Beyond Blue Bayou
A friend recently sent me an old photograph taken just after my baptism.   I am standing in the backyard bayou of Alton Howard in Louisiana. Alton Howard, musicologist, needs no introduction. I was unknown then, both to myself and others. I was about 19, very green, and dreaming of my future. I had cut off my shoulder length hair. I had changed my wardrobe and bought appropriate clothes for ministry. I was in the process of becoming useful to the Lord. I had no wife, no children—just a belief that the Lord of history was able.
As I reflect on this old photo, I am reminded of how faithful the Lord has been through the years. My education in Greek, Hebrew, and now Italian, has been of especial importance to me along the way. The word has always been my constant delight. And, besides the word, he has provided me with a beautiful wife, Marla—lovely linguistics and a lovely wife!  My friends, also, have been a fruitful source of joy. In a word, the “strength†(zeroa’) of which the prophet Isaiah speaks has been mine along the way (30:30; 33:2; 40:10; 51:5, 9; 52:10; 62:8).
We are beyond the bayou now. Alton has gone on to finish his journey. I have a wife, a son, and many blessings. But, we shall not forget why we have come this far; nor for what purpose this moment in history has come.  ArrivederLa!