that I won a very nice bedroom set and some lawn tools. You may know that while I was spinning the wheel the Seminary Chorus sang “Sie Leben Hoch.” You may know that the winning bid for the lawn tools was 777, and you may even know that I gave Drew Carey a hug and called him a teddy bear. Here are some things you may not know:

• That wheel is heavy! If I had to guess I would say it is made out of some pretty thick sheets of plywood. I made the mistake of grabbing it in the middle and as a result I had some pretty weak spins. If I could do it again I would have jumped to the top of the wheel, grabbed on to a rung, and used my momentum coming down to whip that wheel around and around.
• Inside the studio it is actually pretty small and unimpressive. It has seating for about 300 people and isn’t any larger than a regular auditorium stage. It also looks like it hasn’t changed since the first airing of the show. It seemed like the same sliding doors and same sets, but perhaps with fresh coats of paint.
• Drew Carey is a great comedian and also very friendly. During the commercial breaks as they were setting up for the different games, he would do some impromptu, stand-up comedy. He would ask contestants where they are from or what their occupation is and then take it from there. When he found out that I was going to be a preacher of the gospel and the guy next to me was going to be a biologist he joked, “If you guys team up you could take over the world.” Drew Carey’s friendliness was apparent when he let me hug him - that was the beginning of our bond. After I won the bedroom set he turned to me and said, “Now that was easy, wasn’t it.” He seemed like a really nice guy.
• My wife and I didn’t have any bedroom furniture. It is truly amazing to watch how the Lord decides to bless in so many varied and unexpected ways. He gave us everything when he gave us his Son and opened the door to heaven. Yet he continues to bless us with much more than we could need. All glory to our gracious God!

The Seminary Chorus sang another song besides “Sie Leben Hoch.” Though it was neat singing that song for Drew, explaining that it meant, “We hope you have a very blessed and happy life in the Lord,” we also had another opportunity to witness through song. Before we entered the studios a CBS attendant asked us if we would like to sing for the entire audience that was gathered. We chose to sing “The Church’s One Foundation.” How much neater to sing to 300 people from varied walks of life the words, “The Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord…with his own blood he bought her and for her life he died.” These people were gearing up for a chance to name the right prices for items that would rust, break, and be destroyed in time. How sweet it was to name the perfect price that Jesus paid to win for them an eternal prize.

This is why the Seminary Chorus was in California in the first place. We didn’t go for fame or fortune or to rub shoulders with celebrities. Our primary goal was to tell others about Jesus. Going to The Price Is Right was exciting, fun, and neat, yet it paled in comparison to singing about the victory our Savior had won on Easter. To him be all glory, honor, and praise!

Now on a personal note - it was pretty sweet hearing, “Dustin Blumer! Come on down! You’re the next contestant on The Price Is Right.” I thank God for such an experience. But it will be even sweeter when President Schroeder says on behalf of a group of Christians, “Dustin Blumer, come on down,” or “Come on over,” or “Come on up and serve this congregation in full-time public ministry.” May God hasten that day, and then give me strength to serve others and tell them about the right price our God has paid for us.