First published on DECEMBER 30, 2008
I am late getting this list together because I initially did not want to do such a list. However several friends here have encouraged me to do it so I have put a list together. I am still not sure what I think about it because I find any list necessarily has to leave important things out, and will change over time. In any case, this is my list for the end of 2008.
1. I am a retired, liberal, Protestant Christian pastor who feels no need to defend either God or Christ, but rather strive to understand what God expects of me and to live accordingly.
2. The love of my life is my wife, Sue. I cannot imagine life without her.
3. The passion of my life is motorcycling, and in particular, touring on motorcycles. My current medical problems which began last March make the latter impossible.
4. I am not adjusting as well as I would like to my new medical issues. Because my problems are rare there is no “cure” but some people do achieve remission for which I hope.
5. I turned 70 this week and it feels no different than did 69.
6. I am a recovering alcoholic with over 19 years sobriety. I am not, however, cured.
7. Treating people with respect and civility is at the core of my values.
8. OS is both a fun thing and a useful therapy in keeping my mind off my troubles and keeping it on others. I have found that the social aspects of OS are more important to me than the writing.
9. I have never had much interest in acquiring worldly possessions.
10. Helping others is something I do not find a burden, but rather an honor and a pleasure.
11. I like kudos as much as the next person and my ego can be wounded, but only by the betrayal of friends and never by the words of strangers.
12. I do not suffer fools lightly, but will not judge them quickly either.
13. Since I believe that eternal life begins when one truly professes his/her faith, then I also believe that believers already are experiencing eternal life and should appreciate it.
14. I do not know what is the future of people of other faiths or no faith. It has been enough effort to try to practice my own faith with some humility and grace, and therefore I respect others who are trying to find their own spiritual paths.
15. I hold four college degrees and I have lived several distinct periods of my life, including as a public servant, a businessman and a clergyman.
16. In each period of my life others have considered me to be an “expert” because of my education and my positions in organizations, but I have never made any such claim for myself. I judge my worth to others by whether or not what I do or say is helpful to them.
17. I find that seeking perfection in anything is a goal to strive for, and one that can never be achieved. The pleasure is in the striving, not in the arriving.
18. I believe that humans are not wired to know all that there is to know in any given subject that we study, and that therefore we ought to recognize that truth when we think that we are certain about something about which others have differing opinions.
19. I believe, therefore, in mystery, and believe that we are far too unimpressed with mystery and far too eager to explain it away. This creates anxious and unhappy people who are striving constantly to fix things that aren’t broken, they simply are as they are.
20. Love, hope and charity are not idle words but are the essence of a positive human experience.
21. There is no value in dwelling for long periods at what might have been. We need to own our past and make amends where warranted, but then put it on a shelf and move on.
22. Only fools believe that they do not make mistakes or know so perfectly what is right that they feel they are obligated to tell others how to live. It is work enough for one lifetime to try to live one life well.
23. God must have infinite patience with us to see what we have done to his creation and how we have treated his creatures, including each other, and still love us.
24. I have a long list of questions that I wish to discuss with God when I see him face to face but I believe that they will seem petty then and I won’t ask them.
25. I strive for a life well lived which means to accept what I cannot control and to lean upon God in trust even in periods of doubt. It has nothing to do with conventional ideas of accumulating earthly wealth or success.
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