3. BEYOND THE HORIZON
In the early days of the west, travelers sent scouts to look beyond the horizon. They looked for water or hostile Indians. Now we have satellite photos and maps, so we don't use scouts. We still want to know what is beyond the horizon. We watch leading economic indicators for signs of a recovering economy. We watch the weather report. We even watch the pregame show to find the keys for victory and to learn who the experts think will win. But the leading indicators are not always accurate, the weather report has value for only a short period of time, and the expert sports analysts can't foresee injuries or big plays that affect an outcome. Life is full of surprises. There are things the scouts can't see. At Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street, we don't claim to see beyond the future, but we do not fear what is over the horizon because we know we are not traveling alone.
4. PATIENCE
Most of us could do with a little more patience. We would be less irritable and more pleasant. We would not give up so quickly. We would do better on our projects. I can't tell you how many things I have messed up because I wouldn't wait for the glue to dry. The good news is that we can learn to be patient. The bad news is, to gain patience, we may need to endure some hardship. Romans 5:3 tells us that tribulation produces patience, so to become patient, we may have to be tribulated. Children who are called "spoiled" are often simply impatient. They have never had to endure hardship; they have not developed endurance. They want what they want right now. Except for the privileged few, life has enough hardships, that children overcome being spoiled just by living. It just takes a little time and--well--patience. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street reminding you to wait for the glue to dry.
5. DOUBT CAN BE A GOOD THING
At the end of the Gospel of Matthew is an interesting verse. It's after the resurrection and just before the ascension. The verse says, "When they saw him, the worshiped him, but some doubted." An encounter with Jesus can produce awe and worship, but it often produces doubt. It causes doubt when it contradicts what we have always believed. It tears down the house of cards we have built with our own imagination and the unconfirmed testimony of others. It confronts us with new ideas, and exposes the contradictions in our belief systems. Doubt, as uncomfortable as it is, is not necessarily a bad thing. It is merely the desert we must cross on our pilgrimage to an oasis of confirmed faith. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church where we sometimes answer your questions, and sometimes question your answers. Remember, doubting is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be the stepping-stone to faith, the portal to understanding.
6. ARE YOU WHERE YOU OUGHT TO BE?
Every year I try to return to my alma mater to attend a school for pastors. In addition to hearing stimulating speakers, I see two old friends who make the same annual pilgrimage. We get together and share what is going on in our lives. Each of us has been the pastor of a large church and each of us has spent some time out of the pastorate. At the beginning of our ministries, we had plans for great accomplishments. Along the way, we had to redefine success and, to some extent, redefine ourselves. None of us is where he planned to be, but we feel each is where he ought to be. Few of us get to live the script we wrote for our lives in our youth. There are too many unexpected events along the way. You may not be where you planned to be, but can you say you are where you ought to be? This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street where we will help you revise your plans and redefine your success.
7. THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSEVERANCE
An entertainer was being interviewed on the radio and the host said something like this: “A year ago you were a waiter in a Nashville restaurant. Now you've had two hit records and are nominated for a Grammy. How did you become such an overnight success?”
“Well,” he answered,” I made some demos, and went to see record producers. I sang in bars and churches and before any group that would listen to me. I hired an agent, and when he didn’t get me any work, I fired him and got another one. In fact,” the entertainer said, “it took me 14 years to become an overnight success.
Success seldom comes quickly, but it occasionally comes suddenly. It may require luck, but most of all it requires perseverance. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street saying, "Hang in there. Maybe you can be an overnight success."
#8 Thinking Ahead
With time running out, a team scores a TD to tie the game. Cameras catch the excitement. They show the field where players are jumping on each other. They show the sidelines, as players give each other hugs and cheerleaders turn flips. In the stands we see fans giving high 5's; the band is playing the fight song. Then the camera shows the coach who is focused on the field and holding up one finger, telling the team to go for one extra point instead of two.
