By Doug De Graffenried

Back “in the day” I was a small boy attending Vacation Bible School. I remember one of the thrills was learning how to say the name of the book, “Deuteronomy.” When you can say, “Deuteronomy” you are a big boy! I also remember making crafts for my mother. If you take four small boxes of matches, put them in a square pattern, glue two old fashion school bathroom tiles to them, you have a matchbook holder, and your mom will be pleased. We made that on Monday and then on Tuesday, we actually made “ash trays” for our parents. Remember this was Vacation Bible School, 1960’s style.

Fortunately, we don’t make ashtrays in Vacation Bible School anymore. Come to think of it, we don’t even sell ashtrays in stores anymore. That was one whole “section” of the W.T. Grant stores. Ashtrays and cigarette lighters have vanished from cars too. Things have changed for the better I suppose. I do have memories of filling my dad’s cigarette lighter with fluid and then testing the lighter. Do you know what happens to flannel pajamas soaked in lighter fluid? I do!

I wanted to make the point that it isn’t a long journey from ubiquitous to extinct. (I wrote that sentence just to prove I actually attended graduate school.) Think of all the things we used to have around all the time that are gone. Rotary dial phones, cars without shoulder belts, typewriters, mimeograph machines, chalkboards, hymnals (they are vanishing), pure heroes and heroines, and Sunday mornings with nothing happening but church.

Even the mysterious thing called a relationship has changed as “perfumed loved letters” have given way to “text messaging.” Keeping up in a changing world has become ever more challenging, especially in church life. One of the great mantras of church life is, “we have never done it that way before.” I think we should say over some of the things we do, “we should never do it that way AGAIN.”

So, what do you miss that is gone? Do you really miss outhouses or restaurants where there were smoking and non-smoking sections? Do you really miss a humid non air conditioned living room and sitting by the old Victrola. I didn’t think so.

Change is the only constant in life. You are either changing (metabolism) or you are dead. My hope for you is that you are always changing in God’s direction!

Doug de Graffenried is Pastor of Trinity Methodist Church in Ruston.

You can contact Doug at dougsponderings@gmail.com