$20 in my Mailbox

A new school year is here for  those who are attending classes at colleges, universities, community colleges, and technical schools.   I find myself thinking of my days in college today.  I was the first one in my family to graduate from college.  My Dad had attended a semester or two of college before marital responsibilities seemed more important that an education.  My Mother did not attend college and finished her high school education through a GED.    While my Mother did not go far in formal education, she instilled in me the importance of education.

Just days before I was to head to college for my freshman year,   we got in the mail the bill for college tuition and all fees.      When Mom saw the bill, she was shocked as she faced the reality that the college costs were far more than what we expected.    What Mom thought was the cost for the entire school year was actually the cost for only a semester (one half of the year).  Since college was a new experience for everyone in our household, we did not even know what a semester was.    I remember as we sat having dinner that night my Mom crying over the thought that I would not have the money to go to college.      I discovered through my employer at my summer job,  Burlington Industries, that they had a loan program for college students.  When I explained the financial plight my family and I were in, my boss helped  me to apply for a college loan of $500.   Even though the deadline for loan applications had passed, Burlington Industries accepted my loan application and gave me a loan of $500 so I could begin college.  

Another person who helped me in my college days was my Grandmother, Blonda Perry.   Every once in a while I would go to my college mailbox  to discover a letter from Grandma Perry.   (We wrote more letters and talked less on the phone in those days.)     Accompanying a handwritten letter on notebook paper,  Grandma would often include a $20 dollar bill.     While $20 might not seem to be a lot of money today,  that was about what  my Grandmother was earning for one days work making draperies at her job off of Maple Ave. in Burlington in those days.  

I share these two glimpses of people that helped me in my college days as a reminder of something we all need to remember:   all of us have benefitted from  the gifts, sacrifices, and efforts of others.    None of us are a “self made man” or “self made woman”.    There are people along the way in our family, network, job, vocation, and neighborhood who have helped us move forward with the  accomplishments we know.     Thank them, give thanks to God for them, and pay it forward.  Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God,  I give you thanks for the people along my journey in my life who not only believed in you, but who have believed in me and invested in me.   Help me to go and do likewise;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Teach the Children

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,  ² To Timothy, my dear son:  Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. ³ I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.⁴ Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.  ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.-   II Timothy 1: 1-7

It is the time of year when our children are heading back to school at grammar schools, middle schools, charter schools, high schools, colleges, and universities.  I look at school and education through a number of different viewpoints.    First, I see education as a lifelong process.  A matter of fact,  I am taking a continuing education class online this fall even though I received my last degree decades ago.  Secondly, I see education through the eyes of two children who are teachers and through the eyes of  grandchildren who are in school.

I don’t know about you, but I give thanks for teachers in classrooms along the way that encouraged me, taught me, and believed in me.   While teachers have an important role in the education of our children, it is also important to remember the vital role that family has in the education of our children.   In the passage found above,  Paul notes the important role that Lois and Eunice had in the spiritual education of Timothy.   As someone once said many years, sometimes we learn not by what we have been taught, but what we have caught through the people that we are around.     Timothy learned faith not just through what he heard from a religious  leader, but what he absorbed in his home and family.   What are the children in your life and family learning about faith through your example?   Have a great and joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, we pray for those who are students, teachers, and school students in schools here and everywhere.   We pray for their safety, and for wisdom and compassion.  Lord, help us be mindful that all of us  teach through what we say and do;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.  

The Story of the Two Bears

Our family, like a lot of families, is scattered in numerous places.   It is rare for our 4 daughters, 3 son in laws, and 6 grandkids  to be together with us at one time in one place.   We came close to having everyone together in late July for a few days in Colorado Springs, Colorado.   (One of our daughters was not able to travel due to some health issues.)     We rented a house for several days with a view of the Rocky Mountains.    When we arrived at the house,  we found a hand-written note near the back door that shared some news that we had not even considered:  bears.   We were cautioned that bears had been spotted near the house.    One night as we were  nearing bedtime, our son-in-law shared the news that there were bears behind the house.   I looked out the windows and saw a mother bear and a cub heading across the driveway.    While it was the one and only time we saw the bears during our visit,  we heard them visit the following night as we heard noise during the night.   When morning came, we discovered one of our bear-proof trash cans overturned about 10 feet from where it stood the previous day.   This was not our only encounter with wildlife during our trip west.  One day,  I saw two bucks bolt through a park where my grandchildren were playing.    There were also sightings of chipmunks in a parking lot.

These encounters with  bears and such in Colorado was a reminder of the fact that  you never know when you will have a chance encounter with wildlife.   You do not know as you travel down the road if there will be deer crossing the road around the next curve.   You do not know if or when bears will come visit your campsite in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.    You just don’t know.

“No one knows the day or the hour”,   Jesus said.     Jesus was talking about when the  second coming will take place.   Many through the years have made predictions about the second coming;  alas, it did not come to pass.    There are also some other things we do not know.   We do not know when the opportunity to help somebody will come to pass.   It might come as we go down the road as it did for a priest and levite one day  (see Luke 10).   It might come even as you are reading this.    Most of the time we do not know when an encounter with friend or family will be our last encounter.   One friend used to tell me that he always kissed his wife when he left the house as he wanted no regrets if it was his last time.    Two bears coming to visit at a rental house in Colorado Springs reminded me that there are some things we just don’t know.   May God give us a holy awareness about the preciousness of each day and each thing we see.   Have a blessed and joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, give me a ready and willing spirit for  the wonders and opportunities you will give me in this day and life;  through Christ I pray. Amen.