Everyone celebrates what just happened but the coach. He thinks ahead. He anticipates. That is why he is coach; it’s his job to plan ahead, to think about what is going to happen
The game is not yet won. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street encouraging you not to spend your time focusing on the past and inviting you to let us help you make decisions about your future.
#9 SMALL EVENTS, BIG CONSEQUENCES
When my father was working in the back shop of his small town newspaper, word came that Alvin York was at the service station in the next block. Sgt. York, the most decorated soldier of WWI, lived not far from where my father grew up. Since no one else was available, my father was sent to get some kind of quote. It was 1940, so my father asked him if he thought the US would be at war soon. Sgt. York said, "Yes, it's inevitable." Shortly after that Dad enlisted, hoping for a better assignment than if he waited to be drafted. In one of his assignments, he met the man who would give him a job when he got out. While at that job, he met my mother. Just think! I would never have been born, nor would my children and grandchildren, and you would not be listening to this radio message if Sgt. York hadn't stopped to get his car fixed. Small events can have big consequences. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church where we work to help you have good consequences.
#10 TEMPTATION
In the Lord's Prayer, we pray for deliverance from temptation, but temptation can be helpful. Temptation is nothing more than considering a wrong choice, and sometimes that is how we discover the right choice. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, and it helped him refine the shape of his ministry. Problems come when we determine something is wrong and continue to consider it. Many of the things we do require moral choices. Unfortunately, we do not apply moral categories to them. Whether to kill a person is clearly a moral issue, but whether to kill time also can be. Stealing money is a moral issue, but wasting money is also. Temptation comes to all of us, and it can even help us. We simply need to recognize it for what it is and consider the morality of our choices, not just the practicality. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street where we encourage believers to think and thinkers to believe.
#11 DARWIN
As we mature, we discover that things we once believed are not entirely true. They are not as simple as they once seemed. We struggle with the reality of evil, the unfairness of life, and the unexplainable. This causes some to abandon their faith. Others, instead of questioning God, question their prior assumptions, and arrive at a more mature faith. Charles Darwin once studied for the Anglican clergy, a career for which he never really felt a calling. But later in life, he became a nonbeliever. Reportedly, it was not his scientific discoveries that caused him to shift his views, but the death of his sister. This great scientist, who was able to put aside assumptions to develop new scientific models, was not able to do that when it came to things theological. For some people, faith means refusing to doubt. For others, it means processing doubt. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church where we encourage faith by permitting doubt.
#12 WRITING THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
Writing a thought for the day is a challenge. Because the thought must fit a fairly precise time frame, a lot of details and explanations must be left out. If I am telling of an event, it gets over-simplified. If I am speaking of an idea, my comments are incomplete. Still, I realize that most of the events I mention are described in detail somewhere and people can do their own research if they want to know more. The problem with expressing ideas is not that they are incomplete, but that there is no dialogue. There is no interaction. So I toss ideas out on the airways in the hope that, like seed, they will find fertile soil. I am not wanting to sell my ideas as much as I am wanting to stimulate yours. At Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street we do not emphasize doctrine as much as we emphasize faith. We invite you if you are looking for a place where your ideas can incubate and where your faith can grow. This is Curtis Tutterrow and I am out of time.
#13 COCONUTS
We have all seen movies about people stranded on an island. They find water and food, build shelter, and struggle for survival. The fortunate ones are on an island that has coconuts. They provide food and water, and their shells make excellent tools. The fronds from their trees can be used to make clothing and shelter. Tie a bunch of them together, and you have flotation for a raft. If you are ever stranded on an island, look for coconuts. Still, for all their usefulness, a coconut is nothing more than a seed--the largest seed in the world, but still a seed. Its purpose is to produce another coconut tree. The next time you have a sip of a pina colada, or slice of coconut cake, think of it as a coconut fulfilling a secondary purpose. Then consider that your life may have several purposes. If you have completed one, find another. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street where our people have a lot of purposes.
