For those who do not recognize the term, a “Parrothead” is a coined term identifying a person as a fan of Jimmy Buffett, singer/leader of the Coral Reefer Band and marketing mogul. He trademarked the titles of some of his hits and parlayed musical success into restaurants and sales of a wide range of “lifestyle” products. Parrotheads cover the full spectrum of loyalty. At one end are the closeted souls who enjoy his music (in the privacy of their own homes), and at the other extreme are the outlandishly dressed and accessorized denizens (those who want to be “Jimmy Buffett”) camping out at Parrothead conventions called “concerts.”

I was introduced to his “Gulf and Western” music in the late 1970’s through the Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO or “E-dub”) on my B-52 crew. A fellow Texan, we were both drawn to the light-hearted mischief and allusions to an easy, sun-baked lifestyle presented in his music. During this phase of Mr. Buffett’s career, his albums were a mixture of tunes related to the consumption of rum or tequila-based concoctions, word twisting to humorous effect (“The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful,” for example), and an occasional quiet, reflective ballad that indicated a soul beneath the “party-on” exterior. It is one of these ballads, “The Captain and the Kid,” that touched me then and has hit me profoundly now that I have reached the status of “The Captain.”

The song was written in honor of Mr. Buffett’s paternal grandfather, Captain James Delaney Buffett, and was occasioned by the man’s passing (“He died about a month ago, while winter filled the air…”). The grandson attributed his sense that life is an adventure to be lived and enjoyed from climbing “upon his knee, listening to his many tales of life upon the sea.” When they “went sailing on Barkentines” (a sailing ship with 3-5 masts) “and talked of things he did, the world was just a day away for the Captain and the kid.”

I was reintroduced to this song shortly after a visit with my son, daughter-in-law, and 18 month old grandson, Grant. As Mr. Buffett noted, waddling grandfathers and toddling grandsons together occupy a world that is untouched by any other human being. In one afternoon, Grant moved quickly from copying Dad and Granddad working (using his toy replicas of real tools) to requesting to use the cordless drill (the real thing), holding it correctly, and then to showing his proud grandfather how to properly use the tool – even installing and removing drill bits. Reading stories became telling stories to a rapt audience of one. The little morality tales for a toddler will soon give way to great stories from the adventure and joy and excitement that is military flying. I can’t wait.

Such was the relationship of which Mr. Buffett sings through the first verse: “tales of life upon the sea.” The second verse begins with a harsh reality: when you become a grandparent, you are already feeling the ravages of time.

“His world had gone from sailing ships to raking Mom’s backyard.
He never could adjust to land, although he tried so hard”.

The dauntless sea captain who physically wrestled with the power of wind and sea now finds physical challenge limited to “raking Mom’s backyard.” The seasoned sailor and leader of men who barked orders to move sails and to steer a ship on a course and away from danger now accomplishes a menial task quietly and alone. The grandfather tried, but never adjusted to this phase of life – on land.

No man truly adjusts to a life without adventure and physical challenges, for loss of the adventure means a loss of personal significance. The best we can hope for is redefining challenge, in hopes of discovering new adventures. While the ravages of time affect the body, their results are felt in the soul.

“Ravages of time:” a bleak prospect for any person, but most profound for one whose adventure was linked to inherent dangers in his profession. For the sailor or the airman, life on land does not promise danger like the sea or the sky.

Mr. Buffett observes the change, and in his response as a grandson points us in the direction we grandparents need to consider.

“We both were growing older then; wiser with our years.
That’s when I came to understand the course his heart still steers.”

Growing older is unavoidable; growing wiser is a choice. “Older” can mean “bitter,” or it can wisely be seen as the new adventure of impacting a follow-on generation. For this task, God provides inherent ability: deterioration of the physical body makes the heart clearer to others. And clearest of all to a child who has no other connection to a life lived in a time gone by.

“The course his heart still steers.” In the context, the reference is to steering a course while sailing a three to five-masted Barkentine. This serves as a metaphor for the direction of his grandfather’s life – the heart steering the life. When the old man lost the sea to live out adventure, he took on the task of steering his grandson into the realization that life is an adventure: “the whole world is just a day away.” He was successful, as Mr. Buffett, reflecting on his grandfather’s death concludes, “Although I cried I was so proud to love a man so rare.”

Let’s stop and consider the concept of steering a course. In the literal sense of sailing it means:

The sailor and his craft are dependent on the wind for propulsion and subject to its whims.

