A Declaration of Interdepence

A Declaration of Interdependence
by Ken Miller

The service call told me the hot beverage machine in Davies Hall at ICC was misbehaving. After diagnosing the problem, it was clear that the repair job required more vision than my finger tips could provide.
My good friend and employee, Jim Yessak, was filling the pop machine next to the one I was working on, so I asked him if I could borrow his eyeballs for a moment. Between his vision and my understanding of how the machine was supposed to work, we had the problem fixed in no time. After running a successful test vend (in this case it was sampling a cup of hot chocolate) he turned to me and said. “Between the two of us-we make one pretty good man.”
Anybody who has been involved in team sports has heard this favorite ol’ cliché from the coach: “There is no ‘I’ in the word ‘team’”. After a recent retirement party a vertically challenged member of the clean up crew asked a vertically gifted member of the clean up crew if he would remove a piece of tape dangling from the ceiling. The tape was gladly and easily removed. Attorney James Omvig (who is blind) writes how, in his family, his wife does the driving, but he being the taller of the two, retrieves the bowls from the top row of kitchen cupboards. Interdependence is good!
Jesus modeled complete interdependence when he said he only did what he saw His Father doing. (John 5: 18-20, John 14: 9-11) Paul reminds us that “we, being many, are one.” (Romans 12:4-5) And again in 1 Cor. 12:12, 20, he tells us that each of us fits into, and contributes to the whole.
So, here I am, listening to the above paragraph, and I’m thinkin’: “Okay, so what’s the big deal? I get along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus? No problem. Paul can be a bit feisty at times, but hey, organizing a movement that will change the face of history is no small task! I’d love to get interdependent with that team!
Then I am aware of a Divine Digit tapping me on my shoulder. “What about the believer in the third row with the orange and green hair? How about that guy in the back who thinks Paul wrote the King James Version? What about the people who always think they have “the word of the Lord”? And don’t forget those nutty folks who think it would be great to get interdependent with somebody like YOU!?”

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! …for there the Lord commands the blessing, even life for evermore. Psalm 133:1, 3b

"You've Got the Power, Grandpa!"

“You’ve Got the Power, Grandpa!”
by Ken Miller

Summer sun warmed the yard while a cool breeze kept the day from becoming uncomfortable. Life is good, I thought, especially since two of my grandkiddies just arrived for a visit.
After being freed from the tangle of seat belts and car seats, Kendrick charged to the house for some juice and Taylonee raced past grandpa and headed straight for the swing set uncle Mike had built. Ignoring the slide, she grabbed a swing and called, “Grandpa, push me!” I was already sitting on my scooter (thanks, Ted!) so I cranked the speed control to halfway between the picture of the turtle and the picture of the rabbit. Born To Be Wild, don’t cha know.
I stopped that mighty machine near the A-frame support. Two spastic steps put my feet securely in position. A firm grip on the frame with my left hand provided the stability I needed to allow my right hand to push. “Grandpa, push me!” A gentle nudge got her started, and after a couple of serious nudges, she was airborne, soaring into the wild blue yonder. As her swing began its return to earth, she called out, “Grandpa, you’ve got the power!” My first reaction was to smile and stand a little straighter. In her world, at that moment, I did have the power. (I wanted to ask her what she wanted for Christmas.)
Then I thought, “Power? What power?” I have no bulging biceps with which to box a heavy bag. I have no protruding pectorals with which to bench press 500 lbs. My quads could never carry me over the triathlon finish line. I don’t even have the power to cross the room without my walker! So what kind of power does grandpa have?
In chapter 24, verse 15, Joshua gave the Israelites the power to choose. Jesus gives us the power to choose to open the door to Him in Rev. 3:20. John Ortberg invites us to exercise our power of choice when he wrote, If You Want To Walk on Water, You Have To Get Out Of The Boat.
She was right. I did have the power. No--wait. WE have the power. You and I, beloved of our Father, we have the power to choose. We can hand down a verdict or extend a helping hand. We can condemn or forgive. We can turn away or get involved. As the saying goes, we can curse the darkness or light a candle. Today, let us choose to be the light of the world (Math. 5:14).