Author Archives: Larry

I am a fan of the actor Robert Duvall, so I have been eager to see his latest film, “Get Low.” I finally saw it last week. Wow! It is a very special film. It’s based on the true-life story of a man who lived most of his life as a hermit in the Tennessee woods in the 1930’s. It’s a story of making peace with your life.

Felix, the character played by Duvall, finds an unusual way of making peace with his life. He throws his own “funeral party” before he dies … so he can attend his own funeral. … I don’t want to give away too much of the film, so I’ll only say that, if you see “Get Low,” you’ll see a display of profound and raw spiritual courage that I have rarely seen enacted on screen.

That’s one of my “take-aways” from this film: it takes some courage – spiritual courage – to make peace with your life.

All of us who have lived awhile, look back over our lives and inevitably feel some mixture of pride and regret. How do you come to terms with all that? How do you make peace with your life? … When I look back over my years, there is a lot that I feel good about. I can summon up real chest-swelling, button-popping pride about the construction of the new buildings at cumc, about the water project in Kenya, the clinic lighting system in Uganda, the aids-prevention project in Malawi. But there are also regrets, mostly about the people I have hurt – those close to me, like Mary Helen – but also those I just haven’t come through for – those for whom I couldn’t (or didn’t) be the pastor they needed me to be. How do I make my peace with all of it – with my life in its totality. You know, it doesn’t help to say, “Well, I did the best I could” because there have been moments when “the best I could” just wasn’t quite good enough. How do I make peace with that?

“Get Low” reminds us that it takes courage to face yourself and your life; it takes courage to tell the truth. And when we do, there is healing, and there is redemption. … Duvall shows us one way that spiritual courage can look.

Tell me your thoughts … about making peace with your life … or, if you see the film, let me know what you think of it.

So What Do I Do Now?

Imagine that someone comes to you and says: “I have decided to follow Jesus. I trust that God loves me and forgives me. What do I do now?”

How would you answer that question?

The question is not about belief or faith or trust. The question is “what’s next?” … Imagine that this questioner says, “I believe. I’ve put my trust (faith) in God’s grace … so, now, what’s next?”

How would you answer?

I’d really like to hear your thoughts and your responses – your answers to that question. There’s a space below where you can leave a comment or you can email me at larry@cumc-hmb.com. I look forward to your thoughts!