#14 CATALYTIC CONVERTERS
Since 1975 cars have had catalytic converters to reduce harmful emissions. They have a catalyst, something to have an effect on the exhaust, and they do a conversion, converting such things as carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, which may contribute to global warming, but at least it is not poisonous. This is not a new issue. Jesus warned about harmful emissions, though the internal combustion was not in his thoughts. Speaking about the dietary laws of his time, he said it is not what goes into a person that defiles but what comes out, for what comes out comes from the heart and includes such things as evil intentions and various evil acts. These harmful emissions do a lot of damage. Perhaps they need to be exposed to a catalytic converter. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street, providing a catalyst so that God can provide a conversion.
#15 TOMBSTONES
If you visit a cemetery today you will find gravestones with names and dates of birth and death, as if the length of the person's life were the only thing of significance. It hasn't always been that way. In older cemeteries tombstones may list accomplishments, the place of birth, or even the cause of death. A gravestone is too small to list all one's accomplishments or send much of a message. Thomas Jefferson did so much that he had to leave out some things, including that he had been President of the United States. Some use their tombstone to send a message to those who read it generations later. John Newton, who wrote "Amazing Grace," told not what he did but what God had done for him. We certainly don't want people to remember everything we have done, but at Union Congregational Church we try to help people do things of lasting significance. This is Curtis Tutterrow assuring you there is more significance to your life than its length.
#16 THE IMPORTANCE OF FRIENDSHIP
Blondie Brashears was a hulk of a man, a bit overweight, with thin hair, red, not blonde. We saw him every year when we went to visit my grandparents. It was no surprise to learn that he had been a high school football star, so good that he was recruited to play at the University of Tennessee. But Blondie refused their scholarship offer unless his good friend could also go. The school didn't like giving two scholarships to get one player, but Blondie was that good, and that stubborn. Well, Blondie didn't make the grade and was soon back home in Kingston, Tennessee. His friend Bowden Wyatt became an All-American, then a coach. To this day he is the winningest coach in the history of the University of Wyoming, leading them to their first undefeated season, their first national ranking, and coaching their first All-American. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street encouraging you to be a friend.
#17 TAILPIPES
When cars first started having mufflers, they attached a pipe at the end to carry the exhaust out. Thus the tailpipe was born. Though some have become more decorative, they are what they have always been, just hollow pipes, unchanged since their inception nearly a century ago. They carry noxious fumes away so they don't get into the passenger compartment. But now, in our energy conscious age, people have discovered that tailpipes are not only transporting fumes, they are conveying energy, energy that is wasted. So engineers are trying to find ways to transform the simple tailpipe into a device to conserve energy that is wasted as heat and (in combination with a catalytic converter) to block harmful emissions. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street. At our church, we are concerned about making something useful out of something wasted. If you feel your life is being wasted, we invite you to visit us.
#18 MAKING A LIST, CHECKING IT TWICE
This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street with a suggestion to help you be more productive. Make a list. It can prevent wasting time deciding what to do next and neglecting something important because we forgot. Lists enable us to put tasks in order according to priority or urgency, and they give us a sense of satisfaction when we are able to cross things off. Sometimes when I am feeling frustrated, I can look at my list and realize I have accomplished something, even if it is less than I planned. Lists help in our personal lives, too, not just our professional ones. They keep us moving toward goals, and enable us to put tasks in order. We may need several lists, one for today, one for longer term, maybe one for before we retire and even one for before we die. We don't have to be slaves to our lists, but they can be tools to help us. I hope attending worship is on your list of things to do Sunday.
#19 MAKING LIFE INTERESTING
This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street with a suggestion for making life more interesting. Once when I was playing golf with my father, we were joined by a man we did not know. After a few holes, the man said, "Would you like to make this more interesting?" By that he meant, "Would we like to gamble?" Gambling is one way people try to make things interesting or more meaningful. It makes things matter that really didn't matter much before. As one who has lived in the South most of my life, I really don't care who wins most Big Ten football games. But if I place wagers on them, then the games will suddenly become important. Risk adds excitement. Gambling is a symptom of boredom in a society hungry for meaning. By the way, some people think attending a church is boring, but those of us who are involved find it helps us find meaning in life. If you are not involved in a church, why don't you risk a little of your time and check it out?
