Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday April 2, 2008

Due to my very negative reaction to penicillin which near sent me to the New Jerusalem, I failed to get a letter out until now. A reaction to penicillin has been known to kill and I admit I pressed the shamrock a little too close on mine. After looking like a beet and preaching the services on Sunday, feeling like I was on fire and taking enough Benadryl to put Dumbo to sleep (take my advice and forget this old wives treatment and get to a doctor fast if you ever have a reaction to penicillin, I came too close for comfort on this one). when I faced my soon to be terminated mortality and went to the emergency care facility. They were super helpful; the doctor was nice the nurse a recent grad of Ivy Tech was nice but very hurtful. She did all the things nurses are supposed to do, blood pressure etc, and after the Doc examined me, she brought the prescriptions into the room and as she handed them to me, said, "Here you are sweetie." This was said in what I call the nursing home tone. I shall keep my inner most thoughts at the time to myself in order to preserve some semblance of your respect. Prior to my death, just moments prior I assure you, I will write the exact thoughts of old men when pretty nurses make such snide remarks. (You are not doing humankind a favor by FWDing this to Joyce).

As my hands were swelled so out of proportion to no longer resemble hands, I could hardly stand to touch the computer let alone write, I did continue reading the book Joyce has been raving about by Rex Early. Joyce is so impressed that she is forming a Prayer Circle for Barbara Early.

One of many comments in the book and I like them all, though as "a man of the cloth" I must refrain for I know I would wet my pants at the reaction of some of my more staid readers, is the one that Rex experienced in the early days when he was introduced to and spent much of an evening with the big wheel of that era. He expresses his feelings concerning the meeting thusly:

"I had just passed 30. I must admit I was as nervous as pig at a packing plant."

I love these colloquial idioms with the Oxford touch. And I admit to knowing the feeling Rex is describing very well. I recall my first meeting with the Honorable Sarah Evans Barker. Believe me I know what a pig feels like at a packing plant!!

Have you ever been afraid? Of a group? Of a person? Perhaps an opportunity? Sure you have and it helps you and those you influence to admit this common human experience. For many years I trembled all through Saturday nights due to having invited "important" people to Sunday services and then fretting what will I do if they actually come? For the most part I learned over the years that many of the important ones had fretted away Saturday night repeating the phrase, "What if he knows?" Actually had I known, I would have been relieved. It is easier to preach to sinners than to good people. I guess, as I realize I have never preached to a congregation of good people in the accepted religious sense! But I do feel comfortable with those of any rank who know in their heart that Jesus really does save and make a difference in our lives. There is great power in knowing the one who knows all including your deepest secrets, still accepts and loves you and is working on you by working in you to get rid of the real flaws and not just the cosmetic ones placed on you by other flawed people. Yep, I know how a pig feels at a packing plant.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2008 Use with credit.

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