A Word of Advice for New Students

(Note: This is the original draft of an article I wrote for my high school magazine as an alumnus, after being asked to give some advice to incoming freshmen. I hope it might be helpful advice for any young students reading this now.)

“Everything is meaningless.”  That’s how King Solomon put it in Ecclesiastes 1:1.  “Nothing is sound.” That’s how Switchfoot puts it on their album of the same name.  (Man, that’s kind of a downer note to start this off on.)  I know, but it’s a necessary one.  Don’t worry; it gets better.

Welcome to Pelion High School, home of the mighty Panthers! I hope you’re ready to have four of the best years of your life! My years at Pelion High School were certainly some of the best times of my life. (There’s that nice, cheery intro!) So here you are at the threshold of a bright academic future and you’re ready to go forth and I sound like I’m giving a commencement speech.  Okay, so you’re ready to go to school with your big brother and no longer with your little sister.  But you want to make a name for yourself too.  You want to have a cool group of friends and know where you belong.  Or maybe you just want to get through with a diploma intact!

So now you’re ready for all the dirt, right?  What’re the rumors on all those tough teachers?  (I hear dem English teachers be pretty rough.) Who are the cool people to hang out with?  Where do I sit at lunch?  What’s actually in the stuff they serve you?  What’s the best way to mask some big gas in class?  (I recommend the loud cough method. It’s served me well.)  Which bathroom stalls should I avoid?  How do you open the lockers?  (Got me on that one.)  What’s the best pick-up line to use? (I see we’re taking chemistry together.  It’s meant to be. You’re my density.)  How do I sit through 90 minute classes?  (Be glad you’re not in college yet.)  What’s the best excuse for not doing my homework?  What’s the best way to get out of school for a day?  (You fake a …oh, like I really need to tell you this.)  And most importantly of all:  When are the holidays?

There’re so many things to consider in high school.  And there’s a lot about it to enjoy.  There are lots of great people you can meet and become good friends with.  There are tons of great clubs and sporting teams to be involved with.  And believe it or not, the teachers actually do work their hardest to make their classes fun as well as educational.  And don’t panic now, but apparently you don’t get recess in high school.  (I know- I was quite shocked myself.  This is why you’ve got to make those 27 minutes of lunch last as long as you can.)  But overall the only one who can determine what you’ll get out of high school and what you’ll make of it is you.  So make up your mind now to have a good time and to enjoy it and to be the best you can be in everything.

Take advantage of the school sponsored things you can be a part of.  Get to be a part of the many great clubs at school like the Key Club, Beta Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Business Leaders of America, Spanish Club, etc.  And you can always start your own club.  These clubs give you something to be part of with people who share your interests and together you can have great fun together working towards something you believe in.  And of course, it looks great on college applications and resumes!

And don’t forget about school sports.  Be a sport and go out for the team.  If you want to be cool like me, you can run Cross Country and Track and Field and get cut from the basketball team after one day of practice.  Or maybe you’d rather play golf or baseball.  Even if you don’t play a sport, (though again, it is good on college applications and resumes), be sure to go support your school teams at their games.  Whether the Panthers are playing as the reigning champs or the underdogs, be there to cheer them on anyway.  Not only does this give you time to socialize with friends outside of the classroom, it’s also great for taking dates to (not that I have any experience there) and it makes you feel a part of things.  This is your school and you should take pride in it.  

Now I know you’re probably worried about the workload of high school and keeping up with everything, but the best thing to do about that is to take it all in stride.  Don’t get overwhelmed with the work, but manage it sensibly from the start by planning it all out on your calendar.  Find good friends that will help encourage you and that you can work with on school assignments.  And I’ve heard an apple for the teacher never hurts!  (Of course, if it’s getting towards the end of May, you may want to just go in for the boxes of chocolate instead!)

Now, would someone like to summarize for the class what the article is saying?  (The ones sleeping in the back row better wake up or it’ll be four laps around the track after school.)  The main point is to make the most out of the four years (or five as the case may be) of high school (let’s make it four) that you have ahead of you.  Get involved with your school’s sports and clubs and as the Beach Boys sang, “be true to your school”.  And when it comes to choosing friends, choose those who will really like you for yourself, not for what you have or pretend to be.  And here’s a good hint.  Make friends with the weirdos.  Many times you’ll find that the weirdos can turn out to be your truest and best and most loyal friends.  Most of all, be yourself and accept others as they are.  Follow the Golden Rule. (“Silence is golden”?)  Well, that’s one for the classroom, but mainly do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  You avoid so much junk that way.

