Tag: writing

Four On One Play

Have you ever mishandled a situation?  More than that, have you ever compounded one mistake with one, two, or more on top of the first one?  If you have been around for any length of time, you have. 

Neal Pollard

    Lennie Merullo had a memorable day on September 13, 1942.  The Cubs’ infielder had a son that day and in the second inning of Chicago’s game, he made four errors!  His teammates nicknamed Lennie’s son “boots” (baseball fans will get that).  As bad as it was for Lennie, it may have been worse for Mike Grady.  Grady, normally a catcher, was playing third base in a game for the Phillies in 1895.  As the story goes (see The Very Worst In Sports), he booted an easy grounder allowing the batter to reach first base (first error).  His throw to first was wild, allowing the runner to advance (second error).  The runner tried to stretch it to third.  The first baseman’s throw to Grady at third was in time, but he dropped it (third error).  Finally, the runner was racing home and Grady’s throw sailed over the catcher’s head into the grandstand (fourth error).  Grady allowed the proverbial “Little League Home Run.”  This was Grady’s second year in the Majors.  You might think it would have been his last, but not so.  While he is no Hall of Famer, he did log eleven seasons in the big leagues.  In 1901, he finished fourth in batting and seventh in on-base percentage.  Oh and his career fielding percentage was only slightly below the league average when he retired.

    Now you non-baseball aficionados can wake up for the application.  Have you ever mishandled a situation?  More than that, have you ever compounded one mistake with one, two, or more on top of the first one?  If you have been around for any length of time, you have.  Maybe you lied to cover up some sin and felt compelled to add a few more lies to it.  Maybe you lost your temper, then cursed, and maybe even escalated it beyond that.  Temptation has any number of ways of getting into our way and really botching up things.  The question is, “What do you do in the aftermath?”  So far as I know, Grady stayed in the game.  Merullo probably did, too.  If you fall off the horse or the bicycle, the conventional wisdom tells you to climb back on top of it.  When you mess things up with sin, divine wisdom says to get back up and keep trying.  1 John 1:9 assures us that God will forgive us in our confessing and seeking to continue on in the Light.  How badly had the Prodigal Son behave, and yet there was acceptance for him when he returned to the father’s house.  The repeated theme of scripture for those who fall is to get up and keep going.  Do not give up the fight.  The late gospel preacher, George Bailey, put it, “Success comes in ‘cans,’ not ‘can’ts.'”  

    Have you made a mess of things?  Don’t throw in the towel.  Keep the faith, and keep fighting (cf. 1 Timothy 6:12)!  Be sure to end well.

“Look Before You Leap”

When you want to cool off and a bridge looks like the perfect short cut, make sure to look twice and cannonball once…

Neal Pollard

In the summer of 2013, a 21-year-old swimmer, Corey Allen Hewitt, jumped off the Bandmann Bridge into the Clark Fork River in Missoula, Montana. Because he did not look upriver before his plunge, he landed on a man who was floating the river in an inner tube. The man, Andy Hill, suffered broken legs, torn knee ligaments, and other injuries. Alice Miller of the Missoulian wrote, “Hewitt slammed into his lap, chipping bones and tearing ACL ligaments in both of Hill’s legs and fracturing one of his femurs.” The jumper was given a two year deferred sentence and ordered to pay $22,500 in restitution to the victim. He knew that it was illegal, but he disregarded the warnings. Not only did he injure hill and get in trouble with the law, he was also injured. The worst part of this is how totally preventable it was, if not for a young man’s lack of discernment and discretion.

Hewitt is not the first or the worst example of the danger of taking a blind, impetuous leap that inflicts damage! In Proverbs, Solomon describes the fool as one who, lacking understanding, recklessly divulges his mind (18:2), proclaims the folly of his heart (12:23), and displays his folly (13:16). Solomon warns about being hasty or impulsive to bring up a matter (Ecc. 5:2). An abomination to God are “feet that run rapidly to evil” (Prov. 6:18). The one enamored with the adulteress “hastens to the snare” she sets (Prov. 7:23) and the intemperate “hasten to shed blood” (Prov. 1:16). 

Have you ever jumped to conclusions? Made assumptions? Perhaps you did not hold off and wait for information and confirmation. The damage can be costly and permanent, for yourself and your victim. It is seen by a heavenly judge who shall deal justly (Gen. 18:25; Rom. 3:5-6). Take some time. Be a conscientious fact-gatherer, and then triple-check. Give the benefit of the doubt. Seek counsel from the wise. Check your motives. There are so many steps to take before you take a leap. A closer look can change the whole situation and save reputations, feelings, and maybe even souls. 

