The Place, The End

At 4:00 A.M. on Saturday, March 27th, Aaron closed the carport door for what I am assuming was our final stay at "The Place". It had been a long week. My mother and father were both keepers. Perhaps that was a result of their experience of growing up during the depression. This picture is a sampling of the stuff we had to go through. Every piece had to be handled; every item required a decision. And, while many were void of memories, a lot were saturated with them. Flashes of forgotten experiences came roaring back with the tactile experience of touching and smelling and seeing my parents household goods. Pots, pans, clothes, rings, pictures, aftershave - the list was almost endless and so was the emotional ride attached with them. All in all, it was an exhausting experience. Not only was there the sadness attached to cleaning out their home, there was also the physical exertion of carrying, lugging, moving, burning, stacking, transporting - all sorts of stuff. In the end, I think the decision making process was the hardest. Who gets what and why do they get it. What do we keep, what do we give away, what do we throw away. The truth is, most of the things we wanted most had little intrinsic value. It was a my father's favorite glass, a figurine my mother loved, an old tool often used, an worn out pair of binoculars - those were the priceless goods with which we had to deal.

And, there was the place. Working in the house was like playing old home movies. In the corner of the kitchen I could see my Mom standing and eating out of a bowl, one foot propped on top of the other. My father loved sitting on the porch smoking a cigarette enjoying the cool of the evening. The old barn and shed were work places where we fed chickens and chopped wood and fixed old lawn mowers. The house sits on a hill which slopes down to a pond in the back. It was a place to fish, shoot snakes, and relax. Behind the pond were the woods. A better theme park has never been built. The woods were full of mystery and surprise. You never knew what adventure awaited you when you entered them. It was a great place to play and to allow your imagination to soar. But, the Place could also be lonely. It is remote and quiet. But, for me, that was okay.

The heart of the Place has gone. It lies buried in the cemetery beside Pine Ridge Baptist Church. I could have arranged to have owned the Place. Tried to have kept it in the family. But, without the heart, it was empty. Hold things loosely. Be thankful for the past, relish the memories, trust the Lord for the future. The Place was were I went to visit, to relax, to see family. Home is where I now live and love. The Place will live in my mind in memories - sweet memories of parents and family and friends. Memories of a boy playing army in the woods, of catching fish with grandpa, of feeding chops to chickens and hay to cows. Memories of a mother who loved flowers and a father who loved mowing. Memories of hot summer evenings and cool dips in the creek.

I hope the person who will soon live at the Place will form their own special memories there. I would love to sit with them and tell them the story of the Place. How my father built it, how my mother loved it, how my grandfather worked it, and how my brother and me felt about it. I hope they love it and care for it. But, I would warn them to hold it loosely. To recognize that one day they too will leave the Place for the last time. And, to know that this Place is only a preview of the Place that is to come. No more crying there - that is a permanent address.

Sign of Hope

The Robins have returned to the Gibson City Bible Church field. That is a very good sign. It means that Spring is close behind, Lord willing. Every year we have fairly large flocks of Robins migrating through. They are starting to show up and that is encouraging. I love Spring. Without trying to overly spiritualize it - Spring is connected with the resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus changes everything - for the better. Spring is coming! And, the power of the resurrection if felt throughout the world as we anticipate the transformation of the resurrection changing brown to green, cold to warm, dead to live, bud to flower, hope to reality.

"NO!"

Down the road from where my father lived, there is this sign. It is approximately 24 inches square. One word, nothing more. It has been up for a long time. Whenever I am in Louisiana, I take walks down this road and have passed this sign bunches of times for many years. I would assume this is not the whole message, but I could be wrong. Perhaps "No Trespassing" was the original intent, but the sign is on a telephone pole on a public road. Hardly a place to prevent people from being. Maybe it was a protest against something. But the location would guarantee a very limited readership. It could be that the person placed it there in response to a question someone had asked them. Maybe a shy bride was answering a suitor or a kid was being defiant toward his parents. Maybe it is meaningless, but, knowing where it is located - I am guessing it was there for a reason - in light of the expenditure of energy to place it.

