Stuck In Reverse (A Steve Orr scripture reflection)

In theory, theory and reality are the same. In reality, they're not.

I'm pretty sure where it went wrong was when they had the 11-year old drive the tractor. We were at the farm of some family friends, helping with spring planting. The idea was a simple one: use the tractor to pull a discing sledge through the field to make furrows. Once it was done, we could walk down each row, pressing one seed into the soil about every eight inches.

There are some things you need to know before I tell more of this tale. First, when I was eleven years old, it was common for children of all ages to work on family farms. Second, it was common for friends to drive out from town to help on farms. Third, it was common (and perfectly legal) for ten year old children to operate farm machinery, including tractors and pickup trucks.

So there we were, townies and farm folk, children and adults, all friends, working together to get a crop into the ground. Two of us kids were eleven that spring, the oldest of the bunch. My friend was the farm boy; I was the townie.

The first pass of the tractor and sledge made some progress, but the ground was still hard from winter. It was harrowed, but not furrowed. Another pass would be needed. We all took a break at that point, heading to the house for a drink and to the outhouse for the obvious. It was then, as we were about to resume, that the father asked his son to drive the tractor.

A big smile on his face, my friend climbed up onto the seat, placed one hand in the steering wheel and one on the large gearshift knob. Wrestling it into reverse, he backed that tractor away from the fence line and stopped, planning to turn and pull forward. That's the point when it got stuck in reverse. No matter what he did, he could not get the thing into any forward gear. To be fair, it was an old tractor. It might have happened to anyone. It was just my friend's bad luck it happened as he was about to plow his first set of furrows. His turn was over before he had even gone ten feet.

Farms run on hard work, good tools, and windows of opportunity. It wasn't like they could just quit for the day. Neither the good weather nor the presence of additional farm hands (amateur though we were) could be relied upon. A solution had to be found.

And that's when the farmer had his idea: he would drive the tractor backwards. The sledge would now be in front, so to speak, but the principle was the same: the discs would be pressed into the soil and the field would be tilled. All he had to do was look back over his shoulder as he drove the tractor backwards through the field.

To be fair, it worked pretty well for the first row.

But while backing through the second row, something caused the tractor to swerve. The sledge backed over part of the row he had just finished plowing. He managed to straighten out the tractor, but not before doing more damage to the already completed row.

After the same thing happened twice more, he gave up.

That was the end of plowing, at least for that day. A mechanic was called and we were told, ”You kids go play.” Which we did.

I recalled this incident when I read the words of Jesus in this week’s passage from Luke. His said a person was unfit for the Kingdom of God if they put their hand to the plow and then looked back. It sounded like Jesus was condemning any potential followers who wished to tell their families goodbye. But, did Jesus really say we can't follow him unless we disconnect from our families?

Scholars tell us the language used in that passage should convey the idea of continuously acting. In other words, what Jesus is warning against is someone continually focusing on their previous life while also trying to be His disciple. It just won't work. It would be like trying to plow a field while looking back. You might be able to keep your furrows straight for a short time, but, eventually, it would all end up crooked.

Like trying to plow with a tractor stuck in reverse.


_________________________
PHOTO: Beth Stewart

_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 8 (13) (June 30, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=268

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
Psalm 16
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62

__________________________

Join us Friday morning at Waco’s @Egg and I” restaurant for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We start at 8:00 and spend the next hour in fellowship, Bible discussion, and prayer. We eat and laugh, too.

Blessings,
Steve

I Woke Up in the Seventh Grade (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

When telling the story of my life, I’m likely to start with, “I Woke Up in the Seventh Grade.” I don’t mean to suggest I slept through the first ten years or so. It’s just that by the time I entered the Seventh Grade, I had reached the conclusion I was on my own. Well, OK, I wasn’t actually on my own. I had parents, a sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins; most of them living nearby. What I mean is this: in the Seventh Grade I realized I had no guide in this life. If I was to be successful —whatever that would come to mean— it was up to me to figure out what to do and how to do it. I would need to orient myself to the landscape, take charge of my day-to-day, devise the plans for my future.

So, I created some rules.

For example, I created this rule: I will always do my homework. Rarely in my life had anyone even asked if I had homework, much less had I completed it. I decided it was time someone did that; and that someone was going to have to be me. I also decided: I will never skip class, figuring I would learn more by being there. Do these sound like just what you would expect a normal student to do? Good. That was my goal. Over the years, I created many such rules; and they became the way I did life. These rules, by the way, were specifically for me, not for others. How could rules tailored for my personal development be applied to others?