The Fleeting Nature Of Legacy

Lessons From The Parable Of The Rich Fool

Brent Pollard

The breadth of human recollection is rather fleeting. In merely three generations, the essence of most lives—their trials, victories, and the simple moments of each day—slips quietly into the shadows of forgetfulness. Though history may enshrine its Shakespeares and Einsteins, the greater multitude of us shall fade into obscurity, our tales slipping quietly into the annals of time. This obliteration of individual narrative unfolds through various avenues. As time flows onward, the clarity of memory tends to wane, and the stories of those who came before us, beyond the realm of our grandparents, often fade into a misty obscurity. Families frequently choose to uphold only sure tales, usually centering on those kin who have forged remarkable legacies while permitting others to fade quietly into the obscurity of yesteryear. Those who depart this world without the blessing of children tread a more arduous road to remembrance since their narratives rest solely upon the commitment of distant kin to keep them alive in memory. In this age of mobility, it is all too common for families to drift apart, their bonds fraying and shared memories fading into the ether. The myriad forces at play—natural memory decay, the art of selective storytelling, the absence of children, and the scattering of families—combine harmoniously to guarantee that our recollection barely reaches a century for most of us.

The fleeting essence of human memory imparts a significant lesson regarding the quest for legacy through earthly riches, a truth vividly depicted in the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21). In this narrative, a man of considerable means is convinced that his vast possessions will safeguard his future and ensure his legacy. Yet, in a twist of fate, death arrives to strip away the significance of his meticulously crafted designs. The inquiry posed by the parable—”Then who will receive what you have laid aside for yourself?”—gains a more profound significance when we reflect upon the fleeting nature of our very names within the tapestry of family remembrance. If destiny determines to erase our lives from memory within a few generations, the quest for wealth, as the means for leaving a legacy, reveals itself as a pursuit devoid of true purpose. Instead, this poignant truth beckons us to reflect upon what genuinely lasts: the far-reaching impacts of our connections, the principles we impart to those around us, and the uplifting transformations we foster within our communities. Though the allure of worldly achievements may offer fleeting solace, the unseen connections we forge—the impact we have on the lives of others, the insights we impart, the affection we extend—hold the promise of resonating far beyond our time on this earth. This viewpoint invites us to redirect our attention from the mere gathering of riches to the nurturing of a more profound spiritual and relational abundance, one that may surpass the limits of recollection, thus fostering a legacy that is both meaningful and lasting.

Rather than entangling us in a web of despair, the certainty of being forgotten liberates us to embrace life with greater authenticity and purpose. When we free ourselves from the weighty expectation of leaving a tangible legacy, we understand a profound reality: our authentic influence is not measured by what we bequeath but rather by how our deeds resonate through the ages, often beyond our sight. The folly of the Rich Fool lay not merely in his accumulation of riches but in his profound misunderstanding of the enduring legacy that binds one generation to another through unseen threads of influence. A gentle word uttered in the present may resonate within a family’s principles for generations; a selfless deed could ignite a legacy of generosity that endures beyond our remembrance; a fleeting insight imparted might influence choices long after its origin fades from memory. This insight reshapes our perspective on the fleeting moments life grants us. Rather than laboring to erect grand monuments in our honor, let us turn our efforts to sowing seeds of virtue that will blossom long after we have departed. We may find solace in the understanding that our impact can persist, even when our names have slipped into the shadows of time. This parable extends beyond its sacred beginnings to impart a wisdom that resonates universally: a profound legacy continues to yield fruit, even when circumstances cut it from its roots.

An Excellent Wife

Neal Pollard

The book of Proverbs ends, in chapter 31, with an investigation. The writer, whether Lemuel is making observations or passing along his mother’s sage guidance, leads the search. He writes how rare and valuable an excellent wife is (10). It is a literary masterpiece, an acrostic poem (each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) and a chiasm (“a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or modified form,” Apple Dictionary, 2.3.0). You would diagram the outline of the chiasm like this: A B C B A. The chiasm was a literary way to show the heart or focus of a specific section of Scripture. It would be readily identified by a Jewish reader, but it enriches our study when we understand that it’s intentionally there. The heart of this poem is verse 23: “Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.” The net effect of the kind of wife described here is that it blesses her spouse’s life. That should be the goal of every married person, to raise others’ view of him or her through the righteous conduct of our life. What is the character of the wife described here?

