In case you missed this in the Dayton Daily News...
By Jeff Kirby, Dayton Daily News, April 21, 2011: I met a guy last week who was looking for answers. He wanted to make sense of nonsense and wanted assurance in the wake of all uncertainty. Life is troubling for him right now.He hoped that the legal system had some answers for him. He had a couple of lawsuits he had been considering, and wanted to know my opinion.
He had a lot to say, so I listened patiently. But in the end I gently told him, no, the legal system did not have the answers he was looking for. The only winners in the cases he had in mind would be the lawyers.
He sighed, and said he suspected as much. And then he sat there with tears in his eyes. I’ve seen that look many times over the years.
Finally, he asked, “What would you do if you were me?”
I paused before answering. “We’re all different,” I said. “What works for one person doesn’t work for another.”
“Well, I’ve tried everything – buying things, running around…doing anything I please,” he said. “Those things only make matters worse.”
I learned a long time ago to recognize an open door when I see it. Years ago, a client asked me the same series of questions, and I didn’t have the courage to tell him what I really thought. A month later the police found him dead in the middle of his living room, surrounded by empty whiskey bottles.
I won’t let that happen again. So while I don’t like street preachers and judgmental religious people, I will not be bashful anymore in telling anyone why I go to church. If you ask me, that spiritual connection is the answer all people are looking for.
I said, “If I don’t get my car tuned every now and then, and if I never stop for gas, pretty soon I’m not going to get anywhere. It’s for those same reasons I need to go to church. Left to myself, I’ll steer myself in all the wrong ways. Church helps me to step outside myself and my problems and look at everything from a different perspective.”
He rubbed his eyes. “I hear what you’re saying. But I just don’t know for sure that all that stuff is real.”
I nodded in agreement. That is such a common thought. I told him that I used to say the same thing, that my lawyer-brain doesn’t allow me to accept anything until I believe there’s evidence to support it.
“So isn’t it just some hokey farce?” he asked.
I then offered a few exhibits in the “Case For Faith,” which is an excellent book by Lee Strobel.
Exhibit 1 – the calendar changed 2,000 years ago. Does that happen based on a hoax? Or does that require something that is literally Earth-shattering? Exhibit 2 – Jesus started a Christian movement in the heart of Jewish territory. That’s pretty hard to do unless there’s something very real to support it. How fast would a Michigan fan club spread if it started right in the middle of the Ohio State campus?
“There are other reasons, but one is the most important,” I said. That Exhibit would contain the names and faces of millions of people throughout time who will verify that they didn’t have a sense of peace until they made a decision to put their faith in someone other than themselves. Easter is a celebration of peace and hope.
“It works, huh?” he said.
“It works for me. And I’m not the only one who feels that way.”
He grew quiet, as if he realized there was a lot to think about.
“I didn’t expect to hear all this from a lawyer.” he said.
“I probably first heard it from a plumber. Or a mechanic. These are just our day jobs. The rest of the time, we’re all in this together,” I said.
He shook my hand and walked out the door. For a second, I wondered if I should’ve just kept my opinions to myself. Some people want to believe their happiness is tied to their success, their pride or their diversions.
Just then my phone rang. On the other end was another person in the midst of a terrible life struggle – with other questions, more concerns and a whole lot of problems – looking for answers.
We’re always looking for answers. The real question is where to look for them.
Jeff Kirby will team up with his friend since high school, Danny Griffith, to deliver the Easter message at Horizon Pointe Church (Danny is the pastor there), located at the Five-Points Elementary School, Springboro. It'll be the first time they've teamed up since they combined for 44 points in a Franklin basketball game against Monroe many years ago (Griff had 42 of those points). The service starts at 10 a.m. Dress is casual. Laughing at all the appropriate times, however, is mandatory.
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Springboro, Ohio 45066
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Serving CarlisleDaily.com, TheFranklinVoice.com, and TheSpringboroVoice.com The articles and posts on this site do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the management and owner of The Voice of Miami Valley. Letters and Guests are welcome to submit to The Voice and all other sites managed by The Voice of Miami Valley. All submissions must be published with signatures. No unsigned submissions will be published. Submissions should be emailed to owner@thevoiceofmiamivalley.com Thank you for your readership!
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