In the end, when you think about everything happening right now, this is your life.  Are you who you want to be?  Only you can determine what it’s going to be like and what you’re going to make of your life.  And high school is a crucial part of that.  Remember that everything is meaningless; nothing is sound and nothing gold can stay.  So don’t live your life just for now, but keep the long term future in mind.  Take the time to think about what’s most important in your life and decide to live each day keeping your goals intact.  Is a good career the priority?  Is it a good wife and family?  Are you looking to make tons of money? (Don’t go into journalism!)  Where does God figure into things?  Does God figure into your life?  All of these are valid concerns that you’ll structure your life around.  Choose this day who you will serve.  Make the most of every day.  Carpe diem!  And have fun!  And because the Panthers rule and I’m proud to be an American, I have to end with this, if you can imagine a deep, enthusiastic roar at this point.  God bless America and go Panthers!

  Copyright by Nathan Ludwick 3/9/2006

Love in all Seasons (song)

 Where does the time go? Steve Miller said it keeps on slipping into the future. He's right- time keeps marching on. Yet so many times it never seems the good moments in life are long enough. If I could have a little bit longer time in those sweet spots- carefree days as a kid playing on the playground, family time at home with Mom and Dad and siblings, dating that special someone, or just hanging out with my best friends in the world! 

   As another song says, we had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun. (Thanks to Terry Jacks for the memorable performance.) And there are sweet seasons in life we cherish and miss later on. Yet we are inexorably drawn forward in time. And we must learn to live and love every moment as the precious gift from God that they all are- and thank Him for all of them. And our love for those friends and family carries on as well, in as much effort as we are willing to put out. The love of Jesus is the one constant that carries us through the changes of time. He helps us "who belong to eternity stranded in time", as a Michael Card song says, to enjoy and live and love every moment. And He helps us realize that He is the One our hearts really long for in the end. And with Jesus in our hearts, no matter what stage we're at in this life or the next, we can enjoy Love in all seasons.

Love in all Seasons
copyright by Nathan Ludwick 1/17/2020
(Ecclesiastes 3, Psalms 90:12, Deuteronomy 33:27, Proverbs 17:17 and 18:24)

You thought it'd be forever
You thought it'd never end
The vows you made to stay together
And always be the best of friends
Oh, to be back in that place and age again

Chorus 1:
Everybody freeze! Put your hands up
If you want this world to stop
Let's stay 11 years old as long as we can
Everyone's here and everything here's alright
I don't want nothing to change my world tonight

Spin the time in a bottle and see where it lands
Count out 17 little grains of sand
Cruising down Lover's Lane with the one who caught your heart
Summer days with your best pal and your best gal at your side
What more do you need? Right here it's so good to be alive!

Chorus 2:
Everybody freeze! Put your hands up
If you want this world to stop
Let's hang out at the malt shop as long as we can
Everyone's here and everything here's alright
I don't want nothing to change my world tonight

Bridge:
Why do we move away and leave our best friends?
Why do we go to different schools and new jobs and new places to live?
Why do we marry, start a family and get wrapped up in our lives?
Why do we get old and grey and eventually die?
What we do with given time's all we must decide

Chorus 3:
Everybody leaves- splits the band up
And one day this world will stop
Let's enjoy our seasons in the sun as long as we can
Everlasting Arms deal those hands at the right time
The Ace up my sleeve holds every memory tight

Chorus 4:
Only God holds me when time hands me up
Now and on that day my world still rocks
For each time and season there's a reason- so love all friends far and at hand
Everyone's here and everything here's alright
Let my growth come from change- Love holds my world for all time

(Repeat Chorus 3 and 4 and fade)

...............................................................

How We Should Live Then and Now, Not Now And Then

 "The Christian and the Materialist hold different beliefs about the universe. They can't both be right. The one who is wrong will act in a way which simply doesn't fit the real universe." - C.S. Lewis 

As I have said many times, we often try to address spiritual problems with physical solutions and seem surprised when they don't work. Spiritual problems require spiritual solutions.

