Jackson as Home
Dave had a way of naming people in endearing ways. He is the one who came up with Pops and Muzz.
> Soon after college, Jim and Jander, Dave and Janis moved to Jackson with their growing families. Add in a vibrant life with beloved friends, both local and coming to visit, and every day was a gift. And Pops and Muzz cherished it all!
> The folks loved Gaither Videos—a large family of Christians who sing and tell stories. Pops and Muzz had every DVD the Gaithers ever made, which was quite a few. The folks would start with the first one and work their way to the last and then start over again. Do you know how perfectly matched you have to be as a couple to make that work?
Pops also loved That's Entertainment—a bunch of old Hollywood clips. But he soon discovered that when he put that DVD on, people left. It became his go-to move if he was tired and wanted to go to bed.
AUDIO: God Working at the Ranch
> One of Pop's favorite things was the breakfast every Tues morning at the Wort. The guys called it The Old Wineskins. Over the years, the gang included such luminaries as Jim Watt, Mike Dailey, Doug Eggers, Dave Neville, Doug Howard, and Dave Wilson. They always welcomed the occasional drop-in. In between the self-deprecating jokes, there was a lot of good ministry.
> Some years after Pops n Muzz moved to Jackson, the snowpack decreased, and the houses increased. And so it became possible to keep the road open for most of the winter. This was a big deal to Pops, who had a visceral, gut-wrenching reaction to even thinking about being stuck out at the place during winter. He could not handle being unable to do something like getting someone to the hospital quickly. And what if someone got lost or stuck in a way that became life-threatening—as happened!? This was not about himself; he didn't care about that at all, but for Muzz and those he loved… He liked winter and snow, but just the thought of being stuck triggered him. When he found God, he was able to cast that care on the Lord most of the time, but he had to battle to stay in that peace.
> As for Muzz, we had 100 acres in which to play when it snowed, but heaven forbid anyone should ever tromp through the field out Muzzy's living room window. Same thing in summer with her wild grass. She had a painterly aspect that created an array of picture-perfect vistas.
> At some point, Pops n Muzz discovered Hallmark movies. When they watched one, which they did almost every night, they were as cute and syrupy as the movie.
AUDIO: To town by Thiokol
AUDIO: Back Story on the Ranch
Family Trips
> As the boys left home, it became clear that we needed some experiences to keep everyone deeply connected. It started with a trip to Australia. Our family took the entire dome of a 747. Everyone was young, healthy, and in their prime. These were days of seemingly boundless possibility.
> We nearly lost a couple of us on Great Kepple Island during a very poorly thought-out scuba excursion. A scientist thought it was a good idea to take first-time divers to a choppy narrow passage with rushing water to look at the giant eels he was studying. The eels were the kind that can shock you electrically. No first-time diver has ever wanted to see a giant electrified eel up close on their first dive.
To make matters worse, some of the divers were hooked up to a hose connected to an air compressor on the boat. The water was so choppy the compressor fell over and stopped working.
This was the last time we let that particular family member plan anything.
These were days of seemingly boundless possiblities!
> Then came Austria, where, during a devotional, a 57-year-old Pops told us that despite God providing for him all his years beyond his wildest imagination, he was scared to death about tomorrow. His willingness to own and use his fears and shortcomings to reveal God was so striking.
Next up, a lux Cruise to Norway. It's hard to choose which was more incredible, the fjords or the family?
The Family Expands!
Adopted sons and daughters
> The Brunk boys hit the parent Lotto. And then, in a way that was even more of a blessing, the folks expanded our family. After the boys were out of the house, the folks opened their hearts and doors to many incredible people. Some stayed months, some stayed years, but all became such gifted, loved, fantastic people. They built their own beautiful families, ministries, workplaces, and lives. And we got new brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters! Truly, five wasn't enough. Thank you, God!!!
A special tribute from Jessi (Carol) Lubaski
Stacy Fox with Pops and Muzz
Chip Brunk
Pops and Jim Watt
AUDIO: Caretaking the Animals
Ministry to Pastors, Missionaries, Christian Workers
> God knew what He was doing when he had the folks buy an old Dude Ranch with three cabins. Initially, the cabins were a labor of love for a gifted architect/designer mother. No one ever got more out of less space. No matter how small, she carefully thought out every detail to make the person staying feel loved and cared for.
It didn't take long for them to start having a few pastors and missionary friends come and stay. One couple was Jim and Betsy Hayford. The four became fast friends. Jim, being Jim, was led by God to suggest that the folks turn the place over to the Lord. Soon after, the folks were at a weekend Retreat where the Lord kept speaking it to their hearts. On the way home, late Sunday, as they approached the bench above the Meadow, they heard a roaring sound. Not sure what it was, they came to the top of the hill, and down below, the Snake River had breached the dykes upstream and was threatening to wash the entire property away. They decided this would be an excellent time to give the place to the Lord.
