I didn’t use to pay much attention to the news. I just lived my life from day to day, not worrying about anything else in the world. I suppose that describes a young and irresponsible person. Well, people grow up—most people. And I guess I’ve finally been growing up and paying more attention to what’s happening around me. It’s been like that for the last few years; and now a more responsible change in me has made me kind of fearful. I mean I’m reading the newspaper more than I ever did, and I tune into the news channels more than I ever did. And I think that that is why I am feeling more anxious and fearful these days. But I have just now begun to think that reading and listening to the news doesn’t have to be a cause of anxiety. If I take it in with good and Godly intentions, it can be a great help to me and others.
Okay, here are…
Six Ways that Getting the News Can Benefit Me
1.When I read the newspaper, seek to find interesting news items to focus on and to blog on, so I can contribute what I learn to others.
2.Seek to find positive and uplifting stories—to find God’s grace in a corrupt and evil world.
3. Seek to find the different sides of issues, and then try to sift through it all to find the truth.
4. Be always prayerfully looking to find in the news both what is true and what is false (or evil). In this way I will eventually become more aware that God is building in me a godly discernment, and I will take great comfort in that realization.
5. If I am both prayerfully taking in the news, as well as reading the bible, I will be more keyed into how world events are falling in line with bible prophecy.
6. As I am made more aware of world events and how they fit into bible prophecy and into His timetable, I will feel more at peace with myself and with God, because I think I will be more in tune with Him. Thus, being more like him, I will be more objective in my thinking—so, to be able to look down on it all with wisdom and understanding, and to know what I can and should do to help others.
Jesus deals with this topic of the mortification of sin in Matthew 5:29-30.
“And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 “And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell.
Some do not identify this passage as one that deals with the mortification of sin, but D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his book, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount insists that it does. And notice that it comes directly after verses 27-28, which deals with the sin of adultery; or more precisely, adultery in the…
I had been thinking for a while about joining the Marines. Then one day I suddenly made the decision. My mom was the first one to get the news. “Mom,” I said, “I’m gonna enlist in the Marines.” I guess she knew I was serious, because I don’t remember that she was too opposed to it or tried to talk me out of it. I quickly got out the phone book to find where to go, and on that very day I talked mom into driving me down to the Marine Corps enlistment building, downtown Minneapolis, to get signed up. I was very excited.
I don’t remember exactly, but I don’t think it took very long. It’s my guess that they were eager to sign guys up during that time of war (1969), and the requirements were quite low. If you could walk and breath, you were in. Seriously, there were only two things I remember about the recruitment: the short physical exam, including shots, and all the paperwork.
The next day—or maybe it was a couple of days—I was off to boot camp at Camp Pendleton, in San Diego, California. I don’t remember the airplane ride or the bus ride to the base, but I do remember being instructed, loudly and rudely, to go and stand on the “yellow footprint.” So, all of us recruits very willingly fell in line. From that time on we did just what we were told. It was dark, maybe about midnight, and we stood there at attention on those yellow footprints. I dared not move, or even look around. I just waited for what I would be instructed to do next. Some guys, by the look on their faces, seemed afraid and almost shocked. As I remember, I don’t think I had that same emotion, but I was tense—and also very prayerful. I remember praying over and over again Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” I was trusting God that what I was going through, and whatever I was going to go through, would all work out for God’s good purpose. That was my firm belief. I had no worries about it.
Well, finally, after what seemed to be at least a couple hours of standing at attention on those footprints, we began to be processed. That is, we were marched over to a place where we were measured and given all the clothes and supplies we needed for boot camp. I didn’t mind the process, but I didn’t understand why many of the workers were so rude to us, calling us “maggots” and worse. It all seemed so unnecessary.
I don’t remember exactly all that went on that night, besides getting our gear, but I’m sure I was ready to retire. Eventually we did get put to bed. We were led into what was called Quonset huts and were given brief instructions that we were not to talk after lights went out. Suddenly, after only about ten minutes to undress, someone shouted, “lights out!” The lights went out, and it was quiet. No one dared to say a word.
Only about two hours later our drill instructor stormed in, turned on the lights, and started banging on the inside of an empty garbage can and yelling, “Get up you maggots! Get up!” We were told, in so many crude words, that we had only so many minutes to do our business, shower and shave, and get outside in formation for roll call.
