In the Fall of 2016 I had the idea of having two Christian men meeting occasionally at a Starbucks in Manhattan....just getting together for conversation and fellowship. I planned on possibly writing this post as a series but have only done four so far....always under the title....Tuesdays With Special Dog....a take on the popular 1997 book....Tuesdays With Morrie. The following is the latest. An older Tuesdays With Special Dog is toyour left in the links.
Original preface: OK....We're sitting around a table having coffee....no....let's make it a little more interesting....it's Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on a cold and rainy Fall evening. We are sitting in a Starbucks drinking a caramel frappuccino (you) and a coffee (me)....wait, I hate Starbucks coffee....I'm drinking a latte. There are no orange, yellow, and red leaves to look at
but with a little imagination that bright red, yellow and orange raincoats on the ladies walking by can be as enjoyable....and the neon lights mirroring off the oil slicked avenue can be as a wide mountain stream reflecting the colors of an aurora in the low hanging clouds.
Tuesdays With Special Dog
Special Dog already had his latte and was sitting at their favorite table by the window of the Starbucks. John had texted that he was running a few minutes late because there was a big brawl on the subway. A few minutes later Special Dog....or S. D. as John called him....could see him turning the corner....
John gave a hand signal of some kind to the barista after sitting down and turned back to Special Dog
John......"So....how you been?"
S.D......."Well....I don't like this retirement."
John....."Still"
S.D......."Yeah still. I wake up at six and write on the computer till about ten....then eat breakfast....and take an hour nap.....and it's already the afternoon."
John......."How's the blog going?"
S. D......."Tough. It seems that every other one I do.....which is every other day....I finish and just ask the Lord if that was the last one. It occupies almost every minute of my day....it's in my mind all the time anyway....and then I check the news and some dog does something funny....they put it on Tik Tok....and it gets a million hits."
John......"Well I still read it....and so does Laura."
S. D......"And you're not mad at me yet?"
John......"Oh yeah.....I get mad at you about once a week.....but not Laura.....she thinks you are smart."
Special Dog laughs.
S.D......"Only one other person in my life told me that I was smart. I was working at the Pitt library while in school....along with another library page.....that's what they called us....we had to work at the Pittsburgh Playhouse for a few weeks....sorting material that was donated.
Special Dog took a sip of his latte as John said....
John......"I can't wait to hear this...."
S.D......."Anyway....they had this giant original mural on the wall done by Al Hirschfeld. Typical of his work.....about twenty different caricatures of famous people. The Playhouse Director was showing us around and told us a little about the mural that had been there for decades. Every celebrity figure was identified.....except the one in the middle of the top row.....no one could ever figure out who that might be. I looked at it.....and to me it was either Dagwood Bumstead or King Edward VIII.....the king who abdicated. I opted for the king....and the Director's jaw dropped upon seeing it clearly. Then the girl I was working with looks at me and said....."You're smart! She went on to be a professor while I went on to work in a coal-fired power plant!"
The barista came over with John's drink. She....Special Dog tried hard not to stare....she was built like a linebacker.....and had other very manly features. John saw Special Dog looking up at the ceiling.
John....."Remember Chad who used to work here?"
S.D......"Yeah.....no?"
John....."Yeah."
Three frappuccinos and two lattes later John And Special Dog had covered about everything in their lives and families.....laughed an awful lot.....until John said....
John....."OK.....it's time for my Bible lesson."
John knew that their conversations were always going to start easy and then hit the hard stuff at the end. Special Dog knew it two.
John....."I'll start it out.....question.....you're writing a lot lately on being born again. Laura says she knows why....I still can't figure out what you're trying to say."
Special Dog looks out the window while trying to get serious and gather his thoughts....which weren't helped by what he saw....as two women walked by....
Special Dog...."John....are they in their underwear?"
John......"It's the style S. D.. I don't know if it's underwear or not."
Special Dog looked up at the church spires across the street....and then back to John
S. D......"Here's where we are at John....tell me if you disagree. John Q. Evangelical is a carbon copy with John Q. Public except that he attends some kind of Bible study....and church on Sunday....and other than that there's not a word out of his mouth....ever....without being coaxed....about Jesus or his salvation or anyone else's salvation."
John......"Is that me S. D.?"
S.D......."You know it isn't. No one could sit regularly with me and listen to my thoughts....not to mention read what I write....and be who I just described."
John had a way of almost looking through you in these religious conversations. It's like his eyes dilate.....trying to at least take everything in. Special Dog continued....
S. D....."To answer your question John....John Q. Evangelical....who seems passionate about a dozen things in life.....from sports to his automobile to who knows what else....has no passion whatsoever for the glorious king who came and died....so that John Q. might live. He has no evangelistic zeal....not even for his own children! There's a problem here....is there not? What do you think about this John?"
John just sat back and took in the question. That was his habit....and a good one....thinking the issue through before attempting an answer. Then he sat back up and offered this....
John...."S. D.....only God knows the heart."
Special Dog....."Expound on that John....for I hear it literally all the time."
John after pausing again...."Well....that man....John Q. Evangelical as you call him....he may have faith. He may just be a carnal Christian....who never grows."
Both John and Special Dog were now in their pause mode. It was like two different meetings....one where they bantered back and forth....laughing a lot....and then as if someone called the meeting to order.