In time, using my firm-but-comforting rules, I completed public school and decided to attempt junior college. For the most part, they continued to serve me in college. Eventually, I went on to a wonderful 4-year college and earned my Bachelor of Science. I only tell you about this piece of my life to make a point: for a long time, those rules were essential to shaping me into an adult.

Once I reached adulthood, though, I no longer needed those rules. I needed an entirely different approach to life, one that was far more flexible than the structures I had used to become an adult. Oh, it wasn’t the end of my interest in rules. But, my perspective on rules changed. I found rules interesting, edifying, and even humorous. In 1976, I discovered The Official Rules by prolific author Paul Dickson. He has written over 60 books, and quite a few on rules.* The book is chock full of all that I now cherish about rules: interesting, definitely edifying, and quite often humorous.

Here are a just few examples of the rules collected by Dickson:

• Clarke’s Third Law = “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic.”
—Arthur C. Clarke, famed science fiction writer

• Agnes Allen’s Law = “Almost anything is easier to get into than out of.”
—Agnes Allen (spouse of famed historian Frederick Lewis Allen and founding editor of Readers Digest Condensed Books ... not the women’s baseball player of the same name ... though both women are fascinating and absolutely worth your time to Google)

• Murphy’s Law = “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
—Murphy (There are so many variations on and corollaries to Murphy’s Law that Dickson created the Murphy Center for the Codification of Human and Organizational Law to collect and publish them!)

• Cole’s Law = “Thinly sliced cabbage”

So, though potentially fascinating and often funny, rules no longer provided the structure for my life and continued development. They moved from being the very fabric of my life to be habits, best practices, tools I could use as needed. My adult life worked on a totally different level.

This mirrors what we find in this week’s selection from Galatians. My early “life rules” restricted me, but they also guarded me until such time as I could learn an entirely new way to live. This is the role served by the Law of Moses. It set stringent restrictions on God’s chosen, shaping them into people who could receive Jesus when He finally walked among them; people who could embrace His radical, more adult approach to living.

But, if we continue trying to live our lives by the Law of Moses, then basing everything on love might seem impractical, unworkable, even impossible. Living a life made up of love rather than rules ... that would seem radical to a Law-follower. In fact, it only works properly if we start with faith. We cannot hope and we cannot love —we cannot even make sense of His teachings— without first believing in Jesus.

It feels like we’re breaking all the rules.

_________________________
* For more interesting rules and laws, take a look at Paul Dickson’s The Official Rules: https://www.amazon.com/Official-Rules-Principles-Deadlines-Inanimate/dp/0486482103/ref=pd_sbs_14_1/144-2982578-5138235?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0486482103&pd_rd_r=6f76ae95-9503-11e9-b044-7f958875ef7e&pd_rd_w=R28L0&pd_rd_wg=8n5bX&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=1EAFZA5KM07FM5J7ASRQ&psc=1&refRID=1EAFZA5KM07FM5J7ASRQ

_________________________
PHOTO: Steve Orr

_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 7 (12) (June 23, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=267

1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a
Psalm 42 and 43
Isaiah 65:1-9
Psalm 22:19-28
Galatians 3:23-29
Luke 8:26-39

_________________________

When DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast meets Friday mornings, we enjoy good food, read challenging scriptures, and fellowship while sharing our thoughts. We meet in the function room at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant from 8:00 to 9:00.

It’s nice. Join us.

Blessings,
Steve

James Bond and the Wisdom of Solomon (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

When Ian Fleming delivered his first James Bond novel (Casino Royale) to his publishing house, they were, to say the least, reluctant to publish it. It was so different from anything that had yet been published. Plus, it seemed so ... well, unbelievable. In fact, if not for the intervention of Fleming’s brother, who had been published by the same house, we might never have had James Bond.

Today, when James Bond novels and movies are all about us, it seems strange to think someone balked at launching that character. Bond, or Agent 007 as he is often known, is the template for modern spies; certainly for Cold War spies. Without Bond, would we have Jason Bourne? The whole genre of spy fiction might not exist.

So, what was the problem?

The problem lay in the genius of the thing (as is often the fact). Fleming, a former British Naval Intelligence Officer (i.e., spy) created a fictional character as an amalgam of actual spies; other clandestine operatives he knew and worked with, as well as himself. He then told tales reflecting actual spy missions.

There had never been anything quite like it.