That morning, while it was still dark, we were introduced to the first full day of boot camp. I’m not sure what all happened on that first day, but I imagine we were given more instructions; and haircuts were definitely in order. We had to look like Marines, so I think that happened first. It only took a few seconds to shave our heads with those big clippers. It was brutal! Then, I suppose, we were instructed on how to make our beds—with tight hospital corners, and also how to fold our clothes and pack our foot lockers. Those were the basics. Other instructions were given to us along the way. Soon we would be settled into a daily routine.
Yes, the WHO has been China’s puppet. They have conspired with China to hide critical information about the Coronavirus Pandemic.
An article by the Los Angeles Times together with the New York Times, in my newspaper, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, entitled Trump suspends WHO funding, was quite revealing as to where the Media stands. Of course, they present a glowing picture of both China and the WHO (World Health Organization), and a very critical picture of President Trump. No surprise! Let me just highlight a few of their words, and my comments (in Bold).
The article begins by stating…
The suspension threatens to undermine the WHO, the United Nations agency for international public health, as it seeks to coordinate governments in the battle against a pandemic that already has left more than 125,000 people dead in about 200 countries.
Note the use of their words. It says that the WHO “seeks to coordinate governments.” And that the Trump administration “threatens to undermine” them. No. that’s not right. The WHO has sided with a very dishonest and un-transparent government—of China. They conspired with China to hide critical information about Covid-19 so that China wouldn’t get blamed and would look good to the world. The only way they seek to coordinate governments is to spread China’s disinformation to make them look good and to make America look like the villain. And the Trump Administration doesn’t exactly want to undermine them; they want to shut them down—because they are siding with China who is the true villain. I’m not sure what Trump will do, but I agree that we can’t support the WHO, and we also should do whatever we can to persuade other countries not to support them. We need a WHO that will be fair to all and will not give in to corrupt countries like China.
The article goes onto say…
But the announcement [to suspend WHO funding] was consistent with Trump’s efforts to deflect blame for his delay in declaring a national emergency until mid-March…
No, Trump did more than anyone to stop the pandemic. He ordered a travel-ban on China as soon as he knew of the virus threat. And he would have done it sooner if China and the WHO would have been honest and humble enough to admit what had happened—that the virus had begun. Yes, if they had immediately told the world of the spreading of the virus as soon as they knew of it, the covid-19 could have been contained in China. But they covered it up and now they are blaming everything on Trump and making up stories of how it began by our military. That is disgraceful!
Well, wouldn’t you know. The democrats are also protesting against Trump. They will never let a pandemic go to waste. To them, this is just another opportunity to blame Trump for something. Oh, they were “outraged over the suspension of U.S. support for the WHO.” They suggested that “Trump was trying to deflect attention from the laggard federal response to the crisis by blaming a little-known U.N. agency for its operations in China.”
They are 180 degrees wrong. The WHO along with China are entirely to blame, and Trump deserves more praise than anyone for his untiring work. If it wasn’t for our great President, our country and the world would have at least three times as many deaths as we do now. We own him a huge debt of gratitude.
One thing that was sadly lacking in my life was someone to come along side me and counsel me in the area of sexual temptation and dating and marriage. I think young people really need that guidance, especially in those high school years, when their bodies and thoughts are swiftly moving in that area. All through high school I wasn’t at all seriously thinking of marriage or even dating. In fact, I purposely set my mind toward God and bringing people to Christ any way possible, especially through Hi-C club, the Christian group I was involved in.
Then again, when my guard was down, which was too often, I couldn’t keep my eyes and my mind off of girls. And I didn’t exactly know how to handle it. I didn’t feel ready or bold enough to ask girls on dates, but still I had eyes and an imagination. Sometimes, at a weak moment, I longed to see as much as I could. I remember going to the beach just to see as much skin as I could. And I was a Christian! What was I doing? Well, in those days, much of the time I was just very rebellious.
And then along came Joy. A girl named Joy. The first time I remember seeing her was while I was in band practice playing my trombone. She would be looking at me through the glass classroom door and smiling and waving at me. And it was a little embarrassing, because I really didn’t know her, and some of the kids noticed that she was trying to get my attention.
I really wasn’t attracted to her and she wasn’t that attractive. But she seemed to really like me. So, I invited her to our Hi-C group. I figured that as long as I had her attention, maybe I could get her saved. She started to come to our group, but I kind of knew that she was just interested in me.
One evening after group I walked her home; and when we got to her house, she really laid one on me—she kissed me. My first reaction was repulsion; her breath stunk of stale tobacco. But then, without warning, the feeling hit me. I felt something deep down in my soul. Instantly, I was in seventh heaven, and I wanted more. We kissed again, and I felt even better. But when I went in for a third time, she said she had to go. That was okay; I knew I would be back and I was still flying high. I ran all the way home. I was in love. For the first time in my life I was really in love.
