Jay Has Left the Stadium

He’s gone! Jay Cutler has left Denver. He put his $2 million house up for sale and moved to Chicago. He is now da Bears’ quarterback.

The Broncos had planned on Jay’s throwing arm to carry them to another Super Bowl, but along came a new coach, Josh McDaniels, who talked about possibly trading Jay. The word “trade” dug into Jay’s feelings like a sharp knife. He knew how to cope with the disappointment of having his passes intercepted, but he couldn’t deal with the angst caused by the word “trade.” How could any coach trade him? After all, by his own admission, his stronger throwing arm is stronger than John Elway’s.

So Jay sulked and refused to show up for team meetings. He even refused to return owner Pat Bowlen’s telephone calls.

I think most Denver fans think Jay acted like a baby. They had hoped for a quarterback with a psyche like his strong throwing arm. Although some fans blame the new coach for Jay’s departure and call him a New England carpetbagger, most Denverites blame Jay. They see him as a little baby with a big arm.

Now Jay is in Chicago, where he can enjoy a Gino’s deep-dish pizza or a Portillo’s hot dog. While he is swallowing some of Chicago’s outstanding food, maybe he will also swallow his pride.

Sensitive feelings are not limited to idolized sports figures; they come packaged in immature church members too. It is not uncommon for a church member to develop hurt feelings if he or she hears talk of a “trade.” The Minister of Music wants to move a sensitive person from choir director to the soprano section. Suddenly, the choir director fails to show up at choir practice, and begins to shop around for a new church home.

A soloist in one church I pastored kept a written record of how often he sang and how often each of the other soloists sang. He complained when he spent more time “on the bench” than the others. Eventually, he left the church and took his hurt feelings to another church.

Jay Cutler has given a new meaning to Jaywalking, and Jaywalking is not a pretty sight in sports or in church.

A Streetcar Named Dalhousie

Stellar! Stellar! That’s my opinion of the outstanding way in which streetcars moved people.

Connected by a rod from its roof to an overhead power line, each streetcar whirred along city streets at a good pace and emitted zero pollution. Their high efficiency was marred only when the pole became disconnected. The streetcar came to a halt, and passengers waited for the conductor to prop the pole back into place.

My favorite streetcar was named “Dalhousie.” It traveled from downtown St. Catharines, Ontario, to Port Dalhousie, a Lake Ontario resort town about four miles north of St. Catharines. The ride cost only a nickel, but it journeyed past Martindale Ponds, my favorite fishing spot, and several productive fruit farms.

Back then, Ralph Bell, now retired from the Billy Graham team, was my riding companion. In the good old summertime, we headed for the beach and the midway rides Port Dalhousie offered. After a swim and a few rides on the Tilt-A-Whirl, Carousel, and Bumper Carts, we boarded the streetcar again and rode home. An occasional stall simply gave us additional time to talk about the day’s fun.

Of course, stalling was never the power line’s fault. The power was always available, but the streetcar had to stay connected. Similarly, the Christian must stay connected to God’s power in order to move forward. Progress stalls instantly if the Christian fails to stay in vital union with Christ.

By obeying the Scriptures, yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s control, and confessing our sins we experience God’s power to move forward toward the successful completion of His will. And all along our journey to heaven, we enjoy an unforgettable ride.

© Jim Dyet

Titanic's Last American Survivor

Lillian Gertrud Asplund, the last American survivor of the Titanic, died May 6, 2006, at the age of 99 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

Although two or more survivors are still living, they were less than a year old when the Titanic plunged below the Atlantic April 15, 1912. Lillian Asplund, five at the time, could recall the event. Her father and three brothers perished, but her mother and another brother survived with her.

Life is precious but uncertain. Who can explain why so many perished while others survived when an iceberg carved its way into a ship that was supposed to be invulnerable? Who can explain why one human life ends in crib death while another exceeds a century? We may not be able to answer such questions, but we can trust the One who holds all the answers to life’s mysteries and long for a heaven void of tears, sorrow, and pain.

When I read or hear about the Titanic, a couple of personal memories and a humbling question come to mind. My parents, brother Bill, and I crossed the Atlantic in May, 1939, leaving our native Scotland behind for a new life in Canada. Although I was not quite four at the time, I remember seeing icebergs and participating in life-jacket drills. World War ll had begun, and our ship was an easy target. My parents often mentioned later that on its next crossing it was torpedoed by a German U-Boat. So I ask even now, why was my life spared? After all, my parents could have booked passage for the next crossing.

Surely, our lives are in His hands and He has a purpose for them. We cannot determine how long we will live, but to a great extent we can determine how well we will live. If we serve the Lord, we will enjoy the truly good life, full of significance, peace, joy, and awareness of His presence.

© Jim Dyet

The Church with a Heart

Yesterday I drove 46 miles to Penrose for an 8:00 a.m. men’s breakfast at the church I am serving as interim pastor. The food and fellowship were outstanding. Later, I visited an unemployed couple in need of a hand up. (The term, “handout,” doesn’t seem to fit people that want to work.) Because they don’t own a car and public transportation isn’t available where they live, it’s hard for them to find work.

Our church wants to help them.

One of our leaders will give this couple a ride to church this morning. Another is looking for a used car the church can give them.

I am grateful for Christian men who serve the Lord so passionately. The guys who prepared breakfast and those who are involved in helping the needy couple I mentioned are a credit to the cause of Christ. They live out Jesus’ teaching about serving others in His name.

I look forward to teaching God’s Word this morning in “the church with a heart in the heart of Penrose.”

The Ultimate Appointment

Life delivers bundles of sadness along with heaps of joy. The other day, Gloria’s oldest brother called to say his middle daughter had died. Our niece Jill had battled breast cancer courageously for a long time. She was only 46. Ironically, her mother had breast cancer, which had claimed her mother’s life when she was 46.
The same day, a member of a church I had pastored in Williamson, New York, until 1964 called to tell me another member of the church had died during the night. He remarked, “She went to bed, fell asleep, and woke up in heaven.” She was in her 80s.
Death is no respecter of persons. Soon the old must die, and at any time the young may die. Hebrews 9:27 insists everyone must keep an appointment with death. But Christians need not fear death. For the Christian, death issues a passport to an unending life in heaven. Death ushers the Christian immediately into the presence of the risen Savior (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21–23). It is a graduation; a change of address; a triumph, not a tragedy; a gain, not a loss.
Jesus died, rose again, and ascended to heaven, and sat down at the Father’s right hand—the place of uncontested authority. Now, He is preparing a place for us. Christians who have passed through the veil of death are enjoying indescribable surroundings and boundless vibrant life with Christ.
Yes, it is hard to part with loved ones and friends, but someday they will welcome us to heaven. They may even given us a grand tour of that beautiful, peaceful place. In the meantime, when thoughts of dying confront us, we can exclaim with the apostle Paul, “’Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ . . . But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55–57).