Steering a course means going with the wind, across the wind, or against the wind – but always with the destination in focus.

Changes in wind speed have both a positive and a negative effect. The harder the wind blows, the greater speed the ship can attain, but the rougher the sea becomes. Calm wind means still sea, but you go nowhere.

Closer to land – to your destination and harbor – means greater likelihood of encountering hidden danger from reefs or sandbars. Vigilance is heightened as you approach the familiar.

In facing these challenges, the only constant in the equation is the destination.

Take the facts from the literal sense of sailing and compare them to the metaphor of the heart steering the life:

Wind and sea picture the circumstances of our lives. We control neither but must constantly be adjusting for their changes. Sometimes we go with circumstances, other times across or against them. Our destination determines which tack to take.

Changes in wind and sea are both positive and negative. The greater the challenge, the greater the reward and the greater the risk. Like the sailor, we view times of absolute stillness – the doldrums – with a jaundiced eye. No challenge means we personally are going nowhere.

And there is danger of shipwreck in our lives even in the area of the familiar. Vigilance in our attitudes, relationships, character, and morality is the constant watchword for the day.

And the only constant in the equation is the destination.

So the question to ask in this light is, “What do you see as your destination?” We are moving through choppy seas and adverse winds – to what end? Like the sailor on the open sea, the destination is not in sight. We must depend on an external source, a compass, to guide our ship of life toward our destination. What direction does your compass point?

I see “the course his heart still steers” as my challenge: “What destination will Grant understand that grandfather’s heart steers toward?” My destination is Heaven. To that end, should my compass point upward or earth-bound? Toward people or away? Toward Christ or toward self? Toward joy or toward bitterness? In each of these options, the former is rare, the latter is common.

I have little eyes that will see, and a young heart that will follow. My prayer is that he will be proud to have loved a man who was rare.

This was the first time my wife Sally and oldest son Martin made the climb. We did so in honor of her sixt, uh, “significant” birthday. I made the climb in December 2007 with our three younger sons, my brothers, and their sons. Martin didn’t go then because he was preparing for deployment to Iraq. With this climb, the whole family has been there.

Beyond the personal challenge and family connection, climbing the mountain allowed me to revisit the first of the three “M’s” that have characterized my life: Mountain, Military, and Ministry. I was introduced to some principles about God and about life as a boy climbing Sugarloaf and Mount Franklin in El Paso and have lived them out in my life ever since.

Learning about God and life from a mountain? Don’t be surprised. The writers of the poetic passages of Scripture found comparisons between mountains and God. They saw that mountains speak of:

The greatness of God as Creator (Psalm 104:1, 2, 5, 8 )

The eternality of God (Psalm 90:2)

The power of God (Job 9:5 and Psalm 65:6)

The righteousness of God (Psalm 36:6)

The reign of God: (Isaiah 2:2)

These pictures refer to God Himself. Scripture also uses mountains to relate God to man:

The same God who made the mountains speaks to man (Amos 4:13)

The same God who controls nature helps His people (Psalm 46:1-3)

These passages were written by those who pondered the mountains. Mountains to them represented permanence, might, mystery, and magnificence. As such they present an apt metaphor for the person and acts of God.

But boys do not ponder mountains; they climb them. I grew up a block and a half from the base of the Franklin Mountains (highest point 7,192’ above sea level). Towering above my boyhood home was Sugarloaf Mountain with the abandoned military outpost on top, Ranger Peak with the KTSM towers and aerial tramway, Franklin’s Nose, McKelligon Canyon, the Cross, the “A”, and an infinite number of unnamed points in between. Each offered new discoveries (like caves with prehistoric writing on the walls: “Beto was here”, “Frank loves Julie”, and “Seniors ‘56”), adventure (complete with guttural “clop,clop” sound effects and the William Tell Overture as a soundtrack), and a wide spectrum of boy-sized personal challenges.

Climbing a mountain is the active response to observing it. Climbing fulfills the burning desire to interact with the magnificent entity you cannot ignore. It is through the interaction of climbing that you experience the mountain and in so doing learn some things about yourself and about life.

Where the mountain metaphorically represents God and His ways, principles gleaned from climbing a mountain may be applied in the great man-sized adventure and personal challenge that is life. Permanence, might, mystery, and magnificence speak of God, and it is interaction with God and His works that teaches me about myself and about life.