I can’t remember exactly what I did next. All I remember is that I wanted more kisses from her. So, I tried to see her more. Even though I was always busy after school with sports and Hi-C clubs, I always had her in the back of my mind—especially her kisses. I longed for her, but it seemed that things were reversed. I was wanting her more than she was wanting me. I was going full steam ahead and she was putting on the breaks. I remember sitting in her house one time. Her mom was home, busy with house work, and me and Joy were sitting—in separate places. I was sitting on her couch watching TV—I think. And she was sitting in another chair reading a book. She was like my sister, always reading. I would be just sitting and she would be sitting and reading. All I could think of was when I was going to get another kiss. I have no idea what she was thinking. It was a strange relationship.
One day she opened up to me about her life. It wasn’t good. She had been—and maybe still was—on drugs; and she also had sexual relationships. I started to think that maybe pursuing her wasn’t the best idea. Yet I wasn’t ready to give up on her. I felt that I really loved her, and so, I doubled down on praying for her. Sometimes I prayed for a long time with tears, begging God to save her. I remember those prayer times. In fact, even now, fifty years later, every time I think of her, I pray for her salvation. Yet I have no idea where she is or if she is even alive.
Toward the end of my senior year, I got the itch to work. It didn’t take me long to find my first job at Minneapolis Floral, just a couple blocks from the school. It was a fairly easy job. I mainly just swept the floors, especially around the people who were trimming and arranging flowers to be sent out to weddings and funeral and such. I think I had that job for only a couple of months.
The next job I had was in a foundry, which was located in the warehouse district of Minneapolis. It was a lot harder, but it paid more. I think I made $2.50 an hour. I stood all day long in front of a grinding wheel, grinding and smoothing off little medal parts. What those parts were used for I had no idea and I didn’t care. Oh, my back and shoulders would just ache after a few hours of work. But it was work. Soon I got use to it. I think I only had the job for about a month. They were sorry to see me go, but I had to leave to serve my country.
A few months before I went to work, it must have been just at the end of my senior year, I remember walking down the sidewalk with a friend of mine, a wrestling buddy, on my way home from school one day. We were talking about what we were going to do next. He suggested going into the service, maybe the Marines. That was the first time I had thought about the service, but that thought kind of intrigued me. I wasn’t thinking at all about war; I was thinking more about really getting into shape and “becoming all I could be.” Something like that. Well it didn’t take me long to decides on the Marines.
Looking back on it, I think it was how God provided a way for me to escape from the temptations I had for Joy, and what would have been a very wrong path.
Jesus was alive on this earth for thirty-eight days after His resurrection. During that time, I’m sure hundreds of people saw Him. Here are thirteen of His appearances that are recorded for us in the Bible in chronological order.
1. He appeared to Mary Magdalene as a gardener (Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18). How fitting that this woman was chosen as the first to see Jesus. For she was one of the most grateful to Him for what He had done for her—He delivered seven demons out of her; and from that time on she became one of those who stayed close to Him and ministered to Him of her substance (Lu. 8:2). The third day after Jesus’ death, early Sunday morning she and two other women came to the tomb where He was lying to put spices on His body. But they found that the tomb was empty!
So Mary and the other women ran to tell the disciples. When Peter and John heard the news they ran to the tomb to see for themselves. Sure enough, the body of Jesus was gone! I’m sure they were confused and wondered what happened to it. They went home.
Meanwhile, Mary stood outside the tomb and was crying. And two white robed men asked her what was wrong. “Someone has taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where He is.”
Just then she glanced over her shoulder and saw someone she thought was a gardener. “Why are you crying?” He asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
“Sir,” Mary said, “Do you know where Jesus is? Have you taken Him away?”
“Mary!” Jesus said.
Mary then recognized Him, and she ran and told the other disciples the good news that He was alive!
2. He appeared to the other two women who were with Mary Magdalene—Salome and Mary the mother of James (Matthew 28:9-10). At first all three women were together, but apparently Mary Magdalene broke off from the other two. I suppose she was younger and a faster runner. Anyway, as these two women were going to tell the disciples that the body of Jesus was missing, Jesus suddenly appeared to them and greeted them. Unlike Mary Magdalene, they knew Him right away—I suppose by His usual greeting. They ran to Him, held His feet and worshiped Him!
