back to work

I received a call this morning telling me I was hired.
I start 8 am this coming Monday morning.
I will be happy to be back at work.
At this time in my life I need still structure to my day. I quickly start feeling anxious when I am perpetually thinking, what do I need to do next that is profitable?
Yesterday I spent eight hours writing.
At 7 pm I was wired.

Obviously the Lord has been very good to us.
Of course this new job may not work out. It is a new position with a quasi-government agency that provides deeply subsidized transportation for those who do not have a car. It covers the whole Arrowhead region in Minnesota which includes 7 counties. My job will be to publicize what they offer.

Do visit the two other blogs that I created while unemployed: eachdayintheword.blogspot.com
And the biography of Henry Sardina at: thehenrybiography.blogspot.com

With my job, we could really use a lot of help on the daily devotional blog. So far Eric Varghese, Stephanie Varghese, Daniel Triestman, John Messerly, Bill Howell and Matt Lange have each contributed one devotional to the blog. I'm really hoping each will continue to contribute. If "each day in the word" has touched your mind and your heart, would you be willing to contribute a meditation? Send it to our e-mail: larnrox@basicisp.net. Each day the readership appears to be growing. It started out at about 20 hits a day. Now it is over 60 a day. Some people tell me they hit the blog about once a week and read everything at once.
We trust that the devotional is a daily encouragement.
Perhaps the Lord will work it out that once we get 365 good devotionals, we will put it into an electronic and/or printed book.

When Henry's blog biography is done, we will send it to an editor and a proof reader and, Lord willing, will also turn that into an electronic and/or printed book. Do you know any publishers that might be interested? For those who have been reading his biography, you can see he has lived an amazing life and the Lord has been shockingly good to Henry.

I am very touched by how many have been so compassionate to me after I was terminated from my job at the Mesabi Daily News. I could not believe it when they fired me. I worked there for 32 years. I thought, "couldn't they have waited just 3 more years when I hit 62?," Then I could at least started drawing some social security.
Instead, when I got fired, the Lord's people were incredibly kind and generous to us and have provided for all our monetary needs. It made, and makes me want to weep.
Ben Tuininga said the only verse in the Bible that you can read backwards and forwards with the meaning remaining the same is: "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (backwards: "Thee forsake nor thee leave, never will I") Heb 13:5, Deut 31:6. As you can see, it is in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Again, thank you for both your very practical and your prayerful concerns.
Larry and Roxanne, and Carson

each day in the word

Until my next "adventure," I have started a new blog, a daily devotional accessible at eachdayintheword.blogspot.com

I am hoping to get lots of help writing this new blog as I plan to have a new post every morning.

We hope to see you there!
Mister Rodgers aka Larry

how's life?

My wife has been helping a lady from our church fellowship fix up one of her rental houses. She is helping her because her husband just died. While she was at the house, she called me and asked if I could come over and do some minor repairs. Being presently unemployed, I wonder about each activity I take on. Is this what I really should be doing now? Is it really the appropriate use of my time? But since James defines real religion as visiting widows in their affliction; and the prophets expound on the curses that God will be bring against those who oppress and do not support the widows; and since God Himself singles out widows as those to whom He does acts of great kindness, I figured maybe I’d come.

This lady’s husband had been battling cancer for eleven years. He had been through a whole regime of treatments. Finally the doctors said nothing more could be done. His spirits were good till the very end, but, to say the least, he had been through it.

His widow had been strong at the funeral. She was poised and controlled. “How does she do it?” I heard several people ask. But death has a way about it. This week has been tough for her. I had this really ignorant idea that there would be some sort of closure for her when her husband finally died.

I think I understand why Jesus wept at the grave of His good friend Lazarus. He wept just moments before He called Lazarus out of the grave. He had told his disciples two days earlier that He was going to raise Lazarus.

We had a speaker at our camp who declared that when his wife died, he would rejoice. “She’ll be in glory,” he said. “She’ll be with her Savior. Is that something to weep about?”