  • She is prized and praiseworthy (10, 30-31).
  • Her husband and home are profited by and praise her (11-12, 28-29).
  • She is a hard worker (13-19, 27). 
  • She is generous with her material things and her wisdom (20, 26).
  • She is not ruled by worries and fears (21,25).
  • She dresses her children and house well and she dresses her character well (21-22, 24-25).

Some have used this poem to try and hold up a “Renaissance Woman,” an ideal so unrealistic that no woman could ever live up to her standard. These have had too narrow a view of the author’s purpose. He is trying to demonstrate the kind of approach that a wife, in this context, should take to her role and responsibility. She is careful about how she approaches the various duties of the home, which she rules and oversees. She adopts a wise, God-approved character. This leads her to bless all who are in various relationships with her. Husbands do well to approach their duties, character-development, and relationships in the same way. Society will be benefited from its members taking who they are and what they do more seriously. So will the church and the home. 

What a blessing to be married to an excellent wife! There is no substitute for this. How it makes the inevitable burdens of life easier to carry. Let us all strive to be excellent in the role(s) God has given to us! 

Beyond Platitudes: The Power Of Empathetic Listening

Brent Pollard

The protagonist in “THX 1138” navigates a dystopian society where the government enforces drug-induced obedience, resulting in a docile population. This society is meticulously regulated, with every aspect weighed against cost efficiency. The government aggressively eliminates overbudget items and even regulates religion.

The Renaissance image of Jesus Christ by Hans Memling serves as the visual representation of the deity OMM-0000, whom the inhabitants of this dystopia worship. THX 1138 engages OMM in a phone booth-like setting, seeking solace by sharing his concerns. However, OMM’s responses are eerily consistent regardless of your problem, providing generic advice that appears disconnected from the protagonist’s circumstances. The impression that THX 1138 is merely interacting with a machine becomes clear.

Here are OMM-0000’s canned responses to THX 1138 in one scene of the movie:

“My time is yours…

Very good, proceed…

Yes, I understand…

Yes fine…

Yes… yes, I understand…

Yes, fine…

Excellent…

Yes…

Could you be more specific?

You are a true believer.

Blessings of the state, blessings of the masses. Thou art a subject of the divine. Created in the image of man, by the masses, for the masses. Let us be thankful that we have an occupation to fill. Work hard, increase production, prevent accidents, and be happy.”

In another interchange between THX 1138 and OMM, OMM’s dialogue is verbatim until the last sentences:

“Let us be thankful we have commerce. Buy more. Buy more now. Buy more and be happy.”

In this part of the movie, THX 1138 is not taking the mandated drugs, and as a result, he experiences withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms exacerbate the harsh and gloomy reality of his dystopian world. Although he has someone in OMM who is supposed to bring comfort, THX 1138 discovers the truth about his god.

I have sought advice from Christian community members who unfortunately ended up as helpful as OMM, providing me with canned answers like “read your Bible” and “pray more.” Although this advice is valuable, it doesn’t always feel enough when faced with specific difficulties. By telling someone their positivity alone can help them overcome adversity, we place an unfair burden as they strive to cope and find solutions. For instance, a brother once told me I could overcome Crohn’s disease simply by thinking myself well since the Bible says our thoughts determine our reality. (“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23.7 NKJV). Such viewpoints can be particularly frustrating when one is dealing with complex issues, such as long-term health problems or depression, for which easy solutions do not exist.

The biblical figure Job faced similar frustrations. Initially, his friends offered silent support during his grief. However, they responded with criticism rather than understanding when he expressed his suffering. Job’s desire to argue his case directly with God emphasizes the importance of being heard and understood rather than dismissed with platitudes or unfounded advice (see Job 13.1–5).

The subject matter highlights a more significant issue: the tendency to provide quick fixes rather than empathetic listening. In times of pain or doubt, people often need space to express themselves, even if their words appear exaggerated or contentious. Job’s friends should have silently listened when Job wished he had not been born instead of blaming his alleged sins. The story of Job demonstrates that divine compassion outweighs human judgment, reminding us of the Christian call to love and listen to one another without passing judgment or offering simplistic advice.

Therefore, the next time someone seeks your support, resist the impulse to provide immediate solutions. Instead, listen attentively and allow them to guide the conversation. A listening ear rather than unsolicited advice can provide genuine relief and support, fostering a more compassionate and understanding environment. Prayerfully speak to them when appropriate once someone has fully vented their emotions.