So, with the view from the top still fresh in my mind, I’d like to share some of the principles from mountain climbing that relate to life.

1. The mountain is bigger than me.

The mountain existed before I existed and will be there after I’m gone. Someone greater than me created the mountain. There is no way I can grasp the mountain’s entirety. I can only interact with the mountain for a short period following a path is unique to me.

The mountain puts my personal significance into perspective. I have no claim to pride because I am just part of something bigger and more permanent than me: the eternal plan of God. My place in that plan is unique. I cannot grasp or understand it all. My sojourn there is temporal, and I am called to fulfill only a small part.

For all of us, that small part is our fundamental calling – to represent Jesus Christ. Where that part takes us individually is found in other principles from climbing the mountain.

2. I don’t change the mountain; the mountain changes me.

“I don’t change the mountain” is paraphrased in the National Park admonition: “Leave nothing behind – what you carry in, carry out.” What I could leave behind on the mountain is called trash – and it can only change the mountain for the worse. Further, the footprints I make on the way up and down are there only until the next big wind or small rainstorm. 1Timothy 6:7 tells us: “For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.”

I don’t change the mountain; the mountain changes me. I left nothing behind on Guadalupe Peak and on the trail there. My footprints have already been erased. But the experience changed me and changed the relationships I have with my wife and sons. I didn’t think it possible to be as proud of another person as I was when my wife placed her hand on the pylon, or as proud of sons when they spontaneously reached out to help each other when the climbing got tough.

In God’s view, our significance is not found in accomplishments or changes we make. Our significance is found in the changes that He, by controlling events in our lives, makes in us.

3. No one climbs exactly the same way or follows exactly the same path.

The mountains I climbed as a boy did not have established paths. Each time we climbed we determined where we wanted to go and set a path to that objective. No two times did we ever follow exactly the same path.

The path to the summit at Guadalupe is defined, and hikers are obligated to follow it. Even so, no one has or will ever place his or her feet exactly where I placed mine. No one climbs at exactly the same pace, even when climbing as a group.

What does this tell us about life? Don’t compare yourself with others. You were uniquely made and uniquely placed in God’s plan. You will follow the course and timing He has set out for you. He is with you where you are, not “where I think I should be.” Paul wrote Romans 14 to tell us to avoid comparisons. Jesus sharply rebuked Peter for his attempt to compare himself with another disciple: “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

In the climb that is our life, Jesus takes the point for each of us. He leads and sets our individual paces. Don’t look around – follow the lead climber.

4. I carry precious cargo on every climb.

When hiking in the high desert of west Texas you must carry practical provisions of food and water. This cargo is necessary to enable you to complete the climb. Wherever you go in the hike that is life you carry a precious cargo: your heritage.

Side note: Every member of my family and extended family who made the climb in 2007 was tasked to carry with them an artifact: a tangible representation of a previous generation. On that climb I carried my mother’s Bible. Since sons are my heritage, on this climb I carried a small stuffed toy that belonged to our son who died in infancy. With Tom’s stuffed elephant there I can truthfully say that my wife and all my boys have joined me at the Top of Texas.

Heritage can be represented tangibly, but it is by definition intangible, and encapsulated in a single phrase: “your name.” You receive your name from your parents and ideally they went to great lengths to insure that the name was associated with honor. It behooves us to preserve the honor and to pass it to our progeny.

As Christians, we carry the name of Christ. That name above all names is eternally honorable. We are charged to live in such a way as to not besmirch the honorable name by which we were called.

To do so requires us to make daily choices, so

5. Climbing involves a series of choices.

Every climb starts with the personal choice to set aside time for the climb rather than expending it on another pursuit. To make it to the top requires us to take ‘one more step’ innumerable times. Successfully completing the climb means choosing to take another step regardless of the pain or cost.

At no point on the Guadalupe trail can you see the pylon that marks the peak. You only see it when you get there. Every step prior is a step of faith – faith that a path that someone else laid out will take you there.

Isn’t that the way it is in the plan of God for our lives? We have a heavenly destiny but do not see it until we get there. The trail has been set out by God and we can only trust that He in His goodness, love, wisdom, and care designed our trail.

I had a map and a GPS – objective sources outside of myself – to tell me I was on the right path and headed in the right direction. God gave us His Word and his Spirit to be the objective guides for our path through life. Knowing our direction is important, because every step in one direction means rejecting every other direction.