Paul writes that as Believers, our whole lives are about the resurrection. “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most pitiful.” Paul tells the Philippians: “My desire is to depart and be with Christ.” Phil 1:23 As Believers, this truly is our desire also. That’s why believe. If we believe in this life only, we are creatures to be pitied. 1 Cor 15:19. Regardless, I won’t be rejoicing if my wife dies. My kids tell me they hope I die before their mother for they dread observing the grief I would go through.

Jacob told Pharaoh, “The days of my sojourning have been few and evil.” To be a human being and to be alive is to know pain. Yet Jacob’s complaint about the shortness of his life came before he complained about its painfulness. In Ecclesiastes the writer mourns over and over that there is nothing under the sun that is truly satisfying in life but then he writes, “a living dog is better than a dead lion.” Eccl 9:4.

I was in a car accident a few months after my first daughter was born. I was knocked unconscious and as I was waking up in the ambulance, my brain rebooted. It went through all the significant events of my life from earliest childhood. First one sad thing, and another, and another. Then I remembered Roxanne, then Story Book, then this little baby. “Is this true?” I remember thinking? Am I really married to Roxanne? And we have a little girl named Priscilla? And I live at a Bible camp? I’d always wanted to live at a Bible camp.” I couldn’t believe it. It was too good! And this was my life.

When God created life on this earth, He observed what He had done and saw that it was good. But when He observed His human creation together with all the other life He had created, we read, “And behold! It was very good!” Gen 1:31

So why did Jesus weep at the grave of Lazarus and why should we weep (and not celebrate) at funerals? Because life is good. 

Our God, the only God, the God who is good and who only can do good, is first and foremost the Creator of Life. When something so good is extinguished, how can one be so bold, so ignorant as to not be sad? Life is so good that the Author of Life gave His Son over to death so that this life within the cosmos might become eternal life and “what is sown perishable is raised imperishable; and what is sown in dishonor is raised in glory.” 1 Cor 15:42, 43.

From millenniums of observation, we humans know all about evil and the consequences of evil. We know there really is no reforming of evil. Death is evil’s only solution. Only death can bring an end to all that is bad. Scripture tells us that though “the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 6:23. Death is so sad. But life is so good, God doesn’t want it to end for us

Writing has been what I ached to do ever since I was terminated from my reporting job at the Mesabi Daily News about 30 years ago. Now that I’ve been terminated from there again, I get to write (please check out the Henry Sardina story at: thehenrybiography.blogspot.com) So, “how's life?” you might ask me. "Good! Thanks for asking!" And thank you very much for reading!

who's got your back?

“This would not have happened if I was still at the Mesabi Daily News,” stated my previous boss in an e-mail.

I had contacted her to request a letter of recommendation to have on hand as I begin my new job search. She had heard that I had been terminated and she was disgusted. She promised me a “GLOWING” letter and suggested letting her know where I was might be applying for work "in order to spin your talents to the job at hand and how good of a fit you would be.”  

Shelly was a great boss--hands down better than any boss I’ve ever had. She had the natural qualities of a leader. In whatever group she was in, people deferred to her. But she also had the very deliberate qualities of a good leader. She made sure she was well informed. If any of us had any question about what we were doing or what we should do, she expected an e-mail. Then she quickly responded. Almost always she affirmed what we asked. But when necessary, she would give specific and concise instructions on how to proceed differently. If we disagreed with her, we would come to her office and discuss the situation. Hers was the final word. We knew that, but Shelly carefully considered our input and she let us know that she did not consider our input to be defying her. Of course some did not like her hands on approach. It takes a certain amount of humility to be led.

But me, I’m a great follower. To use Biblical language, servanthood is what I was made for. 

When I was a teenager, my uncle and I did a 40 mile trek over a mountain trail near Bailey, Colorado. He had the map and the compass and with every step, he looked for the next marking that identified where the trail went. He was not a talkative man. For the first couple of hours, I don’t think he said a word. But then he stopped and looked very carefully at his map. Then he looked back and looked very carefully through the woods. And then he said, “I’m pretty sure we are lost. But I do have a compass. So I think we’ll keep going. Are you okay with that?” I nodded. As the sun started to go down, we found a good flat place to lay our sleeping bags. Very early the next morning, a couple of chattering squirrels demanded that we get up and get moving. As we started out again, my uncle said, “We’re still lost, you know.” I didn’t know. But that was all right. I figured it was his problem, not mine. He did find our way back, and it was a great hike. I would have been delighted to go again the next day, as long as he led the way.. 