"C.S. Lewis explains the dilemma in my favorite of his essays, 'Men Without Chests'. For a person to be moral, 'the head', the seat of reason, must rule the 'stomach', or the passions. But it can do this only through the 'chest', which in Lewis's analogy represents the will, the moral imagination. The problem today, Lewis writes, is that modern rationalism has reduced morality to cognition; it has focused on moral reasoning while ignoring the role of the will and moral imagination; it has robbed us of our 'chests'. And then we wonder why morality is declining. In Lewis's unforgettable words, 'We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.' "

......

"What does it take to create the good life? A firm sense of right and wrong and a determination to order one's life accordingly. Not out of a grim sense of duty, but because it is what fits with our created nature and makes us happiest and most fulfilled. When men and women act in accord with their true nature, they feel a sense of harmony, contentment, and joy. This is happiness, the fruit of virtue. In fact, the ancient philosophers defined happiness as something one achieves only at the end of life, after spending a whole lifetime in character training.

     It was this definition that the American Founders had in mind when they declared that we have an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The last phrase did not mean a right to hedonistic pleasure, as many people believe today, but the pursuit of virtue, a life spent ordering our appetites and desires to the truth of who we are, which produces happy individuals and a harmonious society."

- from pages 380-382 of "How Now Shall We Live?" by Chuck Colson and Nancy Pearcey (the latter of whom studied under Francis Schaeffer at L'Abri in Switzerland, which was instrumental in her conversion to Christ! :-) I'm glad I was able to visit this legendary Christian institution a few years back.)

In reading through this book, the call for Christians to share Christ through the Great Commission has been clear, along with the call for Christians to live out the Gospel and use our lives as an example of how God's kingdom operates and thus influence the culture around us as well.

     I was thinking some on this the other night, especially in view of the current pandemic the world is experiencing. While I'm trying to be cautious, I am also trying to be bold in faith. Ultimately my life is in God's hands. 

    Yet I found myself unwilling to engage with someone trying to get my attention while I was momentarily parked somewhere. (There were mitigating factors involved, including it being late at night, my body was physically tired at the end of a long day at work, and the person had no mask on and social distance would likely have been breached.) I don't know what the person wanted though I assume it was a plea for help. I say this to my shame that I didn't acknowledge the person but rather drove off and went on home. Shortly afterward, I did feel guilt and drove back to see if I could find the man, but it seemed he was gone.

    The thought struck me- if we're not helping those who are in need or at least talking with others and listening to them, what good are we? If we're not willing to meet with the lepers and help them as Jesus did, how are we helping the "lepers" of this world? Jesus did not intend for us to live Christian life in a bubble isolated from the world. He calls us to go into all the world and preach the Good News. He calls us to do unto others as we'd have done unto us. He calls us to be the Good Samaritan and help those in need. He calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves- and even to love our enemies and pray for them! He calls us to show love to all and especially "the least of these". Feed the hungry. Give water to the thirsty. Welcome the stranger and house him. Heal the sick. Visit the prisoner. (See Matthew 25) All of these are tangible ways to show we truly love The Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. 

     And these two ideas really work well in tandem because as we do these good works God made us to do all along (Ephesians 2:10), it gives us all the more opportunities to share The Gospel, which is ultimately the only thing that will truly bring change to the world. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:15-16, we are in this way like a candle on a stand that brings light to all- a city on a hill that reflects the light of God which cannot be hidden- and that causes people to glorify God our Father in Heaven. "For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness', has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)

   Our lives should preach the Gospel as the evidence of what an encounter with The Lord Jesus does to a soul who puts faith in Him and follows Him- he is transformed into a new creature! (2 Corinthians 5:17) It is Jesus' death to pay for all sins and His Resurrection that gives us forgiveness and salvation when we ask Him for it in faith. He produces in us a changed life that "spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere." (2 Corinthians 2:14) We're the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and those who are perishing- the smell of life to the one and the smell of death to the other. (See 2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

    So put a hand under your mouth and check your breath. Take a whiff of those underarms. Is that B.O. your M.O.? There's going to be a smell one way or the other but let's not be a stench in both the world's nostrils and God's. (Isaiah 65:5) It's God's kindness that leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4)- and He often uses us to show it to others. So to combine those two metaphors, go out to the world full of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) like an incense burner that lights up the night and leaves a sweet savour in the air and leads people to Jesus the Saviour who burns away our sins and restores us to the design He had for us all along. God is still reconciling the world to Himself and He wants to use us to help bring in as many who will come into His kingdom of love and light. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21 and John 3:16-21)

