Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Monday August 6, 2007

The last few of the letters have promoted the important part that study plays in the area of growth, not only in the Christian life, but in any particular part of life. Just the other day I read an ad for farmers concerning the benefit of enrolling in a certain educational group's Continuing Ed program. Many farmers now have advanced degrees on the art of driving a tractor, and well they might as some of the tractors in our area cost over one million dollars. That's a lot of corn, even in Indiana.

I suppose the above mentioned farmers need a program to constantly seek new and better ways of using the tractor.

Our bulletin in the little church I pastor had a quote that really caught my attention. I asked Mrs. Davis if this grand saying was her own, and she sadly said, "No." So as it was not attributed I assume Mrs. Davis heard me say it somewhere along the line in one of my many insightful sermons.

“You do not grow old; you become old by not growing.”

Arthritis is screaming at me, "Larry boy, you had better get on with growing!"

Hardly a day passes but that an article, a TV program or even a doctor will again remind us of the benefits of mental stimulation, such as READING, doing tough crossword puzzles, helping a fifth grade child with homework. It is a well established fact that many Americans are not as smart as fifth graders. The Great Blonde and I recently spent a mentally challenging four days figuring out how to program a universal remote for a 10 year old TV. How did we do this? After four days we called the grandchild and she, in her brilliance guided, over the phone mind you, her feeble minded grandmother through the hoops. I was very busy and had no time for such childishness. I know how to turn pages and so I stick to reading books, older books that use words most people do not understand anymore. Why, even in church very few people hear such words as "redemption" "atonement" "rapture" or God forbid, "eschatologically." Isn't it nice of me to check for the correct spelling of the last one? It means "mankind's, er, humankind's ultimate destiny or the end of the world." In college/seminary it is usually defined as the "study of last things." Most, like me, forget how to spell it, so thank the good Lord for Online Webster.

Keep in mind the above will be on the test!

Joyce, the wife of my youth stays young by thinking about planting a garden. She did actually plant one back in the golden days of yesteryear, now she receives mental stimulation from the memory and the anticipation of doing another when we get old! I can almost measure her growth as she contemplates the beauty of garden past and future. She is one smart girl. And she is growing in spite of a dullard for a hubby.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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