Restoring Kingdom Builders

Okay, I turned 60 years of age today.  So what?

I don’t know if 60 is the new 30 or the new 50, but I feel pretty good overall.

In fact, one of the moms at my wife’s preschool said last week that she thought I was 45.

Bless her.

Let me share five reflections I have about turning 60:

First, my core personality hasn’t changed.

I’m still a bit more on the introverted side … see humor where others don’t … try to under-promise and over-deliver … struggle with perfectionism … and strive to tell the truth.

A Christian counselor once told me, “Your greatest strength is your tenderness.  And your greatest weakness is your tenderness.”  With that single comment, he nailed me!

On the Myers-Briggs test, the word that best describes my type is “Super-Dependable.”  I guess that means that people can count on me.

But I’m also more flexible now … more understanding … and much more spontaneous.  In that sense, I’ve grown … a lot.

Second, my interests have only changed slightly.

I grew up a voracious reader, and still love books.  But I now have more books in the garage than in my study.  I’m slowly developing a library on the Kindle because it’s easier to hold an e-reader at night in bed than a large hardback volume.  Favorite genre: non-fiction.  I haven’t read fiction – with the exception of the Sherlock Holmes stories – since devouring The Hardy Boys in Jr. High.

I still love sports – baseball, football, and basketball – and I’m blessed that all my teams (the Dodgers, Angels, Giants, 49ers, and Lakers) have won championships throughout the years.  But somewhere along the line, I became more fascinated with a player’s character than his talent.  I root for classy, modest, team-oriented players and teams.  I detest thoughtless, showy, and me-first guys.  And I still have a great interest in baseball from the 1900s-1950s, probably because I wrote to – and heard from – so many players from those eras … like Wahoo Sam Crawford, Max Carey, and George Sisler.

Music is central to who I am.  I love both great melodies and meaningful lyrics presented creatively.  Favorite groups: The Beatles and U2.  Favorite genres: folk-rock (Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds) and Celtic-flavored (The Corrs and Van Morrison).  Favorite era: the British Invasion and the late 1960s.  Favorite Christian artists: Phil Keaggy, Twila Paris, Delirious? and Iona.  I’ve seen most of the above artists in concert – some twice – and consider myself blessed to have seen and heard them.  But I’m still expanding my musical horizons.  (You should see my Music Wish List on Amazon.)

Third, I have been blessed with wonderful friends. 

Growing up, most of my friends loved sports, and to my knowledge, none took drugs.  (I don’t remember being offered drugs of any kind.)  My friends were welcome in my home, and I was welcome in theirs.  We all knew each other’s parents.

My three best friends growing up were Ken, Steve, and Dave.

Ken brought me to his church – Village Bible – where I eventually met my wife Kim.

I brought Steve to Village, where he met his wife Janie.

Dave attended Village as well, and we both attended Biola and Talbot together, graduating both times.  (Dave is in the middle.)

All my friends love the Lord and have solid families.  Their fingerprints are all over my life.  I am who I am largely because of them.

Fourth, I am devoted to my family.

My father wasn’t around much when I was a kid – he worked two jobs – but when he was home, he put his family first, and his example rubbed off on me.

For example, on May 1, 1963 (yes, I remember the date), my dad took me and my brother John out of school to watch the Yankees play the Los Angeles Angels at Chavez Ravine (aka Dodger Stadium).  I hated the Yankees then (still do) and they won 7-0 (Whitey Ford pitched a shutout, and Joe Pepitone hit a grand slam).  But what I remember most is that my dad wanted to spend time with me.

25 years later, I took my kids Ryan and Sarah out of school and took them to spring training in Arizona for a week.  (Yes, their teachers knew.  Yes, they made up their homework.)  I learned that little trick 50 years ago from my dad.

After my father died, my mother had to raise three kids – ages 13, 10, and 5 – by herself.  She learned to drive, went back to school, and worked full-time to support us.  I don’t know how she did it, but I will never forget the sacrifices she made for her family and how she held us all together.

Thanks, Mom.

Finally, I still love Jesus Christ.

My favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 5:21: God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus died for me.  In fact, the Son incarnate became Sin incarnate on the cross.  I do not deserve that kind of love and cannot fathom it.  But I believe that the Father gave me the righteousness of His Son when I received Christ, and for that I am eternally grateful.

I just finished reading Robert Hilburn’s book Johnny Cash: The Life.  Cash grew up on gospel songs and hymns, and wanted to record those songs throughout his life, even when his record company didn’t think those albums would sell.  Even when he turned his back on God, Cash remembered those songs.

Seven years ago, my daughter Sarah and I visited Blenheim Palace near Oxford, boyhood home of Winston Churchill.  As we walked across the lawn on the way to his gravesite, I started singing gospel songs that I hadn’t sang in nearly 50 years.  Sarah didn’t know most of the songs – they were before her time – but I’ve never forgotten them.

The songs … my Bible … my Christian friends … my church homes … and my family … have all kept me walking with the Lord over the years.

As I look back on the first 60 years of my life, I consider myself wealthy beyond measure.

Thank you for being in my life as well.

___________

I apologize for sending out a draft of this article earlier today.  I meant to hit “Save Draft” and hit “Publish” instead, then had to remove the article since it wasn’t ready for prime time.  Thanks for understanding!