The Gorgeous Girl

When I first met the gorgeous girl
She was only fifteen.
Her waist length enchanting brown hair
Falling straight down her back with no curl.

I thought it was quite sensational
That a pretty, intelligent girl
Who was very conversational
Would want to talk to me.
But she did.

If she had said,
“Marry me and your wildest dreams
Will all come true”
I would have believed her.

She didn’t say it,
But I did, and they did.

Life has brought some wild moments,
But the calm within life’s fort
Is the gorgeous girl I married
Her lovely hair now colored and short.

And together through the years
With laughter’s joy and sorrow’s tears
Our dreams have evolved
Over time more defined
They became less wild
And more refined

She made my dreams come true
This gracious woman who said “I do”
The proof is in our children
Three lives, distinctly set apart
But each a true reflection
Of their mother’s loving heart.

Happy Mother’s Day, Dear Jodi!

© Don Detrick May 9, 2010

God is now Following You on Twitter

You can imagine my surprise this week when I received an e-mail from Twitter saying, "God is now following you on Twitter." I have always believed that God is omnipresent--certainly always near wherever I am. But this was something new. Jodi wrote about it for her Easter 2010 Seattle Times column. Here is what she said:

I turned to see what had caused my husband's outburst of laughter. "Now that's a new one!" he chuckled, pointing to the subject line of an e-mail notification he'd just received. "It says, 'God is now following you on Twitter.'"

Sure enough, someone who'd claimed "God" as their Twitter account name had started following my husband's tweets. It got even funnier as we read on:

"You may follow God as well by clicking on the 'follow' button on their profile. If you believe God is engaging in abusive behavior on Twitter, you may report God for spam.”

"God may not appear in your follower list. God may have decided to stop following you, or the account may have been suspended for a Terms of Service violation."
I know my husband is an amazing man with many admirers, but this takes it to a whole new level. He'd better be careful what he tweets these days!

We live in an interesting time. There are so many ways to stay connected, even with people we don't know and will likely never meet. Yet for all our social networking and technology-enabled associations, I'm not sure we've made much of a dent in the world's loneliness equation. There's just something about looking someone in the eye and having face-to-face conversations that can't be replaced by pithy quips on a computer screen.

When I first began to write this column, I had a photo shoot so that I could be properly introduced to Seattle Times readers. The photographer was a delightful person, a true pro who put me at ease as she did her work. For one shot, she had me sitting outside under a large tree. "Look up like you're looking at God," she instructed. I looked up. "Now bring God just a little lower," she added.

I lowered my gaze and smiled. We'd been chatting about this column and what I might write about. "You just gave me an idea for a column!" I replied. "I think that's what Jesus did. As a Christian, I believe He brought the essence of God, His truth, character, and love down to eye level, so we could see and know Him."

One biblical writer calls Jesus "the Word" the understandable human expression of the divine God:

So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart; he has told us about him.

John 1:14, 18 New Living Translation NLT

Jesus is God at eye level. His death on the cross means that God came down to us — to look us in the eye, to bear our sin and pain. But Easter, which I will celebrate with millions of Christians around the globe on Sunday, means also that He intends to raise us up to His level. When we proclaim He is risen!, we're acknowledging that Jesus faced down humanity's greatest enemy, death, and won.

The biblical writer Peter says it so well:

Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NLT)

Now that is a God worth following and I don't mean on Twitter.

You can also read the article online here:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011493425_detrick03m.html

Resurrecting Possums

(c)2010 Don Detrick

“Opossum Resuscitation”—there it was, on page two of today’s Seattle Times. I don’t know about you, but a title like that gets my attention. The story told of a Brookville, Pennsylvania man who was charged with public drunkenness after he was seen trying to resuscitate a long-dead opossum along a highway about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Sparse details for such a teasing title. Something about the human imagination cries out for more information. I’d love to know the rest of the story. Then again, maybe not.

I have lived long enough to observe countless aberrant behaviors of inebriated souls. Nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine the degree of intoxication that would drive a grown man to attempt CPR or worse yet, mouth to mouth resuscitation on a long-dead possum. What was he thinking? Oh, yes, he probably was not thinking. And what would you think if you were driving along and suddenly came upon a smashed man by the side of the road trying to blow air into an equally smashed possum? You must admit, there is a certain tragic irony and humor in the story.

