My Early Story (18)

 

George Will After NY

 

As I mentioned earlier, the last time I saw George was in 1977 in Gainesville, FL and the last time I talked with George was a few weeks ago when he called from Italy [the first edition of this was written in 2010].

 

After our brief time together in 1977 I talked with him a time or two over the phone that same year but then I don’t think we spoke until shortly after September 11, 2001. That was a 24-year interval. If I did talk to him during those intervening years I don’t remember – kind of sad in a sense, no, not my memory, rather the fact that we didn’t keep up communication. But again, I continued to pray for him and his kids and I’m sure he continued to pray for me and I guess that’s a higher form of communication – kind of like using heaven’s switchboard.

 

Now if you aren’t sure what a switchboard is let me refer you to old black and white movies, or to the Smithsonian Museum of American History, or to your grandparents. While you’re at it check out “party lines” and “rotary” phones and phone numbers that begin with two letters, like WH6-9456. The WH stands for Whitehall, that was our exchange back in Kensington, MD. Oh, and if you try WH6-9456 and I answer see if Rod Serling is listening in because that was our actual phone number and if I answer I think we’ve got another storyline. Who is Rod Serling you ask? Ask your grandparents or try the Smithsonian or try black and white television.

 

Okay, back to George. I called him a day or two after 9/11 at his parents’ home and was told that he was in Italy but that he was trying to make it to the States. Then a week or two later I called back and he was there and we talked.

 

After that it was 2007 or so before we talked again. I had been telling some guys in my church about George and a few days later the phone rang and it was him – pretty neat. Since then he usually calls when he is in the States – though three times he has called from Italy. One time he called from Italy when I was with a group of men and I put him on the speaker so the guys could say “hi” to this man I’d been telling them about – that was fun.

 

When I saw George in Gainesville in 1977 it was bittersweet for me because I had changed – I wasn’t the kid George had known and that may have thrown him, I’m not sure. Also, our thinking about some things had gone different ways – though we were both anchored in Jesus there were some doctrinal areas that I had moved away from in terms of emphasis – and when I realized that George took it for granted (which he had every reason to do) that I was still tracking with him about certain points of emphases I decided to shy away from those areas out of respect for him.

 

I think one of the things that happened was that I was exposed to different Christian traditions and had a lot of cross-pollination, while my guess is that George worked within more confined settings. Having written this, however, I think I should also mention that George approaches everyone everywhere and doesn’t know a stranger – but he is also pretty intense and his intensity can be tough for some religious types to swallow – if you are not sure what you believe you’ll find that out pretty quickly if you’re around George.

 

Our phone conversations the past few years have affirmed that we share the same center of gravity in Jesus Christ, going back to our relationship at the Bible College – we both believe that only God can live the Christian life and that He desires to live it in us and through us.

 

In one of our 2007 or 2008 conversations I sensed that George was assuming that I had bought into certain toxic attitudes and practices in the North American Church – exchanging the Biblical for the pragmatic you might say. I wrote him a letter – he had gone to  Italy – setting the record straight. He called from Italy and apologized. It mattered to me what George thought because he had built so much into my early years; I wanted him to know that I was still on track with the Christ of the Cross and the Cross of Christ.

 

I have known few people as unashamed of Jesus and as openly in love with Jesus as George Will. I have known few people as dependent on Jesus for daily direction and provision as George – I am in diapers compared to George. I have never known anyone who so consistently focuses on Jesus in his words and actions as George.

 

Maybe I’ll hear from George again and maybe I won’t – he’s getting up there in years; but of one thing I’m certain, I will see him again and then we’ll do some real catching-up.