Today, we have a special appreciation for that kind of verisimilitude. Today, when a former “operative” writes a book about spy stuff, publishers are all over it. And it’s all because of that original publisher’s experience with that first James Bond novel. The initial print run of that hardback sold out in less than a month. A second printing that same month also sold out that same month! Next, a third printing of 8,000 hardback copies quickly sold out. And by then, they understood what they had: a gold mine.

This —valuing the words of those with experience— is the mindset we need to bring to Wisdom.

Wisdom calls to anyone who will hear her. She offers to share her benefits with anyone and everyone. They are open to all. We need only seek her.

That’s the central message from this week’s selection from Proverbs chapter 8. But it’s not the only message we find there. After making her appeal, she does something we lovers of spy novels can appreciate: she shares her Bona Fides. Wisdom tells us she is the real deal, that she’s not some hack offering the “philosophy du jour” or just telling us what we want to hear.

So, what’s in her bio?

•The first of God’s creation, before the beginning of the earth
•When God established the heavens, she was there
•During creation, she was next to God, serving as a master craftsman and director of the work
•God delighted in her
•She delighted in God’s inhabited world and the human race

Why seek Wisdom? Why trust in her to be our guide? Because she was there when it all began. She had a role in creation; knows, first hand, what was intended; knows the purpose within the design.

If you can’t trust a resume like that, who can you trust?

________________________
PHOTO (and more about that first edition of Casino Royale): https://www.thebookbond.com/2012/03/collectible-casino-royale-hardcovers.html?m=1

_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Trinity Sunday (June 16, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=262

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
________________________

Once again, DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast is meeting Friday morning at our local “Egg and I” restaurant. We start at 8:00; the hour includes great fellowship, good food, Bible study, and a “robust exchange of ideas.”

Join us!
Steve

A Surprise on a Cruise to Alaska (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

Once again, the woman issued her call: was there a Pastor on the cruise who would lead our worship? And, once again, no one responded. What was going on, here?

We love taking a cruise to some foreign clime (or, at least, someplace foreign to our daily life). It’s great to get away for a week or so of pampering. Others prepare our meals, make our beds, entertain us. Stewards clean our room (including our bathroom!) and will even arrange to launder our clothes. And let’s not forget those much needed breaks from our smartphones ... a true departure from what constitutes our normal.

Then there are the religious services.

Most cruises offer a Mass for Catholics, Shabbats for the Orthodox Jews, and non-denominational services for the Protestants. In the past, these non-denominational services have been led by active pastors, retired pastors, missionaries, retired missionaries, Navy Chaplains ... some kind of clergy.

But that Sunday morning, we were on our own —no Pastor came forward to lead us. After several minutes of very uncomfortable silence, a person walked to the front of the room and said, “I’m not a Pastor, but I can read a scripture.” He read a passage from the Lectionary.

That seemed to open the floodgates. He was followed by a woman who offered to play the piano while we sang hymns. She played and we sang. Then, someone stepped forward and gave a short talk, relating a personal story to illustrate a lesson from the scripture that had kicked it all off. Then, a different woman came forward to support our hymn singing with the piano. Eventually, another led a prayer. Finally, we closed by reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

We were feeling pretty good about ourselves. Veni vidi vici. We came. We saw there would be no traditional leadership. We conquered our fears and stepped up to have our worship service. We had done it.

Only, we weren’t done.

As we were about to exit our seats, a young woman stood before us and issued a challenge. We were from all over the world, she noted, more like that first Pentecost assemblage than most of us would ever experience on a usual Sunday. Why not take a few minutes and introduce ourselves? So, after a few more moments, we began to do just that.

It was slow, at first. Eventually, though, we learned that we were, indeed, from all over the world. There were folks from China, Korea, USA (various locations), Australia, Great Britain, Canada, Japan, and more. We represented quite the spectrum of Christian churches, too; Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, and, no surprise here, multiple non-denominational churches. All of which was nice to know.

But, there was more.

Two folks from the USA told us they had been married less than two years, both having been widowed after long years of ministering to their ailing spouses. And even though they had been living in the same city all those years, they hadn’t known each other. They praised God for bringing them together.

There was another couple, one of which was Catholic, the other Anglican. They came to our gathering because they thought “non-denominational” was the perfect place for them to worship, together, something the really wanted to do.

Another couple advised us that they were celebrating two things on this cruise: their 15th anniversary of when he donated one of his kidneys to her ... and the three children born to them since.