Growing up on a farm, I had the opportunity to observe countless possums, as they are usually called by those accustomed to less-formal nomenclature. Even though they have the distinction of being the only North American marsupial with a prehensile tail, they simply do not generate warm and fuzzy feelings for me. Raccoons or chipmunks seem cute and snuggly--possums, not so much.

I have had close encounters with them both dead and alive. In neither state are they particularly appealing. When threatened, a live possum will bare his teeth in an ugly display that is enough to frighten off most human opponents. He certainly has the capability to defeat and kill a smaller creature. One of the most heartbreaking stories of our family involves the tragic night when a killer possum clutched our children’s beloved “Miss Kitty” from the patio. By the time we heard the kitten’s cries for help it was too late, as we watched the possum’s jaws of death crush our family’s beloved pet and drag her into the woods for a late night snack.

As a boy I often observed our dogs corner a possum. The same flash of teeth and ferocious snarl was quickly followed by the possum’s best defense—playing dead, or as we called it, “playing possum.” King was a hunting dog and I never saw him back down from a fight with any creature. But a possum could fool him every time. As soon as the body went limp, with all appearance of life gone—breathing and heartbeat barely discernable—King simply walked away. As far as he was concerned, the game was over. The possum fooled him every time. We’d walk away, and once the threat of danger was absent, the possum would make his escape. For these reasons, I’ve never trusted a possum.

Possums appear especially despicable as road kill because both the sight and smell sicken the senses. A person normally feels repelled by the sight of carrion, getting close or touching it seems out of the question. That is, unless you are drunk enough to believe that you have the power to resurrect one—because intelligent and logical people know that it is a biological impossibility to raise any once-living creature from the dead. I suppose that is why I ask, what was the drunken man thinking? Is there some latent desire in all of us to be able to obtain or grant immortality—if only to a dead possum?

In the natural world, death is final and the image of a man trying to revive a dead possum seems ridiculous, because it is. But within every human being is that latent desire for immortality, questions about eternal life, a longing to answer the nagging question, “Is this life all there is?” Thankfully, there is an answer.

Like possums, human beings can behave in despicable ways. Our inebriated possum-reviving friend provides a good example. Like possums, we have a tendency to bare our fangs and act duplicitously whenever it is convenient for us to do so. Frankly, I have observed depths of human depravity that would nearly rival the appearance of a dead possum. But in spite of this, God reached down to us and Jesus came to provide eternal life. When our chances of resurrection seemed as hopeless as a drunken man trying to resurrect a dead possum, Jesus came and gave his life. He rose from the dead so that we might live. These verses offer hope:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)

“For I will live again, and you will, too. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:19-20 NLT)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17 NIV)

Honestly, I have no idea what the drunken man was thinking when he tried to revive the long-dead possum. Whatever it was, I doubt the answer would make much sense, nor would it make any difference. But to know what God was thinking when he sent Jesus, and what that means to me—that makes all the difference both now and forever.

So the next time you see a dead possum by the side of the road, rather than your typical response of, “yuck,” maybe this story will serve as a reminder that there is hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. And if I were you, I’d just keep on going and leave the possum alone.

Somebody's Mother

Since my own mother went to heaven in 2002, I am often struck by the thought of her when I see an elderly woman and think, "That could be my mother." Back when my mother was with us, I would often pray, "Lord, please watch out for her and when I am not around, may someone else's son help her when she needs help." Thankfully, my mother was never left alone to fend for herself and I am grateful for the help of our father, siblings, and others who made her journey through life easier through her final years. I always try to be attentive and aware of opportunities to return the favor, and this old poem reminds me:

Somebody's Mother

The woman was old and ragged and gray
And bent with the chill of the Winter's day.
The street was wet with a recent snow
And the woman's feet were aged and slow.
She stood at the crossing and waited long,
Alone, uncared for, amid the throng
Of human beings who passed her by
Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eye.
Down the street with laughter and shout,
Glad in the freedom of 'school let out,'
Came the boys like a flock of sheep,
Hailing the snow piled white and deep.
Past the woman so old and gray
Hastened the children on their way.
Nor offered a helping hand to her—
So meek, so timid, afraid to stir
Lest the carriage wheels or the horses' feet
Should crowd her down in the slippery street.
At last came one of the merry troop,
The gayest lad of all the group;
He paused beside her and whispered low,
"I'll help you cross, if you wish to go."
Her aged hand on his strong young arm
She placed, and so, without hurt or harm,
He guided the trembling feet along,
Proud that his own were firm and strong.
Then back again to his friends he went,
His young heart happy and well content.
"She's somebody's mother, boys, you know,
For all she's aged and poor and slow,
And I hope some fellow will lend a hand
To help my mother, you understand,
If ever she's poor and old and grey,
And her own dear boy is far away."
"Somebody's mother" bowed low her head
In her home that night, and the prayer she said
Was, "God be kind to the noble boy,
Who is somebody's son, and pride and joy!"

"Somebody's Mother" by Mary Dow Brine. Public domain.

Pilgrims and Thanksgiving

During these hectic holiday preparation days, it is easy to forget the true meaning of Thanksgiving as celebrated in the United States of America. The loud voices of political correctness often drown out the voices of those Pilgrims who risked everything for a new life in a new world. While we may have a general idea about Pilgrims and their funny clothes and odd habits, we often fail to remember that they were real people, and faced tremendous hardships and adversity with amazing faith and strength of character. Even politically correct authors, like Sarah Vowell, in her recent interesting book about the Puritans, The Wordy Shipmates admits her admiration of them for their faith, tenacity, and perseverance.

On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from England. It carried a total of 102 passengers - all of them seeking freedom – primarily religious freedom. Of those 102passengers, 34 of them were children. According to the Mayflower Compact that they all signed, they undertook their voyage "for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian Faith."

The grueling journey to the New World took 66 days in a ship no larger than a basketball court. Planning to arrive in northern Virginia, a storm at sea blew them off course. And when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts on November 11th, they found (according to William Bradford's detailed journal) a cold, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, he wrote. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. But they did not despair. Their first act when setting foot upon land was recorded by Bradford:

"Having thus arrived in a good harbor and come safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the dangers and miseries thereof, and permitted them to again set their feet on the firm and stable earth.'"

During the first winter, half the Pilgrims died of starvation, sickness, or exposure. Six died in December, eight in January, seventeen in February, and thirteen in March. Thirteen of the eighteen wives died; only three families remained unbroken. Bradford's young wife drowned when she fell overboard. Yet when the Mayflower returned to England in the spring, not one of the remaining Pilgrims went with her. They were dedicated to their God and the freedom to worship Him as they wished. Like the Pilgrims, we must learn that:

Psalm 92:1 says, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. . ..” In Scripture, we see that God blesses things that are good. From the beginning of creation, we witness this pronouncement “and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:4) God then blessed His “good” creation. (Genesis 1:28) It follows then, that if “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,” then God will bless a grateful person.

The Bible has a lot to say about thanksgiving, mentioning it nearly 140 times. In the book of Psalms alone, we are told over 30 times to “be thankful” and "give thanks unto the Lord.” Psalm 92:1 says, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High." Nineteen out of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament mention the need for thanksgiving. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

A few years ago, Jodi and I visited Plymouth, Massachusetts. We spent an afternoon at Plimoth Plantation (www.plimoth.org), the re-creation of the original colony of Pilgrims. There, in the original setting, surrounded by people playing the part of Pilgrims, I gained a better understanding of the hardships these people endured. Although they were not wealthy members of the ruling class in England, they left behind security – homes, jobs, and families - to pursue a dream: To find a place where they could put down roots, raise their children, and worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, not according to the mandates of the King of England.

The word “worship” comes from the Old English words for “worth-ship,” meaning “the ascribing of worth, worthiness, or honor to a person, place or thing, ardent devotion; adoration.” Worship truly flows from a heart of gratitude. The liberty to worship God freely, according to your own convictions, has been a fundamental right of our citizens since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. To them, worship was a good thing. They valued the ability to worship God more than the security of home, even if it meant traveling through the perilous ocean to a wilderness land filled with unknown dangers.