The choices we make determine what kind of life we will live. Each choice in one direction means repudiation of the corresponding opposite choice: Honor versus dishonor, diligence versus laziness, courage versus cowardice, integrity versus indulgence.

Each choice carries with it a consequence for we affirm that sovereign God assigned a specific consequence to every choice. In God’s ordered universe, each choice can be evaluated based on its consequences. The obvious consequence of climbing up the mountain is that we have to climb down it also. The climb down reminds us that …

6. Success or failure is not permanent.

Two things are obvious at the peak: “You cannot stand higher in the state of Texas than you are currently standing,” and “you cannot stay here.” You stand at the top because you have done something difficult and achieved something few achieve. The list of those who successfully make the climb is short. And, doing a little bragging, shorter still is the number of women who successfully make it. Shorter still is the number of women 60 or over who do it. Shorter still are those who have had both ankles rebuilt. I married someone on the shortest list.

The view on top is spectacular, and those who make it there feel exhilaration. This is as it should be: when you achieve a worthy goal, you should be rightfully proud. There’s a catch: you cannot stay there. Shortly after arriving, we must head down the mountain and return to our everyday lives and the mundane duties they entail.

On both treks, some from the original group of climbers did not make it to the top. They, too, had to climb back down to resume life. Failure is just as temporary a condition as success.

So, with both success and failure in life, we savor the accomplishment or learn from the failure and move on. In God’s scheme, neither is permanent. He is neither impressed with our performance nor distressed by our failure. He seeks character in each of us, measuring the growth in character by how we deal with both success and failure and keep on moving. Our final evaluation as Christians is based on one question: “How faithful were you with what I gave you to deal with in life?” In success or failure, we seek His highest commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

One more principle drawn from climbing a mountain:

7. You never climb alone.

While the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction is individual, only a fool attempts to climb alone. As a boy I learned that the mountain was a scary place for a single climber, and it was not fun to climb without a friend or brother to share the adventure. On Guadalupe, we never encountered a lone climber. Each group had some who were obviously stronger and more able than others. As part of their climb, stronger members prodded or aided the climb of the weaker members. In our family group, my son provided the energy of youth and the pulling hand that helped his mother up the mountain. Being together gave us people to talk to and people we loved to share the joy and exultation.

In life as in climbing: at every step along the trail you can look around and see the faces of brothers and sisters – fellow climbers – who are there to encourage, or offer a hand, or push, or challenge you. This is by divine design, and it runs counter to the prevailing thought in our world: “others exist to make me happy or to accommodate me.”

God’s design is reciprocal: everything that I wish others would do for me I am to do for others. The objective in life is not happiness, but holiness – to be molded into the image of Jesus Christ. Ultimately the challenge of today is pushing you toward that objective.

Christians are enjoined to never give up hope. The best way to comply with this is to be with those who will not let you give up hope. The last 100 yards to the “Top of Texas” is the hardest part of the climb. Not only does this come at the end of the equivalent of 4 hours on a treadmill set to maximum incline, but the trail becomes a “three point climb” (three of your four climbing appendages – hands and feet – must be anchored before you move the fourth.) At one point my wife dropped her head and said, “I don’t think I can take another step.” Positioning ourselves to give a pull and a push, my son and I simultaneously saw something she missed by dropping her head. He nodded to allow me the honor of pointing this out. I sidled up to her and whispered, “Look to your right.” We were within 10 feet of the pylon. All those decisions to take another step, every helping hand or gentle push, and every “you can do it” finally paid off. In one glance, dejection became exultation and “I can’t!” became “I did it!!!!”

Each of us is currently somewhere on a God ordained climb. Listen for and heed the encouragement from others, and please be a source of encouragement to others. We will reach the pylon.

So what is a pastor to do when leading a group that targets this confident, assertive, entitled generation? Is the answer to tell them that God has a wonderful plan for their life? Is it to tell them that God loves them uniquely as individuals? Is it to tell them that Jesus can make them really happy? Though there is some truth in all these messages, the one that speaks most profoundly to this generation is found in Luke 9:23.

“If any man come after Me, let him deny himself.”

Jesus words are the very antithesis of what the Me generation has been told their entire existence. The places they eat tell them they deserve a break today or have it their way. The places they gather to drink coffee are as customized to their tastes as they wish. Growing up, everyone was awarded a trophy in a sporting event, just for participating, not just the winners. Throughout the college years, students are told over and over to pursue what makes them happy and fulfilled, because at the end of day, that is what is most important. Generations ago had a term for this, “spoiled,” now we call it good marketing.

