What Am I Passing?

When I have the time I love to play with my son. Last week we hung out in the backyard, as we often do, and he discovered a long dried out reed that makes for a long, light, and yet surprisingly durable pole. Since this discovery, we've played a little "baseball" with it and a little tug-o-war, but his favorite thing to do is what he's doing with it here in this picture, kind of twirling it like a baton, like a band drum major.

My Dad was the drum major of his high school band and when he went to OSU he was a cheerleader - he got to catch all the girls. :) I like to use batons, too - conductors' batons. My son waves his arms like a conductor when he hears certain music - especially an instrumental version of the Star-Spangled Banner. On days when the kitchen radio is on at noon Christina gets to observe this. I guess in many ways, the nut doesn't fall far from the tree.

As I saw my son play with his "baton" I thought of the kind of baton one passes to another in a relay, and began to think about what I'm passing on to my son. What do I want to pass on to him? What do I not want to pass on to him?

That's easier to identify, I think... I do not want to pass on to him my own stupidity, my own insensitivities, my ability to do things the hard way, always.

I thought about Moses and Joshua and Elijah and Elisha. What would have happened if Joshua had become obsessed with Moses' staff and not Moses' mission? What if Elisha wanted Elijah's mannerisms instead of a double portion of the Spirit that rested upon Elijah?

I don't want to pass on my preferences and style - my penchants and idiosyncrasies... that doesn't mean I smile when he or his sisters do stuff like I do. But I sometimes grimace for the same reason.

No, I don't necessarily want to pass on a physical or temporal baton to any of my children. Instead, what I want to pass on is the power of God which I desire to be at work in my life as well as theirs. I want to pass on the mission I should be on: seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, pressing on to know the Lord and allow His reflection to be seen in me.

More than style, more than perfect conducting patterns or a sport or a family tradition - I want my son and daughters to know and love my Lord and experience His power and grace in their lives. May it be so.

A Generation That Knows God

I want my children to have a great experience of God in their lives… to know His power at work in their circumstances, and, even more than that, for them to sense His presence in their lives. Today I was struck by the words written of Israel, that after Joshua died, a new generation came up, one that had not known God’s work. (Judges 2:10) One vivid translation (The NET Bible) reads, “They had never personally experienced the Lord’s presence or seen what He had done…”

The preceding verses describe how Israel had remained faithful in the worship of God as long as Joshua and his contemporaries were alive. As soon as the last of his friends died, though – boom! – the floodgates opened and the new generation that didn’t know the Lord began to stray. In fact, it seemed like it was more of a sprint than a gradual straying. Almost immediately, they began to worship false gods.

I have had several amazing experiences that I can only explain by saying that God’s presence came upon me or the group of people with whom I was. As the old Gospel song says, “I know God is real for I can feel Him in my soul.”

But what for those who cannot feel, because they have not yet had an experience with Him?

What about my kids and their generation?

As I read this morning, I felt impressed by several things:

1. Nothing is more important than passing the faith on to the next generation… my kids should get my first and best efforts at it, and then I should do what I can to invest in others in the next generation.

2. I need to make sure that my relationship with the Lord is real, otherwise I will be passing on a stale set of values with no experiential power or authority. OK, I haven’t processed this to make it sound wondrously theological… but if it ain’t happenin’ in my life, I think my kids will see through that and my attempts at passing the faith will be in jeopardy.

3. God is “jealous” for His people – even for a generation that does not know Him. Even in those generations, the book of Judges reveals that God gave them leaders to mercifully (in spite of their rebellion) deliver them when their suffering became too great to bear. Of course, after their leaders delivered the people, the people went back to their false gods and immorality, but yet there was always at least a tiny group in each generation who had a relationship with God and who God called upon to do great things for Him.

Maybe these things are on my mind because we are in the thick of selecting a new Youth Director at the church that I serve, or maybe because my girls are teenagers and I want to make sure they’re rock-solid with the Lord before they fly out of our nest in a few short years. Or, maybe it’s because I’m seeing my two-year-old grow up before my eyes and I am wondering if he will at an early age trust in and decide to follow Christ as his big sisters have. I pray daily that he will. What kind of world will he live in? What will his generation be like? Will he be a Joshua? A Daniel? A Stephen?