It went on like that for quite some time; strangers sharing some of the most personal parts of their lives ... just because we were believers gathered together in the name of Jesus.

We thought we had accomplished something by leading ourselves in a worship service. But, we weren’t going to be allowed to just perform the rituals called for by our religion. Like those internationals gathered together in Jerusalem that day so many centuries ago, the Holy Spirit had a surprise for us.

Yes, there was a talk; singing, and praying. We gathered as strangers, not unlike folks do every Sunday. But this time we were not allowed to just be people sitting in rows. Because we were willing to allow the Spirit to lead us, we lowered those wall, shared ourselves one with another.

We were all together in one accord.


_________________________
PHOTO: Steve Orr

_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Day of Pentecost (June 9, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=141

Acts 2:1-21 or Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Romans 8:14-17 or Acts 2:1-21
John 14:8-17, (25-27)

_________________________

Pentecost is almost upon us. Join us Friday morning at 8:00 for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast where we will explore this most important of days in the life of the church. We meet at the “Egg and I” for an hour of food, discussion, fellowship, and friendship.

You are welcome.

Blessings,
Steve

Coaching Versus Talent (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

I was never an athlete.

For many of you, this comes as no surprise. For the rest of you, believe me, it's the truth.

I was horrible at anything athletic.

The closest I came to team sports was one brief summer in Little League. That was a disaster; couldn't hit, couldn't run, couldn't pay attention (best draw the curtain on that right now).

And my situation wasn't for lack of others trying. I had older cousins who, seemingly, could do just about anything. They tried to teach me how to hold the bat without choking up, how to run from base to base ("No! Not that way!"), how to catch, and how to slide. I actually got pretty good at sliding. But the rest of it ...well.

That left PE ... the dreaded Phys-Ed.

Starting in the 7th Grade, my fellow students and I spent a portion of every other school day participating in a 40 minute version of whatever sport was in season. In the fall, we played football in PE (didn’t understand the rules, then, so I was always a Lineman ... better now thanks to Football for Dummies). In the winter, we played basketball (couldn't move and dribble; terrible shooter). On rainy days (for some reason), we played dodgeball (big and slow, easy target). And in the spring, we played baseball (see above) and/or track & field (still hate this).

All through this, we were subjected to a form of torture called "conditioning." And that is the part I hated the most: sit-ups, chin-ups, rope climbs, push-ups, and running up and down the bleachers. Imitating sports wasn't so bad: you got knocked down, you got up, you got knocked down again; simple. Exercising just to exercise? Madness.

Many of my friends from those years (all of us "back of the pack-ers"), would be shocked to see the changes in my life ... maybe especially the fact that I joined a gym, hired a trainer, and *gasp* paid for the privilege of doing physical conditioning! Yes, I actually paid someone to lead me through the very activities I hated for the six years I was required to take PE class.

Why, you may ask, did I do this? Spend two, three nights per week at a gym? The short answer is this: there were things I wanted to do —improve my health, lose weight, shape up— and I needed a coach’s insight to ensure I reached my goals. When I read this week's Lectionary passages, I saw a parallel between the Luke and Acts scriptures and all my times at the gym.

When I am working out, I am only focused on the moment; but my coach is thinking about all of it: where I've been; what I'm doing right then; how that activity, in concert with others the trainer has planned, moves me toward my objectives; and, of course, what's next.

It's kind of like that for the Apostles in those scriptures. They are told to expect someone who will serve as teacher and guide, someone who will help them achieve the goals set before them. They didn't know what was coming. But they believed the one who told them a helper would come. And they acted from within that belief.

Though I am no longer a gym rat, I’m still working out. And when I’m nearing the end of my treadmill time —and flagging— I can still hear the calm voices of my coaches from over the years: "You can do this. Just a bit more. Almost there." They knew what I was capable of; knew how much more I could bring to the task; knew how much more would be required of me before I could rest.

The Spirit is like that with us. When the going gets hard, we need to listen for that voice deep inside:

"You can do this. Just a bit more. Almost there."

_________________________
A somewhat different version of this reflection appeared in May 2012 as Conditioning.
PHOTO: Steve Orr

_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Seventh Sunday of Easter (June 2, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=139

Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47 or Psalm 93
Ephesians 1:15-23
Luke 24:44-53

_________________________

We're getting together Friday mornings at 8:00 at the Egg and I. If you're in Waco, join us for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. Great food, great Bible discussions, and great fellowship.

No sit-ups required.

Enjoy the week!
Steve