So those coming to mosaic on Thursdays are saturated with messages and have grown up with messages that stand in stark contrast to Jesus’ words. Some Christian 20 something singles are fighting the good fight, while others have almost completely bought into the “me-ism.” So from the very beginning of mosaic, we have said that we will get out of ourselves and get involved in serving others. Our very first announcement was for Clothe-a-child, an outreach to low-income children in Frisco and Little Elm.

40% of those that came on Thursday volunteered! That’s terrific. 20 something singles following Jesus’ words to deny self (by the way, another 5 out of 25 people said they would like to serve children on Sunday mornings and help with greeting newcomers). This is great. This is success. This is to be celebrated.

At mosiac, we’ll continue to encourage these young singles to be the Generation “NOT” Me and follow Jesus’ commands. Because in that, they won’t end up more miserable than ever, totally dependent on anxiety and anti-depressant medication, but rather, surprised by joy because they get involved in serving others

If you haven’t – you should!

Take your sister, take your mother, take your daughter, take your best friend, take any woman you love and any woman that you don’t!

I went this year – my first. Oh, I have been invited many times before and something just always came up that kept me from going. Things at the time I thought needed priority than a two day women fest. I enjoy women’s company don’t get me wrong, I am one of them, but the thought of being stuck in a arena for two days with a couple thousand women – not sure that this was my kind of “cup of tea”.

I have always been kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to attending Women’s Ministry events. Not because I don’t think they aren’t good or do wonderful things because they do. It’s just that well, generally it’s a personality conflict. You see, I grew up a tomboy and most of my career life I have worked with mostly men. Not until coming to Stonebriar have I ever really worked with other women. So, I am not exactly sugary sweet, I don’t cry easily & I croak not sing. When I think of Women’s Events –I think pink, fluffy sugary sweet… (uck)

But this weekend, I experienced an amazing time that I never anticipated. When I wasn’t laughing, I was crying and when I wasn’t crying I was bonding with women. One was my best friend from Seattle, others were perfect strangers. It is almost impossible for me to articulate the total experience. It was as if my shell was cracked wide open and all of the eweie gooey stuff inside of me was exposed to the Holy Spirit. It allowed the testimonies, the music and the women around me touch my soul to the core – the clarity of the Lord’s voice to my heart was truly was brilliant.

That weekend will resonate in my memory for a long, long time. I hope what the Lord did there this weekend will not fade away from me none too soon.

So, next year when this wonderful event comes back around… I will be one of the 1st ones to sign up and I will be dragging anyone I possibly can gather in my net. I encourage you to do the same!

Now as a new ministry begins at Stonebriar, mosaic…for singles in their 20s, I have spent a lot of time thinking, praying, and journaling about what real success will be for this ministry. I have absolutely no desire to experience the same kind of emotional unhealthiness those tough three years. And it is with that as a partial backdrop that I move forward and lead this new ministry. God has matured me a little since that time and because of that dark season (and I’m not referring to the 6 months of clouds during the winter). So as this new ministry begins, here are some commitments that I have made to myself, others, and God as we begin:

1. success will be based on our faithfulness not on whether the group size is bigger than 50, 100, or 150 people.
2. we commit not to compare ourselves nor compete with other 20 something singles ministries in the metroplex.
3. emotional health is a critical factor in spiritual health, therefore our leadership team will pursue growth in this area.
4. we will aim at reaching the heart of the 20 something, not just creating a cool program which will capture their attention for an hour and a half twice a month.
5. we will not fool ourselves to think that just because people are coming with their Bible in hand, singing along with the songs, and talking to others that it means that people are actually growing spiritually.
6. After all is said and done, we commit to preach the word, love the people, and pray that the Spirit will move.

These might seem elementary biblical principles to you. Good. Because they are. But to have the courage to live these out and the faith to leave ALL results to God is an entirely different story.

