A Tribute to Zig Ziglar

Larger than life.  I'd heard him several times in large arenas as he spoke to tens of thousands.  I'd read and re-read his See You at the Top until I could quote parts of it by heart.  But that day was special.  A good friend Jim Fittz had invited me to accompany him to a special taping that Zig was doing in an intimate setting in North Dallas.  Up close and personal, he was larger than life.  His enthusiasm for life,  the joy produced by his deep faith in Lord Jesus exuded from every pore.  Had he never opened his mouth, those in attendance would have still walked away knowing that they had just been in the presence of a true lover of Jesus.  You could see it in his countenance.  Notice it in his smile.  Recognize it in his eyes.  Feel it in the room when he walked in.  Some folks just "turn on the lights" by entering a room.  Others seem to darken it as they walk in.  Zig was the former.  You left his presence wondering which one you were.

But the greatest contribution Zig made to my life and ministry was the book he wrote following the premature death of a daughter in her forties.  I cannot tell you how many times I've recommended Confessions of a Grieving Christian in my counseling practice nor how many times I've told grieving individuals that this book is one of the best books on the subject of grief I've ever read.  They usually look at me with eyes of doubt, feeling that there's simply no way that "Mr. Positive Thinking" himself could ever be a genuine help to those in grief- what does he say- "Put on a happy smile!"?  NO.  He doesn't.  What he does is walk the reader through the personal diary he kept in the weeks and months following his daughter's death, and, in the process, invites each reader into his heart and his faith in an extremely vulnerable way.  And, as a reader, you walk away realizing that you've just been allowed to view a side of Zig that none of his other books has shown you.  And you like it.  And the genuine depth of his faith in the midst of his pain points you to the savior who is the source of his positive outlook on life.  It's at that moment that you realize that for Zig Ziglar, this "positive thinking" stuff is no shallow "polyanna" approach to life; but, rather, a joy from a deeper spring than most of us can even imagine.

Sixty six years with his "Redhead"- the love of his life.  Eighty six years on planet earth.  And now the joys of heaven.  He truly will see us at the top!

A Tribute to Dr. Abraham Malherbe

Few days occur in life that impact us so greatly that they are emblazoned upon our mind (or heart) to such an extent that we will never forget them.  Such a day occurred in my life in early September, 1966.  There I sat, a recently-married, transferred Junior Bible major as my long-held dream began to materialize: I was a "big boy" now among the "big boys" at ACC- just the place one wanted to be in those days if he'd felt God's call upon his life into the ministry.  That specific moment in that specific day could be summed up in one word: INTIMIDATED!  I was scared to death!  The intimidation factor was increased by the fact my wife Joan had just happened to mention that the speaker for her freshmen honors colloquium had been this particular professor and, by the time he was finished speaking, she wondered if she had been invited into the wrong meeting.

His name was Dr. Abraham Malherbe.  He was a brilliant man.  A Harvard-educated theologian, honor graduate, his specialty: New Testament exegesis within the cultural context of the world of its day.  The minute he opened his mouth, I knew I was in the presence of intellectual greatness FAR superior to anything I'd experienced up to that point.  Half way through that semester, I knew beyond doubt that I was about to make my first C (if I was lucky) in college.  How shocked I was when it was all over that I was given an A.  I would have used the terminology "earned an A", but I can't force myself to employ such deceitful terminology.  I recognize grace when I see it.  I also know the New Testament in ways that I could never have known it without that semester with Dr. Abe.  It blessed me in ways that I'm only now realizing, almost half a century later.

No, I did not morph into one of those products of Dr. Malherbe's class who still carry their Greek New Testament around with them at all times.  Many of those, by the way, went on to become outstanding Bible scholars in their own right and have blessed the Kingdom in untold ways throughout the years.  I have great admiration and deepest respect for each of them.  Others of that bent simply became a pain in the side of every Bible class teacher in whose class they ever sat-critical, condescending, always offering a better word or a superior way to have said it.  I've encountered one or two of those in my ministry and I know for a fact that Dr. Abe would have never intended his classes to produce that type of "intellectual superiority" in any of his students.  As big as his intellect was, his heart was, after all was said and done, bigger still.

For SO many reasons, I love Dr. Abraham Malherbe!  A great man of the Word has transitioned into his eternity, now dwelling with the WORD forever and forever.  All of us who knew him were blessed.  Those of us who were privileged to study under him- even for a semester- were given a gift that will bear fruit for generations yet to come.  His heritage continues.  Thank you, Dr. Abe!  Your light shines brightly!