Father & Son & Spirit (song)

 One of the most basic tenets of the Christian faith is also one of the most incomprehensible to the human mind. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4) So states the Shema and it's certainly true. Yet The Lord reveals Himself in three Persons- God The Father, God The Son Jesus Christ and God The Holy Spirit (some translations would refer to the Third Person of The Holy Trinity as God The Holy Ghost.) The basis for belief in God as a Trinity is best evident from Jesus Himself, in the relationship He describes within the Triune Godhead in the Gospel of John, chapters 13-18. His Great Commission to us His followers in Matthew 28:18-20 also instructs us to baptize believers in the Name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. 

    While each member of the Godhead has different roles, all three are equally God, so everything is always even stevens. A leopard can't change its spots; it's always a spotted member of the cat family. You can try to change its name but it's still a leopard. Whether you call to The Father, Son or Spirit, you're always calling to God. And God is always one- and His plan of redemption has already won through Christ's death and Resurrection. As the Sandi Patti Christmas classic song "The Gift Goes On" says, "The Father gave The Son. The Son gave The Spirit. The Spirit gives us life so we can give the gift of Love. And the gift goes on!"

"Father & Son & Spirit" (parody of "Father & Son" by Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam; parody lyrics copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/10/2019)

(Deuteronomy 6:4, Acts 1-2, Philippians 2, Luke 12:40, Romans 11:29, John 8:12, Matthew 5:14, John 3:16-17, Galatians 4:4-7, John chapters 13-18, Romans 8, Matthew 28:18-20)

In God's time, the Saviour came 

That's a fact- Galatians 4 read

He had to come- that's our fault

Check Jesus' most famous quote

God loved world- Son came down

Whoso trusts will not perish

3:16 John- it goes- live eternally!

God's own Son's likeness of man's found

-and He lowered from God's throne seat

To become Son of Man- Son's still fully God

To take our crimes to the cross

Dying for everything we've done

And He's real deal Man of Tomorrow 'cause Lord Jesus rose up!

How come Lord Christ's going away? When He just did a "There and Back Again"?

It's to our benefit that He is going

So The Holy Ghost could bring the whole world conviction

Counselor Troi cannot hold candle (to) Holy Ghost- no way!

Christ goes- sends Holy Ghost

In God's time, The Spirit came

14 down to 18- go read!

Gospel of John- (The) Master taught

We're not just orphans of God though

Tell the world Gospel now

In time you've got while Lord tarries

Luke 12:40- Christ foretold- that He's returning

Of the times, (in) Acts 1- Christ's teaching

Those aren't things for you to know

His charge: Witness! Start here- to all world then

Our Aid resides in you and me-

His gifts then- revoked? Can't be

So share our faith and we'll glow like 5 Matthew 14 says

Little Christs- that's the goal 

The Simple Gospel

 Every human being has this fact in common- we will all die one day. And when that happens, we will all stand before God and be judged by Him. And we will then spend eternity either in Heaven or Hell. God has a standard for entry into Heaven- absolute perfection. (Leviticus 11:45, Matthew 5:48) None of us meet that standard. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. (Romans 3:23, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3)

    That's why God met the standard for us by sending His Son Jesus to live the perfect life we could never live and die the death we should have died for our sins. And then He rose again to prove He's God and give us a living Hope. We can all avoid the Hell we are bound to by default because of our sins against God and instead be welcomed into Heaven through putting our faith in Jesus to forgive us of our sins and following Him. He offers that for free to whosoever will call upon His Name! (Romans 10:9-13)

    With the eternal weight of the choice given to all humans about what to do with the salvation Christ offers, it is imperative that the Good News of Jesus is shared with everyone! I mean- if you had the cure for Covid-19 or AIDS or cancer, would you keep it to yourself? Those diseases can only kill the body, but the soul lives on for eternity. Jesus is the cure for the disease of sin and He saves our souls for eternity- if we'll let Him.

    And that's what it comes down to- if we're willing to listen to The Father drawing and The Spirit convicting and trust Him. 

   Sadly, too many will let pride and a love for self and evil keep them from coming to God. And God won't force anyone to come to Him. In the end, we either say "Thy will be done" to God and choose to follow Him or He says "thy will be done" to us and lets us choose to reject Him and go our own way instead. There is indeed a way that seems right to a man, but its end is destruction. 