Tony Cammarota

The “present tense” for my deliverance was July 30, 1981 and the time was 4:30 p.m., PDT. The place was 6,000’ down runway from the approach end of Runway 30 at Castle AFB, near Merced, California. The cast of cohorts was Instructor Team 21 (IP Neal Coyle, IRN Roy Williamson, IEW Bob Nicholson, IAG Clay Freeborn) and Student Crew 1115 aboard B-52H tail number 61-1020, and the context was the “go” portion of a planned “touch and go” landing. The incident report stated: “the approach was normal through touch down. At that time, the instructor pilot flying the aircraft raised the airbrakes to “six” [maximum drag] position and advanced throttles to take-off settings. After assuring that all eight engines were providing take-off thrust, the pilot brought the airbrakes to the “zero” setting [no drag]. At that point, the aircraft yawed 15 degrees right of runway heading and departed the hard surface of the runway.” The report goes on to describe the pilot’s actions in order: applying full left rudder, pulling the nose of the aircraft up to get the aircraft off the ground, advancing the throttles on the right side “through the thrust gate” [applying more engine thrust than the wing is designed to handle], and simultaneously pushing the nose down to put the aircraft in “ground effect” [a “pad” of air formed by air passing under the aircraft. This pad provides lift when the aircraft is near the ground.]. The result was that the aircraft achieved flying airspeed, climbed to pattern altitude, and was cleared for and executed an uneventful full stop landing. By the time the aircraft began climbing, the tower had already alerted the crash crew.

Post-flight analysis provided the details of how God delivered “on the spot.” Conversations with the pilot that revealed the “past” aspect of God’s providence, and subsequent events revealed the implications for the future.

The “on the spot” deliverance was dramatic:

1. Maintenance discovered that the center support arm for the inboard spoiler group on the right wing had broken at some point during the flight. When the airbrakes were set to “six”, the broken part of the arm wedged the spoiler group into the “full up” position and did not allow them to be retracted. This failure created massive drag on the right wing, forcing the wing down and the aircraft to turn right. In response, the aircraft veered off the runway.

2. A brake on the right forward landing gear was dragging, both increasing the rightward movement and slowing the aircraft to below “minimum directional airspeed.” Minimum directional airspeed is the speed at which there is enough airflow across the rudder for it to exercise control over the direction of the aircraft. When below this speed, the pilot’s inputs via the rudder have no effect. When the aircraft left the runway, it instantly became 250,000 pounds of uncontrollable metal and fuel.

3. At 250,000 pounds gross weight, the fuel in the wing tanks is at the “maximum slosh” [fluid movement in response to aircraft movement] point. The rightward yaw pushed the fuel in tanks to “slosh” to the left, a shift of 60,000 pounds of liquid momentum.

4. The inboard engine pod avoided the “4,000’ remaining” marker by 6”. Had the pod hit the marker, the aircraft would have “cartwheeled” into a fireball.

Bottom line: when the scenario was presented to the Boeing engineers and subjected to computer re-creation, their verdict was terse: “the aircraft cannot be flown under these conditions. This scenario resulted in a fireball.” Factoring in the pilot’s actions did not change the verdict: “there was insufficient time for the pilot to take action. He had 6/10th of a second to analyze the situation, decide on a course of action, and begin the actions.” [Normal human reaction time when anticipating an action, like pushing a button when a light goes off is .3 to .7 seconds.] The situation was set up in the flight simulator and pilots were given the scenario, what to do, and even when it would occur. Even under these conditions, no pilot was able to safely recover the aircraft.

Miracle? No. God did not suspend any natural law to effect this deliverance. Ours was a case of providence: God enabled the recovery using people. This is providence of the type addressed by the apostle Paul in the shipwreck off Malta (Acts 27). In verses 23-26, Paul reveals that God has promised that everyone on the ship will survive. When (verse 30) some of the sailors try to escape from the ship to save themselves, Paul calls to the centurion and tells him, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.” (Verse 31) Paul presents this as a “both/and” situation: God will deliver and people involved must do their jobs.

Such was the case on Runway 30. God delivered but He used the actions of the pilot, Neal Coyle. This is undeniable. How he brought the pilot to that point provides us with the “past” tense of providence.

By his own admission, Neal was not a “stick”, a “natural born,” intuitive pilot. Every skill he possessed was the result of diligent training. Every decision or action he took was presaged and mediated by a thorough knowledge of aerodynamics and the flight characteristics of the B-52. He first knew his stuff, analyzed the situation, and then acted. Bob, Clay, and I as the other members of the instructor team knew this and appreciated that God made Neal this way.

After landing, debriefing, and filling out the incident reports, Neal, Bob, and I went to the base chapel where our squadron commander was leading a “Marriage Encounter” group. We took him aside and briefed him regarding the incident – even though at that point we could not say why the aircraft did what it did. He was reassuring and expressed his relief that all turned out well.

