Of course, we had to have a little buffer time in case of emergencies, so we got back into Ft. Wayne about an hour early. Because loved ones were awaiting us at the church, we didn’t dare go there, so we spent that hour driving around the city. We became very impatient. Some of us had families and children waiting for us, and we were all tired of sitting in that bus for a week. We wanted off! Tempers grew a little raw.

But finally the time arrived and we were greeted by family and friends just as we walked into the full church together. It was a glorious moment. But waiting was agony.

Have you ever gotten impatient waiting upon the Lord’s return? It will be glorious, but we have to wait. When was the last time God taught you a lesson in patience?

The third turtle said, “No, because you’ll eat all the turtle food and drink all the turtle-ade, and I won’t have any.” Finally he agreed to go back for the umbrella. One hour, two hours, three hours went by, and then one day, one week, and two weeks passed. One of rthe turtles said, “Well, I guess we can eat the turtle food and drink the turtle-ade because he’s not coming back.” Then they heard something over in the bushes say, “If you do, I won’t go.”

Some of us are like the third turtle. We’re afraid that if we jump out there and do something, we might miss the picnic. The truth is, we’ll miss the picnic by not trusting God and doing our part.

“General McClellan was waiting on the Army to get ready during the first year of the war for the Union. President Lincoln asked if he might borrow the Army if McClellan wasn’t going to use it.

“No one can borrow the resources God’s given you. Dreams without deadlines become nightmares. Abraham didn’t have a destination, but he packed up and left home. Moses didn’t have a clue, yet he walked into Pharaoh’s palace. If you wait until you’re really sure, you’ll never take off your training wheels.”

Perhaps this is a word from God to you today. What is it God wants to do?

So they prayed together. As soon as they finished, Caitlin asked, “What did He say?” Her mother explained that it doesn’t work that way; sometimes it takes a long time to get an answer. Caitlin was indignant: “Do you mean we were praying to an answering machine?”

What lessons has a kid taught you?

While I was leading them through the ceremony, I was smiling inside at her vivacious personality. So, when we got to the part when I should say, “Now you may kiss the bride…”, I stopped and just silently stood there. They were staring at each other expectantly, like a dog with a treat on its nose, for a couple of long seconds. Everyone began to lean forward a bit trying to help me say it. Finally, they both looked at me, and then I said, “Now…you may kiss the bride”. The kiss commenced, everyone chuckled, and the wedding was history.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen at a wedding?

“By the fifth grade, I was bearing all the fruit of a kid who feels insecure, unloved, and pretty angry at life. In other words, I was tearing the place apart. However, my teacher Miss Simon apparently thought that I was blind to this problem, because she regularly reminded me, ‘Howard, you are the worst behaved child in this school!’

So tell me something I don’t already know! I thought to myself, as I proceeded to live up (or down) to her opinion of me.

One time I got so out of hand that she physically grabbed me, shoved me into my desk, tied me to my seat with a rope, and wrapped tape around my mouth. ‘Now you will sit still and be quiet!’ she announced triumphantly. So what else could I do?

Needless to say, the fifth grade was probably the worst year of my life. Finally I was graduated – for obvious reasons. But I left with Miss Simon’s words ringing in my ears: ‘Howard, you are the worst behaved child in this school!’

You can imagine, then, my expectations upon entering the sixth grade, where my teacher was Miss Noé. The first day of class she went down the roll, and it wasn’t long before she came to my name. ‘Howard Hendricks,’ she called out, glancing from her list to where I was sitting with my arms folded, just waiting to go into action. She looked me over for a moment, and said, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’ Then she smiled and added, ‘But I don’t believe a word of it!”

I tell you, that moment was a fundamental turning point, not only in my education, but in my life. Suddenly, unexpectedly, someone believed in me. For the first time in my life, someone saw potential in me. Miss Noé put me on special assignments. She gave me little jobs to do. She invited me to come in after school to work on my reading and arithmetic. She challenged me with higher standards.

I had a hard time letting her down. In fact, one time I got so involved in one of her homework assignments that I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning working on it! Eventually my father came down the hall and said, ‘What’s the matter, son, are you sick?’

‘No, I’m doing my homework,’ I replied.

He kind of blinked and rubbed his eyes, not quite sure whether he was awake. He’d never heard me say anything like that before. Finally he shook his head and said, ‘You’re sick!’

What made the difference between fifth grade and sixth? The fact that someone was willing to give me a chance. Someone was willing to believe in me while challenging me with higher expectations. That was risky, because there was no guarantee that I would honor Miss Noé’s trust.”

Do you have any experience with you own little Howard?

He announced his plan to change the governmental system of this church so that it became a pastor-led church. He was insistent that only his way was the scriptural way to govern a church. I encouraged him to slow down and give this transition time, but he was adamant that the Board step down. Sure enough, he lead a challenge publicly to change the governmental structure of the church. And within the month he was moving back home to Michigan, fired from his position.

He may have been correct about the scriptural way a church should be governed, but he was too new to be trusted, and had not gained sufficient clout to influence the people. He was without a job and the church was without a pastor. He tried to change the value system of that church and didn’t give it the time necessary.

Have you seen sad stories like this?

Whether this story is true or merely legend, it illustrates the truth that sometimes we have to put up with pain as the Lord develops and purifies us. Hang onto your faith and never, never, never give up.

Always the frugal (or should I say cheap) shopper, I took him to a section where the price was best and told him to buy those. He carefully examined the jeans, reading every word on the label. He got one of those silly Japanese horror movie looks on his face when he came upon the word ‘Slightly Irregular’. To a long-haired hippie like me, Slightly Irregular meant ‘great bargain’. To a guy schooled on the King’s English who was unfamiliar with American slang, it meant something altogether different. And its hard to tell someone who understands good English that it really doesn’t mean what he knows it means.

In one version, Paul advises us to “Make allowance for each other’s faults” (Colossians 3:13). Who do you know that is not slightly irregular? But if we Christians can make allowance for slightly irregular people, we will not take up offenses quite so easily. Just keep telling yourself, “When I meet that slightly irregular person today, be sure to make allowance for their slight irregularity.” And, perhaps they’ll make allowance for your irregularity as well.

But, its not that easy. Externally, I feel strong and healthy, but internally the healing continues. At 18 days into this, I’m still wearing an uncomfortable catheter and having difficulty sitting up straight. If I had just accepted the four week healing period as a time to just rest, I would be right on schedule. But my unrealistic expectations were just not realistic, and that’s what discouraged me. My advice to others in the future will be to just plan to wait it out at home for a full month. Then good news looks good.