TURNING 70

I had a wonderful childhood!  Godly parents embedded me in the life of the church from before I was born!  All of my needs were met and I was surrounded by caring aunts, uncles and cousins. 

My mom was the major influence in my life.  She was indefatigable in pointing me to God and living right.  Her influence was immersed in love, although she slapped me twice:  once when I disrespected God by saying, ‘Holy Cow’, and once when I disrespected her!  She modeled the use of her spiritual gifts by being a gracious hostess and entertaining many guests at our table.  Also by providing leadership in the Women’s Missionary Society.  Many missionaries and church leaders stayed in our home while I was growing up!  Her prayer life was exemplary, as her Bible reveals by the pockets she taped into it to hold all of her prayer lists.

My father was a quiet man.  I knew he loved me because my mom continually told me that he did.  He was a dedicated provider for our family giving forty-eight years of service to the Townsend Company.  He exercised leadership in our local church by filling many roles:  Sunday School teacher, trustee, official board secretary, and delegate to the Annual Conference.  He served on the ‘Stationing Committee’ [responsible for appointing pastors to churches] for the Pittsburgh Conference for over twenty-five years.  He was also elected as a Pittsburgh Conference delegate to the Free Methodist World Conference on five occasions.  He was not highly engaged with me during my growing-up years, but later in life we became closer.

When their influence began to diminish, Debbie stepped in to finish the job!  We began dating in high school and continued, off-and-on, for five years before being married on August 11, 1973.  She was worried about the prospect of being a pastor’s wife, but that was unnecessary since she was deeply loved and appreciated everywhere we served.  Our love produced three incredible children:  Travis, Troy and Tracie.  I could talk for hours about each of them!  They’ve brought us great joy – and a measure of heartache.  I still look back and wonder how I was wise enough at the age of twenty-one to choose such an excellent wife!  She is my joy every day!

We lost Travis in 2015.  The pain of that loss has diminished with time, but just in recent weeks Debbie has been in pain missing him.  Just when you think you’ve got it managed, it resurfaces and debilitates you.  He gave us so much to be proud of!  Our times with him were always filled with delight and fun!

Troy and Missy live ten minutes away today.  He is our helper in our mature years.  Just this week he put the finishing touches on his moms' kitchen cabinets – working hand-in-hand with Deb.  Yesterday, he came to my rescue changing a flat tire in Pittsburgh and enduring my forgetfulness (leaving my car keys at home).  He is a source of tremendous pride for us and his quick visits make our day!  He excels in his work at the Boardman Fire Station and is respected by his peers.  He and Missy are well thought of by everyone who knows them, and they’re active in Freedom Church (where I was pastor from 2003 to 2012). 

Tracie and Jon now live in Rockledge, Florida – so much further than Connecticut.  We’ll soon be spending a week with them on our first trip to their new home.  Tracie surprised me for this birthday by arranging a flight home to celebrate with us.  I pick her up this afternoon!  She and Jon gave us two awesome grandchildren:  Rylie (14) and Coltin (12).  We love them so much and take joy in watching them grow and change!  Jon is now Command Chief and oversees the missile-testing of submarines at his base.   Tracie stands beside Jon and engages with younger military wives (and girlfriends) in a mentoring role.  She occasionally works outside the home, but focuses mainly on caring for her family!

I turn seventy today, having lost my brother, Ira, (9/27/21) and my sister, Jeannette (12/1/21).  I admired and respected both of them all through my years.  Ira was always tucking a $20 bill in my pocket when we visited.  He consistently introduced me to his friends as his ‘kid brother’.  His wife, Joyce, is here to celebrate my birthday today!  Jeannette was totally dedicated to raising her two sons, Tom and Bob, and was SO PROUD of them.  We intend to stay as close to them as we can in the future.  Both siblings loved the Lord and served Him through their churches.