3. He appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34). We don’t know the details of this appearance, only that when the two on the road to Emmaus came back to Jerusalem the disciples gave them the news that Jesus appeared to Peter. So I am guessing that Peter is the third on the list to see Him.
4. He appeared to two men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). Since Jesus resurrection at sunrise, about four or five hours had passed by when He appeared to two men traveling eastward to the village of Emmaus. We are not told how He appeared to them, but I suppose He just suddenly appeared out of thin air. The scripture doesn’t say that the men were startled, so I suppose they thought He just sort of snuck up on them as they were talking. Anyway, Jesus joined into their conversation, but the men didn’t recognize Him. God kept it from them. They were talking about how sad and disappointed they were in Jesus death and how they thought for sure He was their Messiah.
Well, still being unrecognized, Jesus reminded them from the scriptures about how Jesus would have to suffer before entering into His time of glory. And He explained to them from Moses and the prophets about who Jesus was. When they sat down to eat, as soon as Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God’s blessing on it, suddenly they recognized Him! And at that moment He disappeared!
Within the hour they returned to Jerusalem and were happily greeted with the repot that Jesus had risen and appeared to Peter. But they had similar news to tell of their own!
5. He appeared to the apostles, except for Thomas (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25). When the two men from Emmaus arrived in Jerusalem where the apostles were staying, it was Sunday evening. They probably immediately began to tell their story. But just as they were getting into it, Jesus appeared and said to them, “Peace be with you.” As you can imagine, they were terrified and thought He was a ghost. But Jesus tried to convince them that He was not. He said to them, “Look at my hands and feet and side and touch me.” And He asked them to give Him something to eat, and He ate a piece of fish in front of them. (This indicates to me that in our resurrected bodies we will be able to eat food and enjoy it.)
6. He appeared to the apostles with Thomas (John 20:26-29). Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them on Sunday evening, and when he heard that Jesus had appeared to them, he didn’t believe it. He told them that he wouldn’t believe it unless he saw the nail wounds in His hands and wound in His side. Well, eight days later, on a Monday, Jesus appeared to them again, this time with Thomas present. Jesus again greeted them with, “Peace be with you.” And He gave Thomas a great opportunity to believe. He said to him, “Put your fingers here on the wounds in my hands and touch the wound here in my side.” Then Thomas believed and said, “My Lord and my God!”
7. He appeared to seven of His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-25). Sometime after Jesus appeared to His disciples in Jerusalem, a few days later Jesus appeared to seven of His disciples beside the Sea of Galilee—Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, the two sons of Zebedee, and two others. As it happened, they were fishing in a boat not far from shore, and they fished all night without a catch. The next morning Jesus appeared on the shore. They saw Him but they didn’t recognize that it was Him.
He said to them, “Have you caught any fish?”
They said no.
Then Jesus said, “Throw your nets on the other side of the boat and you will catch plenty.”
Well, I think you know the rest of the story. They indeed caught fish—153 of them; big ones! Peter was the first to recognize Jesus, and he was so excited to see Him that he jumped out of the boat and swam to shore to meet Him. There on the shore they all had fish for breakfast. And Jesus was the cook!
8. He appeared to the apostles on a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18). This appearance was not unexpected like the others. It was a pre-arranged meeting, and a very important one. I think it was the meeting that was spoken about by the angels and by Jesus on the very first day of His resurrection (Matt. 28:10); He also told them about this meeting at the last supper (Matt. 26:32). We call the contents of this meeting the Great Commission. There on the mountain, overlooking miles of country, Jesus commissioned them to go out into all nations and make disciples.
9. He appeared to over 500 brethren (1 Corinthians 15:6). Paul tells us that Jesus was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve, then by over 500 brethren at once. Thus it seems logical that this group would have seen Him sometime after the meeting on the mountain with the eleven (I don’t know why Paul refers to the apostles as the twelve, because at this time there were eleven).
10. He appeared to His brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7). We don’t know where this appearance was, but if James still lived in Nazareth perhaps it was there. I wonder if Jesus popped in to visit His entire family!
11. He appeared to the apostles and ate a meal with them (Acts 1:3-8; Luke 245:44-49). Acts 1:3 tells us that during the forty days after His crucifixion Jesus appeared to the apostles from time to time to prove to them in many ways that He was alive. On this particular day—I think it was the very day of His ascension—He was eating a meal with them in Jerusalem. And He opened their minds to understand the scriptures about Him. He told them that after He left He would send to them the Holy Spirit and that they should stay in Jerusalem and wait until He came to them and filled them.