The Mayflower II, built in the 1950’s and now docked in Plymouth Harbor (you can take a virtual tour at http://plimoth.org/features/mayflower-2/journey/), is an exact replica of the original Mayflower. At first glance, it is not easy to imagine that such a small vessel could hold a cargo of supplies and over 100 passengers while crossing the Atlantic. While aboard this summer, I couldn’t help but think about the hardships, the seasickness, the storms, and unknown danger lurking ahead of those Pilgrims in 1620. It must have been terribly difficult to maintain an optimistic outlook and express gratitude. But since worship was so important to them, it is not surprising that one of their first acts after landing at Plymouth Rock was to make the following declaration:

“May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: 'Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness: but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice, and looked on their distress. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good, and His mercies endure forever.'”

Billy Graham wrote, "Giving thanks to God for all blessings is one of the most distinctive marks of a true Christian. A heart that is attuned to God naturally pours out thanksgiving. Some things the believer thanks God for are material blessings, the people in your life, His promise of presence and care in the midst of trials and even persecution, salvation, and His continued presence and power in your life."

Weeds grow without effort. But if you want a beautiful bouquet of flowers, they must be planted and nurtured. You must cultivate the soil, keep the pests away, provide proper nourishment, and pull the weeds. That’s the way it is with gratitude. Like weeds in our hearts, taking things or people for granted comes naturally. But gratitude must be nurtured. As we mature in our faith, we learn to appreciate the Lord and others who have blessed us. That appreciation will result in our verbal expression of thanks.

The author G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) said "When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."

In Vermont a farmer was sitting on the porch with his wife. He was beginning to realize how much she meant to him. It was about time, because they had been married for forty-two years. She had been such help, a very willing worker. One day as they sat together, he said, "Wife, you've been such a wonderful woman that there are times I can hardly keep from telling you."

When we think of the first thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims, we assume it occurred during the first year of their residency here. In fact, we know they did have a 3-day feast in the fall of 1621 where wild fowl and venison were served. A letter by Edward Winslow is the only surviving description of the event itself. The hard winter months that followed brought extraordinary suffering and even more deaths to the small band of Pilgrims.

But the first real extended thanksgiving celebration took place a full three years after their arrival in 1620. Those three years were filled with much hardship, toil and suffering. Their days were spent combating sickness, drought, inner conflicts, and the elements. But it wasn’t all bad news. The Indians had taught the settlers how to plant corn, fish for cod, hunt for game, and skin beavers for coats. They had planted gardens, built a blockhouse for their protection, houses for their own comfort, and a meetinghouse to worship God.

Just when things seemed to take a turn for the better, they again got worse. In the summer of 1623, a drought threatened to destroy their vital crops. So the colonists prayed and fasted for relief. When the rains came a few days later, disaster was averted, and their crops were saved. Not long after, Captain Miles Standish arrived with staples and news that a Dutch supply ship was on its way. Because of all these blessings and answered prayers, the Pilgrims held a day of thanksgiving and praise. This 1623 event appears to have been the origin of our Thanksgiving Day because it combined a religious and social celebration. It was a time for expressing gratitude to God and sharing with their native American, Indian neighbors. Governor Bradford made the following proclamation:

"Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meetinghouse, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings."

The provisions for that thanksgiving feast included: "twelve tasty venisons, besides others, pieces of roasted venison, fruit pies, roasted wild turkeys, plums, nuts, grapes, corn, popcorn, vegetables of all types, fish, roast pork, etc. But before all this, the first course was served: on an empty plate in front of each person were five kernels of corn. . .lest anyone should forget" (the hardship of the previous winters.)

We should never forget our heritage as Americans, regardless of the diversity of our backgrounds. In fact, our diversity can celebrate the fact that many of our ancestors, whether from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, the islands of the sea , or parts in between, endured suffering, so we could enjoy prosperity. Moreover, for followers of Jesus Christ, we should never forget that we are citizens of a greater kingdom, without natural or civic boundaries. We have a lot to be thankful for. With those realizations, we will never take our blessings for granted.

Born with neither sight nor hearing, Helen Keller (1880-1968) could have become a bitter recluse. But the persistence and love of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, reached through to her heart. Helen Keller's gratefulness to God for what she had been given made her one of the most influential women in the history of the world. She said "So much has been given to me, I have no time to ponder over that which has been denied."

Helen Keller was deaf and blind from an early age. But she saw and understood more than most people with all five senses. Many people fail to recognize God’s blessings and presence in their lives. Those who have been helped the most are sometimes the most ungrateful.

