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01/12/07 |
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A Strange Thing Happened to Me on the Way to Retirement – I Never Arrived! By William E. Berg Copyright 2000 |
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To my grandchildren: Steve, Karen, Jon, Jeff, Katie, Will and Ben They light up my life with their refreshing and affirming presence. They help make my life an exciting adventure, especially in this stage of the journey. Above all, they give me joy as I see their commitment to Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord, to His Church and to His work of healing and reconciliation in our broken world. They enliven our family get-togethers with their creative and challenging perspectives on life. There is never a dull moment in these gatherings.
This dedication would be incomplete without adding another tribute. With gratitude beyond words, I pay tribute to my “grand children,” the parents of those to whom this book is dedicated. Indeed, my grandchildren reflect their magnificent spiritual heritage, and the values of their parents. And it goes without saying that without them, there would be no grandchildren to whom this book could be dedicated.
So I give glory to God in the words of Psalm 79:13: Then we thy people, the flock of thy pasture, will give thanks to thee for ever; from generation to generation we will recount thy praise.
Section One: Setting the Tone Life is Too Short Partial Birth of Knowledge Syndrome Redefining Retirement Died at 40, Buried at 70 Section Two: Consider Your Assets You Are More Than You Think Count Your Years and Your Blessings Don’t Forget Your Benefits Section Three: Non-Retirement in Real Life Come With Me to a Nursing Home Roll Call of the Non-Ordained Let’s Have a Non-Retirement Party Section Four: Practical Helps Keep Your Sense of Humor Keep Singing Section Five: God Make Us Aware The Mystery of Change This is No Time to Retire Call to Youth – Let’s Face It
Jon Carlson Have you ever heard of someone being grateful for receiving unfinished business as an inheritance? Can you imagine young people glad because they have received from an elder his unfinished work? Well, those of us who have the honor and privilege of calling ourselves Pastor Berg’s grandchildren have, in response to this book, decided to reflect upon the unfinished kingdom work that he has bequeathed to us. Of course, much of what we receive from him we receive quite complete: his love, his commitment to us and to his faith. Yet the most important legacy that he has left us, his passion for unrelenting service in the Kingdom that Jesus preached, will be the subject of this foreword because the basic message of this book concerns non-retirement in the service of God and neighbor.
When I think of Morfar’s (Swedish for mother’s father) ministry and legacy, I often remember the story of him and his father, how Pastor John August Berg – on his death bed – bequeathed to young William an unfinished manuscript on the subject of prayer. (You can read this story and the manuscript itself in Pastor William Berg’s second book, Prayer in the Name of Jesus.) Immediately after his father’s death, William Berg plunged into parish ministry and became earnestly embroiled in ministry for the next 60 years. His father’s manuscript sat on the back burner and no doubt he often bemoaned his failure to attend to it. Meantime, he served his father’s church, finished seminary, became pastor at First Lutheran Church in Rock Island, got married and served the national Lutheran Church in its Evangelism office, Augustana Lutheran Church as senior pastor and the world-wide church in the International Christian Ashram movement. During the later part of this history, his seven grandchildren were born starting with Steve Conrad in 1970, then Karen Conrad, myself, Jeff and Katie Carlson, Will and Ben Berg.
In 1999, by which time five out of the seven of us had progressed into adulthood, Morfar was finally able to publish his father’s manuscript. To me, this event fulfilled a proclamation from Psalm 1 which says, concerning a man who delights in the law of the Lord, “He shall be like a tree planted by a stream of water that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaves fall not off. Whatever he begins he accomplishes.” (Holy Bible, 1940). This Psalm does not say “whatever he begins he accomplishes quickly,” but rather “in season.” Funny thing about the Lord’s timing; it is almost never what we expect or desire. Sometimes we frustrate the Lord’s designs by our disobedience. I have been putting off this assignment for months. I had to ask my grandfather to forgive me. Yet, our God is the God of second chances and this week has been a most fortuitous week for working on this project. All of us grandchildren hope that our words concerning what we have inherited from our beloved grandfather will get your mind oriented to this book in proper fashion. We who are still young encourage all of you, regardless of your age, to embrace and act upon the non-retirement message contained in these pages. Our Creator hasn’t finished with any of us yet.
