I am thinking about five good men in my sphere of attention who have died quite unexpectedly or suddenly this year. All were well loved by many; all virtuous in their own unique ways and all will be greatly missed. Some were known to me personally but not famous. Others were famous or became famous at death, but were not known to me personally. Yet there is a common thread going on in these stories that I am having trouble putting into words other than they are five good men who were well loved and whose lives were snuffed out much faster than anyone could have imagined. In all cases, their sudden or quick deaths brought widespread visibility to their lives. Listed in order of when they died, by their first names and relationship to me.
1. DAVID: Uncle . . age-related ailment and complications (age: 80 something) http://www.livingtreasureslosalamos.org/details.php?e=84
2. SHANE: Family friend and father figure to my son for quite a few years. . . complications from cancer (age: 50 something) http://www.morrisnilsen.com/obituary/shane-r-hansell/
3. TIM: Work colleague . . . depression/suicide (age: almost 30)
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2012/08/tim_allen_timberwolves_blogger_dead_by_suicide_at_29.php
4. JAHN: Friend of an old friend, and public figure among Jewish believers in Jesus and friends of theirs . . . quick death caused by brain injury from a fall on stairs in a NYC subway station (age: 60 something)
http://blog.jforj.com/jhanmoskowitz
5. CHRIS: Ambassador to Libya . . . . . terrorism/political-religious violence in a volatile country where he served nobly (age: 40 something)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Stevens_(diplomat)
I guess the thread is something like this: We do not know how long we have those we love to be among us. We do not fully recognize some people’s great virtues until they are suddenly taken from us and those virtues shine crystal clear. Each of these people was uniquely special and made a deep impression and impact on those around them. The thought I keep having now is that we should keep on keeping on doing what we do best and being who we authentically are. Also we should not miss the glorious opportunities that we have every day to savor the life we are given in the here and now,.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
From "The Rib" to House Sharing . . And My Name On a Lease
"The Rib" was a female students' house associated with "The Mustard Seed," which housed young men.
The Mustard Seed started as a house fellowship . . looked like a "commune," but it was all about nondenominational Bible study, evangelism and fellowship. The two guys who started it came from the House of Agape "Jesus people" group in Kansas City in the early '70s. Of those two guys, one became a businessman and also, I think, a professor somewhere . . and the other one became a full-time career missionary with an internationally known evangelistic group, Jews for Jesus.
As they began moving toward their future careers post-KU and post_Mustard Seed, the fellowship transitioned to leadership primarily under Nick and Ineke Willems. One of their sons also assumed leadership. Today, The Mustard Seed is a full-sized church in west Lawrence.
It was an interesting year living with a group that was about half students and half non students. There were very differing life landscapes among those of us who lived there, but it was a convenient, friendly and economical place to live that school year. It also happened to be a block and a half from my grandparents' house, so it was easy for me to see them often!
Near the end of our year living at "The Rib" on 16th Street in Lawrence, we learned that the house was going to be prepared to be sold, and that we would all need to find new places to live. I think I probably would have been ready to move on anyway. It was a pleasant year, but, well, I was at a time of life when I enjoyed having new experiences with the passage of time.
I had applied and been admitted to live in a "scholarship hall" at KU, a university-sponsored coop-style housing option right near Fraser Hall, for my next school year. My Aunt Martha had told me how much she loved living in a "schol hall" while at KU, and the location couldn't be beat! Right next to so many classroom buildings. Furthermore, it would be economical, which was important. I was kind of excited about it, but . . . at the same time, going to live there without a Mustard Seed friend in tow would have been like venturing into unknown social territory. Most Mustard Seed people ended up living with others in one way or another, whether agreeing to share dorm rooms or renting apartments or houses together, etc. (Quite a few married off at young ages, too.)
I wasn't really afraid to venture out, but . . . I also did not really have much time to weigh the options very carefully and think it through, because everything was happening pretty fast, what with the end of the school year fast approaching, getting news that I was admitted to a schol hall for the next year and getting the news that "The Rib" was going to cease to be in operation as it had been for a number of years. (Allegedly, anyway! In fact, Bob M. and his wife, P., very soon thereafter bought the house from Steve C. and resurrected the group living arrangement somewhat, within a year or so! But at the time I needed to be making housing decisions for the next year, this development had not yet transpired. We just had the word that we would need to move on . . . so I took that idea as a given.)
OK, well, right at that time, Pat O. and I had become closer friends, especially right after my cat was killed by a car and she spent time commiserating with me about that. It was a relatively trivial matter, I suppose, and also predictable, but she was the only person around (in or near The Rib) who understood what it meant to me and showed the heartfelt sympathy I needed at that time. This, along with many things we had in common (above all, an Oklahoma background, plus sort of passive personalities), led us to spend more time growing a friendship. She pretty quickly asked, "How about if we rent a house together?"
Well, that sounded potentially fun and I was willing to consider it, despite the schol hall tentative plan. One complication, however, was that she believed we should rent a house right away, beginning in summer. I did not have much of an income or savings at all (my father paid my basic monthly expenses) and summer was an academic unknown. I had applied for an "undergraduate research grant," and if I was accepted for that, then I would have income. If not, I wouldn't be ready to pay for anything til fall. I do not remember the exact timing of everything but somehow, within a short period of time, everything shook out like this: (1) I decided to rent a house with Pat and turn down the schol hall opportunity.