> Walking past the middle cabin one day, the most beautiful sound wafted out. The guests served at a Christian School in Kansas City. They were not worship leaders. They were not high-falootin, fancy bigshots. They were simply a family that saw a piano and stopped for a moment of free worship. It was drenched with the Holy Spirit. I actually heard the heavenly choir join in.
Betsy Morgenthaler
There are hundreds of stories. The miraculous moments, the way the Lord met people, the things that happened, and the multitude of the ways they happened…the place was a portal to heaven—what life on earth could be for all of us if we would but give Him all.
> For the next 40 years, pastors, missionaries, and people who worked in Christian ministries came and stayed at one of the most incredible places on earth for free. Pops n Muzz wanted to give those who worked so hard for the Lord time to rest, relax, and reconnect with that still, small voice… The presence of the Lord and His peace at the place was palpable.
Plenty of well-known people came to stay, but the folks' heart was for the ones whom few knew and who could not necessarily afford Jackson. They relied on the Lord to bring the right people at the right time. One person would tell another who would tell another, and pretty soon, a missionary from some far off land would be walking down to the river and stop for a lovely moment with God on the bench over the creek.
> One time, we sat at the picnic table by the house, eating some juicy burgers. We listened as the missionary parents told great stories with their missionary son. Casually, as part of another story, they mentioned how two warring factions would lob shells over the village in which they were ministering. We stopped them and asked for more details on the shelling because it seemed like something people don't usually skip over. By the time they were done, we felt like we were barely Christians. The amazing things people do in serving the Lord… And the folks got to hear all about it from hundreds. Honestly, our family got way more out of those coming than the guests ever did.
AUDIO: Pastoral Wisdom
Painting of Pops and Muzz by....
> Given all the things Pops and Muzz did in their lives, it is interesting to ponder that the least difficult thing may have been opening the cabins. And yet, it seems to be the thing God most appreciated. Isn't that just like Him?
Missions
Besides being a generous donor to many missionaries, Pops, who didn't particularly like traveling nor being in the places he went, nonetheless took several Missions trips.
Janis Brunk
> He went to Minsk to teach at CFNI (Christ for the Nations) Belarus, Dave and Jan's school. Minsk can be brutally cold. It also has all the architectural charm of a concrete wall—lots of concrete in Soviet countries. It was not, let's say, Pops' favorite place to go. But it had the most amazing school, with the most amazing people, experiencing an absolutely incredible move of God, so off Pops went with clenched teeth and an obedient heart. People still talk about what he taught them—so much more than theology… Plus, it didn't hurt that four adorable grandkids could not wait to see him.
> He also traveled with Costa Deir to Brazil. Costa was a well-known missionary who held huge services. It was a great trip, but again, to a place that he would not have otherwise gone. And as happens in those countries, the speakers tended to preach very loudly. When he got back, Pops noted how good the trip was, and he also noted that if loudness is how people get saved, all the fish in Brazil are Christians.
> He also went to Japan with Gideons, etc. Basically, he tried everything at least once. But once he’d done it once, he typically felt that he didn't need to do that again. Still, he'd go yet again. That's Pops, right there.
Businesses in Jackson
The Cottage Christian Bookstore 1982-2015
> Pops and Muzz loved reading Christian books and buying good ones for others. Terry Nuttle had a section of a store where she sold books, etc. However, Jackson wasn't really big enough to support it well. So, Pops bought the store from Terry, then moved her into her own building. He and Muzz then fixed it up to look like a cottage. It became what Terry called the local Christian Bar—a place to hang out and see people. Pop's heart was that the body of Christ in Jackson would have a good bookstore, and for decades they did. Terry was later able to repurchase the business, praise God. She ran it until she retired.
A special note from Terry Nuttle
Sunrise Lumber Company 1979-???
> Pops loved hardware stores. Gadget heaven! Jim was looking for something into which he could put his considerable intellect and energy, and so was born Sunrise Lumber, a Jackson staple for many years.
Aspen Leasing Co 1982-1985
> For a short spell, Pops followed his father and brother and started a leasing company. He ran it for a bit, but it wasn't his cup of tea.
> God had an ulterior motive with Sunrise. When the Charismatic movement in Christianity took off in the mid-'70s, many Christians went from churches that sang hymns to gathering wherever they could to sing simple 20-word choruses of adoration for hours. You would get so deep in worship that when the song finally ended, it was like waking up. It was the most beautiful season that most people who entered into it have ever experienced. Pure, simple, overflowing love in God's presence, it was life-changing. Pops and Muzz embraced it fully and started meeting with others in a basement. But when the Sunrise building was completed, they moved to a room specially prepared above the entrance that everyone called the Upper Room. Anyone who experienced it knew that God was building something incredibly beautiful at Sunrise.
