Hang Out for Good

It was late at night in a dimly lit parking lot. The department store knew they were there, but seemed unconcerned. I figured it was none of my business either. Though more than thirty were gathered, these young people were disturbing no one. I was there staffing a fireworks concession stand in the same lot. I watched them initially as a potential source of problems, but largely ignored them when it became apparent they were just socializing.

The man erratically driving a pickup truck through the parking lot did have my attention. Especially after he hit and dragged a shopping cart for a fair distance. I was just dialing the police when he rammed into the side of a car entering the lot from the street. Then he backed up, jumped a curbed island, and fled the scene at a high rate of speed. After reaching a dispatcher, I ran to the side of the damaged car. The young people in the parking lot were already assisting the elderly couple inside. When the police came, I did my best to give them a report of what happened, but my details were sketchy and … Continue Reading

Driving Nails

One man was left of the entire army of Canaanites who invaded Israel. It was Sisera, the captain of that once powerful host. Alone, weary, and in need of a place to hide, this mighty conqueror staggered into the tent of Jael. She was the epitome of a good hostess. She covered him with a mantle to hide him from his pursuers. He asked for water to drink; she gave him milk to sustain him. She even offered to stand watch and alert him, should any of his adversaries approach. She made him feel so relaxed; he went to sleep in the tent of his enemy. That was his last mistake.

Once he was unconscious, she crept up to his side. In her hand was a nail from the tent and a hammer. In one swift attack, she nailed his head, through his temples, into the ground below the tent. She permanently ended the threat this one man had posed to Israel for twenty years. Make no mistake about it, her feat would not be easy to duplicate. Had the sharp end of the nail touched his face before the blow, he would most likely have awoken. Even weary, he would have been a formidable foe. In twenty years of warfare, he had to have fought for his life while badly wounded. Had she missed the … Continue Reading

Drop a Rock

She was known only as a certain woman. Perhaps that is sufficient, since what she did is so much more significant than her name would be. At least to the many men and women trapped in the tower with her. She lifted up a piece of stone, moved just a bit with it, and dropped it again. With that one action, her friends, family, and city were saved. The rock would not have been light. It was a piece of a millstone. In its better days, it had served the purpose of turning wheat and corn into life sustaining, bread producing meal. On this day, it would both remove and sustain life.

There was no question of the intentions of Abimelech, found in the ninth chapter of Judges. He had just come from Shechem, where the inhabitants of that city had also gathered in a tower as a defendable place of last resort. He had gathered tree branches, piled them around the tower, and set fire to their safe haven. He had burned a thousand men and women to … Continue Reading

A Better Place to Be

It is not necessary to name the man who came to see me. He was not seeking recognition, just input and information on what a dream might cost in time and money.

He wants to build an indoor park for kids, a skateboard park to be precise. He has children who enjoy the sport, and they have friends who enjoy the sport. This parent has a dream. What he really wants is a place where kids can hang out safely. He visualizes a place where they will feel wanted.

What a nice idea. He is willing to spend part of himself to realize his dream. He asks, where in our town can kids realistically hang out in late evenings or early night time? What recreation is available that does not cost money children do not or should not have? Should they get together in homes without supervision, subject to unknown influences, and try out drinking, drugs or maybe pharming?

Skateboarding might be less dangerous and more rewarding. Where can kids go to practice this activity? Where will they not be trespassing or accused of vandalism? Some skateboarders purposely defy the rules, just as we did when younger. They make a nuisance of themselves. But by and large, they are respectful when asked to leave place after place. Some are truly athletes.

I applaud the dream of this parent, and will do what I can to help. He will likely never profit from this endeavor. He might never recover his time or expenses. He might make the community a better place to be. If he succeeds, his will be a place where kids meet with peers, learn new techniques, and find recognition for their accomplishments from those peers. It will be a place where, under the supervision of parents who understand, they can play, eat, drink, and socialize with others. They will be welcome there.

It is not necessary to give this man’s name. But if he succeeds, he will build better citizens and a better community. To a few select children, he will also be a hero.

The End of an Answer

Israel had been praying for a deliverer for a very long while. Over four hundred years is a long time. They did not enjoy life, reduced as they were to living as slaves.

What happened to the promises God had given Abraham? Every day, the world around them told them what to eat, to wear, when to work, and who to worship. Now the final indignity had been reached. Egypt was demanding the lives of their children.

Moses’ mother faced the Nile River and a tough decision. The society in which she lived expected the death of her newborn. Her masters decreed that Jewish children were no longer welcome in Egypt. If she killed her child, she faced life long guilt. If she kept the baby alive, she faced a life trying to keep the growing child concealed. We do not know the punishment for failing to kill him, but she ultimately placed the life of the baby in the hands of the One who gave him to her. Commending Moses’ safety to God, she set her baby afloat on a crocodile infested river.

We live in a society that instructs us, even if only via advertising, what to eat, to wear, when to work, and who to worship. Our society also no longer values children. It is an accepted and often expected thing for a woman to terminate the life of an … Continue Reading

Buyer of Tadpoles

HEROES WITHOUT SPOTLIGHTS

“Buyer of Tadpoles”

They were so eager; it was hard for their father to refuse them. His three small sons had worked hard at a nearby pond to gather a canning jar full of tadpoles. With expectations in their hearts and the joy of capitalism on their faces, they set up a roadside stand to sell their catch. At twenty-five cents each, these prized pond dwellers were a catch for anyone on this poorly frequented road, needing tadpoles in Rush, NY.

They waited outside; sure they would soon sell out. We adults waited inside, watching and wondering at the optimism of youth. Enough time passed without a sale, they were beginning to become discouraged. Then a long white car pulled over and up to their stand. Several of us stood up, prepared to move quickly if … Continue Reading

Spokesmen for Kids

HEROES WITHOUT SPOTLIGHTS

Spokesmen for Kids

It was not the dirt on the bike that was unusual, although it was excessive. It was the grass and twigs packed into the hubs of the wheels causing the man’s eyebrows to rise. He was manning one of the maintenance stations at a local elementary school “bicycle day.” When asked about the bike’s condition, the little boy who owned it proudly replied, “This here’s a dirt bike, mister.”

Every year, a local service club hosts this event for the school. Students bring their bikes to participate in a variety of activities. A local officer in the club mans a station to discuss rules of the road. Sometimes he lets the kids sit in his squad car. Businessmen staff maintenance stations to show children how to inflate tires, adjust seats and handlebars, tighten and align wheels, and adjust brakes. Reflectors are installed there as well. Some members conduct a multi-event bicycle skills rodeo, for which prizes are awarded in a ceremony. There is a bike safety poster competition for which prizes are also distributed. And by the way, every third grader receives a bicycle helmet. Each is adjusted for fit.

Year after year, the club hosts this event. Year after year, more children receive equipment and knowledge to make bicycle riding more of … Continue Reading