Before the three of us left the chapel, Bob and I ushered Neal into a side room and presented him with the burning question on our minds: “We know that you could have ejected and saved yourself, the co-pilot, and possibly two other crewmembers. Why didn’t you?” He answered, “Let me tell you about my checkout as an aircraft commander.”

“The last step in the process of upgrading from co-pilot to aircraft commander involved a simulator ride. And like all simulators, it focused on emergency procedures, with multiple problems, with a deteriorating flight situation. The scenario called for things to deteriorate to the point where, in accordance with the book, I ordered the crew to ‘Bail out!’ and initiated ejection myself. The instructor shut down the simulator and we moved on to debriefing. His words were, ‘You have performed all procedures flawlessly. You did everything by the book and at the right time. You are an excellent pilot.’

“Then he added, ‘But this is your aircraft commander checkout simulator. What was the flight envelope when you ordered the crew to bail out?’ That is when it hit me, and he confirmed, ‘Your navigator and radar navigator are dead – they could not safely eject. Everyone in instructor positions and the tenth man are dead – they could not escape the aircraft. Their wives are widows and their kids are fatherless. Procedurally you will be exonerated. Can you live with that? That’s what it means to be an aircraft commander rather than just a pilot.’”

Neal told us that he did not sleep for three days, as the faces of fellow “crew dogs” and their families haunted him. “I did right and they died!” was the recurring nightmare. Peace finally came when he resolved, “I will be the last one to leave the aircraft. Their lives are more important than mine.” He added, “And I’ve never looked back.”

So his mind was not cluttered with any thoughts of personal survival. His singular focus was flying the aircraft out of a bad situation and saving our lives. In providence, God honored the self-sacrificing commitment he made to his fellow crewmembers. Had God not chosen to do so, the evidence that would have exonerated him from any fault – the broken support arm – would have been burned up in the fireball and the accident would have been charged off to “pilot error.” His widow and their unborn son would have carried the stigma of ten deaths for the rest of their lives. God as the God of truth insured that the truth – that Neal was a noble man and a hero – came forth. [The Air Force Academy recognized this fact by awarding him the 1983 Jabara Award for demonstrated courage while engaged in aerial flight.]

His actions reflected another aspect of the providence of God: he was the right person to deal with the situation. As a “non-intuitive” pilot, Neal did not rely on his instincts, but immediately reverted to his training and knowledge. Instincts prompted him to apply full left rudder when the aircraft veered right. That failed, so training told him there were other ways to counter the movement, and his knowledge of the aircraft told him there was additional thrust and lift available by advancing the right side engines “through the thrust gate.”

When the aircraft “hit the dirt”, his instincts told him to pull the nose up to get the aircraft landing gear off the ground. Training prompted him to then push the nose back down to place the aircraft in “ground effect.” As Neal laughingly told me later, “As soon as I pulled up on the nose, I heard ‘Uncle Hugh’ Smith hollering in my ear, ‘Put that pig’s nose in the dirt!’ I heard it from him so many times in instructor school that I just had to comply.” “Uncle Hugh” was God’s providence with a human face, a voice, and a colorful way of making a point.

So God put seemingly unrelated things together to deliver 10 souls out of a flaming crash. It took only two weeks after the incident to reveal the first aspect of God’s providence toward the future. On August 13, 2001 our son Tom was born with serious heart defects. He spent his entire 31 day sojourn on this earth in three different hospitals, with Sally and I shuttling between the two we had at home and hospitals in San Francisco and Travis AFB. Bolstering us through this bleak period were Neal and Bob, who I would have shared a grave with, and Kathy and Patti, who would have joined Sally as widows.

And there would be five boys who have proven themselves to be good men who would have grown up without a father in the home, and four additional good men who would never have existed.

We often look for miracles – for God to suspend the laws nature or (more often) the laws of cause and effect as a sign of His love for us. He on the other hand has promised only that He will provide. Twenty-eight years of life after being 6/10ths of a second from death, I can fully testify that He does.

I enjoyed breakfast with Scott Erwin. You probably don’t know him. I didn’t until today. Scott is a former professional golfer who played the PGA tour. He’s golfed all around the world. While working as a pro, God got hold of his heart. He was later mentored by a former board member of Dallas Seminary who introduced him to Bible memorization. He now has hundreds of verses memorized, word for word. He uses the verses in his conversations as a regular guy in the marketplace.