Steve Conrad I have inherited a pair of shoes from my Morfar. They’re soft and brown, well-worn and very comfortable, the kind of shoes that slide right on your feet and feel like they’ve been there your whole life. Well, to be honest, I didn’t inherit a real pair of shoes – more of a figurative pair of shoes. You’re probably confused. Let me explain. For as long as I can remember, my Morfar has been a man who spent time every day walking and praying. Every night he goes out walking the neighborhood (or the parking lot of the Augustana Apartments). As he walks, he prays. He spends those hours in fellowship with God, worshipping God in His creation, and praying for family, friends, and those in need. He is a walking prayer warrior, interceding for those he cares about, asking God to do His will in the world.
So, what about those figurative shoes? To me, they represent Morfar’s commitment to being a man of prayer, and they are a symbol of what he has left me. I see in that imaginary pair of shoes both a legacy and a challenge.
The way those shoes are worn and faded and comfortable represents a legacy of a man who has spent his life before God in prayer, a man who is most comfortable and at home when he prays. And what has this lifestyle of prayer accomplished? God speaks of the results of a life that is centered around prayer in II Chronicles 7:14: … if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray … then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
I can speak of the results of prayer from my own life. I know that my life has been richly blessed by God, and I think part of the reason is that my Morfar has prayed for me virtually every day since the day of my birth (or perhaps even before). I wonder what my life would have been like without that kind of constant prayer support.
As I think about those old brown shoes, I am challenged to be a man with “walking feet.” I don’t know if you can inherit a “walking and praying” gene from your grandparents, but I hope that I can develop the same dedication to consistent, heartfelt, daily prayer. I desire a life that is rooted in prayer, and as a result, is rooted in ministry and bearing much fruit for God’s Kingdom. I am reminded that Jesus said in Luke 12:48: Everyone to whom much is given, of him will much be required.
I want to pass on this same legacy of prayer to my children and grandchildren. Why? What will prayer accomplish? First and foremost, it is time spent with God, developing a deeper relationship with the One we want to know and love more than any other. In addition to that, God allows us the privilege of lifting up our world and those whom we care about to Him in prayer, knowing that He will work through our prayers. What a comfort it is to take our family and friends, our needs and concerns, and lay them before God!
Our business before God in prayer is never finished. So, I’m putting on those old brown shoes and I’m going to do some walking!
Karen Conrad Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Beautifully wrapped with curled ribbons and ornate paper, they hold unlimited possibility. The receiver beholds the gift and, with childlike delight, wonders what he will find inside. And the giver looks on, eagerly anticipating the grand opening of the gift and the look of joy that will come over the face of the one he loves. What a tragedy if the gift is left unopened, and the receiver becomes content simply looking at the gift, without ever experiencing what’s inside!
My Morfar has been instrumental in opening for me the greatest gift I have or will ever receive. It is the Word of God. From even my earliest memories, Morfar has pointed me to Scripture – Psalm 121, Exodus 23:20, Psalm 23, and the list goes on and on. God’s Word is deeply rooted in his mind and soul, and he has shared Scripture with me – indeed, given it to me as a gift – my entire life. Because of his deep love of God’s divine Word, I have experienced firsthand the power of Hebrews 4, which describes Scripture as living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, and the promise of Isaiah 55, which tells us that God’s Word will never return empty. How overjoyed our God must be when one of His precious children opens His divine gift!
And then, how much more joy still, when one passionately shares the truth of His Word and the message of salvation through our Savior, Jesus Christ!! And that is my Morfar, a man of God, radically transformed by Holy Scripture and powerfully used in Kingdom work. Truly, what a gift he has given me!! And what a legacy to carry on!!
Jeff Carlson Morfar has told me that he prefers to count the days rather than the years. (He’ll soon be celebrating his 32,820th birthday.) He often asks one of us grandchildren to read his beloved Marta’s poem about the “ordinary day, devoid of trauma, free from shock.” He even greets each new day with the song, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The unfinished work, both for a non-retired pastor or his young grandson happens on the ordinary day. It is in the warm handshake, the smiling face, or the reassuring words to a friend in need. Though I be weak and sinful, grant that I might sow the seeds of goodness where possible and surrender my brokenness before the cross of Jesus. This labor for the Kingdom bequeathed to me by Morfar, is simple, and by definition, unfinished.
Katie Carlson The word “Morfar” translates from Swedish into English, “mother’s father,” but according to my own definition it means teacher, friend and bearer of the Good News. Morfar has left for his grandchildren and his entire family a legacy of love, family and faith. He has given us an example from which we all can learn and in turn build on. We all have unfinished business.