JHCC
To be clear, none of JHCC was Pops. It was God. Pops was just a vessel that God could move through. And move He did!
> There are so many reasons JHCC worked. One key seemed to be how genuinely humble Pops was. He had absolutely no agenda of his own. Instead, he was oriented only to what God wanted. That allowed God to shine through unobstructed. It was just so inviting, so real, so filled with the Spirit; it was the only place anyone wanted to be. God made everyone One, just as Jesus prayed in His last prayer, Jn 17:20-23. And that's what JHCC felt like, namely, God.
> In the early '80s, God told a kid from an East Coast ghetto to go to Jackson Hole, a place he'd never been. God told him the first person he'd meet would be the one through whom God would build his church. John Mershon pulled into town and was filling up with gas, when low and behold, on the other side of the pump was Pops. The two struck up a conversation, and the rest is history.
Pops was the best Pastor most of us have ever experienced. God was free to do more miracles through and around him than most of us have ever seen.
May this website become a place where those stories are told for all to see. Click on the link to submit yours.
> When Pops was pastoring, Foursquare, a Spirit-Filled denomination, got to thinking they should have a church in Jackson. They sent Tony Maupin, the Divisional head in Idaho Falls, to go check Jackson out. Tony talked to several Christians. All of them said he should talk to Don Brunk. So he did. Tony told Pops they wanted to plant a church. Pops immediately asked how he could help and started offering all sorts of ideas and assistance. Tony went back to Idaho Falls and told the denomination that Jackson was in very good hands (God's) and they, Foursquare, should not do anything.
> Years after stepping down, Pops taught a class about the heart of a pastor. He said a Pastor takes his heart from the protected place behind his ribs and then lays it out on the ground before others. He said some would respect your heart and be sure to walk around it carefully. But others would walk all over it, trampling it underfoot, even grind their cigarettes out in it. But, he said, that was not yet the heart of a pastor. Instead, the real heart of a pastor is the one who will pick up that mangled piece of meat that used to be their tender heart, and then, instead of putting it back in their protected place, hold it out to God as an offering and say: "if you want to do that again, it's yours."
> At one point, the Prosecuting Attorney, Steve Weichman, a JHCC member, told Pops he didn't think he could come to JHCC anymore. See, Gene Ferrin, the Sheriff, who was also a member of JHCC, would arrest people who would then get saved in jail, so they'd show up at church while Steve was still prosecuting them!
> To hear just one story of the difficulties he experienced as a pastor, listen to this audio clip. It is a miraculous story of God's tender, loving care.
AUDIO: Running Away
> Pops had more success praying for people and seeing them healed than any person most have ever met. His favorite person to pray for was Muzz. So many times, so many things. Not only did Pops believe, but Muzz believed that God would do it through Pops. They both a complete and utter trust in God and a very straightforward belief that God heals.
> One day, an image at the hospital in Jackson showed a large mass in Pops' brain. They immediately sent him to Salt Lake. When he got there, they shot some more images. There was no evidence whatsoever of what had been there before.
> Soon after they met John, Pops and Muzz were baptized in the Holy Spirit–meaning they came to believe that the Holy Spirit still wanted to do what He had done in the Bible and was just wanting someone to believe that and ask Him for it. But it was not just them. God was moving on a lot of people, and pretty soon, a group of them were singing simple, 20-word worship choruses for hours. And then miracles started…
> Before JHCC moved into the Rafter J building, they got large enough to hire a pastor and meet at the local high school. That went well until it didn't. So, roughly when they were moving into the new building, and still smarting from pastoral issues, the congregation turned to Pops and basically said, you may not know it, you may not want it, but you're supposed to be the Pastor, and so we're making you that.
Reluctantly but faithfully, Pops said yes. Within a couple of years, every Spirit-Filled body in the Valley-six joined what God was doing at JHCC. ONe of them was an Assembly of God church that had it's own building. When the congregation called the denomination to tell them that they were moving to JHCC, the denomination said, you can't do that. The members replied, well, here's keys, do what you want. We're going to be over there.
John Mickles, Pops, Dave, Mary Kay Turner, Mike Brown
> There was a sign over the door as you exited JHCC that said: "You are entering your mission field." At one point, virtually every ministry to Jackson's community was either started by or significantly staffed by people from JHCC. And, there were more ministries to help people in Jackson than ever before or since. From the Alternative High School where Dave Brunk, John Mickus, Mike Brown, and many others did so much, to the jail where so many got saved. From the Mission to the Crisis Pregnancy Center (where the women serving kept getting pregnant even though previously they'd been unable). You name it, JHCC people were there serving. Virtually every person who went to JHCC had a significant ministry outside the church.