Scott’s example got to me more than my menu items. It reminded me how powerful memorization is for our spiritual walk. It also convicted me because I’m not very good at it. I don’t know about you, but it’s one of my weaker spiritual disciplines.

One of my favorite biblical characters is Ezra. I like him because he had a passion for the Word of God. If you don’t know him, let me introduce him. When we first meet him in the Bible, he was the priest of the folks who returned to Israel from Babylon. His great-great-grandfather, Hilkiah, was the guy who found the lost copy of the Scriptures in the temple rubbish years before. Like him, Ezra developed a passion for the Word (Ezra 7:10). By his middle adult years, people knew him as the “Bible guy”—that’s my term for it. The king of Babylon called him an expert in matters of God’s commandments (Ezra 7:11-12). Ezra knew the Scriptures like the back of his hand.

Sitting at Corner Bakery with Scott, he became a modern Ezra at that moment. And I must admit, it’s convicting. I decided that I am going to try to get a few more passages memorized—four or five, so that I start with a smaller plate. But that’s better than nothing.

I’m wondering how we can encourage each other to memorize the Word more in our lives. If you’re in an adult fellowship, how can we impact our friends with the memorized Word? How can we encourage our kids? How can we build Scripture memorization into our own regular practice? I’m wondering how many of us benefit from the practice already. And I’m thinking that we could have a lot more Ezras and Scotts that way. Think about it.

Glorious. I don’t think that word’s too hyperbolic to describe yesterday’s worship experience. For me it was the culmination of almost five years of praying, yearning, thinking, talking, decision-making and, okay, I’ll admit it, worrying. I wept and I laughed and I tried to soak in everything that I could see and hear. Watching folks react to the atrium and the worship center was fascinating. One little boy told me that the atrium looked like an airport. “And that’s a complement,” his mother assured me. There were not a few “wows” as people got their first look at the worship center. Singing and listening and praying and giving–it all made for a truly glorious day.

Momentous. Yes, we’ve crossed another threshold. We’ll never be again the church that we were. Oh, don’t get me wrong. We haven’t changed what we believe or what’s important to us. We’ll still preach the Word and worship the Lord. Our mission is still to encourage all people to pursue a lifelong, joyous relationship with Jesus Christ. But we’re a different church now. Our presence and stature in the community has grown. We’ll welcome new folks each week and they’ll be able to stay because there’s now a place for them to sit! The cozy feel of 3,750 of your closest friends is gone. Now we get to be cozy with over 5,000 adults and 2,000 children. Be patient. It’ll take a while for all of us to feel as “at home” in the new space as we did in our beloved gospel WalMart.

Exhausting. Many of our staff and volunteers left the building Sunday feeling wiped out. Serving that many new folks takes a toll. That’s why we need many more to step forward with a heart to make Stonebriar a place that folks want to come back to.

Nostalgia is not a Christian virtue. We’re often encouraged in Scripture to remember what the Lord has done in our lives but nostalgia is far more than remembering the past; it’s the desire to go back and live in that past. The Christian life looks forward on the basis of what God has done in the past. There’ll be times in the next few weeks when we’ll be tempted to wish things hadn’t changed at SCC, to wish that we could go back to the past. More than a few of us have already heard, “I don’t like the new seats.” “I can’t see as well.” Don’t give in to that yearning for something that’ll never return. There’s nothing of benefit for you in longing for the past. Instead, let’s embrace our future together.

We are asking SCC members and friends to pray for our brothers and sisters in Orissa and Chhattisgarh.

• Pray that God’s hand of protection would cover all of the believers and churches in these two states.
• Pray for justice to be brought against those who commit acts of violence.
• Pray for the gospel of the Lord Jesus to become even more widely known through the courage and compassion of Christians facing these uncertain and violent days.

We are in regular contact with our friends in Chhattisgarh. We desire to help in whatever way possible and we await their direction before taking action. Right now is the time to PRAY!

We are asking SCC members and friends to pray for our brothers and sisters in Orissa and Chhattisgarh. Pray that God’s hand of protection would cover all of the believers and churches in these two states. Pray for justice to be brought against those who commit acts of violence. Pray for the gospel of the Lord Jesus to become even more widely known through the courage and compassion of Christians facing these uncertain and violent days.

We are in regular contact with our friends in Chhattisgarh. We desire to help in whatever way possible and we await their direction before taking action. Right now is the time to PRAY!