For as long I can remember, at the end of every gathering our family has joined hands in a circle while Morfar led us in prayer and a devotion. We always conclude by singing the doxology, and those that are not there in body are always felt in spirit. The legacy of “the circle” has been passed on through the generations and represents the bonds of family that cannot be broken even by death. These bonds are created by a common faith in a God who loves us and lives in each of our hearts. The unfinished business that Morfar hands to us is that of keeping the circle intact and ever expanding. As our family grows and traditions change, the one thing we must never let go of is the faith that God’s love, held constant in our hearts, is the unbreakable thread which keeps us together.
Will Berg Every time I see my grandfather, he is nice, caring and courteous. Anytime you say something, he always listens. If you need something, he is there for you. When he talks to people, he always says that he will pray for them. My visits with him always end in prayer. It’s nice to know that he prays for me every day. I love him very much and when I am his age, I hope that I will be as caring and courteous as he is.
Ben Berg When I go to visit Farfar (father’s father), he usually tells me a story. His stories always have a message. They help me understand my faith and trust in God. Some of my favorite stories are in this book. Farfar is dedicated to his work. When I visit, he’s always very busy, but not too busy for me.
Jon Carlson (continues) Perhaps we have gone on too long. Wordiness might be an aspect of our inheritance from our Grandfather. He always says that his wife, Marta, could say in a few lines of lyric verse what he might say in a long sermon or verbose volume. Even so, I want to conclude this foreword with a few specific words about the unfinished character of this book. We trust that because not every illustration appeals to every reader, the length of this foreword will be justified.
If I were asked to describe this book, I would say that it is preacherly, scriptural and in touch with some of the burning issues of our day. Therefore, this book is unfinished in precisely the same way a sermon remains unfinished until the Word preached takes root in the hearts of those who hear it. This book is unfinished in precisely the way in which the word of God remains incomplete until we receive the Word within ourselves. This book will remain unfinished until its non-retirement principle is applied to the burning issues of our day.
Morfar earnestly keeps abreast of the news in the world both through nightly newscasts and the newspaper. Yet, I think he would agree with Shakespeare, who, in a passage from Measure for Measure, sums up the proverbial fallenness of our world, its ever recurring bad news. The Viennese elder, Escalus, makes an inquiry of the Duke whom he presumes to be a monk recently come from some far country. “Escalus: What news abroad i’th world? Duke: None; but that there is so great a fever on goodness, that the dissolution of it must cure it. Novelty is only in request, and it is as dangerous to be aged in any kind of course, as it is virtuous to be inconstant in any undertaking … There is scarce truth enough alive to make societies secure, but security enough to make fellowships accursed: much upon this riddle runs the wisdom of the world … This news is old enough, yet it is every day’s news …”
In these puzzling words of the Duke I hear a bleak portrait of the world in which goodness is so sick that only the dissolution of it on the part of the law – in the form of harsh punishments – seems able to cure it. People are only interested in novelty. Those who pursue an undertaking for a long time are not respected and inconstancy in undertakings is mistaken for the virtue of freedom. People are neither honest nor principled enough to insure one-another’s well-being, but they have enough material security to foster the ambition and envy that poisons human relationships.
This bad news about human society could apply to our own day as well as to Shakespeare’s time. Yet, in response, I wish to paraphrase Shakespeare’s words with an allusion to the Christian hope that permeates my grandfather’s whole book. There is just enough urgency in the gospel to make retirement obsolete, but assurance enough to make saints blessed: much upon this riddle runs the wisdom of discipleship. This new is two thousand years old yet made contemporary every day.
Someone said, “Wisdom comes with age, and sometimes age comes all by itself.” It may seem presumptuous on my part to appear wise beyond my so-called retirement years. But I share, not the wisdom of the ages, but rather the wisdom literature of the Lord. Without the divine dimension of our years, this book would lose its integrity and would not be worth reading. In my book, Show Me the Way to Go Home, I depend on the Word of God Travel Service. In this journey, I depend on the same service.
Hopefully, there is a “first-handedness” about this book. Ordained in 1937, I served for 14 years as a parish pastor in Rock Island, Illinois. For the next 14 years, I served in the Evangelism Departments of the Lutheran Church headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in New York City. The next 14 years were spent as parish pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota until the year 1980. At that time I bumped squarely into the constitution and the calendar. At the age of 70, I was of “retirement age.”
