The 1970's

I found the old 1977-1983 C.H.i.P.’s TV series on one of my streaming channels the other day and have been reacquainting myself with the series that Piper and I used to watch in the early years of our marriage.  After a few shows I realized two things. 

First… that Fiver does NOT like the theme song and will break out into a loud and soulful howl every time the theme plays at the beginning and end of each episode… and Secondly that this show… more than any other from the many old TV series that we used to enjoy… REALLY pulls at my HEARTSTRINGS, overflowing my memory banks with endless recollections of all the fun, adventures, loving and poignant times that Piper and I shared in the first ten years of our relationship.

I watched another episode at lunch yesterday and when it was over and Fiver and I stepped out the front door to take a leisurely walk in the beautifully warm weather, I asked the Lord why this show affected me with such strong, specific and vivid memories of Piper.  Then as we strolled and Fiver stopped every few feet to take a deeper sniff of a scent that caught his nose, I began to envision a timeline in my mind’s eye that started at one end with the date of 1970 and ended on the far side with the date of 1980.

With each step that we took, familiar activities, events and milestones began to fill the length of the timeline.  I was a little amazed at how many things were recorded in that relatively short, ten-year period of our lives… and by the time we climbed up the berm and looked across the glassy looking, calm waters of our large neighborhood pond... it hit me!

And I realized all the foundational events that occurred to Piper and I in the 1970’s that became the groundwork on which the rest of the next four decades of our marriage and family were built.  From the initiation of our dating in 1970 to our marriage in 1975, the call to ministry I felt in 1976 and our first ministry position, the fire that was ignited in our hearts for the message of faith that directed our Christian walk for the rest of our lives, and the beginning of our family in 1979, along with all the other kinds of visions, plans and, purposes that we began to pursue… all happened in the decade of the seventies!

As the C.H.i.P.s stars ride their motorcycles along the highways and byways of Los Angeles County in Southern California and pass a 1973 Pinto wagon, I’ll yell out to Fiver “Hey that looks like Piper’s Pinto” and I’ll be blasted with memories of her in that car, of all those early camping trips we took and the countless times we pulled into the parking lot of the First Baptist Church where we were employed as Youth Ministers.

Then there’s the plethora of British sportscars like my ’66 MGB that were so popular in the sixties and seventies, the young gals in their short skirts and boots or shapely jeans just like Piper wore in high school and college and all the memories of my eyes popping out of my head when I saw her in them, the lingo spoken at the time, and the way that the cameras captured the California lifestyle that Piper and I enjoyed back then. 

Yes… I finally figured it all out!  The seeing and re-living of all those sweet memories is what caused my heart strings to be plucked into the melody of a moving song of remembrances of the woman I loved and partnered with for 48 years… and of all the adventures we experienced in our teens and twenties.  

And you know what else I realized, as Fiver and I reversed our direction and headed home from our afternoon walk?  I understood that God also had a HEAVY hand in the midst of all of those events that shaped and established our future. I can look back at almost each and every one of those experiences listed on that timeline that unfolded in my mind’s eye and observe His nudge in a certain direction, Him sending special individuals into our lives at just the right time, scriptures that spoke to our hearts and led us to make certain decisions and the countless answers to prayer all along the way.

I realized with an emotional jolt that caused me to suddenly stop on our walk and pull on Fiver’s harness when he kept walking on, that God set Piper and I up for success back then… and is still doing the same for me… as well as for you dear reader, TODAY!

Was it always easy to follow His directions… NO!  Did everything always work out as planned… NO!  Did we ever make mistakes along the way… YES… many times!

Paul told his readers in Philippians 4:12-13 that,

“I have learned the secret—the secret to real peace and contentment in every situation, regardless of circumstance, regardless of whether I’m hungry or well fed, regardless of whether I am rich or poor.  The secret to real peace and contentment is an abiding trust in Christ—realizing that my strength comes from him; and through the peace, strength, wisdom and perspective that Christ gives me, I can handle whatever happens”.  (The Remedy New Testament)

The SECRET of Paul’s success in life was his abiding trust in Christ… and in looking back through our memories of the 1970’s, I realized that the good Lord was giving Piper and I the same message that we sought, to the best of our abilities and ever-increasing scriptural knowledge, to do the same.

Then I picked up a hint from Jesus Himself on how to best accomplish this task in the middle of this mixed up and crazy world that we seem to be living in today.  Jesus tells us that,

“If you continue in My Word, then are you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth (in My Word) shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32 – KJV)

So YES!  I believe that God has set us ALL up for success.  He has given us ALL the tools we need to succeed in everything we set out to accomplish in this world… ALL we have to do is to discover His will for us in His Word and then DO it… according to the way that He leads us to in His Word!  EASY RIGHT?  Well… not really… but ALL the dedicated effort on our part SURE DOES payoff!

Have a great weekend… and as you do… spread some JOY and Godly success along the way!

We are in the midst of a picture-perfect weekend here in northeastern Oklahoma… if someone were to ask me… I’d have to say that Oklahoma copied a page from the 1970’s California lifestyle that Piper and I used to enjoy when C.H.i.P.s was one of the top shows on NBC!