A Moment that Changed MY World

Well hello again, like both here with folks and friends. I'm both your friends and along the way we meet a few others don't we? This is the week of 9-11, 2022 and just yesterday I did a podcast where I shared that that moment in 2001 on September 11 changed our world. I want to chat with you today very quickly about a moment changed my world or the world of Ruth my wife and me. I'm sitting here on my back porch in Colorado looking out at a pristine view a blue sky it's a lovely September morning and you can hear the sound now and again of an airplane going over or or a car down the road or some construction across the way but to the same degree that 9-11 2001 was a day of death and destruction. Ruth and I have another day another September 11 in 1972 that was as full of life as 2001 was full of death. 50 years ago actually stupendous it was a beautiful day it full of life and possibility but let me let me back up just a bit. 1959 I graduated high school Freeman High in Oakland California class of 400 plus and 38 of us went off 10 miles to the north to this university called Cal Berkeley just a little piece of trivia it was free to go there. Stayed at home so it was really free from 1868 to 1970 there was no tuition there neither of those things is true now so those of you with college age kids I I'm sorry to even bring it up. That next year after my freshman year I transferred to a small Bible college near Santa Cruz California called Bethany 90 miles to the south and there I met a tall green eyed sandy hair girl called Ruth Blakely in July of 1963 six weeks after I graduated we married three weeks after that I loaded up the car that I got in the deal she had a car and we drove off to Wheaton grad school in Illinois near Chicago at 2000 mile trip I had turned 21 in March of 1963 she Ruth would not turn 21 until September what I didn't know for years I don't think I knew this is that Ruth wanted children I knew that but she later told me that she wanted whatever kids we had by the age of 30 well in February 1966 our first child had born a bird a girl beautiful girl with a little red red rimmed head of hair like a Tonja like I don't know for our tuck or something beautiful little girl her name is Erica she's still as beautiful and she's still wonderful though she herself is now a grandmother it's in camera of 67 in Illinois where we had moved then because we moved there in 66 Jennifer was born and she was just full of life she's always been the adventure ready to go off around the world to drop of a hat in November of 1970 our third daughter was born in Illinois her name is Susanna and she was a person who always looked to write and I don't think she knew a stranger she would walk up to a group of folks standing in an airport joining the conversation she was small but then in March of 1972 Ruth and I took our first overseas trip to a conference in Italy and and we were encouraged to meet with the speakers at this conference it was called Adventure of Living I had my 30th birthday in Sereno Italy that's who was it was in Italy it was great fellow named Bernard Harnick was a Swiss psychiatrist and he and his wife agreed to have lunch with us one day and at that time Ruth was three months pregnant with our fourth child we didn't know the sex of the child it was back in the day you didn't have that option I don't think so much and we were chatting with the psychiatrist and his wife and they started asking questions about how far along Ruth was and so forth and so on and then he said I think there is an 87% chance that baby will be a boy yet no idea how he knew that he I don't know if it was the moon or what then came September 11th 1972 six months after that meeting in Italy and Ruth and I were at the hospital and she was in labor and we were in that delivery room now you need to understand that for that first child Erica back in the day I was the bad guy you couldn't go in the labor you're out in the hall looking through a window maybe and then it's things progressed by the time we got to the fourth child the laws that method of breathing and relaxing so forth it came into place so I'm holding Ruth's shoulders going you know that some of you have been there and done that you get it I'd had this conversation with God I don't know that I got a response per say but I was talking to him along the way and I said I love our three daughter love them to death I wouldn't I can't imagine being without Erica and Jenny and Sue but I said you know this is our fourth one and if there's any chance along the way that it might be a boy that'd be great if it's a girl that's spectacular but so there we were and then that baby started to come and of course you know how the baby thing works don't you I mean you have that moment of conception and then those cells start to divide and that child starts growing in the mother's womb in about four months in that child I understand can sort of have a sense for the mother's voice and if that mother sings or sings lullabies the child gets that it's in this watery womb world if you are comfortable and then one day the pressure starts and I as the child I'm sure I don't remember this of course I wouldn't I'm thinking boy this isn't good there's a little pressure here and all of a sudden I'm going down that birth canal and it's a lot of pressure and then almost instantly I'm out in this whole other world that's bright with light and there's giants talking and they're holding me upside down and if I could talk I would have said don't smack me I'll cry you know it's just it's the land of the giants it's a whole new thing and as that child emerged the doctor turned the baby over and said well let's see what we have here and he looked at me and Grinden said you have a boy I have to tell you there are some moments in time that just capture you in a way that none other does and that was one of those moments and I had I have to say how to speech prepared isn't it good to have a man child in the promised land and the only thing that came out of my mouth was yes and so here we are this week 50 years down the road that boy we named Christopher Richard and he has been a huge gift to us over the years now he himself is married to the lovely Tracy and they have three great children and he has lived a productive life and follows Jesus and I don't think I as a father or Ruth as a mother could ask for anything more than that what a blessing Chris has been to our home and to our life and to many around I love what it says in Psalm 127 3 through 5 in the message this paraphrase of scripture by Eugene Peterson this is how it reads in the message don't you see the children are God's best gift the fruit of the womb his generous legacy like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth oh how blessed are you parents with your crib or his full of children your enemies don't stand a chance against you you'll sweep them right off your doorstep now many of you listening may not have children not all folks have children but we've all been a child can I say it you are a gift a gift from God I'm not saying that actually God saying that when Ruth and I reflect on September 11 9 11 1972 it was might I say it a bit like Christmas and I'm not singing the first no well I'm just shouting yes that's it and out till next week have a good one God bless see you