Benjamin Rush (1746-1813) was an American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a physician, educator and politician. He worked relentlessly for the abolition of slavery and the humane treatment of the mentally handicapped. His insight into the human condition is revealed in this quote: "I have found the least gratitude from those families in which I had performed the greatest services."

Sometimes, oddly enough, the opposite is true. Because sometimes it is people who begin life with a real deficit, (like Helen Keller: physically, socially, or in life circumstances), that are the most grateful to God and others when blessings do come their way. If you’re born with no ability to communicate, and someone gives you the gift of speech, you are grateful. If you are born without the ability to ever walk, and a surgeon’s skills change that, you appreciate every happy step you take. If you are born into a “family” that isn’t a real family, but a nightmare of abuse, and someone takes you into their loving family, you never take that privilege for granted, like the rest of us sometimes do.

Let’s never forget “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto His name.” Always remember gratefulness produces peace, faith, contentment, and a positive attitude. We can cultivate a thankful spirit by trusting God, and learning lessons from the pilgrims, Helen Keller and others about being thankful. But we need to develop thanksgiving in our own hearts, in our own time, in our own circumstances. Difficult circumstances are occasions for us to grow better or bitter. We grow better with a thankful spirit and a heart that is grateful to God.

The thankful heart enjoys blessings twice - when they're received and when they're remembered. The thankful heart will overflow with blessings given and received. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Here are some suggestions to help this be your best Thanksgiving holiday ever:

This Thanksgiving week:

• Do a word study on thanksgiving and reflect on the meaning. Find every verse you can about being thankful in the Bible, or quotes from others on the topic.

• Count your blessings, especially as you meet with family and friends this week.

• While visiting with family, discuss how God has protected, provided for and preserved your family through the years. How many family members have memories of God’s guiding Hand?

• How many generations back can you trace your heritage? Were there people of faith in your family’s past? Even if there are negative circumstances in your family heritage, can you find blessings there to be thankful for?

• Choose to give thanks. Decide to express gratitude "in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

• Thank someone everyday for his or her positive influence in your life.

• Memorize Psalm 92:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Organic Spiritual Formation - Chapter 6 Polish, or Lack Thereof

Back on the farm, apples were a favorite commodity. We never grew them for sale, but for our own use. Our apples were grown organically, without any chemical sprays or commercial fertilizers. I learned early on to take a good look at every bite and was generally only alarmed when I found half a worm—because that meant I had probably consumed the other half!

When I started taking horticultural classes in high school, I learned all about chemical sprays and commercial fertilizers that would eliminate the worms and diseases that disfigured our apples. My dad was of the old school, however, and wouldn’t budge on that point. I personally think he was more opposed to spending money on chemicals or fertilizer than he was in favor of organic farming methods. He was a practical man and after all, we had plenty of manure on the farm for fertilizer, and could easily cut the wormy or bad parts out of the apples before we made applesauce, cider, or pies. Besides, I had to admit they generally tasted better than the store-bought varieties.

My ag teacher in high school taught us about chemical sprays for orchard use, and also about the importance of marketing to the consumer. I mentioned my dad’s reluctance to spray our apple trees, and he said, “Your dad could never sell those apples in the store. Nobody wants to buy a wormy or diseased apple.” He was right. All the apples in the store in those days were waxed, polished and red—fit for the teacher’s desk. Unless they are organically produced, commercially grown apples for the consumer market are pampered, sprayed, washed, waxed, and polished before they make it to the grocery shelf. No wonder they cost up to $3 a pound or more these days! What consumers don’t realize is that those are only the best, the primo apples from the tree. Their siblings ended up as apple juice or in the makings for applesauce, apple pie, dried apples, or some type of apple filling for a donut or dessert.

In contrast, organic apples, even those sold in the grocery store, are generally a bit smaller, and lack the eye-popping polish of the commercial variety. The typical orchard run organically grown apple would not win any prizes for appearance. It must be accepted for what it is, worms, warts, blemishes, and all. But for me, an apple is not an object to be placed in a fruit bowl for observation; it is an object to be consumed. And I must admit, I prefer the organically grown variety for both aroma and taste, hands down.