12. His ascension (Acts 1:9-12; Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53). After the meal He had with His apostles in Jerusalem, he led them to the place where He would ascend—which was in Bethany, on the Mount of Olives. As far as I can tell from looking at a map, it was about a two mile walk. I wonder what they discussed as they were walking. I wonder if they were aware of what was actually going to happen. When they arrived at the place it seems from the text that very little was said, except a final blessing. He lifted His hands and blessed them. And while He did this He was taken up to heaven. Wow! I’m thinking that the Father was saying to Himself and to Jesus, “The time has come; come on Home!”
13. He appeared to Paul (1 Corinthians 15:8; Acts 9:1-6; 18:9-10; 23:11). As far as I can understand from the text, Jesus appeared to Paul three different times: 1) On the road to Damascus he saw His presence as a very bright light that temporarily blinded Him, and he heard His voice; 2) he saw Him in a vision; and 3) the night before he was taken to Rome, Jesus stood by him and encouraged him.
The main reason why you can’t find toilet paper on the shelves is because people have been hoarding it.
And the next question you may ask is, why can’t we just make more? Here’s the answer:
The big three U.S. toilet paper companies – Georgia-Pacific LLC, Proctor and Gamble Co. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. – were already running their toilet paper plants 24 hours a day before the new coronavirus hit…Toilet paper is bulky and not very profitable, so retailers don’t keep a lot of inventory on hand.
(Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press)
So apparently, companies are already producing as much as is possible, so when people board it, it is impossible to meet the demands—unless more companies are built or more machines are made. But in the meantime, Companies can’t keep up and the shelves will be empty much of the time.
What can be done?
Here are four possible answers:
Raising the prices might stop the hoarding some—if the hoarders are poor.
People must learn to use less TP.
People must stop hoarding. Maybe they need to be educated that they don’t need to hoard, that when they do, they are being selfish. But who will educate them?
Do we need to build more TP companies to satisfy the needs of the hoarders?
When the bus could’t go any further, this is how we got to our destination at Arrowhead Springs I am in the upper right corner.
Hi-C actually started in Junior High, as I have already written about. But it continued into high school. I am so thankful to God for this group, because it kept me excited about my Christian life. And one of the verses that I remember using during that time was John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.” Yes, I think Hi-C for a me was all about living the abundant life in the midst of so much pain and turmoil at home, and also in the classroom—I just wasn’t a very good student.
I think God was using Hi-C, along with sports, to get me through life at that time; otherwise I think I would have been very depressed. The first thing I remember about the club was our trip to Arrowhead Springs, Colorado (pictured). I don’t remember a lot, just that it was a great motivator and I felt so much joy being around other believers. It was like experiencing a small bit of heaven.
Similarly, I remember our city-wide rallies. Hi-C wasn’t just in my high school. It was in several high schools in Minneapolis. Jerry Kaufman was a God-send for the rallies—a great motivator. Anyway, we would have city-wide rallies about once a month, and Jerry Kaufman, with his accordion, would lead them. It was mainly a time of singing Christian songs; and we also usually had a special speaker that would give a gospel presentation. Oh, we also had plenty of time to play games and be rowdy. And now that I think of it, there were also city-wide hay rides and other events.
This is Gary.
I think I actually made more friends from other schools, through the city-wide events, then from my school at West High. And I went to great lengths to keep those relationships going. I remember having to ride the bus for very long distances, using two or three transfers to get to places. And it was worth it. I often visited my friend Gary Westlund. He became sort of a mentor to me. I remember when we would team up and go witnessing at Lake Calhoun beach. It was always me and Gary.
The Hi-C Club at West was a much smaller group. I was elected President, and we also had two secretaries and a treasurer—so I guess we were fairly organized. Anyway, we had weekly meetings where we would usually invite a speaker. I remember that one of our regular speakers was Mr. Baxter, who was a teacher and a coach at West. Everyone liked him.
Our intention in the group was not just to have fun. We set out to invite as many as we could from school to group meeting so that they would eventually find Christ. I’m not sure how many that was, but there were a few. I sometimes wonder where they all are right now. I know that many have been greatly influenced by Hi-C just as I have been. I don’t have many pictures, but I do have several writings in my year books that have mentioned Hi-C, and they usually signed off with “In Christ,” or even “Love in Christ.” Those were the days. I pray that they are still going on for the Lord as I am.
There are ample biblical references on how our works are judged. We can break it down into three different categories.