My remaining sister, Beverly, lives in Rochester, NY, so we don’t get to see her and Dick very often.  They are hibernating to protect themselves from the COVID-19 realities, so won’t be able to join today’s celebration.  Bev is the only sibling that I actually lived with while growing up, consequently, we share a special bond.  She is so much like our mother – even resembles her.  They gave us many free vacations in their backyard while our family was young.  ;-)  She is intimately connected to God and has, for years, been the first person (besides Debbie) that I turn to for prayer!  She and Dick are a delight and we hope for more years to enjoy them both! 

Debbie’s family has been a major part of our support system all through our lives and continues to be.  Debbie’s ‘Whippo thread’ on her phone, is active every day .  We worship weekly with two of her sisters and two brothers.  They are the long-term friends that have walked with us through the joyful and painful times.  We take pride in their children and in their many accomplishments.

•     Danny
•      Laurie and Charlie
•      Cathy and Jeff
•      Janie and Peter
•      Wally and Lyn
•      Ginny and Dave
•      Tom and Janet
•      Barbie and Jim

Our life’s journey wouldn’t have been near as pleasant without them in our lives! 

I’m not going to name any friends because I would surely omit someone special!  So many have joined us in our life’s journey!  Many were parishoners that became friends!  Our trip through life thus far has been sprinkled with the blessings bestowed by so many precious people!  Some helped me maintain my vehicles!  Some camped with us and shared vacations.  Others have shared meals and gifts with us.  Many prayed with us during challenging times.  Friendship is a gift that we should probably give more freely!  We have been abundantly blessed through the years by so many wonderful people – most of whom shared our love for Jesus! 

As I complete my 70^th trip around the sun, I am a deeply grateful man!  I have been BLESSED!  And I am GRATEFUL to God!  I want to live to praise Him and to point others to Him!

THE STUDY OF GOD

'Theology' [theos = god,  logos = word] means words about God - or the study of God. 

I'm asking your forgiveness ahead of time.  I'm currently reading Romans in The Message.  Romans is the theology book of the New Testament.  It's a slow read.  Paul takes us to the deep end of the pool.  He correlates ancient history with the current events of the early part of the first century.  You have to read slowly - even repeatedly - and let it soak in.  But, oh, is it ever worth it!

My current reading is in chapter eight, which is a glorious chapter.  It starts with the announcement that we are now free from condemnation, and ends by stating that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

I'll soon finish seven decades of walking on this planet.  I was raised in a godly home.  I made many young commitments to God and then cemented my relationship by accepting His 'call' to ministry at the age of seventeen.  I studied religion and philosophy for my undergraduate degree.  I completed a master of divinity degree that immersed me in theology, biblical studies, Hebrew and Greek, psychology, Chrisitan education, ethics, church history and more philosophy.  I've led churches for over four decades, preached thousands of sermons and taught classes on many subjects.  

And yet, I still sometimes struggle with my faith.  I was raised during a season when the church was emerging from an emphasis on legalism.  The features that influenced me claimed that If you dressed right, avoided certain behaviors, kept your language holy, attended church regularly and strove in all areas of your life to be holy [as God is holy], then you might make it to heaven.

It was a severely misguided time and did tons of damage to people's spiritual development and maturity.  

But, the pendulum swung and we gradually moved beyond legalism.  I cannot document all the phases that we moved through, but they were diverse and included:

• the charismatic confusion
• the praise and worship movement
• the church growth explosion
• the church health strategies
• the pastor as CEO season
• the mega-church predicament

Since I've been retired for almost six years, someone more in touch will have to inform us as to what the current trends and focuses are.  I do think I observe a leaning toward being more liturgical.  I experimented in these areas while I was attending Pittsburgh Theological Seminary during the 80's.  The Oakland [East Liverpool] people tolerated my experimentation in this and other areas.

But, I've already wandered from my purpose.  

