Jungle football

The animals in the jungle were playing a game of football one day.  The game was going along pretty good except for one thing.  The alligator would flip the ball off of his tail and the giraffe would catch it in his mouth in the end zone.  The game was kind of being wrecked by the rhino.  Every time the other team would kick off the rhino would catch the ball on his horn and lumber down the field and none of the animals could take him down so he would score every time. It was just not a fair game.  The second half started and the alligator team kicked off and the rhino caught the ball and started to lumber down the field.  At the 50 yard line the rhino came down in a heap.  The refs helped the animals off the pile and at the bottom they found a centipede. He had a smile on his face and it was obvious he had made the tackle.  The monkey, who was the coach, asked the centipede where he had been the whole first half. He told the coach, " I was still tying my shoes" .

 Marlin Vis told this story before his first sermon he preached at our church. He has an amazing way of illustrating his sermons with a story that for me would make the sermon stick in my head. For me this was right up my alley.  He talked that morning about getting in the game.  He encouraged our congregation to not sit in the locker room and tie shoes but to get in the game of life and church and to start moving forward.

I think Marlin kind of thought of me as a strange duck.  He would occasionally ask me for an opinion on something and I would always ask him if he wanted to know something about how I really thought or if he wanted me to say something that would make him feel good.  I find this an interesting question for all of life.  I find that most people want to hear what will make them feel good and are not all that interested in the truth.  I have learned that many questions are always answered with yes.  Do you like  the way I look in this dress? Do you think these shoes match this outfit? Did you like the way I handled that meeting with our kids teacher?  Do you think I am right in the controversy we are having with our neighbor?  Yes, yes and more yes.  Sometimes no is the answer. Are you noticing that my face is getting more wrinkles?  Are you seeing that my hair is turning a little gray?  Do you think that so and so's relationship has more spark than ours?  No,  no and more no.  On some things the truth is not always the best option.  Ever been with someone who is brutally honest?  Most of them do not have many friends.  I have always thought that Fox news has an interesting version of the truth.  I never knew that the news they bring was meant to be taken all that seriously.  It seems to me to be a bit one sided and it has some venom mixed in with it. Always thought the truth is kind of far away when I watch the stuff they put out there.  But then again are any of us that different. The truth is always illusive.

With Marlin you could go to the truth but it would always take a few days for both of us to get over it.  I am not sure we ever saw eye to eye but I always loved the way he would illustrate his sermons.  He was a solid thinker and a true man of faith.  I do recall at one point I asked he and his wife Sally to come out on a boat we owned.  Our kids were still young and a couple of weeks previous we had been out.  While we were going out of the channel one time a huge yacht was coming in. One of the boys asked me why we had such a small boat in comparison.  I told the boys that the only reason anybody would need a boat so large is if they had a short..........  At this point I got a look from Deb that would kill  a normal man. I changed what I was going to say to thumb.  Sure enough when we went out with Marlin another one of these 56 footers came past us and one of my boys told Marlin that the guy that owned the thing must have a couple of short thumbs.  Marlin figured this out right away.  He told me he could see I was teaching my boys well in the ways of this world.

It was interesting that about eight weeks ago now that we had the post surgery meeting with the doctor who is handling Deb's case. He is around 60 and it seems to me he is a real pro.  When Deb had  her surgery which was expected to go 4 hours I kind of knew that when the call came in that they were done in 2 hours it might not be good news.  When he met with our family he came in the room and told us about the tough nature of the case.  We wanted to have something positive to grab on to but it did not work this way.  He just brought forward the facts and very frankly they were not good.  The next morning he came up to Deb's room and told us he had stopped by his office that morning and he had looked in the file of a case he had that was very similar.  He told Deb that case had taken place some years previous and the lady was still living.  He said "I thought about it last night and I did not have one thing positive to say to you guys but I wanted you to know about this case."   Then his assistant told us while they were explaining chemo procedure that we had just joined a club to which nobody wants to be a member.  I gotta tell ya now that this thing has been tough.  On the other hand we are starting to see some signs and learn of more and more people who have risen above the disease and are still on this side of the ground.  Deb is a real fighter and I will assure you that if it can be done, she will do it.

A lady crossed the border of one of the communist block countries every morning on a red motorcycle.  She was searched each morning. The saddlebags, the backpack, her pockets and purse were all searched.  She would return each night on a different crossing.  The guards were absolutely convinced she was smuggling something. Each day they would intensify the search and could find nothing.  After many months they were so exasperated that they offered to let her have immunity if she would just tell them what she was smuggling.  She looked them in the eye and told them it was easy.  She said she was smuggling motorcycles.

Marlin used this story to say that some things are so obvious and right in front of your eyes as it relates to the faith.  Everyone should be able to see them. He had a good sermon that day. What is in front of us right now are two facts. One is the fact that the disease Deb faces right now is serious. The other is that it can be overcome and we want to tell you all that we appreciate very much the expressions of love and support that you all have extended. We want to tell you now that the red motorcycle in our lives is the warmth and care that the people that surround us have shown.

Thanks to all.................Got a good post for next time......It is about a young lady by the name of Mieke.....And folks it will not be boring................Till then....