1. Our works will be judged according to our character and motives.
While we as humans most often judge others by their outward appearance and behavior, God always looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Thus, in the final judgment He will bring to light the hidden things, and disclose man’s deep motives (1 Cor. 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:11). He will see whether our hearts are humble or proud (1 Pt. 5:5-6). And He will see not so much the quantity of our works but the quality, and whether they were done for Him and His kingdom, or for our own selfish gain (Matt. 6:33).
2. Our works will be judged according to our attitude toward God.
This was taken from my year book. That’s me on the left being congratulated after a grappling victory.
I have far more memories of sports than any of my classes, or anything else in school. I excelled probably the most in wrestling, but I also went out for track, cross country, and football.
I’ll start with wrestling. I already had a taste for wrestling since I wrestled with my brother Mark very early in life; and I also wrestled some in seventh grade, but I didn’t do too well so I think I was eager to improve. In my sophomore year at West, right away I was pretty good—better than any other sophomore in my weight class. But I was not better than anyone on the varsity squad, so all year I was stuck on the B-squad. I ended up winning all my B-squad matches either by a wide margin or by a pin. It felt good.
In the next couple of years, I also was pretty good, but I did lose a few matches. And in my senior year at finals I didn’t go far at all. Those guys seemed to be so much stronger than any of the guys I wrestled in our conference. Here I thought I was so good, but all along I was deceived. I wished then, after my humiliating loss, that I had better competition and better training. But I couldn’t do anything about it; the season was over.
Aside from the memories I have of wins and losses at the meets, there were also many other things I remember about my time in wrestling at West. Wrestling practice took up a lot of time, three hours every day after school. Too long! It was brutal. Everyone always lost about 5 pounds of sweat in just one practice—and then gained it all back for the next day. I always wore two or three layers of sweat clothes and sometimes a plastic suit just to lose more weight. Some guys hated practice, others seemed to excel in it and even smiled while they worked out—like out team captain Halonen. He was good. A great wrestler. And he really took us to the limit in practice; I mean to the point where we thought we were gonna die. We did our regular calisthenics; we ran around the school hallways; and then we wrestled each other. We also had a slower time when the coach would talk to us and show us wrestling moves and techniques. That was our learning time and also the time when we could sort of rest and catch our breath.
But I the most beneficial and lasting thing about wrestling was the friendships I made, and also the whole concept of the benefit of work and practice—that the more you really work at something, the more you will achieve the goal you set for yourself. I think that had a lot to do with our coach, coach Skavnak. He knew that in order to win we had to really work at it and to build our strength and endurance in practice. I learned that lesson well in wrestling.
I also went out for track. And I think it was coach Skavnak that encouraged me, because he was also one of the track coaches. The thing I liked best about track was the whole environment. I just loved watching all the different events going on at the same time: the high jump, the long jump, the pole vault, the discuss and the shotput throw; and then all the running events: the 100 yard dash, the 220, the 440, the 880, and the mile run, and the low hurdles and the high hurdles. It was all so grand. And I wanted to do everything! As much as I could.
But I remember clearly when coach Skavnak took me aside and said to me that I should concentrate on just one or a couple events and be good at those. He said that I was like the guy who was a jack of all trades but a master of none. So, I got his point. The coach wanted me to run the 880 (yards, or one-half mile) and also to try the discus throw. Well, I had some trouble with my shoulder, so I knew I wouldn’t be good at the discus—and I wasn’t. But I think I did fairly well at the 880, though it was hard. I mean it was grueling, but I was up for the task. Wrestling practice I think had built into me a strong work ethic and so I was prepared to put the work into it.
Looking back at it, I think I did have a good work ethic and good practices. But I’m not sure I had the best body type for being a runner. It takes both. If you look at the best runners, they all have the same body types. They are all strong but also slender. A guy who has a wrestler’s body (more like mine), wouldn’t be that good as a runner.
But I tried my best and I think I did pretty good. At the meets I always placed near the top. As I remember, most of the time I took second place. It was so frustrating not to be able to win the race. But like I said, I just didn’t have the body type. That’s my excuse anyway.
I also went out for cross country and football. I really liked football and was looking forward to it, but because of all the contact and shoulder injuries (bursitis and pinched nerves) I was forced to quit early. That was disappointing.
Cross country also went bad. I just wasn’t built for those very long runs. I could run around Lake of the Isles, which was about 2 ½ miles, but they wanted you to run twice that far. That wasn’t for me. I just didn’t have the body for it. Some guys have no trouble at all running long distances. God has given them that gift.
There are ample biblical references on how our works are judged. We can break it down into three different categories.
Stephen Nielsen 