And it needs to be emphasized: these were not JHCC ministries. Instead, they were things that God moved JHCC people to do, so they did them. Pops' vision of Sunday morning was that it should be a gathering of people who all had ministries of their own. Sunday was simply a moment to come together to worship the Lord and spend time with each other. But then, get back out there. Countless people came to Pops with ministries they felt the church should be doing. He said I love that idea, go do it! It's yours, but we'll support you!
Pops was so strong in trusting that God was in total control that if he wrote a sermon and then wasn't able to give it for whatever reason, he threw it in the fire, believing that God must not have wanted him to give it.
A special note by Mike Brown
AUDIO: A Healing
Special Stories!
> One day, Chuck Lewton, the Rafter J subdivision developer, went to lunch with Pops at the Wort. (Raise your hand if you've ever been to the Wort with Pops.) Chuck, who was not a Christian at the time, told Pops that he had grown up in Tensleep with the church being the center of the community. He talked fondly of how, for example, the church did ice-cream socials every Sunday. So, Chuck had reserved the most prime spot in the development for a church, and he wanted to give it to Pops.
Pops explained that they were a small, ragtag group that didn't have enough money to build a building. Chuck took a paper napkin and started to draw a church on it: here's the sanctuary, over here a gym, back here some kid's classrooms, and then add a kitchen and an office suite. He asked Pops if that would work. Pops, not knowing what to say, just said sure, looks great.
Church left the lunch, drove to Rafter J, laid out the foundation, and started digging them that day. A bit later, the town zoning official heard about Chuck building a building without any permits, so he went to see it. Chuck was on his backhoe. The zoning/permit official got Chuck to step down and talk to him. The official told Chuck that he needed permits and a whole lot more. Chuck said, "nonsense, I can build whatever I want on my own land." The official got upset and raised his voice. So Chuck raised his voice. So the official raised his more. And that's when Chuck punched the guy in the stomach.
The zoning official left, and though some permits were submitted retroactively and approved, Chuck built the whole thing and gave it to Jackson Hole Christian Center (JHCC). And then the glory fell…
> This all came to an end, as it usually does: when a movement of God becomes "church." God loves His church, His body, but we have a way of making it our organization. This can happen in an infinite number of ways, usually in multiple ways at once.
With JHCC, one dynamic was that truly wonderful, loving, Godly people came to Pops saying: "we need to be more evangelistic." Pops genuinely agreed and so tried to become more evangelistic. Then some other wonderful, loving, Godly person would come to Pops and say: "we need more depth and scholarship in the preaching." So, Pops loaded up with commentaries. Then someone with great intent would say: "we need to be better at making disciples." So, Pops tried to figure out how to do that. And on it went until one day, Pops realized while standing in the pulpit in front of these people that he loved so much, that they had made him become something he was not. And that's when he lost his heart…
He would later say that the job, the role, and the sole purpose of a pastor is to love the people God has brought. If you can't do that, God will remove you. Very few, if any, believe God removed Pops, but clearly, the season had changed. There is so much more that could be said here, but this is not the time nor the place. So, I, for one, want to simply say: thank you, God, and thank you, Pops. You made a heck of a team.
> Chuck Lewton, now a Christian who deeply loved God, would stop in Home Church every so often. One of the very most interesting things about Christianity is how, as things evolve over the years and decades, many Christians just don't react as you might think. Chuck built JHCC. Now he's fellowshipping in the Middle Cabin. You would think he would struggle with that. But if he did, it was never evident. Instead, he just loved the people and God's presence. This is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. So much so that this hardened, old cowboy shed a tear or two, just like Pops.
Over the years, hundreds upon hundreds experienced this oasis!
Home Church
Linda Eggers shares a story about this painting of Pops by Mary Whyte
> The birth of Home Church came from one of the most painful things Pops ever experienced. Suffice to say that something happened at JHCC, which made Pops believe he could never go back. But, as God so often does, from the pain came something incredibly precious.
Woodchopping
AUDIO: Pop Becomes Mortal
> In the later years, the boys and Larry Nielsen would come to Jackson just ahead of the snow to split wood and stock the house and cabins. Or at least, that's what we said. In truth, we all knew the time to be with each other was coming to an end, and this was the perfect way to get together at least one more time…
> One year, we worked the morning and then headed up to Signal Mountain Lodge for lunch—Pops loved a generous lunch to work ratio. When we got to the Park Gate, the Ranger said there was snow building up and so call if we had a problem. Pops said, "I'm not worried. I got all these young studs in back." To which Chip replied, "Pops, have you looked back here lately? It's more like escapees from the nursing home."
> Five boys. All healthy and relatively fit. Who came to help our 90-year-old father. As we unloaded into the woodshed, it suddenly occurred to us that the one inside the woodshed, doing the hardest, most backbreaking work, was Pops. And he wouldn't let us spell him.
Betsy Morgenthaler: Woodchopping