No is a powerful word. There is no ambiguity about it. Jesus said, "Let your yes be yes and your no be no". It is a negative, but there are some very positive things about "No". We teach our children to say "No" to drugs. It can be an ominous word: "No turning back" or "No way out". But, it can bring great encouragement: "There will be no more tears, no more sadness, no more sorrow".

I don't know what the "No" sign means out in the woods in central Louisiana. And, I don't think I ever will. The environment is working against it. One day it will fall off of the pole and lay on the side of the road and be reclaimed by the ground on which it lies. It will then be "No" more. How unlike us. A glorious future awaits all those who have cast themselves on the glorious "Yes" of Christ.

Elders and Comets

Last evening was an Elder meeting. It was a good meeting. Praise God for good and godly men who are willing to serve the body of Christ. Even so, Elder meetings are often tiring. We make decisions with a degree of soberness that comes from the sense of responsibility and accountability before God and the people of GCBC. Our meeting was pleasantly interrupted by the home coming of a fellow from our church, Joe Andris. Joe has been on a long - short term missions endeavor on Copper Island. Copper Island is located off of the coast of Vancouver Island, B.C. It is a beautiful place which does a beautiful work with a vision to restore the Name of the Lord where it was used to abuse. I have been there and hope to go back.

The meeting went till around 11:00 P.M. Which I did not mind, this time. Because, at home my Orion ST120 was cooling down so I could take it out and look at Comet Lulin. The scope is a 5 inch refractor. The comet was easy to find because it was so close to the planet Saturn - which is beautiful in its own right. The rings of Saturn are almost "flat" in their oritentation to us right now. Someone has described it as looking like the planet with an arrow through it. And it does. I easily found Saturn just below the constellation "Leo". And, just off from Saturn, the comet Lulin. It was discovered in 2007 by Quanzhi Ye, 19, and a meteorological student of at China's Sun Yat-sen University. He was working at the the Lulin Observatory doing a sky search when he first saw the comet.

This is an image of something like I saw. It was taken by Jerry Lodriguss. My eyes did not detect the color that the image shows but I could see the shape of the comet and the bright core. (Saturn is the bright spot to the right, though the rings are not visible) It was a smudge, a "faint fuzzy". Some folks, under very dark skies, are able to detect the comet with the naked eye.



The comet will be visible for a while. You can check on the Internet for the time to go out and see it. A pair of binoculars will do, especially if they are 10X50. Expect to see a fuzz ball of light.

We are a bit like comets. We are travelers, pilgrims. We are not simply passing through, however. Followers of Christ are bringing the kingdom to bear on where they live and work. And, we look forward to a new heaven and earth. The current universe is amazing. I cannot wait to see it as it will appear liberated from the impact that the fall has had on it. In the mean time, take some time out under the clear night sky. It can be a refreshing experience.

I thought you might enjoy this video of the "Place" down in Louisiana. It is where I grew up. The video starts at the pond, pans past the pecan trees my dad planted, the shed, the house - where if you look closely you can see a grape vine my dad babied for years - the greenhouse, garage, gazebo, barn, barnyard, and concludes pointing back to the pond.

Weddings and Marriage

Someone recently asked me how many weddings I have performed in the 23+ years I have been a pastor. Good question. Early on, I did not keep records as well I do now. My estimate would be between 50 and 60. That is not a lot, considering the 23 years of ministry. Interestingly, they come in waves. This winter has been a busy one with a wedding a month: December, January, and February and a vow renewal in January. And, thankfully, the weather cooperated every time. Each ceremony was different and each was beautiful and an honor to be a part of.

