New Twists and Turns

It many ways we entered a new world in 2001.   Ann appeared to be struggling with pancreas issues, and our doctor advised us to have the specialists at the Mayo Clinic take another look at her situation.   We initially expected to be in Minnesota for a month, but once the doctors decided that her problem was idiopathic, which means they really didn’t know what was causing her discomfort, we went back to Louisiana.

We made our last trip (at least up to this point) to California in the same year.  We were invited to present our “Mending a Messed Up Marriage” material at Pepperdine, and I had the privilege of speaking for the Culver-Palms church.  We elected to take an extra day, and made a trip to the Hearst Castle.  

During the year, I was asked to serve as an elder for the Southern Hills church.  I had never aspired to become an elder.   I was not intimidated about the role of shepherding, at least not about the way I see that ministry laid out in the Bible.  Unfortunately, many people in the church see the eldership as the church equivalent of a corporate board of directors.  I am not gifted as an administrator. I’d make a terrible corporate executive.  I had absolutely no desire to do that kind of work, but some of the people tried to convince me that we could approach this avenue of service with shepherding as our chief aim.

I’ve always had a convenient way of getting out of it when my name was suggested.  Ann would remind me, “If they make you an elder, you’ll be a divorced elder.”  She had seen some of the unfair treatment elders’ wives sometimes experience, and she didn’t want any part of it.  After all she got enough criticism as a preacher’s wife. This time around, however, she let me down.  She said, “I’ve been thinking that maybe this is what God is leading you to do at the present time.”   One day I told our son, Jim, what was being proposed.  He said, “Dad, have you considered the fact that this may be God’s will?”  All of a sudden, it began to look like I might be taking a stand against God.  I agreed to it, and became an elder for three years.   In many ways it was a gratifying experience, but I didn’t get out of the administration role.  A friend was probably more honest with me than most people were. He said, “Norman, if you can be an elder anybody can.”   It wasn’t the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done, but there were many wonderful opportunities to serve.

Of course there was a huge, life changing event on September 11, 2011.  I’ll write about that next.