However, during the next 14 years, I served as an evangelist in Lutheran Evangelism Missions and in the International Christian Ashram movement founded by E. Stanley Jones. This ministry took me to 15 countries. The next two years found me in the most significant and fulfilling ministry of all. I was involved in what I call a “mutual benefit partnership” with my beautiful wife, Marta. Parkinson’s disease had taken a heavy toll on her body. During the last year of her life, she was in a wheelchair with impaired strength and speech. Never let it be said that she retired following her brilliant career of self-giving love and service for her Lord and for others. Her mothering and grandmothering ministry and her writing career, which included the publication of two books of narrative verse, reflected her non-retirement. During her last years of impaired health, Marta’s ministry in the midst of many burdens was indeed memorable and powerful. She gave me a tremendous spiritual lift and brought me into deeper faith and maturity.
Since her departure for Home in 1996, I have written and published two books and remain active in the National and International Christian Ashram movement, in personal evangelism and other activities. I hope that this book will be published at the time of my 90th birthday in the year 2000. Then there is another book that I would like to write. The title would be, We’re Not Okay, But That’s Okay Because We Know Someone Who Can Make Us Okay. His name is Jesus. He invites us to come to His cross where He can make us more than okay.
Indeed, I am still overwhelmed by the Amazing Grace that keeps me going. Each day I marvel and praise our Lord for an extension of time, life and ministry. Why am I so richly blessed when some friends I visit frequently in the Augustana Home are so severely impaired? These special friends of mine continue in service even though devastated in body, mind and spirit. Continuing service did you say? How can this be? They are not aware of their ministry to me, of how they are blessing me. But I am blessed as I see Christ in them, and as I recall their many years of fruitful ministry.
Those of us who have stood at the bedside of dying loved ones and friends understand the concept of non-retirement. In the difficult process of dying we heard their testimony of faith in Jesus, their Saviour and Lord. Some died with a song on their lips. They were ready, not for the angel of death, but for Jesus whom they loved and served. He was coming to take them Home. Indeed, they died still serving. They died in service!
Our senior years involve us in dilemmas and choices. How shall we face the fact that we are aging? Shall we fight it? Lament it? Bear the risks of it bravely? There is another option. E. Stanley Jones writes about it in his book, The Way to Power and Poise.
The thing to do is neither to fear old age nor to fight it, but to accept it without tension and use it. When I say “use it,” I do not meat bear it, accommodate yourself to it, but take hold of it and make something beautiful out of it. That’s what nature does – she does not die drably; she puts on her most gorgeous robes in autumn, her yellows and her flaming reds, and dies gloriously. She goes down with her gay banners waving. So we can face approaching age with serenity and gaiety, and make the last years the most beautiful. And that isn’t using words to cover up reality – it can be a sincere, honest fact. Old age can be the crown.
He continued to affirm this philosophy in the midst of a severe paralytic stroke at age 87.
My mother used to say, “I’m not of any use anymore.” I reminded her that she was helping many persons. Her fervent prayers and her letters written in a trembling hand kept her in our Lord’s service until her death at 89, following many years of physical impairment.
Regarding our instinctive desire to be of use, Oswald Chambers writes as follows in His book, My Utmost for His Highest.
What do I really count on? If I have not been gripped by Jesus Christ, I will count service dear, time given to God dear, my life dear unto myself. Paul says he counted his life dear only in order that he might fulfill the ministry he had received; he refused to use his energy for any other thing. Acts 20:24 states Paul’s almost sublime annoyance at being asked to consider himself; he was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Practical work may be a competitor against abandonment to God, because practical work is based on this argument – “Remember how useful you are here, or – Think how much value you would be in that particular type of work.” That attitude does not put Jesus Christ as the Guide as to where we should go, but our judgment as to where we are of most use. Never consider whether you are of use, but ever consider that you are not your own but His.
The Purpose of this Book
If we are too conservative, as many young persons think we are, we might dry up. If we are too radical, as older folks often think young people are, we might blow up. I think that the only way to grow up is to be as narrow and conservative as Jesus is (John 14:6), and as radical as He is in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5,6,7). Then indeed we shall keep on growing up, growing toward maturity, whether we are younger or older. I hope and pray that this book will challenge and stimulate young people.
A 12-fold purpose! This is an impossible task for me to
fulfill. But there is a reassuring word in Matthew 19:26b:
How can I be confident that this book should be
written? Who will guide me and give me strength? with my eye upon you. - Psalm 32:8
The title seems to place the focus on me and on my non-retirement journey. Perhaps the title should be Redefining Retirement According to the Divine Plan.
There is a song of praise in my heart as I surrender
this book to our Lord, and to His plan for its use. Hopefully, many readers
will read and receive a lift on their continuing journey to the Promised
Land. This is the song: abundantly than all we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. - Ephesians 3:20,21
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