No, I’m not going to be writing about my latest trip to a fashionable clothing store. Rather, I’ll be writing about my dealings with some of our local politicians.

Later this afternoon, Emily and I will be meeting with some state and local government officials. The reason for our meeting is to bring about justice for all citizens of Delaware County and the state of Indiana who have been financially oppressed by the local government.

It appears that the Delaware County government is not a government of the people, by the people, or for the people. It appears that the Delaware County government is simply for the Delaware County government.

Rather than owning up to their own mistakes, elected and appointed government officials are simply trying to pass the blame to others. The have blamed everyone from major corporations to Governor Mitch Daniels. I’m sure “My Man Mitch” (he’s not really my man, but that is his campaign slogan) would love to know that local officials are blaming him for their own errors.

In the midst of our battle, we realized that the local officials were not going to be helpful in resolving this issue. We also realized that we may not be the only ones impacted by the issues we are facing. I do not desire for another resident of our county to face the injustices we have been met with over the last several months. So, we elected to contact some of our local officials.

We have been in contact with  Senator Richard Lugar and State Representative Dennis Tyler. Both have made contacts with our local officials to make sure that they are resolving the issue in a timely and effective manner. Being contacted by state and US officials definitely caught the attention of the local officials. Today, Representative Tyler will be with us as we meet with our local officials. I contacted another state level representative from our area. She was of no help (in fact, she did not respond to any of my correspondence).

As citizens, we felt that our representative needed to know what the people the represent are facing. I have voted for both of these men (Grandpa Burris would be proud to know that I have, indeed, voted for a Republican). I will continue to vote for both of these men. They have stepped up to look into matters effecting a normal citizen. I am not a fan of career politicians. However, I believe the both have displayed that they are interested in the matters their constituents are facing…and not simply consumed with status and party issues. These elected officials have chosen to stand in the gap and work on the behalf of the people!

Hopefully we will walk away from this meeting with the issue resolve. Hopefully no other citizens of Delaware County or the state of Indiana will have to face these same issues.

The waiting room is eerily quiet. Outside of the soothing sounds of the lite-jazz muzak, it is nearly silent. There are four of us in the waiting room, plus one receptionist sitting behind her desk. There is the occasional turning of a magazine page, the shuffling of ones feet, a sniff of ones nose, the clearing of ones throat. But, there is definitely no dialogue… no conversation taking place.

 

We are all here for a common purpose. We are all waiting on someone. Though we have a common bond, none of us have even bothered to make eye contact with one another. We have not traded any fake smiles or head nods that indicate we understand what the other is currently experiencing.

 

One man, wearing a Colts hat is reading the sports section of USA Today. The gentleman sitting directly next to him, wearing an Arkansas Razorbacks sweatshirt (the day after they knocked of Texas in a basketball showdown) is reading the Old House Journal that I recently finished browsing through. The woman directly across from me is reading Kay Arthur’s book Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible. Interestingly enough, the woman reading the book about studying the Bible did not bring a Bible with her. Maybe she could use the copy of The Bible Story for Kids that is currently resting on the magazine rack next to the receptionist. Speaking of the receptionist, she seems to be keeping herself busy with inputting data into her computer.

 

When I find myself in situations like this, I often wonder what the story is with these people. What is their background? What kinds of things are they interested in? What would they normally be doing if they were not sitting in this waiting room? Why would you wear a Colts hat after the season has ended? Does the old man reading the Old House Journal live in an old home? Does the woman reading about Bible study actually intend to study the Bible? How many people have I encountered who are interested in studying the Bible, but prefer to read books about the Bible rather than the Bible itself?

 

I just got up to get a drink and tried to spark up a conversation with a simple question: “Can I get anyone a cup of water?” My question was answered with four blank stares (both gentlemen, the woman, and the receptionist). The woman reading the Bible study book frowned and rolled her eyes at me. That’s normally the kind of reaction I get to most of my jokes, not when I offer someone a drink. The guy in the Colts hat quickly went back to reading his copy of USA Today. Now he’s moved on to the Life section. The man reading the magazine about old homes gave me a negative nod. The receptionist briefly looked up and went back to typing. Did you notice any thing about the responses to my question?

