Christmas Eve Service Lon Dialectical Journal
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Lon
“That you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
Standing off to the left during a Christmas Eve program Lon exclaimed, “Don! How long has it been my friend? At least twenty years I bet!” Forlorn, tired looking, and slumped forward just a bit, I thought, “Wow! You have not aged very well.” Offering a customary response, “How have you been,” decided the fate of my Christmas Eve service. As tears welled up in his eyes, I knew, “You won’t make this Christmas Eve service.” Lon, a lay leader in his church, elected council member of his town, a business owner, and man of respectable influence in his community, stood slumped and stooped before me. In brokenness, he opened the dams of his …show more content…
“My soul is tired. My soul is weary. It’s like my soul is dead or sick.” Lon’s staggering disappointments on many fronts of life presented a stark contrast to the man of years gone by. His disappointment with life matched his disappointment with the church he belonged to for over thirty years. This list went on and on and on. This once vibrant man stood as a shadow of his former self. Bible teacher, leader, musician, business owner, husband, and father now fell far short of any personal expectation for success in life, career, or …show more content…
It was a very rural area. We were building a pretty nice vacation home for a very wealthy gentleman. While working inside we smelled smoke. Within an hour the woods were filled with smoke. We had to leave. Wildland fires were approaching our way. So, we jumped in our vehicles and tried to make our way out to the main road. It was tough because the smoke and haze was so very thick. The dirt roads we traveled to get to our job were almost unrecognizable because of the smoke. And, you know, that is how I . . . I, guess, I feel. Like my soul is in a kind of smoke. Like everything is hazy. Lon reached a crescendo of self-discovery blurting out, “Yes, it’s like my soul is in a haze. That’s it. That’s where I am. Like I don’t know where I am going or what the purpose of it all
Lon
“That you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
Standing off to the left during a Christmas Eve program Lon exclaimed, “Don! How long has it been my friend? At least twenty years I bet!” Forlorn, tired looking, and slumped forward just a bit, I thought, “Wow! You have not aged very well.” Offering a customary response, “How have you been,” decided the fate of my Christmas Eve service. As tears welled up in his eyes, I knew, “You won’t make this Christmas Eve service.” Lon, a lay leader in his church, elected council member of his town, a business owner, and man of respectable influence in his community, stood slumped and stooped before me. In brokenness, he opened the dams of his …show more content…
“My soul is tired. My soul is weary. It’s like my soul is dead or sick.” Lon’s staggering disappointments on many fronts of life presented a stark contrast to the man of years gone by. His disappointment with life matched his disappointment with the church he belonged to for over thirty years. This list went on and on and on. This once vibrant man stood as a shadow of his former self. Bible teacher, leader, musician, business owner, husband, and father now fell far short of any personal expectation for success in life, career, or …show more content…
It was a very rural area. We were building a pretty nice vacation home for a very wealthy gentleman. While working inside we smelled smoke. Within an hour the woods were filled with smoke. We had to leave. Wildland fires were approaching our way. So, we jumped in our vehicles and tried to make our way out to the main road. It was tough because the smoke and haze was so very thick. The dirt roads we traveled to get to our job were almost unrecognizable because of the smoke. And, you know, that is how I . . . I, guess, I feel. Like my soul is in a kind of smoke. Like everything is hazy. Lon reached a crescendo of self-discovery blurting out, “Yes, it’s like my soul is in a haze. That’s it. That’s where I am. Like I don’t know where I am going or what the purpose of it all