Lord, please work in my life so my relationship with You continues to grow. May my kids and others in the next generations be able to see You at work in my life in a living faith, and may they be drawn not to the faith of a father, but to the living Lord who has come to bring them life and life more abundantly. May they forsake idols! May they follow You and love You with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Give me the privilege of being part of humbly, lovingly, yet passionately showing them the way. Amen.

A Funny Thing Happened at the Post Office Today

Christina, Dumisani and I visited our local post office today to renew passports and get one for Dumisani. We're preparing for our world tour.

While we were at the counter, we noticed a couple shuffle in and look around. They looked like they'd be lost at a Burger King, let alone the post office. The clerk looked up, noticed them and asked if they were there to apply for a passport. The man was. The clerk told them to pick up an application and then asked if the guy had proof of US citizenship. "I have a driver's license," the man said.

"No," said the clerk, "I'll need a birth certificate."

"A birth certificate?" the man asked.

"Oh no, he cain't git a birth certificate," the woman who was with the man blurted out, obviously distressed.

"Why not?" asked the clerk.

"'Cause he's from Arkansas." came the answer.

Do they not have birth certificates in Arkansas?

Good Morning

Dumisani loves to play the piano. He climbs up on the bench by himself and plays usually one note at a time. Occasionally, he plays with both hands - and usually sounds something like John Cage or another composer from the end of the 20th century, except with a little more melody. His favorite thing to do at the piano, however, is to play a note and look at me to see if I will sing the note he plays. I often play with him, and he loves to see if Daddy can sing a low note and then a high one. He hasn't learned to distinguish octaves yet so this game is a little easier than it seems until he gets into the last two and a half octaves of the piano - then he can tell when he's being had. At that point, though, he likes to play three short notes going up to the top of the keyboard. I usually scream out three notes at the top of my falsetto - kind of sounds like Elmo. He laughs and starts the game over again.

This morning, however, he played a couple of notes and stopped suddenly. On the kitchen radio (which I couldn't hear very well from the piano) he heard a familiar chord and the higher overtones of the guitar introduction for "Revelation Song." Dumisani ran from the piano and stood in front of the radio, transfixed. He asked, in his way, for the radio to be turned up. After it was at a sufficient volume I figured he would go back to the living room and play with blocks or climb back up on the piano bench. Instead, he stayed standing in front of the radio until the song was finished. He just stood there and listened.

One of the songs playing on the radio before "Revelation Song" was a Sonic Flood tune whose title I don't remember but some of the lyrics were "I will worship as I wait for You." I thought of those words as I watched my son standing in front of the radio.

Enjoying Saturday mornings at home seems like a rare privilege these days, and I'm thankful I got to enjoy this morning.

I was appalled as I signed into my blog to discover that my last post was in July! I'm not so vain to think that many people (or any people) read my blog, but still... let's see if I can do a little better this year. :)

Vern Henrickson - a life well-lived

I was shocked with hundreds of others when Vern's home-going was announced in worship last Sunday at Calvary. My heart goes out to his family and friends who are grieving his loss.


As I reflect on Vern, a few words come to mind: steady faithfulness and humble generosity. There are only a handful of people in a choir that you can count on being there every Sunday. Vern was one of those people in the Calvary Memorial Church choir. I knew well in advance if he planned to be gone - it was easy, really. There was always one Sunday in the Spring when he and several other golf enthusiasts from Calvary would take off and go golfing. Other than that annual excursion, Vern was here always. And that was just one way he was steadily faithful.


I remember visiting Vern in his home several times during my first couple years at Calvary. I wanted to meet his wife, who he so obviously loved. Her condition of not being able to communicate, but instead just "crying" was really hard on Vern. He wanted to know what she was saying. He so wanted to communicate with her, and yet, the whole situation was as frustrating as it was heartbreaking. And there was Vern, faithfully caring for his wife. I have only known two other men whose wives were in similar situations. I have known only one who was faithful to his wife until her dying day. And that's Vern.