Imperfect apples grow in the real world. Jesus was the perfect Son of God, but he gathered some un-perfect apples around him, including at least one very bad one. After three years of training, they still were not very polished—not much of his perfection had rubbed off on them. And we learn from this that the process of organic spiritual formation is not always accomplished in a well-oiled institutional machine, using polished people and programs. Organic spiritual formation occurs in the real world, with worms, warts, diseases, and all. The transformation from a bad apple to a good one is what Jesus is all about. He works to polish out our imperfections, even though we don’t always look too polished in the process.

The modern world was fascinated with polish. Slick magazines, glitzy advertising, neon lights, patent leather shoes, candy apple red trucks with chrome ornamentation, sparkling jewelry, and shiny cases to display our gilded trophies all contributed to the bling and glitter of the twentieth and early twenty-first century ethos of success. We don’t have to look very far to see that this same fascination has crept into the church.

With the advent of television ministries in the 1950’s, many pastors and church leaders felt the need to improve every component of the worship service in order to compete with growing religious media voices. For most small congregations, the competition was definitely an uphill battle. And it is a battle that existed mainly in the minds of leaders, as there really is no way of comparing the impact or effectiveness of a radio, television or media “ministry” in fostering spiritual formation with the impact or effectiveness of a local church.

During my growing up years, I can remember mom and dad watching Oral Roberts, Rex Humbard, and Jerry Falwell on Sunday morning television before our own church services. Later, when I became a pastor back in 1977, I faced Sunday morning congregants who had already heard singing accompanied by professional musicians and an entertaining message all neatly packaged into a 30 minute program that included some serious time dedicated to nothing but fundraising. I was twenty-two years old, my congregation numbered less than fifty, and our annual budget was less than $15,000.00. “Pastor, Rex Humbard really preached a great message this morning. Did you watch? And that daughter of his can really sing!” Without people and resources, how was I to compete?

But we have tried. In the past few decades we have promoted slicker bulletins, ever more dazzling PowerPoint or MediaShout presentations during worship or the sermon, and tried to outdo each other for the coolest websites and most extravagant buildings. We have choreographed and scripted our services in a minute-by-minute format to pack as much energy and enthusiasm as possible into those sixty or ninety minutes on Sunday morning. As a pastor for nearly thirty years, I have witnessed the evolution and for the most part been a willing participant.

However, as the results of the Reveal Survey bear witness, I have been forced to ask the question, “How is it working for us?” And to ask even more personally, “How is it working for me?” I remember my first attempts at using PowerPoint to illustrate my sermon and trying to coordinate the slides with the major points. It frustrated both me and my audience. Growing more proficient in the technology with use, I eventually would spend hours each week building a PowerPoint presentation to go along with my sermon, along with a published manuscript which was distributed to the congregation during all three morning services, and also posted to our website. I felt like I was doing a good job of “getting the Word out” and training my congregation. In the end, though gnawing questions made me wonder.

Organic spiritual formation is not a polished, linear process that can be easily reproduced with a curriculum or template that works everywhere. So much depends upon geography, community context, and generational differences. Even the climate makes a difference. I have visited a number of large churches in Southern California that make use of outdoor spaces for everything from small group meeting places to baptismal pools, bookstores or prayer stations. It seems to be working great for them, but that particular strategy would never work for colder climes in most of North America. Jesus interacted in different ways with different people in different places to produce spiritual growth as we shall see in the following chapters.

This is a short excerpt from Chapter 6 of the book I've been working on the past year, Organic Spiritual Formation -- in progress. I hope to have all 12 chapters completed within the next few months. (c) 2009 Don Detrick

A Thing of Beauty

A Thing of Beauty

By Don Detrick with appreciation to John Keats

Dedicated to my teenage bride of 35 years, Jodi

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will shine
Growing in beauty, grace, and line.

I met my beauty while still a youth;
Life on the farm had taught me truth:
Things of beauty time will claim;
That joy subsides, only dust remains.

By nature’s law, emotions fade;
So human beings and all things made.
Though young and short, Keats might have guessed
Of something greater, something blessed;
A law of love, unscathed by years.
A love grown stronger,
Though stained with tears.
A love grown longer,
In spite of fears.
A love transcending earthly ties;
I found that’s where the answer lies.

For in your face and smile I saw;
A visage only God could draw.
And he our hearts together knit,
Though teens we said we’d never quit.

So through the years in joy and pain,
We hold each other and love remains.
I look at you, my precious treasure;
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.