 

No words were exchanged. Now, I know there is a lot that can be communicated non-verbally. But, my hope was that, in offering some water to everyone, at least one person might speak…which would help us launch into a conversation.

 

We’re now down to three in the waiting room, plus a receptionist. The guy in the Colts hat was just escorted back to the recovery rooms.

 

I will now try a new tactic. I am going to pull out my Bible in a manner that the lady reading the Bible study book will have to notice…especially since she just moved directly behind me.

 

Oh man, I can’t believe this…After moving to a new seat, the Bible study lady went to the water cooler to get a drink. I just offered her one…what’s the deal with that?

 

Okay, back to the test of pulling out the Bible. How sweet is this…Not only did I have a Bible in my bag…I have two. One has a bunch of sermon notes and bulletins in it. So, I’ve taken some time to clear it out a bit and turn to the passage I’m going to preach through this Sunday. Let’s see what happens…

 

Nothing. Not even a glance or a smile. I at least expected a look of, “Hey, we’re both on the same wave-length.” But, that simply didn’t happen. What I really wanted was to have the lady ask, “So, what are you reading?” Instead, she continued to bury her head in her book about studying the Bible. It’s on to the next step.

 

My next approach is to ask the Arkansas guy about last night’s ball game. Let’s see how much of a conversation I can get out of the old guy.

 

Okay, here’s how it went: “So, did you catch the game last night”, I asked. “Um, which game, “ he asked. “Well, not the Ball State football game. That was pathetic. I was meaning the Texas vs. Arkansas game”, I replied. “Oh, I didn’t know they played last night. I don’t really keep track of things.” And, with that, he was called into the recovery area.

 

Now, the Bible study lady has started to annoyingly tap her fingers on her book. Do I dare ask her a question? Of course!

 

Here’s how the conversation went: “So, is that a good book”, I asked. The woman looked at me with that, “Are you talking to me?” look on her face. After realizing that, yes indeed, I was talking to her, she replied, “Um, it seems to be. I guess I’ll really find out later.” My follow up question, “So, are you in any type of Bible study?” The woman responded, “Oh, I’ve been in and out of Sunday School and Bible study for years.” Of course, my mind started to think, “well, it must not have been very good if you haven’t learned how to study the Bible yet.” But, rather than make a condescending or sarcastic statement, I simply asked what got her interested in a book about studying the Bible. The response, “I don’t know. I guess it just seems like the right thing to do.” My response, “I think it’s just about the best thing you can do. Do you know what you’re going to start studying after you read the book?” The woman replied, “I have no idea.”

 

I really expected the lady to ask me some questions. But, I definitely got the idea that she was bothered by my questions. She obviously had other things to do.

 

Talking to strangers just doesn’t seem to be a big hit with anyone today.

 

And, with that, she was called back to the recovery room and I’ve found myself alone, with the exception of the receptionist who is still busily entering data on her computer.

 

Well, at least I tried. I did get two people to sort of talk to me. But, both of them seemed irritated by my questions. Neither seemed interested in sparking up a conversation to pass the time. The folks in this waiting room would simply prefer to bury their heads in magazines, books, and papers than engage with another, live human being.

I’m currently reading (very quickly, I might add) Randy Pausch’s book The Last Lecture. The book follows his journey to prepare and deliver his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University. Pausch had pancreatic cancer. Knowing he would eventually pass away, he wanted to leave something behind for his loved ones (especially his young children) to remember him by. It’s a short read, but very powerful. Hilarious at points and deeply moving at others.

He designed his lecture around the idea of achieving ones childhood dreams. As I’ve been reading this book, I’ve been doing some thinking about my own childhood dreams.

I can always recall wanting to be a medical doctor. In fact, I wanted to be a surgeon…something like one of those emergency room surgeons on ER. Those of you who know me well know that the idea of becoming amy kind of doctor was a long-shot. But, even going into my freshman year of high school (when one begins to be able to take an honest look at his goals in the realm of reality), I desired to become a medical doctor. Some of it had to do with the image and status that comes along with being a doctor. However, a large part of wanting to become a doctor lied in the idea of being able to help people.