I think Vern was the treasurer at Calvary since they invented the abacus. Vern was a man of precision until only recently when the stresses of life and his age combined to make it hard to always remember. But even with those difficulties he continued, with steady faithfulness, to serve.


Vern humbly gave of himself. People that others of us might try to sidestep were recipients of Vern's quiet kindness and support. His humble generosity was displayed in as many ways as his steady faithfulness. Vern made it possible for us to be homeowners in River Forest. He had a town-home that he bought many years earlier for his mother-in-law and since rented to various infamous Calvary characters (usually youth staff). He decided he wanted to sell his property and instead of putting it on the market, at a time when he could have received top dollar, by the way, he instead established a price he thought was fair and approached us about buying it. As it happened, I heard through the grapevine that somebody heard about this and asked Vern about it. I've known others who may have bragged about how they sold the property at a great discount. Vern instead said, "Isn't it wonderful that Andrew and Christina are finally buying a home in our area?"


Vern's humility in giving is also seen again in singing in the choir. I didn't know Vern had perfect pitch until we sang a couple of a cappella pieces. One of the tricks of directing a choir is to sometimes pitch an a cappella piece up or down a half-step, depending on a variety of factors. After one of those times, Vern approached me and simply asked me if I'd let him know when I planned to do that. He explained that he had perfect pitch, and the re-tuning was "drving him crazy" I believe were the words he used. I always put singers around Vern that I knew would benefit the most from standing near him. Other singers in similar situations complain that other singers are throwing them off and making it harder to concentrate. Not Vern. Not a word, just humbly giving of himself to help others along.


I don't remember what Vern's favorite anthem was ... I've been working on that since Sunday, but I remember one of the hymns that we sang a cappella that seemed to have struck a chord with Vern and many of the choir members when we sang it - which was only a couple times as I recall ...


When He shall come, resplendent in His glory,
To take His own from out this vale of night,
O, may I know the joy of His appearing,
Only at morn to walk with Him in white.


Vern is now one of those who has been taken out of this land of the dying and is now in the presence of God in the land of the living. He is one of those who will be walking with Christ in white at the day of His appearing. Until then, may we have the grace to, like Vern, be steadily faithful and humbly generous. Amen.

Chicago Vacation

We had a fantastic trip to Chicago. The girls got their big city fix (for a couple of weeks at least) and we got to connect with many wonderful friends that we have missed since we left two years ago.

David and ClarLyn Morris were our gracious hosts. Whatever possessed them to say "yes" to us when they had a wedding to prepare for this weekend, we'll never know - but we enjoyed them and their home very much.

David and ClarLyn threw a party for us Thursday night and it seemed like 50 or 60 people came to say hello. Bryce and Marta Becker and Sarah and Emily came (early of course) even though they left for the Czech Republic the next morning. I think Fadge closed the party out. She called her sister Lynne who talked with Bu for a very long time - hope we didn't use up your minutes, Fadge! In between was a blur - had good talks with Eric Guyer and John Robson and said hi to so many others. Larry and Linda Burke came by to say hello, as well as most of the choir I think.

For the hearty... here's a run-down of our vacation.

Thursday

Dumisani and I went to Calvary in the morning to see everybody. He kept looking around the place with wide eyes, taking everything in, wondering why these perfect strangers seemed to know his daddy pretty well. Daddy was glad that they all acted like they were happy to see him - but Dumisani definitely stole the show!

Dumisani and I had lunch with Janet - we went to Cozy Corner and one of the regular waitresses recognized me from the old days.

Christina and I visited with Sally Giancola while Sizakele napped with Dumisani in the car. Sally and Jim's River Forest home has sold, and Sally was packing up much of the house for a move this week.

Friday

Met with Steve Boisse and Cisco and Anna Cotto. Visited with Sally and packed up a box of books. Cisco and Anna made time for us even though they were headed for a weekend away. Friday afternoon we visited Glen and Mia Gale and walked on their part of the lakeshore beach. Glen and I talked about surfing the tumultuous economic times. He's a skilled financial planner and a great brother in the Lord.