My sister said to Roxanne before we got married, “He’ll be a great husband. He’ll do anything for you, I have trained him well." Roxanne agrees that this has been the case. I’m guessing though, that at the time, she found some cause for concern from what my sister said. I was to be her husband and thus the one to whom she was directed to submit, “just as the church submits to Christ, so also the wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” (Eph 5:24)

Though Roxanne has the same natural leadership qualities as my Mesabi Daily News boss, she is a godly woman who is careful to know the Scriptures and to obey the Scriptures. Though sometimes it may appear otherwise, Roxanne very consciously defers to my leadership and we share a healthy, loving, and Biblical relationship. 

(We don’t really believe in St. Peter questioning people at the Golden Gates, but we heard there are two entrances into heaven for husbands: one labeled “hen pecked” and the other labeled “head of the home.” One morning St Peter looked out and saw the usual long line of men waiting at the “hen pecked” entrance, and only one scrawny little man at the “head of the home” entrance. St Peter went over to congratulate this little man. “So tell me your story,” said St Peter. “How do you happen to be in “head of the home” line? The little guy shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know. it is just where my wife told me to stand.” –Just so you know, that little guy was not me as, duh, I haven't arrived yet at The Gates.)

About six years ago, my manager  in the circulation department of the Mesabi Daily News took off without giving notice. I went in to Shelly's office. “I’m willing to take the job of Circulation Manager,” I told her. Shelly was skeptical.  “We’ll give it a try,” she said. 

Much to our surprise, I was a good manager. Our newspaper had sixty contracted delivery people, most of whom were adults. At the time we had four other circulation people on payroll. Sixty four adults to supervise—for someone like me, pretty amazing! But my people deferred to me and overall their quality and quantity of work was excellent, and I know they liked having me for a boss. 

So here's what I've leaned is necessary to be a good boss:

• Always treat everyone with dignity. When they need your attention, give them your full attention. Even the tiniest demeaning thought must be pushed out of your brain whenever you are talking with someone under your charge.
• Be honest and fair. Never blame those under you for something that is even partially your fault.
• Communicate very clearly, and communicate in triplicate any new information you need to get to your people.
• Empower your people as much as possible. Give them the responsibility to make good decisions.
• Praise and thank them any time you can think of something to praise or thank them about.
• When correcting an employee, talk to them first and allow them their dignity. Don’t demand that they tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. (Everyone sees situations through their own eyes.) If that person does not correct the problem, send them a note that is signed and dated. If they still do not correct the problem, they probably need to be dismissed.
• Most importantly, let your people know you've got their back.

As Shelly wrote to me about my termination, “This would not have happened if I was there.”
I knew that to be true. Bad stuff can happen at any moment. If the boss is not there to watch your back, you’re always up on the high wire.

David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd…I will fear no evil.”

The Lord Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, I know my own and my own know me. I lay down my life for the sheep.” –now that’s a good boss!

Back to my present reality: I’m uncomfortable not having someone oversee what I do every day. It’s my nature to be led. Pray with me that our Good Shepherd will specifically lead me during this leaderless time in my life. 

But for right now, I'd better get back to Henry's biography!

good day, sunshine

“Good day, sunshine. Good day, sunshine. Good day sunshine…” That’s all I can remember of that Beatle song. My kids complain that they know the lyrics to every pop song ever recorded during the 1970’s, but only the first line. . –But wait, I do remember another line: “I feel good. You know she looks so fine. I’m so proud to know that she is mine.”  