   Logically, we can either be with God or away from God in eternity. To be with Him is Heaven and to be away from Him is Hell. 

    It's appointed unto man once to die- and then comes the judgment.

    We will all die one day. And it won't really matter then what objections people make now or what ridicule is raised in regards to God and The Bible. None of it changes God or the facts about eternity.

    Of course, people will scoff and laugh regardless and raise any number of objections but even so- the facts remain. And the eternal state of every human soul is worth telling everyone about Jesus. Everyone is free to do what they want with this and with Him. That is the choice given to everyone. But everyone will die one day and everyone needs to consider what will happen then and decide what they will do with Jesus and His free offer of grace and love. Jesus loves you- no matter what you've done and no matter what you do in reaction to this information- He loves you more than anything. And I love you through Him because He loved me first. 

  Everyone has to make their own choice on eternity and I respect their right to do so but everyone needs to remember that every choice has consequences. This one has eternal consequences. May God bless and guide you as you make your decision.

Nahum's Woe (song)

      Thirty-three years ago, on May 2, 1987, Larry Bird made one of the greatest, if not the greatest, plays of his basketball career. In game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics were down by one point to the Detroit Pistons. With five seconds to go, the Pistons had the ball at their end of the court and it looked like things were all over for the Celtics. Yet if Pistons fans had started cheering then, they would have been extremely premature, as Larry Bird then made an outstanding play by stealing the inbounding pass from Isiah Thomas and got the ball to Dennis Johnson, who made the game-winning layup!
        Just as it is dangerous to be full of yourself and be calling the game too early in sports, it is infinitely more dangerous to do so in the spiritual realm. Nineveh is a city that had been very wicked, but God had pity on them and sent Jonah to warn them. Half-hearted though it was, Jonah's message of warning got through (eventually- after a stay in an underwater motel inside a big fish) and the people repented and God stayed His hand. Unfortunately, the people of Nineveh in later years reverted to their former wicked ways and then God sent Nahum to let them know that His judgment was coming- and it wasn't going to be stopped this time. God always carries out justice. He is certainly long-suffering and wanting to extend grace, but when people reject His kind offer, there is no recourse left. Only those who take refuge in Him are safe. Learn from Nineveh's example and repent now while there is time. (2 Corinthians 6:2)


"Nahum's Woe"
(parody of "Sussudio" by Phil Collins; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/7/2019)
(book of Nahum [particularly Nahum 1:7], also see book of Jonah, 2 Corinthians 6:2)

There's this book that's been on my mind
Read its lines- Na- Na- Nahum, oh! oh! oh!
Now you know me from Jonah's fame
(It's) No Disney sequel- read just the same
Na- Na- Nahum, yo! oh! oh!
Well, God- He called me to go share
Destruction's coming- Nineveh, beware!
Last century- all was right
Appealed to God- now Nineveh reverts!
Na- Na- Nahum's woes! Just read The Word!
They're do- do- doomed, you know!
God knows those (who) take refuge in Him
With (a) flood brings foes to an end
Na- Na- Nahum 1:7
God's given command- 'cause you are vile
No more will Nineveh
Pass through Judah though- oh! oh!
Ah, get dressed- battle's here from scatterer
The chariots close in as they go through town
And race Ben-Hur rush style- faces grow pale
And they'll feel who don't listen- just take The word-
2:2 Nahum- Yo! Thus saith The Lord
No game like on Yu-Gi-Oh! Whoa!
Woe (to) city bloody- all full of lies
The wheels roll on of God's justice (in) The Word!
Read 3 in Nahum- Go!
The just prey unfurls
Oh - 3:1 Nahum - Woe!
They'll just say the words, "Oh, who- who- who will grieve for her?"
All stay away
3:7 Nahum- Woe! Oh, oh, oh!
Nineveh's burned!
God's justice undeterred- uh!
Just what's deserved
For Nin- Nin- Nineveh (oh, oh, oh)
So Na- Na- Nahum- go! (Go, go, go!)
Review with Nineveh (Woe! Woe! Woe!)
Your sins have doomed you all! (Woe! Woe! Woe!)
No soothing woes! (Oh, oh, oh)
All who hear news- woe! (Woe! Woe! Woe!)
Can't ease your hurt
Wish you had boohooed and turned! (Oh, oh, oh)
Prayed to The Lord, oh
"Please save us, Lord"
But must just say the word!