After meeting with the Gales we tried to meet up with Scott and Jennifer (Kumi) Burkett for Independence Eve firewords, but alas, in trying to get closer I actually got further away as the Chicago police systematically blocked off blocks in a progressively westward direction. By the time we got to a parking garage, it was 8:15 and we would have had a good 20 block walk. I wasn't sure we'd make it to the park, and I was pretty confident we wouldn't make the walk back, so we reluctantly drove back to Oak Park.

Saturday

Dumisani woke up at 4 today, sick. Didn't know so much could be in such a little tummy.

I went over to see if I could help Sally pack and sure enough, she did put me to work... well, there was a catch... I wanted to use her washing machine - and she of course ended up doing the laundry instead of just letting me use the machine (past experience, I believe). I packed a couple boxes of books for her to ship.

In spite of his problems, we spent a lovely, leisurely afternoon with Fred and Sarah Munoz. Sally Giancola stopped by, as well as David and ClarLyn, and Maurice George, a friend of ours through Hurricane Katrina, which made it necessary for him to relocate here. Jim and Sally "adopted" him and we have all had the privilege of seeing Maurice do well as a college student and hair stylist extraordinaire. Fred grilled the most magnificent burgers for lunch and pork loin chops for dinner - wow!

Steve and Dana Nasralla and their kids, Carter and Micah, stopped by early and we had a nice visit before they had to dash home to finish preparations for a 4th of July party they were hosting - for which they were expecting 40-50 church friends. I hadn't talked to Steve for some time, so I'm so glad we got to catch up.

Saturday night everyone went to OPRF high school to see the fireworks... everyone except for Dumisani and me. But we got to see many of them - especially the grand finale - from the Morrises back porch. Dumisani sat on my lap and stared with his big eyes at the spot where the fireworks appeared. I think he would have looked at them for hours if they were able to go that long! Is that the difference between boys and girls? All Sizakele and Busisiwe did when they were little was scream and cry! They love them now, though.


Sunday

Was a neat time of worship and fellowship at Calvary. During the 10:00 ABF hour, Pastor Bob dedicated Dumisani to the Lord. It was a privilege for us to have him do that. Prior to our family's move, Bob and I had been through a lot together! It was good to reconnect Thursday and have him pray over our son on Sunday.

Between the 10:00 and 11:30 service hours, we got mobbed in a very good way in the portico... Joan and Reggie Winston, Kalajine Anigbogu and Chioma, Sabrina and Mark Thompson, Mike McGonigal, Roger Glass, the Sagans, and Erica and Noe Brambila are just a few of the folks who we got to talk to. We got to meet Pastor Todd Wilson, the new senior pastor at Calvary. He seems like a careful Bible teacher and a godly leader. He seems like the type of man Calvary needs for this time in her history.

After church we drove to the South side and met with our dear friends Von and Vilma Matthews, along with Vilma's sister Martha, and of course, Jennifer, Reggie and Menia, and Reggie and Menia's sons. They are both handsome little boys who keep everyone on their toes! Some of my best ministry moments have been side by side with Von... it was so good to see him and everyone.

We continued our South Side Journey at Priscilla and Keith Cordero's home. We also got to see Jennifer and Andreas Persson. What a treat to have all three boys in the same place!!! But that didn't last long - Dumisani still seemed tired and dehydrated, so we decided to take him to urgent care. He took a definite turn for the better while we were there and the medical staff was satisfied that he was doing well, so they let us go after about three hours - unfortunately, Jennifer and Andreas had to return home in the meantime, but we enjoyed a visit with Keith and Priscilla. We're looking forward to seeing them out here next month!

Monday

Monday morning we had a late and hilarious breakfast with Johann and Janet Buis. What a good time! It was then that we learned that muchos congratulations are due to Adele-Marie (sorry - I don't know how to do the French accents on my keyboard!!!) She will be going to DePaul in the Fall and studying oboe with the principal oboist from the Chicago Symphony!!! He recruited her and WANTS to be her teacher!!!! Way to go, girl! We are proud of you!