Roxanne and her mother flew in to Orlando while Henry and I were on our fishing trip. When we left the boat, we drove to Andy and Erica Ramsaran’s house—Erica is the daughter of Henry and Lisa. As we opened their front door I heard a sound that I could pick out in the Metrodome, my wife Roxanne’s voice. The past week had been a good one. But to hear her voice was like sunshine after a long stretch of cloudy days. I gave Roxanne a hug. Then I gave her mother a hug. (I tend not to be a hugger, but a few years into our marriage, Roxanne said, “You can at least hug my mom.” So I do hug her mom. I like her mom. I’ve liked her ever since she said to Roxanne about 35 years ago, “I can see what you see in him,”) 

Andy had supper ready for us: London broil, grilled chicken, brats, pork chops, and I think he had some sort of a vegetable. I tried not to just sit next to Roxanne. As in most social situations, the boys were with the boys and the girls were with the girls.I think that's because women talk about people and relationships and men talk about things and significant events--like food fights. Henry says he loves being a grandfather. During the day Henry has a whole lot of things going on. But at meal time, his grand kids get his full attention. "Woooow!" he shouts as another piece of broccoli goes flying across the table and makes a crash landing against the bib of three year old Gio.

We spent the next couple of days at the Sardina house where I interviewed Henry for a biography. (By the way, this will be my last blog for a while. I am putting Henry’s biography in blog format which can be found at thehenrybiography.blogspot.com) Henry kept on channeling over into preacher mode, and, of course, we had to take a little time off to argue theology. Also Henry is involved in many people’s lives. So thankfully, our interview time had many interruptions. Even so, one of my fingers is still cramped from so much writing.

The Sardinas are wonderfully hospitable people. Their house is about three blocks from the beach where Roxanne and I walked a couple hours each morning. She saw a dolphin jump. I saw hardly anyone on the beach because the temperature was a frigid 68 degrees. We attended their church fellowship where Roxanne’s mother shared her testimony with the ladies. One lady there was deeply moved by the Holy Spirit during this time.  She expressed great interest in what this “saved thing” is all about. Two days later she drove over to visit Henry and Lisa to find out more.

We visited Roxanne’s nephew and wife, Brent and Lisa Olson. Brent is an officer at the air force base about five miles from the Sardinas. Brent was born a leader. As a high school student he coached the Lake of the Woods Bears to their three winningest seasons ever despite being handicapped by an interfering high school coaching staff.   My son-in-law Daniel Triestman had Brent in his first cabin counseling at Story Book. After the second day, Daniel moved out of the cabin because he said there was nothing to do. Brent got the campers up in the morning; he made sure they all pitched in during cabin clean-up and that they all made it to chapel on time. And Dan said Brent's night time devotions were excellent with good participation from all the campers. “You can’t move out,” I told Dan. “But Bubba (Brent) is doing such a great job.” I finally persuaded Dan to move back into the cabin, and to fill up his time Dan wrote some of his best camp songs ever. (A CD of these songs can be obtained by e-mailing Billy Howell at william.howell@thumb2face.com)

Brent is being promoted to Captain this next month, then General in July. And I think Commander in Chief sometime in 2014. 

On Thursday morning the three of us took off for home. Roxanne and I shared driving. Roxanne’s mom sat in the back reading the biography of Harry Truman. We stopped overnight at the Great Smokey’s National Park where we hoped to do some hiking. But when we woke up, there was a quarter of an inch of ice on our car, so we did the only sensible thing and drove through the freezing rain over the winding Appalachian Mountain roads. In beautiful Hammond, IN we stopped at a hotel very reasonably priced and with such special amenities as bullet proof glass for their desk clerk. 

Then on to beautiful Story Book Lodge Christian Camp. It wasn’t until we passed through Cloquet that anxiety again rolled over me. “Now what am I going to do?”  I could tell you I would have a colonoscopy, which I did, just this morning. It wasn’t too bad. And I could tell you I’m going to write the biography of Henry Sardina, which I’m in the process of doing. And I could tell you a host of other things I’m thinking about doing. I have nearly infinite possibilities. But I wish I could just go back to work and do my old job. It would make my life so much simpler. Several of the carriers that I supervised have told me they think I was the best Circulation Manager ever. Several of our carriers predated me at the Mesabi Daily News and they had been though 27 different managers in 27 years. My tenure as manager was 6 years, twice as long as any other. I appreciate their kind words. But I realize I won't be going back. 