NarcissUS- bow to JESUS.

(Note: This was written in 2009 for use in a Sunday School lesson but the lesson here is still the same. America is still a very narcissistic place- and so is the rest of the world. Too often we exalt humanity and look to ourselves for answers instead of acknowledging our need for God. Only He can ultimately solve all the problems that still plague us.)

https://web.archive.org/web/20090622043828/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30312181//

Wow! Read this article- it's really eye-opening. And it's so true! America has become incredibly narcissist! The very fact I'm posting this on a social networking site attests to that! (At least this isn't MYSpace- that even has it in the name) But this is evident in reality shows, in Youtube, in people stupidly buying houses and other things they really can't afford and then finding themselves in piles of debt and so many other examples. Everything is such a me-driven society. Man- people called the '70s the "Me Decade"- and some say the '80s carried it even further. No question- the 2000s onward has 'em both beat. This is also why I hate the status thing and I especially hate Twitter- because Twitter expounds on and exacerbates the main feature of Facebook that I hate- the whole status thing- it just seems like there's still this concept of having to share with everyone all that I'm doing every moment of the day because I need attention and hey, I deserve it. I'm not saying this is true for everyone, but it is a danger one can fall into. This is also why I pretty much never have any kind of real life update on my status unless it's really something pretty important that I want to share with everyone.

Just look at what God says about this. Pride is the original sin! In Proverbs 6:16-19, where The Lord tells us 7 things that are detestable to Him- haughty eyes are the very first one! "But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' " (James 4:6) Or just read the book of Obadiah. "Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares The Lord. (Obadiah 1:4) 

Here's what Jesus commands us to do instead- "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4) And then keep reading from there about how Jesus, though He was God, didn't consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself of all but love and bled for Adam's helpless race (okay- that last part's from one of my favorite hymns "And Can It Be?" by Charles Wesley :-)).

But look at what Philippians 2:21 tells us- "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ." - WOW. Isn't that true of all of us? This should not be. The interests of Jesus Christ should be our foremost interests- make Him our highest joy and He'll take care of the rest. "Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in The Lord.' " (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Setting the Record Straight

            I’m like one of those people with initials in their names.  Not “M.E.” like Quincy or “M.D.” like Doogie Howser, but PK and MK.  And I don’t know what you’ve heard about us, but pastor’s kids and missionary’s kids are not always the miscreants they’re made out to be.  But hey, I’m certainly not perfect because I’ve done and do plenty of stupid things in my life.  And having your dad as your pastor out on the mission field gives you plenty of stories to tell.

            I suppose at this point I should give you a little bit of background so you know where I’m coming from because after all, knowing is half the battle.  (I suppose actually fighting with all those fancy blue lasers and machine guns would be the other half.)  But I really hate doing this part.  Whenever people ask me that usually-simple-to-answer question for most people, I have no easy answer.  “Where are you from?”  Aaargh! There it is!  I don’t know.  I was born in Spain, grew up in Trinidad and now live in the United States. Take your pick.  This is both the frustration and joy that comes with being a global nomad of sorts. 

            I only spent about a year in Spain so I don’t remember anything of that.  I do remember growing up in the 1980s in the Caribbean twin island nation of Trinidad & Tobago.  (I was on the larger island, Trinidad.)  My parents were Christian missionaries and my father worked as the pastor of the church we were serving with in Trinidad.  I remember hearing about Jesus most all of my life!  I first came to know Him as Lord and Savior when I invited Him to live in my heart and take me as His own as a young child.  I had this great book that taught you the alphabet by giving you a verse for each letter.  I remember the first one was Isaiah 53:6.  “All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  The text of that great hymn, “At the Cross”, was printed next to the verse with a picture of a little boy laying down this big burden from his back next to the cross at Calvary.  And one night during our family devotions I heard a story about a guy who took his pet pig with him on a cruise.  Apparently the pig fell overboard and the man dived into the ocean to rescue his pig from drowning.  This wasn’t a perfect picture by any means, but it drove home to me as a child just how much God loves us so much more than pigs because He sent Jesus to die for all the wrong and stupid things we’ve done and by rising again from the dead, He proved that He is God.  After seeing the good example of my older siblings, I made the decision myself to follow Jesus at the ripe age of about seven.  And that’s something I’ve been more and more thankful for every day since!