Monday afternoon was "Chicago day." We had pizza at Gino's East with Kara Schoenle and kids, then the girls got to go shopping... finally. And I got my dose of downtown Chicago - the hustle and bustle, the breeze from the lake, and the strange calm that falls at the end of the day in that brief interloping period between the end of work and the beginning of rush hour(s). The sun begins to cast shadows on the grand buildings of one of the greatest cities of the world, and everything seems to cool down, even in the heat of summer. Maybe it's my imagination, but it's a great moment of imagination, isn't it? :)

Monday evening we made up for the time we lost with Scott and Jennifer Burkett on Saturday. We realized, as we watched their son and our son play with a Fisher-Price carport, that we need to catch up in the age-appropriate "toys for boys" department. I had the privilege of marrying Scott and Jennifer a few years ago, now. They are solid Christians and have two beautiful lively kids. "Daddy, are you happy?" My girls will remember that question for a long time. :)

We caught late night ice cream with Brandon and Marisa Williams and closed down Oberweis on Oak Park Ave! Marisa and Brandon have great senses of humor and we always have a good time talking about both substantive things and nothing at all. A woman on the street with some sort of hygienic crisis gave us something to talk about for a while and we got caught up on what's happening in their lives as well. :)

Tuesday

On Tuesday I had breakfast with Bernie Fillmore. Grace and peace, brother! And we had lunch with Russell and Lauren Kozak. They have a special place in our hearts. Russell plays a fantastic Jesus! Lauren and Russell were the first people to photograph Sizakele - they used her as part of a special school report section for the Tribune. Those were the days... :)

Unfortunately, I was too sick to really enjoy breakfast or lunch. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the basement couch. Christina cancelled late night dessert with Patrick and Kutu Baker and went with the girls and Dumisani (without me) to Pastor Bob and Jean's house for supper with them and the Buises. When they got home, Christina's cousin Khumbu Dlamini visited with her for a while and saw Dumisani and no doubt gave the girls more lessons in Swazi culture. I was on the basement couch.

Wednesday

4:00 came way to early, but we got up anyway and made our way to O'Hare Airport.

We were sad to leave so many friends and our adopted hometown (ask the girls - they'll tell you they're Chicagoans!), but glad to be back home to recover from the vacation germs!

I know I've left a lot of people out of this report; please forgive me if you read through this hoping to see your name and you didn't. Thank you to all of you who were patient and flexible with us, and happy to see us, and so kind in welcoming us! We hope we can see you again soon.

Got Change?

Last Sunday our pastor shared a famous quote from Mark Twain: “The only person that seems to enjoy change is a baby with a wet diaper.” I’ve noticed that my son doesn’t always enjoy a diaper change, even when he needs it! Sometimes it means disrupting a game of nerfball or play with another toy. He doesn’t seem to enjoy leaving our arms for the harder surface of the changing table. Often he doesn’t seem to appreciate it at all until the dry diaper is on.

I’m smiling as I think how like many of us that is. In order to change us God sometimes has to disrupt the games we're playing, put us on a hard surface, and change us! The process is difficult, and sometimes, we don’t even like the change! But we can trust that as we allow God room to lead us in our lives, and live according to God’s Word, we can believe that all things – even change – are somehow working out for our good (Romans 8:28).

The UMC I serve follows a lectionary cycle, and one of the Scriptures for this Sunday is the 23rd Psalm. We will certainly be celebrating that theme in worship this Sunday. One of my favorite hymns that speaks to God’s guidance and care is the wonderful Swedish hymn “Day By Day”.

“At the age of 26, Lina Sandell had an experience that greatly influenced her life. She was accompanying her father aboard ship to the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, across Lake Vattern. The ship gave a sudden lurch and Lina’s father, a devout Lutheran minister, fell overboard and drowned before the eyes of his devoted daughter.” (p. 20, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck.)

Out of this horrible tragedy, in days of profound sorrow, these tender words were written:

Day by day, and with each passing moment
Strength I find to meet my trials here.
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best.
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev’ry day the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares, He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He whose Name is Counselor and Pow’r!
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid:
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

In these days of palpable uncertainty, may we find strength in God our Rock and Jesus our Good Shepherd, who leads us – albeit through change – from glory to glory to a wondrous place of grace.