Elijah in his discouragement saw the Lord display Himself with great power through wind and an earthquake and a great fire. Then we read, "After the fire came the sound of a still, small voice. And when Elijah heard it, he got up and stood." (I Kings 19: 11-13) The Psalmist writes, Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire more than you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For to me the nearness of my God is my good." (Psalms 73: 25-28).

I really do know that it's not about circumstances, it's about nearness. Being kicked out of my comfortableness, my routine, has made me desire so much for the Lord to be near me; and in quietness, to hear His voice.

So for right now, I’m going to write and see what jobs might be available. And every morning when I wake up, I do get hear the voice of my wife and I will listen for the Lord's voice. And I'll push the anxiety aside and I'll sing, "Good day, sunshine. Good day, sunshine. Good day, sunshine..."--maybe I should Google it and find out the rest of the words. 

fishing

“Pull it up. Don’t jerk it but pull up hard and don’t allow any slack in your line. Now reel it in. Don’t let up, just keep reeling.” Those were the instructions I received over and over by anyone who was near me. We were on the Atlantic Ocean three miles beyond Jupiter Island in Florida. Bobby, a friend of Henry Sardina had taken us out on his launch. On the way to the ocean, we went past the homes of the rich and the famous. Tiger Woods had the fanciest place. He had his own four holed golf course, even though one of the world’s most exclusive (and most expensive) golf courses was just a few hundred feet from his property.

During supper the night before, Henry pushed a box of pills towards me. “You have to take one of these now and then take another one tomorrow morning.” I’m not a pill taker so I tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. Henry is not easily steered. “Take one of these, I mean it,” said Henry. “It will make your time on the boat a much better experience. It will keep you from getting sea-sick. And if you’re sea-sick, you’ll ruin the trip for everyone else.” He persuaded me. I popped a pill out of its package and swallowed it.

Henry looked at me quizzically, “What pill did you take?”

“The one you gave me,” I told him.

“What does it say on the package?”

I took off my glasses and read the fine print. “Imodium.”

“Lisa,” Henry hollered, “What’s Imodium doing in the Dramamine box?”

I think she said she did not know, but she was laughing so hard, it was hard to tell.

“You need to take another pill,” Henry said. Which I did. This time I read the tiny print on the package before I popped it out and swallowed it. 

The fishing trip was a life time experience. Never had I experienced fish hitting my line so often. Every fish I was able to keep on my line gave a fight, and every fish I actually pulled into the boat—I think I caught four—was a sight to see. Ocean fish are exotic with blazingly bright colors and beautifully grotesque mouths and eyes and shapes. George Lucas’ aliens never looked so alien. 

Bobby’s son-in-law Brent caught something that hit hard and then took off, pulling most of his line from his reel. Bobby followed the fish with the boat so his line would not snap. Brent reeled with all his might standing on the top deck of the boat. Henry yelled, “Brent, let Larry take your pole. He needs to experience a real fish on his line.” I didn’t want to take his pole. Brent didn’t want me to take it either. This was his fish. He was hoping for a sail fish, but, from the way the fish was pulling, he suspected a shark. It was a long and good fight, at least a half hour fight. We never found out what it was for suddenly his line snapped.

Henry also caught something big. He pulled his pole back, his muscles rippling—or something was rippling. Then, wham, he almost fell backwards. “Something huge just got my fish,” said Henry. “What I had on my line was just bait for him.”

What a great trip! If fishing was always like this, I could be a fisherman. 

I don’t think it just happened that the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples were all fisherman. Jesus told them He was going to make them fishers of men.

Some similarities between spiritual and physical fishermen. They both:

Figure out where the fish are.

Use the appropriate bait.

Are patient.

Don’t let up once they hook a fish.

Love to share their stories.

Jesus said, “When I am lifted up from this earth, I will draw all people to me.” (John 12: 32)

Have we got our lines out? Every real fisherman is out fishing whenever he possibly can.