            There’re a couple of funny stories I remember from growing up in Trinidad.  There were all the different slang words that I had to get used to hearing.  When someone asks how you’re going, they just mean to see how you’re doing.  My parents, upon first hearing that phrase, once told a bank clerk that they had come by car and were going by car!  And then there’re those trips you take when you’re “going down the road to come back.”  Sounds like a likely plan.  It just means you’re taking a quick trip somewhere. 

And I sure remember some of the sermons.  As pastor’s kids, my siblings and I got to hear some of the messages over again and when we started hearing Dad preach from John 15 about staying in the Vine again, I remember leaning over to my brother and whispering, “Rerun!”  Or there was the oft-lampooned by our family infamous “hermeneutics” sermon series.  It was also known as “How to drive your church down to nothing” series by my family.  My father preached on Sunday nights about how to read and understand your Bible, which is definitely a good thing to learn.  Unfortunately, my father had a tendency to do a “quick review” of last week’s sermon throughout this series.  By the time the review was over and we had actually gotten into the current message, the service was definitely dragging on.  Sunday nights never tend to be a big attendance for many churches, but this series really drove away people.  What got me was when even one of our deacons, who had been coming each night and taking notes, stopped coming- then we knew we had hit the last straw.  There were some services where my whole family was the service!  My dad did the preaching, my mom played the piano, my sister led the worship songs, and my brothers and I prayed and took up the offering!  At the end of each of these messages, my dad would ask if anyone had questions.  My little brother would always crack us up by raising his hand to ask, “Are we finished yet?”  Though much as we joke about it now, I can still tell you to pray and ask God to give you understanding, keep the passage in context by reading what’s before and after it, and analyze the passage by finding the “Who”, “What”, “Where”, “When”, “Why” and “How” of it, when studying the Bible.  But I have to tell you the joke my father would always use.  Here’s how to make a case for suicide in The Bible. The Bible tells us, “Judas went out and hung himself.  Go and do likewise.  What you do, do quickly.”  The message here is to not take verses out of context!  (And I laughed every time at the absurdity of those verses out of context when he would tell this!)

            And let me just clear up this misconception that seems to float around about us PKs and MKs.  We’re not the finest Christians around, and we’re not necessarily the worst of the bunch either.  I am not perfect nor am I even good.  I do stupid and bad stuff all the time and there’s more instances than I care to recall.  The times I’ve lied, cheated, stolen, entertained sinful thoughts, lashed out in anger, fallen flat on my face in pride or said something really, really dumb all slip back into my consciousness from time to time.  And there’s still junk I did as a kid that I can remember that I’m still ashamed of.  On the other hand, I’ve never shoplifted, vandalized, done drugs, drunken alcohol, smoked a cigarette or cigar, and I’ve rarely used foul language.  (There was this one time as a young kid when I repeated a word I heard on television that I quickly found out was not cool like I thought it was!  I don’t believe I’ve ever said it or most any other swear word since.)  Oh yeah, and I’m proud to say that unlike Madonna’s song, I’m not like a virgin, but I am in fact a virgin and will remain so until I marry a Christian woman.  And I will be faithful to her and God alone.  All this I can do through Christ alone who strengthens me because apart from Him I’m nothing.

            So I guess you can say that life has been a bit different for me than many Americans.  I am an official American, but I’ll always be a Trinidadian in my heart.  I have fond memories of that country.  Growing up in a British school system with uniforms and playing cricket and football (soccer) during recess and lunch was great.  It’s also cool to be able to say I went swimming on Christmas Day!  I enjoyed weather from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (or more) most every day!  I could go on about the many cultural differences from America, but I think one key thing I learned from living there is to respect and love everyone.  Everyone has an intrinsic value because “God don’t make no junk”, as the saying goes.  It makes no difference what color or gender you are because everyone is really the same.  And The Bible says that once you’ve committed one sin, it’s the same as doing all of them.  So I’m just as guilty as anyone else and can’t stand in judgment of them.  But Jesus calls us to love one another and be His witnesses and I try to do that as much as possible.  I think these are things I learned from The Bible that living in another country helped reinforce at an early age.  If only we could all learn to forget ourselves and think of others as better than ourselves, we would see that we’re all the same on the inside and God loves us all.  It hasn’t always been a normal and peaceful life, but I can’t think of a better one to have. Wherever He leads, I’ll go.

             

Copyright by Nathan Ludwick March 6, 2007