S. D....."I have to assume that you would say that we....you or I....cannot know if John Q. had been born again....saved....so my question would be....when a dead heart begins to beat....and a dead soul begins to live....and the angels rejoice....and a name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life....and eyes are opened....and the cross is seen....along with hell below....would it even be possible for that heart and soul and mind and strength....aware of all of this....would it even be possible for that person not to fall in front of the awesome holiness of God? I'm not talking carnal or not carnal.....I'm talking would it even be possible?"
Chad....or whatever his or her name is today came over....took away a couple of empty cups and left.
S.D. again...."Is Chad saved John? We don't know his heart?
S. D....."I have to assume that you would say that we....you or I....cannot know if John Q. had been born again....saved....so my question would be....when a dead heart begins to beat....and a dead soul begins to live....and the angels rejoice....and a name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life....and eyes are opened....and the cross is seen....along with hell below....would it even be possible for that heart and soul and mind and strength....aware of all of this....would it even be possible for that person not to fall in front of the awesome holiness of God? I'm not talking carnal or not carnal.....I'm talking would it even be possible?"
Chad....or whatever his or her name is today came over....took away a couple of empty cups and left.
S.D. again...."Is Chad saved John? We don't know his heart?
John...."Aren't we told not to judge?"
S. D....."Aren't we told to defend the gospel?"
After a long pause....
S. D....."Aren't we told to defend the gospel?"
After a long pause....
John...."I'm going to change the subject for a minute....Laura came up to me a week ago and wanted to talk about our sons. She said that she had peace in that John Jr....twenty-seven years old....was a genuine believer.....but she knew in her heart that Timmy....twenty-six...was still lost. She came up close and looked me right in the eye and said that if Timmy would die that day....he was going to hell."
S.D....."How did you handle that?"
John...."I wasn't happy with her. Even though I knew she was right. We had a few words....or I should say that I had a few words....and I didn't speak much to her for a day and a half....and then lying in bed....after arguing with myself for hours....I knew that I lost that argument....no....Timmy had no real faith at all."
John knew that he had just proved Special Dog's case. He knew it....Special Dog knew it....God knew it.
S. D....."How does Laura handle this?"
John...."She pampers him....and loves him....and I came to find out that I thought that she seemed to need a little more rest than usual.....but here she has been taking time to pray for Tim. She came out at the dinner table one day and told him that he is not going to win this battle of minds....his and God's."
S. D....."And what did Timmy do?"
John turned in his chair to face the window....seemingly watching the various people walking by. Special Dog had never in their twenty year friendship seen him this serious....or this emotional. There was quiet for three or four minutes before John turned back to Special Dog and said....
John...."He said....'Aren't we told not to judge?'
John paused....Special Dog just sat and looked somewhere out the window....until John spoke again.
John....."S. D....God put those words on my lips that I gave you a few minutes ago...."Aren't we told not to judge"....he blocked my mind that Timmy had said the same thing....just so that I could hear myself repeat the very words that Timmy said....that I knew were wrong. Thanks S. D."
Special Dog broke the ice....
S.D...."I was listening to a Spurgeon sermon just this morning John....I think it was called...."Fever And Its Cure." He preached it in 1890....less than two years before he went to be with the Lord. He had forty years of ministering in writing that sermon. He said in it....to his congregation....that he at times....many times in fact over his long ministry....suffered doubts and depression.....for the responsibilities were just so great....but God always....never failing....pulls him through. I came in here a bit despondent. 'What's the use'....I almost tell myself. And then I talk to you....a brother in Christ.....on a pilgrimage just like me....and we pick each other up."
They got up from the table....gave each other the usual hug....as John reached for the paper on the table...
John...."I picked you up....you picked me up....I'll pick up the tab!"
S.D....."How did you handle that?"
John...."I wasn't happy with her. Even though I knew she was right. We had a few words....or I should say that I had a few words....and I didn't speak much to her for a day and a half....and then lying in bed....after arguing with myself for hours....I knew that I lost that argument....no....Timmy had no real faith at all."
John knew that he had just proved Special Dog's case. He knew it....Special Dog knew it....God knew it.
S. D....."How does Laura handle this?"
John...."She pampers him....and loves him....and I came to find out that I thought that she seemed to need a little more rest than usual.....but here she has been taking time to pray for Tim. She came out at the dinner table one day and told him that he is not going to win this battle of minds....his and God's."
S. D....."And what did Timmy do?"
John turned in his chair to face the window....seemingly watching the various people walking by. Special Dog had never in their twenty year friendship seen him this serious....or this emotional. There was quiet for three or four minutes before John turned back to Special Dog and said....
John...."He said....'Aren't we told not to judge?'
John paused....Special Dog just sat and looked somewhere out the window....until John spoke again.
John....."S. D....God put those words on my lips that I gave you a few minutes ago...."Aren't we told not to judge"....he blocked my mind that Timmy had said the same thing....just so that I could hear myself repeat the very words that Timmy said....that I knew were wrong. Thanks S. D."
Special Dog broke the ice....
S.D...."I was listening to a Spurgeon sermon just this morning John....I think it was called...."Fever And Its Cure." He preached it in 1890....less than two years before he went to be with the Lord. He had forty years of ministering in writing that sermon. He said in it....to his congregation....that he at times....many times in fact over his long ministry....suffered doubts and depression.....for the responsibilities were just so great....but God always....never failing....pulls him through. I came in here a bit despondent. 'What's the use'....I almost tell myself. And then I talk to you....a brother in Christ.....on a pilgrimage just like me....and we pick each other up."
They got up from the table....gave each other the usual hug....as John reached for the paper on the table...
John...."I picked you up....you picked me up....I'll pick up the tab!"
Note: The Pittsburgh Playhouse story is true.
