I tried for the last year or so to emphasize that I would be “repurposing” in 2016, rather than “retiring.” To no avail. The number one greeting I get these days is “How’s retirement?” I usually answer “I’m figuring it out,” or “I’m getting used to it.” What I’m thinking, however, is “I sure don’t feel retired.” To see if I am doing something wrong, I looked up the definition of retirement. The first one that popped up was, “the action or fact of leaving one’s job and ceasing to work.” There’s the problem – I haven’t ceased working, and don’t plan on doing so for a while. Maybe someday I’ll achieve this other definition of retirement I found while searching: “Retirement: You get up in the morning with nothing to do, and go to bed at night having only done half of it.”
But for now I’m enjoying the “work” involved in keeping Know Your Bible going – and preparing for the future. I have trips planned to two of our church partners (Watermill in Springfield and the Sioux Falls church) to update and encourage them in their KYB ministries. The “keeping it going” part of things involves recording future programs and answering the questions we receive each week. Actually, daily, since so many folks are now logging on to the website to ask their questions. The e-questions are actually more fun to answer because it feels like I’m sort of dealing “face-to-face.” Some of them respond with a thank you (or a rebuttal if they don’t like what the Bible has to say about their firmly held positon), and some of them have become regular e-pals.
Check out this portion of one recent email (since it was addressed to you): “Hello Northside Church of Christ, Your church has been such an encouragement to my family and me, from your weekly airing of Know Your Bible, to other materials and pamphlets we’ve been able to receive through you, it’s been an amazing and wonderful blessing to all of us and for that we all vigorously thank you!! Know Your Bible is such an insightful program and blessing to us, as we learn more and more and are encouraged by the non-offending, kind, yet honest and true personalities who host it.” The young lady went on to request a mentor for regular communication, and has been connected to one of our young women at Northside. How cool is that? I don’t think I’ll “cease” working yet!