By Ken Lass
The alarm on my smart phone awakens me from a deep sleep. For a moment I am disoriented, wondering where I am. Once my senses begin to function properly, I manage to crank open one eye to gaze at the time. The digital readout shows 5:15am. What cruel, inhuman twist of fate would require an old, retired guy like me to have to wake up at this pre-dawn hour?
Slowly my brain begins to put it together. It’s the day of the monthly men’s bible study breakfast at my church. The program is titled “6-11”. The name comes from the verse in First Timothy, chapter six, verse eleven: “But you, oh man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.”
Unfortunately, the church also thought it would be a neat idea, considering the chapter and number of the verse, to actually start the bible study at 6:11am. Naturally, one of the running jokes amongst many of the participants is that we’ve got to find an equally appropriate verse in chapter nine or ten. Alas, not to be.
I turn over and bury my head deeply into my soft pillow. I must be honest. I must confess. I don’t want to go. I begin to rationalize. Surely this study is designed for the younger, working guys who have to be at their jobs by eight o’clock, or earlier. It’s not aimed at me. I have all day to set aside time to read the Good Word and pray. It would be so much nicer to roll back over, close my eyes, and drift back into la-la land.
But then I begin to hear it. That voice in my head. A little voice that reminds me that, to whom much is given, much is expected. That there is a message out there that I need to hear this morning. That I can’t expect younger men to put forth the effort if I don’t help set the example myself.
Dang that voice. Sometimes I wish it would take a vacation.
I drag myself out of bed, wash up, throw on clothes and drive to church. The instant I get out of my car, men are greeting me with a smiling face and a warm hello as we head into the gym. Pastor leads us in a prayer of thanksgiving, and we line up for breakfast.
Breakfast is awesome. Scrambled eggs, bacon, tater tots, biscuits and gravy, even fruit for those that are trying to eat healthy. It’s not the reason we come. At least I don’t think it is, but it sure helps.
As a couple hundred men work their way through the buffet, the volunteer cooks lean up against the wall by the kitchen door. Bleary-eyed, they watch for trays to empty and then quickly replace them with full ones. Most all of them are around my age, senior adult types. They get here hours earlier to start preparing this feast. For a moment I feel badly for groaning about having to get up so early, considering they show up so much earlier to cook. But I quickly get over it as I pile bacon on to my plate. I make sure to thank them as I walk past. They manage an exhausted smile as they mumble something sleepily incoherent. They are good folk.
After loading my plate, I sit with a group of good friends. We’ve been meeting at this gathering for years. We talk about our aches and pains, football, grandkids, prayer needs. We laugh and joke. I’m in a good mood now. This is fun.
A few seats down to my right a young father has brought along his son, who I’m guessing is nine or ten years old. What a great habit to instill in the boy. He’ll never forget these times with his dad the rest of his life. There are, in fact, several children in the crowd. It’s a very diverse turnout, spanning all stages of life.
This morning’s message is from Genesis 39, the story of Joseph and Potipher’s wife. After being wrongly accused of sexually assaulting the woman, Joseph was sent to prison. Despite the adversity, he remains faithful to God. If you’re familiar with the story, you know that eventually Joseph is rewarded by becoming the second most powerful man in the kingdom.
The message is clear. Hard times will come, often unjustly. Keep the faith. Never feel abandoned. There may be a blessing right around the corner. It’s exactly what I need to hear. It’s what everybody needs to hear. We all have issues that get us down. As we pray at dismissal, those problems seem a little less daunting.
Everyone gets up with a grin. My friends bid me a warm good-bye. I leave with a bounce in my step, ready to take on the day.
Funny thing. When that wake-up alarm rings, I tell myself I’m never doing this early study again. By the time I leave the gym, I can’t wait for the next one.