Some years ago a friend asked me to join him at his lawyers’ office to witness some documents he was signing for a new venture. After some comical chit chat around our different faith roots – the lawyers identified themselves as High Holiday Synagogue attenders, sort of like our Christmas and Easter church attenders– they asked about how we supported our churches with tithes and offerings.  

Today’s title was a favourite phrase of my late, dear friend Holger. He was a successful logistics executive and also loved to own and train horses. We’d go for long rides on a Sunday afternoon and our conversations often went to corporate culture and its similarity to the horses in his stable. 

G.K. Chesterton once said that if we truly believed in democratic decision making, we should let generations before us also vote. I’m not sure exactly how he wanted to make that happen, but I think he was suggesting that only believing the “new” or “recent” is most true or helpful may need cautious exploration. 

A friend joined me for a sandwich earlier this month and then we retired to our living room to do a meditation on a conversation Jesus had with his critics, the curious and the disciples. We opened with this prayer from the Northumbria Community; “Most powerful Holy Spirit, come down upon us and subdue us. From heaven, where the ordinary is made glorious, and glory seems but ordinary, bathe us with the brilliance of Your light like dew.” 

This fellow really annoyed me and as he came up after a gathering, I remembered that his son-in-law had told me some really terrific things he had done recently. So, I had my first impressions of him with some helpful updates. “You did a terrific job, Norm, I always enjoy your leadership at these events.” It is hard to shake hands when your jaw has dropped to your knees.