April 3, 2013

My body is still catching up from Holy Week. I am trying to be patient with it and give it the rest it needs, but as I drag myself out of bed, I determine that now that it is Wednesday, it should be caught up from the strenuous schedule. I am thankful that my schedule this week is lighter than usual, and I can let up on my pace.

Last night I was looking at a book I bought used from the St. Louis County Library entitled Tinkerbelle by Robert Manry. I had checked it out as a teenager, and then in my 20s it was on the library’s sale rack.  I had loaned it to a friend and it was returned on Monday. Manry worked as a copy editor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer from 1953 until about 1966. He was married and had two children. He bought a small used sailboat and after rebuilding it with an enclosed cabin, he sailed it single handedly across the Atlantic. He became an international celebrity. As I went to put this book back on my shelf, I decided to look up Manry on the internet. I discovered that in 1967 he took his family in another sailboat and circumnavigated the East Coast of the United States. Then, in 1969 his wife was tragically killed in a one car accident, and in 1971, at the age of 52 he died of a massive heart attack after dinner with friends. This information hit me pretty hard. His smiling face on the back jacket of his book seems forever strong. Life is short; the key is to take a long view of this life.

On the web page dedicated to Manry, one referred to his “Walter Mitty type dreams”. This phrase is familiar to me, but I could not precisely define it. Looking it up I discovered that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a novel by James Thurber. “Mitty is a meek, mild man with a vivid fantasy life: in a few dozen paragraphs he imagines himself a wartime pilot, an emergency-room surgeon, and a devil-may-care killer. The character's name has come into more general use to refer to an ineffectual dreamer, appearing in several dictionaries.” (Wikipedia).  Sometimes in the military someone will be referred to as a “Walt” which means someone who wants to be a soldier but does not have what it takes. I am pondering the spiritual implications of this human tendency to imagine significance while lacking the courage to pursue it. May this never be the case with Bruce Baxter.

Exodus 34 - Moses returns to the top of Mt. Sinai at God’s invitation, with two new tablets for God to write upon. God reveals himself to Moses, gives him instructions, and sends him back down after 40 days. Moses’ face glows from the presence of the Lord and the people are frightened. After he gives them the message from God he covers his face with a veil. This is a great chapter about seeking God’s presence, His will and His purposes. Moses was a true servant of God, a friend of God, and a great example for me and all who seek God in this generation.

Guide me today, most Holy Lord as I seek to follow you with authenticity and the reality of my life surrendered to your will. Guard me from any “Walter Mitty” type spiritual dreams. Strengthen me to plan and do your will, risking whatever consequences follow from stepping out in faith according to your instructions. I am yours. Reveal your will to the people called Wesley United Methodist church here in Springfield.