October 19, 1995

 Dear Family:

I was an independent little devil at home as a teenager. I've always said "if my children were the same type child that I was I would have disowned them. Thank God, however, He did not give me little Chuck's to call my children but rather gave me the three very best. I may have, from time to time, disappointed them but they have not disappointed me. Geek, my step father, was not afforded the luxury of having a father around all the time as his father was quite a rounder in his day, and never seemed to be around when Geek needed him. So the only father figure Geek ever knew was his first Sergeant in the army. I remember Geek coming into my bed room before sun up in the morning and saying "rise and shine, out of the sack, hit it, hit it". He had other saying he had picked up from his father figure that I won't mention. I joined the army in 1960 not really knowing what I was getting into, but just wanting to get away from the domination of the family. I will never forget the first morning at Fort Polk Louisiana when the door to the barracks flew open and a tall burley Sergeant said "rise and shine, out of the sack, hit it, hit it". I couldn't believe it, I joined to get away from this and here it is. Well, it didn't take me long to have a new appreciation for my family especially Geek. Geek never knew the profound influence he has had on my life. A simple man he may have been but he was also a great man. I remember how unimportant I was in the army. I was a GI (general issue) just another expendable part, just a number. It is so easy to fall into the trap of feeling unimportant in these days of numbers. Employee number, tax number, social security number, credit card number, etc. etc... So how important are you? I thought about this as I read and thought on Mark 14:

 MAR 14:13-21 v:13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. v:14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? v:15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. v:16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. v:17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. v:18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. v:19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? v:20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. v:21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. 

There are two very important but unknown, insignificant people in this story, but what if the man with the either of these men had not been there. Who was this man caring a pitcher of water? Who was the Goodman of the house? Who prepared the upper room? Neither of these men were out lobbying to be selected. It just happened because they were where they were. Later on in this story you will remember that Christ sopped with another important man, Judas. You will remember that Christ honored Judas by dipping in the dish and giving it to Judas. Why would Christ honor someone who was about to betray him. I think just maybe Christ loved Judas deeply and knowing what Judas was going to go through had great compassion for him. Christ knew what was about to happen but Judas didn't. Christ knew that Judas was to fulfill scripture and notice the Psalmist said "familiar friend": PSA 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. He was a familiar friend. Have you ever had a really good close friend who you really loved and who you knew really loved you do something that really hurt you, and then to have that thing back fire or be turned around and totally humiliate and destroy on your friend. You really felt for that friend, and I think Christ really felt for his friend Judas knowing that Judas was necessary to fulfill scripture, and he loved him, so he honored him. Well, the bible and history is full of important people some of whom the world may have never known, but they are there. Moses... led the children of Israel out of bondage. Joshua... Led the children of Israel into the promised land. Solomon... Built the temple of God. Elijah.... a great spokesman for God as was Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel Then there was Enoch, Genesis 5:21 Who was he? He was the father of Methuselah, you know, Methuselah live 962 years and gave us the clichés " Old as Methuselah", but that's not all Enoch was the 7th from Adam V:22 "and he walked with God". There are lots of statements that can be made of a man, but this one can't be topped. Notice as you see the listing of names, they lived, they begot, they died. Enoch walked with God, begot, and God took him. What a contrast to the others. He didn't live like the conventional man, he didn't begot a conventional child, and he didn't die a conventional death, God took him. He received very little recognition but he experienced the best, he walked with God, not behind, but with, that's personal, I wonder why his writing were not included as a part of the Bible. What about Jubal the father of the harp and organ. and Adah Jubals mother, and Zillah the mother of Tubalcains the inventor of metal arts. Look at Deborah-- the first woman judge, but more than that she called Barak and said "didn't God tell you to take 10,000 men and go defeat Jabin Captain of the Siserian army". Then Barak said only if you go with me. This lady would not go against Gods command, even though Barak for some reason would not do as God instructed. She insisted and even went with him, she may have been the first woman soldier, and even sang a duet with Barak praising God. Who was the young man in white linen who came to Christ in the garden, and fled naked. You never know when God will use you for His purpose with some seemingly insignificant little thing, but which may play a big part in Gods over all plan. Consider the person who counseled Billy Graham the night he came forward, who was it, who worked with him, who worked with Luther, Wesley, Billy Sunday, William Barkley, Matthew Henry, Scofield, and Shaffer. God Has a plan and you are a part of it. Maybe another reason for the Gospels pointing out the disciples as they washed their nets was to impress on us the necessity for keeping our lives clean. For how shall we know who is going to be influenced by what we do, and how we do it. Joshua didn't know when he gave an honest report that the result would be that God would use him to led the children of Israel into the promised land. Enoch walked with God... begot .. and God took him. How wonderful it would be to have it be said by the inspiration of God, "He walked with God".

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