Throughout my life, I used to wonder how things might have gone differently if I had not made that decision. But I did not torment myself with the question. In hindsight, it might have been a better choice in some ways. Being right on campus would have been stimulating, I think. But the house sharing plan had its pluses, for sure, so there is no point in indulging in "what ifs." It was just one of those pivotal decisions that had to be made quickly, and once I made it,
I followed through. (2) I did get the undergraduate research grant! So I would have income for the summer. I seem to recall that it was about $965 total and somehow, in 1977, that was enough to do all the things I proceeded to do that summer! (3) Pat and I found a two-bedroom house down at 2134 Massachusetts that was affordable and simple and nice. I somewhat regretted not having our own rooms (we would be doubling up, two people in each bedroom) and also regretted not being closer to campus as I had always been . . . but after looking around quite a bit before we found that one, we ended up thinking it was a good place.
In Pat's and my room, there was a nice walk-in closet, which sometimes became my studying space for brief periods as needed if the rest of the house got too busy! I was sometimes teased for that but a quiet study space was essential with all the heavy-reading courses I was taking.
In my next blog post, I will describe the house at 2134 Massachusetts and tell about my memories of life there, which spanned a 12-month period. (I am having trouble making spaces between paragraphs. Hopefully I can figure out why and fix that soon. Meanwhile, I will leave the post as is.)
The Mustard Seed started as a house fellowship . . looked like a "commune," but it was all about nondenominational Bible study, evangelism and fellowship. The two guys who started it came from the House of Agape "Jesus people" group in Kansas City in the early '70s. Of those two guys, one became a businessman and also, I think, a professor somewhere . . and the other one became a full-time career missionary with an internationally known evangelistic group, Jews for Jesus.
As they began moving toward their future careers post-KU and post_Mustard Seed, the fellowship transitioned to leadership primarily under Nick and Ineke Willems. One of their sons also assumed leadership. Today, The Mustard Seed is a full-sized church in west Lawrence.
It was an interesting year living with a group that was about half students and half non students. There were very differing life landscapes among those of us who lived there, but it was a convenient, friendly and economical place to live that school year. It also happened to be a block and a half from my grandparents' house, so it was easy for me to see them often!
Near the end of our year living at "The Rib" on 16th Street in Lawrence, we learned that the house was going to be prepared to be sold, and that we would all need to find new places to live. I think I probably would have been ready to move on anyway. It was a pleasant year, but, well, I was at a time of life when I enjoyed having new experiences with the passage of time.
I had applied and been admitted to live in a "scholarship hall" at KU, a university-sponsored coop-style housing option right near Fraser Hall, for my next school year. My Aunt Martha had told me how much she loved living in a "schol hall" while at KU, and the location couldn't be beat! Right next to so many classroom buildings. Furthermore, it would be economical, which was important. I was kind of excited about it, but . . . at the same time, going to live there without a Mustard Seed friend in tow would have been like venturing into unknown social territory. Most Mustard Seed people ended up living with others in one way or another, whether agreeing to share dorm rooms or renting apartments or houses together, etc. (Quite a few married off at young ages, too.)
I wasn't really afraid to venture out, but . . . I also did not really have much time to weigh the options very carefully and think it through, because everything was happening pretty fast, what with the end of the school year fast approaching, getting news that I was admitted to a schol hall for the next year and getting the news that "The Rib" was going to cease to be in operation as it had been for a number of years. (Allegedly, anyway! In fact, Bob M. and his wife, P., very soon thereafter bought the house from Steve C. and resurrected the group living arrangement somewhat, within a year or so! But at the time I needed to be making housing decisions for the next year, this development had not yet transpired. We just had the word that we would need to move on . . . so I took that idea as a given.)
OK, well, right at that time, Pat O. and I had become closer friends, especially right after my cat was killed by a car and she spent time commiserating with me about that. It was a relatively trivial matter, I suppose, and also predictable, but she was the only person around (in or near The Rib) who understood what it meant to me and showed the heartfelt sympathy I needed at that time. This, along with many things we had in common (above all, an Oklahoma background, plus sort of passive personalities), led us to spend more time growing a friendship. She pretty quickly asked, "How about if we rent a house together?"
Well, that sounded potentially fun and I was willing to consider it, despite the schol hall tentative plan. One complication, however, was that she believed we should rent a house right away, beginning in summer. I did not have much of an income or savings at all (my father paid my basic monthly expenses) and summer was an academic unknown. I had applied for an "undergraduate research grant," and if I was accepted for that, then I would have income. If not, I wouldn't be ready to pay for anything til fall. I do not remember the exact timing of everything but somehow, within a short period of time, everything shook out like this: (1) I decided to rent a house with Pat and turn down the schol hall opportunity.
Throughout my life, I used to wonder how things might have gone differently if I had not made that decision. But I did not torment myself with the question. In hindsight, it might have been a better choice in some ways. Being right on campus would have been stimulating, I think. But the house sharing plan had its pluses, for sure, so there is no point in indulging in "what ifs." It was just one of those pivotal decisions that had to be made quickly, and once I made it,
I followed through. (2) I did get the undergraduate research grant! So I would have income for the summer. I seem to recall that it was about $965 total and somehow, in 1977, that was enough to do all the things I proceeded to do that summer! (3) Pat and I found a two-bedroom house down at 2134 Massachusetts that was affordable and simple and nice. I somewhat regretted not having our own rooms (we would be doubling up, two people in each bedroom) and also regretted not being closer to campus as I had always been . . . but after looking around quite a bit before we found that one, we ended up thinking it was a good place.
In Pat's and my room, there was a nice walk-in closet, which sometimes became my studying space for brief periods as needed if the rest of the house got too busy! I was sometimes teased for that but a quiet study space was essential with all the heavy-reading courses I was taking.
In my next blog post, I will describe the house at 2134 Massachusetts and tell about my memories of life there, which spanned a 12-month period. (I am having trouble making spaces between paragraphs. Hopefully I can figure out why and fix that soon. Meanwhile, I will leave the post as is.)
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