One thing you should know is that I absolutely can’t stand hospitals. I don’t enjoy setting foot in these large facilities. The smell…the people…the fluorescent lights…it’s just not for me. That all may have something to do with one of my first experiences in a hospital. One the day that my mother took me to visit my ailing grandmother in the hospital (I was too young to be a visitor), she passed away. Before we could step into the room, she had died. My mom went into check on her and discovered that she was already gone. So, she wisely had my father escort my sister and I downstairs. I didn’t fully understand what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t good. Not being able to see my grandmother, but knowing she was in the hospital, gave me a skewed view of hospitals.

But, maybe that experience played a factor in my desire to become a medical doctor. Maybe I wanted to be able to do something so other grandchildren would be able to visit their grandparents before they pass away? I’m not sure what the major motivational factors were, I just know that I had the desire to be a doctor.

Back to my freshman year in high school. “Why”, you may ask. Well, this is pretty much where my dream died. I had always enjoyed my general science classes throughout grade school. Doing experiments, collecting insects, dissecting things…it was pretty cools stuff. Then came Biology 1.

In all honesty, I was extremely excited about this class. I was totally stoked to dive into some frogs, to debate evolution, and to learn. But, it was obvious within the first week of school that the teacher for this particular course and I would not get along. She had it out for me, for some reason. Granted, I was a bit of a smartass in high school (some of you are saying “was?”). I was known to view school as more of a social activity than a learning environment. But, this lady, in all seriousness, was always trying to find something to blame on me.

She wrote me up several times. She had some sort of bizarre system that you could get written up six times before receiving a detention. I was the kind of student who knew his boundaries. So, once I had that fifth write up, I began to do every thing I could to behave during class. One day, I sat down at my desk, got out my work, and waited for class to begin. I realized my pencil needed sharpening. So, I got up to sharpen my pencil. As I was returning to my seat, the bell rang. As the bell rang, the teacher, in a celebrative tone shouted, “Morris, that’s it. You’re getting a detention for tardiness.” I asked, “How can I be tardy if I’ve been sitting down at my desk for the last four minutes with my work out and my book turned to the page you have written on the chalkboard?” This kind of logical question was not something an irrational scientist would deem acceptable. She had a huge smile on her face as she wrote out the detention slip.

This lead to me doubting my desire to be a medical doctor. If I desired to become an MD, I would have to take more science classes. If this was the kind of evil person that taught science, I really didn’t want any thing to do with it. One teacher ruined my dreams. It’s not that I struggled through the class. I think my grades were okay. It’s just that the person I encountered in the classroom really destroyed my eagerness and excitement about the subject matter.

All of this (the doubt of whether I should become and MD) would be confirmed during the first grading period of Chemistry 1. I had a bit of a problem with chemistry. I think it was mainly an attention problem (pretty much a lack of me paying any kind of attention). My grades pretty much sucked in Chemistry 1 and 2 (yes, while I struggled through Chem 1, I went on to the next level…mainly because I truly enjoyed the teacher…we had a good relationship…I didn’t interefere with her teaching, she didn’t interefere with my socializing). I’m glad that I’m not a doctor…and you should be too. I have some problems with retaining information that is actually valuable. I can tell you who played drums on a ridiculous number of records. But, I couldn’t even begin to explain any thing involving any kind of biology or chemistry. And, I also struggle with numbers…which could really cause some medication mix-ups. I think it all worked out the way it was supposed to be.

While I may not have become a medical doctor, I believe the ministry field is one in which I am involved in helping people. There is a lot of spiritual, emotional, and physical healing that takes place within the ministry.

And, while that one teacher did help ruin my desire to become a medical doctor, I did learn a valuable lesson from her. When I look back on that Biology 1 class, I am reminded that I have an awesome responsibility before me. I can either turn people on to Jesus or totally turn them off from Him. The way I interact with people within the church and community will play a major part on whether or not they want to have any thing to do with the message I’m bringing. One of my biggest fears is to one day run across a blog where someone is writing about how this idiot pastor ruined their hopes and dreams of becoming a pastor and then realize they are writing about me. So, while that teacher crushed one dream, she has helped motivate me to do my best to avoid crushing others dreams…and that’s an important lesson to learn.