Where Children May Safely Play

        Tucked away in the little Old Testament book of Zechariah is a beautiful image of old men and women walking around the city of Jerusalem with canes while children play in the streets with laughter and joy.  It is a prophecy of life the way it is supposed to be—life in the Kingdom of God.  Dr. Eugene Peterson  in his presentation of the Bible called “The Message” shares the verse this way:  Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes—a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing—a good city to grow up in.

        This is our hope for this community and every community.  But sadly, in a world of great evil and many manifestations of darkness, it is not safe for children or adults to be in many streets for fear of gunfire, bombs, or even a chemical attack.  The heartbreaking images of the bodies of innocent children in Syria are impossible to erase from our minds.  We are devastated by such horrific events and we want to respond, to do something—but what?  I don’t know what the answer is, but I don’t believe it is found in missiles and airstrikes.  When will we learn that a violent response to violence only perpetuates more violence?  I want to “study war no more!”

But violence is not confined to the Middle East.  Gun violence in Chicago is an epidemic with over 500 homicides last year and already over 300 this year.  Over 30 percent of the victims are teenagers and children.  Where is the blame?  Gangs, drugs, poverty, inequality?   All of us?   What is the answer?

        As much as I would like to help the suffering in Syria, Chicago, and other faraway places, there is little I can do.  But I can do something about the suffering in Lexington and Davidson County.  Around 45 percent of the children in Lexington live in poverty.  A couple of years ago the Southern Education Foundation ranked the Lexington School District the 66^th worst in the south in extreme child poverty.  Twenty-one percent of its students were living below 50 percent of the federal poverty level.  Most of these children are not laughing and playing in the streets. Many go to bed hungry. 

        Where do I start?  I begin by making a difference in the life of one child.  There are a number of community agencies, programs, and initiatives through the school systems that give you an opportunity to help children in need.  Mentors, tutors, encouragers, leaders, and helpers are needed.  They need financial support and administrative skills. You can get involved directly or indirectly.  The Backpack Program, Communities in Schools, Smart Start, The Boys and Girls Club, Project Potential, the YMCA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the 4-H Program, CHILL, Special Olympics, and a host of other programs make a qualitative difference in the lives of children.  Call your local school or an agency to see how you can help!

        You can even make a difference in the life of a Davidson County child by attending next week’s Davidson County Agricultural Fair.  Every summer around 180 deserving children are selected by the Department of Social Services to attend a week of summer camp where they can safely laugh and play.  Since 1946, the Lexington Kiwanis Club has operated the annual county fair to raise the revenue to operate Kamp Kiwanis.  Your $7.00 admission to the fair next week will help some child attend summer camp next year.  Have fun at the fair and help a child!  Now that’s a win-win!

        The needs of our world and even our own community are often overwhelming.  We cannot meet all of those needs, but we can meet some.  If everyone reading this column would do something---get involved in a program, make a financial contribution, volunteer your services—we can turn the lives of many children around and give them hope for the future!  And in the process we will be building the Kingdom of God, creating a community where children may safely play. 

                                                                       

 

FAITH/HEALTH AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD

        Most everyone in Lexington knows “Durango.”  I learned a few years ago that while everyone calls him “Durango” he prefers his given name, Kenneth.  Kenneth lives in Bob’s Board House on Main Street in downtown Lexington.  He is a fixture at American Legion Baseball games and the Davidson County Fair.  Years ago he rode a bicycle all over town and beyond.

        Jimmy Snyder has been a good and helpful friend to Kenneth for many years.  When I found out that Kenneth needed a medical procedure at Lexington Medical Center, I thought it might be a good “trial run” for FaithHealthNC. 

        The preparation for the procedure has recently changed and when Kenneth told me he wasn’t sure what to do, I looked at his instructions and it took me a while to figure it out.  This happens often with medicine.  Part of FaithHealth is helping people understand their medical orders. 

          Early Monday morning I picked Kenneth up from his apartment and took him to Lexington Medical Center.  Jim Tate, our FaithHealth Administrator had sent out an email last week explaining the need and had an immediate and positive response.  Gary Wikstrom had volunteered to pick Kenneth up after his procedure, so I had written down Gary’s phone numbers and also mine, but the nurse told me somebody had to be at the hospital during the actual procedure.  I told her that I would stay and then called Gary to let him know what was going on.  He came right on to the hospital.  We were both there when Kenneth came out of the procedure and we talked to the doctor.  