B.B. Stevens is one of my favorite people.  Has been for a long, long time.  Make that a LONG, LONG time.  Right at a half century ago, before I ever met the man, he was already a legend in my mind thanks to his sister Velta Lee Spruce.  My, she loved her brother!  Talked about him incessantly.  She was SO proud of him and his commitment to the Kingdom.  She also shared his love of gospel music.  I can't count the Sunday evenings that we gathered in Velta Lee's home after church services and sang until late in the evening.

Years later I met B.B. for myself and began a friendship that remained over the years.  I'll never forget that initial encounter. He must have been born with white hair.  He carried himself with great dignity.  It was difficult to be in his presence without respect permeating every pore.  He moved to the Central church in Cleburne, Texas, AGES ago and invested a lifetime in loving the people there.  He was a pastor's pastor.  Out of his Central connection was birthed the Gospelaires, perhaps one of the most distinguished quartets among churches of Christ.  Cliff Holden, Gaylord Sturgess, David Wallace, and B.B. subsequently devoted decades to traversing the nation blessing churches and gatherings of believers everywhere with melodies and harmonies they would all long remember.  Some of the names in the group changed from time to time, but the resonant bass harmony provided by B.B. Stevens, along with his wry wit, remained the group's constant.  My wife Joan and I became Gospelaire "groupies" of sorts over the years, traveling to hear them whenever and wherever we heard they were performing.  We were blessed to have them as guests at the Mansfield church where I ministered several years ago and then to hear them just weeks ago at the Lakewood Village Retirement Center.  As always, we were blessed beyond measure.  Their voices, while older, still resonated with the same beloved harmony that has characterized them throughout the years.

I have a special memory regarding B. B.- one of those kinds of memories that are born out of navigating difficulties together.  Years ago, B.B. called and asked if I'd be willing to accompany him and Becky Tallatta to southern Louisiana to conduct a VBS for a small church there.  We went in an old (emphasis on OLD) church bus because everywhere Becky went, she took a busload (literally) of visual aids to help her teach.  Just outside the city limits of the small town we were invited to, our bus broke down (emphasis on BROKE).  Keep in mind that this was well before cell phones or GPS systems.  WELL into the night, we finally were safe in the member's homes where we were staying for the week, not knowing if we'd ever see the old bus reborn again.  That uncertainty permeated the entire week, but no one would have ever guessed.  We sang with the people, studied with the people, laughed with them, cried with them, ate with them (a Louisiana fish fry from that trip still rattles my tastebuds!), and had opportunity to bless and be blessed.  Late on our final day there, the much-needed part arrived for the bus and the the trip home was made uneventfully.  That week together sealed our friendship for a lifetime.  B. B. Stevens is one of the finest men of God I have ever had the privilege to know and love.  And I DO love him.  God bless, you B.B.!  As you know well, it's a win-win for you- you've sung about that for years.  If you're allowed to remain here for a while, you win.  If Jesus comes to take you home, you win.  WOW!  What a life!!

Several months ago I became SO overwhelmed by the militant negativity of the political scene and how that translated onto the forum called Facebook that I made the decision to "retire" to avoid that kind of incoming data.  I have since, however, "re-tired"- I have "new wheels" under me, so to speak, and I'm re-entering the Facebook world for two basic reasons: I miss the positive contacts with people whom I dearly love and, being just weeks away from vocational retirement, I am doing more blogging than ever before (larrycalvin-inthequiet.blogspot.com) and have been asked by many to make links to these posts available on Facebook.  So...here's to "retire-ment"!

Sounds of Silence

Here we sit.  The house is strangely, eerily quiet this morning.  Yet, as we sit with Abba in the quiet, we can hear echoing within our walls the sounds of yesterday.  Yesterday was our family Thanksgiving celebration- all sixteen of us together once again.   It happens too infrequently in our hurry, scurry world; but when it happens, it is amazing!  Laughter.  Chatter.  Fun.  Prayer.  Joy.  Memories.  Reminiscence.  Nostalgia.  Hope.  Play.  These are the riches that matter.  Yesterday was about all of those other yesterdays- the times with grandparents, aunts, uncles in bygone days.  Now we are the grandparents.  Yesterday was about today- the laughter prepares us for the healthy quiet and the healthy quiet prepares us for the joys of being together.  Yesterday was about tomorrow- an Abba-inspired vision of things yet to come- graduations, weddings, great-grandbabies celebrating with us- the sixteen morphing into many, many more- the laughter multiplying.  Yesterday was about forever.  The transition into eternity.  The Forever Banquet.  There is no yesterday's joy without tomorrow's hope.  Yet every hope of an eternal tomorrow makes every yesterday a joy unspeakable and full of glory.  Thank You, Abba, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, for embracing us in Your love yesterday.  And for promising to welcome us to Your banquet tomorrow.