The first wedding I did was July 11th, 1986 - a year into being a pastor. I do remember the ceremony was held in a building that was not air conditioned and that the temperature was about 101 degrees. I also remember standing in front of the bride and groom and having an out-of-body experience as I was speaking while thinking to myself how interesting it was to see the make-up of the bride run off of her face.

Through the years I have had a few people faint. That is always exciting - having someone keel over during the ceremony. Thankfully, no one has ever thrown up though a few have threatened. I have been amazed that I have never had to miss a wedding because of my own illness. I have an ongoing dream that I am unable to get everything together on the day of a wedding and am late. I have forgotten to "pronounce" a couple as husband and wife. Were they?I have forgotten to have couples sign the marriage license - were they married??? In the eyes of the Lord, yes. In the eyes of the state, I don't know. I enjoy the pre-martial counseling more than the ceremony itself, only because getting all the pieces right in the ceremony is a bit nerve wracking. I have witnessed heated arguments before weddings - often involving extended family and the role they may or may not have at the wedding. No one has ever asked me to sing at a wedding or dance at the reception.

Doing outside weddings is always interesting. The setting is often beautiful but the risks can be significant. Weather does not always cooperate and neither do the bugs. One outside wedding seemed to be the equivalent to one of the Mosaic plagues. Bugs are attracted to perfume.

The first thing I do when I walk out to perform a wedding is scan the crowd for my wife. Seeing her brings a sense of calm to me. And, every wedding makes me think of my own and how blessed I am. My hope for every groom is that he finds in his wife the joy and delight I have found in mine.

Doing weddings is a real privilege. The longer I do them, the more honored I am that I am asked to do them. And, I look forward to doing more in the future.

On the death of my Father

My father died in his sleep on the morning of Friday, January 30th, 2009. He was 83. We buried him on a windy, chilly, and bright Louisiana day at noon. The last weeks of his life were hard for him. And, he knew that his earthly sojourn was nearing the end. The apostle Paul's thoughts were on his mind - longing to go and be with the Lord and be free from the suffering and yet wanting to stay.

The trip from Illinois to Louisiana was eventful - we were clueless about the ice storm in southern Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. There was no power for miles and miles - meaning there were no hotels, restaurants, and at least for a while, gas stations operating. All of our plans had to change. The funeral visitation was long for us, but short by Louisiana standards. It started at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday afternoon and ended at 7:30 P.M. Some people came and stayed for the entire time. It was exhausting and exhilarating. I have never lived near family. It was so good to see them and feel a sense of kinship with them. The funeral service was what my Dad had wanted. The pastor did a good job summarizing his life and the special music was fitting. Because of the setting, we walked from the church to the graveyard preceded by the hearse and followed by guests. Because Dad was retired military, the honor guard from Barksdale Air Force Base was present. They served as pallbearers in the graveyard, folded the flag, gave a gun salute, and played taps. They were young enlisted men and it was very moving. I told them that my Dad would have been honored and pleased. We buried him beside my mother and walked back to the church for a delicious, albeit bittersweet meal.

And now. And now it is strange. Waves of sadness drift over me at odd times. It is hard for me to think of him as dead. The face of the man in the casket did not look like my Dad. It was the face of a very old, very thin, and very tired man. I still think of my father as robust. He was always strong. We will miss his phone calls, his weather reports, his expertise - in everything. He taught me to drive, to hunt, to be patient, to use tools. He was generous. Not perfect. He had a temper, felt compelled to tell everyone how to live their lives, was nosey, and could cuss a blue streak when stirred. He read little, was awarded by the Air Force for his public speaking ability, and refused to fly because of all he had seen through his work. He was a good father. I knew he loved me and was proud of me and sought to encourage me.

We are now dealing with the stuff he left behind. Some of it packed with memories, some of it mysterious. He had $18.00 stuffed in a sandwich bag in his safe. The origin and purpose of it gone with him. The sun has set on his life. Another tie binding me to this world has been broken. More and more people I love are in heaven.

Anticipation builds.