#20 MATURITY
Every day we must make choices based on our values. Sometimes we choose between right and wrong. Sometimes it is between good and better. Occasionally the right choice is clear, and other times we have to guess at it. Do we want immediate gratification or are we willing to wait? Do we think about the impact of our action on others or do we consider only ourselves? The choices we make reflect our values and our level of maturity. Actually, developing maturity is a choice. For most of us, maturity occurs naturally, the result of mistakes, hardship, discipline and simply the passing of time. But we can make conscious choices to develop the disciplines that contribute to our maturity. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street reminding you that involvement in a church can help you develop the disciplines that can contribute to making you be a better person.
#21 TRASH AND TREASURE
Some people make a hobby of collecting things, souvenirs of their travels or simply ornaments they accumulate, things that have value not because of a task they can perform, but because they stimulate nostalgia. Shopping for collectors at Christmas is easy. Just buy a teapot or a thimble to add to the collection. The collection grows, but eventually it is passed on to heirs who may have no nostalgic associations with it and who may not value it. What had been a treasure becomes trash. On the other hand, there are times when people are cleaning the garage and they may find something that has gained value. What was an old book is now a valued first edition. An old toy may have become an antique and a collector's item. The saying is true, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church reminding you that collecting things can be fun, but don't let the value of things exceed the value of people and your relationship with them.
#22 WORD ORIGINS
Words migrate from one language to another. Many of our English words come from ancient languages, Greek or Latin, but we send our words to other parts of the world, too. The spelling varies from place to place, but baseball is called baseball almost anywhere it is played. Recently I heard a person speaking Chinese. It was just sounds to me, until all of a sudden I heard him say "software." Apparently the Chinese word for "software" is "software." People who market products carefully choose brand names if their product is going to be sold to different language groups. A few years ago, Chevrolet sold a car called a Nova. In Latin, it means "new." In Spanish, it means "It does not go." The car did not sell well in Mexico. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street encouraging you to choose your words carefully so that you can spend time enjoying relationships instead of trying to repair them.
#23 VALUES
We all operate with values, and seldom give them any thought. They are instilled in us from childhood. We are mostly honest, we don't steal, and we generally keep our promises. If we did spend time thinking about our values, we could come up with a list. It might be specific, such as "always be on time" or general, such as "treat people fairly." The general ones help us, but they sometimes require additional thought as we try to figure out just what fair treatment is. Corporations sometimes identify their core values that are supposed to guide their business decisions. Since our personal values are instilled in us in early childhood, we take them for granted and never give them much thought. It would be good if individuals spent a little time thinking about their values and identifying the ones that they consider most important. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street where one of our values is unconditional love.
#24 REPUTATION
My parents used to warn me about certain bad behavior. They told me it would ruin my reputation, and my reputation was something very valuable and to be protected. I told my children something similar. I warned them that it takes a long time to build trust and only a moment to destroy it. A good reputation is built on consistency, and can be destroyed by one act of betrayal or dishonesty. The Book of Proverbs tells us that a good name is to chosen rather than great riches. Businesses, organizations, and churches have reputations, too, shaped by their consistent action over a long period of time. Remember, it takes a long time to build a good reputation, and only a moment to destroy one. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street where we encourage you to be honest and faithful, and where we are working to develop a reputation for being tolerant and helpful, even to people whose good name has been damaged.
#25 SHELF LIFE
Many products have something called a shelf life. Some have a "sell by" date stamped on them, letting consumers know of their freshness and letting retailers know when to remove them from the shelf. A product approaching its sell by date may get marked down. It is still perfectly good, but it is deteriorating. Some of us have passed our sell by date. We are good, but deteriorating. Still, there is a lot of good life left in us. If you are one of those persons who, perhaps because of age or affliction, feels that your value is gone, think again. Moses was 80 years old when he was called to lead Israel out of Bondage. Many of us are not what we used to be, but that is not the standard by which we should be judged. The question is, "Are we what we could be?" This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street, encouraging you to continue looking for places of service and usefulness, even if you have passed your sell by date.