In Romans I've been reading about the preoccupation with our sinfulness.  The sin principle is powerful and pervades all of scripture as well as our lives.  But Christ's coming, redemption and resurrection made a massive difference.  Through His Spirit, He lives in us and empowers us.  

Peterson puts it this way in The Message:   [Romans 8:15]

This resurrection life you received from God is...

adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike 'What's next Papa?'

Now to my purpose for moving from my study carrol to my laptop.  I still wrestle with sin.  One thing I have liked about worshipping in an evangelical presbyterian church for the last nearly three years, is the repetitious acknowledgement of systemic sin.  Every Lord's Day our pastor leads us in a prayer that encourages us to take a few seconds to confess our sins from the previous week.  The monotony and predictability of this practice often frustrates me.  However, I agree with the concept and the need.  My greatest problem is that the few seconds provided are not sufficient for me to review my sinfulness over the past six days!  

However, hearing the words of assurance somehow encourages me.  I've never struggled to leave worship with a renewed determination that I can do better this week.  Yet, sometimes I still feel caught in the sin principle.  I frequnetly feel like a spiritual failure.  

A common problem is that I have friends and associates who seem to do it so much better than me.  They seem holier.  They seem to make better decisions and accomplish more than I do.  Almost everything that flows from their mouths seems wise, admirable, enviable, and holy.  I imagine them having these perfect prayer experiences and a dynamic, day-to-day relationship with God.  I wonder if they struggle - maybe just a little bit, once in a while?  

I live with a fear that I've missed out on understanding something vital.  I feel a little like Mother Teresa [pardon the comparison] who was revered almost universally.  Then, posthumously, her writings were published and we discovered that this dynamic woman was plagued by doubt and uncertainty regarding her standing with God.  To some extent [please forgive me] she deceived us.  How much more help she could have been if she had shared this troubled journey with us.  

I've studied and debated the theology.   I know that we are crucified with Christ and that it is no longer I that live - but Christ lives in me.  I know that there is now, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  I know that we were buried with Christ in baptism and raised with Christ when we rose from the water.  I know that His Spirit lives in me.  I am committed to His Word as the main resource for my life and I consume it daily.  

But...you saw that coming, didn't you?

But, I have not yet attained consistently to the extent that Peterson paraphrases:

This resurrection life you received from God is...

adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike 'What's next Papa?'

I have had seasons where that was the character of my day-to-day life.  I must confess that this was more true when I was leading the church.  I think the responsibility that I bore in that role helped to keep me out front, leaning daily on God, desperately wanting to see the church be fruitful and effective [those two words guided my leadership].  

Now, I sit in the pew every week.  I no longer counsel, preach, teach, and have regular outlets for influence.  My world has shrunk.  I didn't anticipate this.  

I was passionate when I made my life-changing decision for Christ as a young man.  I was aggressive through my college years.  I led the church with vision and energy from 1975 through 2017.  Living for God is still the main desire of my life.  Gaining heaven is a greater focal point as I approach my 70th birthday.  Leaving a legacy of faith has always been prominent in my thinking and living.  

Episcopal priest, Sam Shoemaker (1898 - 1963) was one of the most influential clergymen of the 20th century.  He assisted in the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous and contributed heavily to the formation of the twelve steps!  He wrote a poem called "I Stand by the Door".  It was a magnificent statement of his evangelistic fervor.  He anticipated that this passion would continue even in heaven since he was so focused on saving lost people.  He envisioned that when he got there, rather than rush into the glory of God and the awesomeness of worship, he would prefer to 'stand by the door' in hopes of catching a few more by the coattails and pulling them into the kingdom of God.  

As a young man, his vision captivated me!  It gave me purpose.

I need that purpose to be reignited.  I need my love for God to be divinely inspired.  I need a daily dose of reassurance.  I want to burn brightly for Him.  I don't want to stumble.  I want pure words, thoughts and actions.  I desperately want to avoid hypocrisy.  I want my life to point to Him.