          Gary took over, taking Kenneth home and getting him settled.   Gary also provided a meal for Kenneth and later in the evening, Michelle and William Hopkins also brought him a meal.  They also called him and checked on him.

          Kenneth called me that night.  He was thrilled with all the attention he received and went into great detail telling me everything that was brought to him to eat.  He told me that would last him for several days.  Then he said, as only Kenneth can, “Thank you for all the nice things you did for me today.”  

          The greatest gift we gave to Kenneth was not transportation and food, although that was very important, but we surrounded him with love and support—and that meant more than any medicine or medical procedure. 

          Kenneth’s words:  “Thank you for all the nice things you did for me today” echo as a blessing and a challenge.   Isn’t this what Jesus had in mind when he talked about building the Kingdom of God?

 

A VOID, A GAP, NEVER TO BE FILLED

The tears streamed down, and I let them flow as freely as they would, making of them a pillow for my heart." — Augustine

It's been almost 35 years ago, but I will never forget that hot summer night when I heard some noise over at the church and went to investigate. It was late on a Friday night, and we were living in the parsonage next to the church.

I encountered a group of teenage boys who were riding around town on a dune-buggy, engaged in a water balloon battle with their friends. They had stopped by the church to replenish the water balloons with our outdoor faucets. I had a nice conversation with the boys and asked that they make sure the faucets were turned off when they finished. They wished me a good night, and I told them to be safe. Little did I know …

I was a volunteer emergency medical technician on the local rescue squad, and it was my night to be on call. Around midnight I was jolted out of my sleep by a loud alarm followed by an announcement that there had been a wreck with injuries on a dirt road out of town.

I met my partner, and we were quickly en route with lights and sirens blaring. As we pulled up to the accident I was shocked to see the same dune-buggy turned upside down in a ditch. Several bodies were scattered across the road — the boys I met at the church. We called for backup and quickly started to triage the injuries. Two or three of the boys were seriously hurt, but their injuries were not life threatening.

But then I saw that one of the boys was not moving. Rushing over to him I immediately recognized that there was nothing I could do. He had been thrown from the vehicle and was crushed as it rolled over him. We took a sheet and covered his body while we attended to the injured.

Other ambulances came and transported the victims to the hospital while I stayed behind with the state trooper. We thought that we should find out who the young man's minister was and ask him to go with us to notify his family. We found his driver's license and when I saw his name I realized that I was the minister! They were members of my church.

He was their only child. I will never forget the anguish, the panic, the shock and disbelief. The father insisted that we take him to the scene of the accident. Then we went with him to the hospital where he sobbed over his son's lifeless body. I was with the family most of the weekend. I preached the young man's funeral. It was one of the saddest things I have ever had to do.

I think of this young man from time to time, but especially when I hear of a tragic accident like the one our community experienced last month. I do not know the family who lost their precious little girl in the pool accident, but my heart immediately went out to them.

Nicholas Wolterstorff, a prolific Christian philosopher, shared the deep wounds of his heart after the tragic death of his son in a book titled "Lament for a Son." He talked about the great void that is left. "Never again will anyone inhabit the world the way he did. Questions I have can never now get answers. The world is emptier. My son is gone. Only a hole remains, a void, a gap, never to be filled."

Paula D'arcy, who lost a daughter in terrible car wreck, wrote of her anguish in a book, "Song for Sarah: A Mother's Journey Through Grief and Beyond." She made the statement: "God never guaranteed anything to be permanent except his love. I made all the other conclusions."

I have no answers to these tragic events. However, I must believe that God's love is all we have and all we need. God's heart is broken as heavily as the parents. And God understands.

Almost a year after the young man was killed, his father stopped by the parsonage with a gift. He made us a beautiful wooden bookcase. It was the work of a master craftsman. There were no nails. The wood was dovetailed together. I was deeply touched by his gift. He had spent hours and hours making it perfect. "When you look at it," he said, "think of my son."

I do, but I also think of the father for I realized that he was finally walking through the valley. There was life on the other side.