#26 SHOWING UP
Woody Allen said that 80% of success is showing up. That may not be all we need to do, but it certainly is the beginning point. We sometimes feel powerless when we want to help people in need. We don't know what to do or to say. That's OK. We don't have to. It is amazing how helpful it is if we simply show up. Being there for someone may not heal their illness or solve their problem, but it communicates something very valuable. When a project needs volunteers, you may not have the skills you think are needed, but if you show up, you may be surprised how much help you can give. I know in a church, the service of worship is much better when people show up. They don't have to be able to sing or perform some part in leadership. Their presence is encouragement to everyone else. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street encouraging you to take Woody Allen's advice. If you want to be helpful, but are unsure what to do, show up. Do that, and you have already done a lot.
#27 EXCELLENCE AND MEDIOCRITY
The difference between excellence and mediocrity is often very small--a little attention to details, a little extra time, a small amount of effort. Whether you are planning a party, painting a room, or taking a vacation, attention to details can be the difference between success and disaster. Some people, such as travel agents and wedding planners, make a living taking care of details for us. In Graham Greene's novel, The Power and the Glory, the priest is facing death with a deep sense of disappointment. Greene writes, "It seemed to him at that moment that it would have been quite easy to have been a saint. It would only have needed a little self-restraint and a little courage. He felt like someone who has missed happiness by seconds at an appointed place. He knew now that there was only one thing that counted -- to be a saint. How tragic it is to fail when only a little more effort is needed. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street where we want to serve as travel agents for your spiritual journey.
#28 CRUTCHES
Some people reject faith in God. They say it is a crutch. So, what's so bad about having a crutch? Crutches can help people go places they couldn't without them. They can keep us from falling and allow us to heal when we are injured. If a crutch helps you, use it. Using a crutch is not a sign of weakness. It might be a sign of intelligence. But why call faith a crutch? Why not call it a compass or a roadmap, an anchor or a rudder, a shield or a light? There are a lot of metaphors to describe what faith does in our life, just as there are a lot of tools that help us in life. There is nothing wrong with using those tools. In fact, it doesn't seem very smart to refuse to use a resource that can help you. If we allow ourselves to eat to have physical strength, why deny ourselves resources that can strengthen other parts of our life. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street where we are specialists in spiritual nutrition.
#29 SMALLPOX
In 1856 the American Schooner Frost arrived in Guam. It was quarantined for three days because one of their passengers had died and been buried at sea the day before. However, one prominent citizen and his servant were allowed to disembark immediately. The servant was the first person to die of smallpox on Guam. Estimates vary, but within a year approximately 5,000 people died in the smallpox epidemic, more than half the entire population of the island. The irresponsible act of one person caused the death of many. It happens a lot—a careless camper can cause a fire, a reckless driver a terrible accident, or a thoughtless factory worker can set off a chain of events that is destructive for many people. This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street encouraging you to consider the consequences of your action. You may think you are saving time or effort when you are really endangering the lives and property of others. Remember to think.
#30 PANCHO VILLA
Pancho Villa, outlaw and cattle rustler turned rebel army leader turned respectable rancher was assassinated in 1923. Gunmen shot him in his car after a trip to the bank. Reportedly his dying words were, “Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something.” Apparently saying something is important to a lot of people. We try to put our philosophy of life on t-shirts and bumper stickers letting the world know of our cynicism or hopes. We reveal our humor, or values, or loyalties. But regardless of what we wear or put on a bumper sticker, we are saying something. We do it with our lives. We communicate our values not with words on a t-shirt but with actions. Someone has said, “What you do speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you say.” Pancho Villa did say something with the way he lived. So do we all. . This is Curtis Tutterrow of Union Congregational Church on Mansface Street where we want to help you say the right thing with your life.
