My Friend Bill

Do you remember 1973? We were at war with Viet Nam, and gas was 39 cents a gallon. Minimum wage was $1.60 an hour. A new home cost 35 thousand dollars and the average family was earning about 10 thousand dollars a year. Richard Nixon was president, and Bill Erwin was my best friend in the whole world. 1973 was the last time I heard from him.

That was until last week. Thanks to the miracle of My Space, I received an email and then a phone call from a voice I had not heard from since a postage stamp cost 8 cents.

Bill and I were best the best of friends from fourth grade through High school, we walked to school together. He was over at my house or I was over at his. We’d camp out in my back yard during those California summers, laughing and joking until the neighbors would yell at us. (Which made us laugh all the more?) I’d go camping with his family. We caught a catfish (a couple of feet long) we kept it in his back yard in their wading pool until his mom made us throw it away. We were closer than brothers.

I had not heard his voice in thirty four years. We had simply lost track of each other. He went to war and I went to college. He’s now a retired Army Viet Nam vet and I’m a “not ready for retirement” preacher. As Bill and I chatted on the phone, we discovered was stationed at Ft. Lewis in Tacoma when I was at Bible College in Seattle, but in the pre-internet era, we had no way of tracking the other person down.

My oldest friend reminded me of a funny story. We were about 12, and were riding bikes in front of his house. His little brother Joey, about 6 at the time was riding with us. Using his index finger and thumb as a toy gun, Joey was “shooting” everything he could see. He then pointed his freckle loaded finger at my bike tire and said “bang.” My tire blew! His imaginary bullet had more punch that we thought.

I’m so glad I serve God who is more powerful than a finger bullet and who does not lose track of us.

Psalm 139:7-9, “Where can I go from your spirit? If I go to Seattle, Albany, Tennessee, Myrtle Point and Molalla, you are there. If I go to a Promise Keepers Rally you are there. If I bite the head off a high school student in anger, you are there as well.” (Okay, this is Laver’s Liberal Translation. Look at Psalm 139: 7-9 for the true version.)
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, £ you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

God keeps track of us when we follow Him and love Him. But God also keeps track of us when we stray away, and stay way from Him. At any moment, we can make an about face toward the Creator of the world and God runs at Olympic speed to scoop us up, dust us off and throw a party because we are back with Him. (Luke 15:11-32). The last words Jesus said to his disciples on earth are “Lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). God has the hairs on our heads numbers and keeps track of falling birds. (Matthew 10:29-30).

Now that I have my friend Bill back, I vow not to loose track of him again. God has already made that promise to us.

That’s what Fathers and friends are for.