Friends: Childhood melts away and life’s challenges and opportunities beckon as high school graduates contemplate the places they’ll go. 

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Spirituality Column #1021

June 9, 2026

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

‘Off and Away!’

By Pamela Walters

“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to great places! You’re off and away!” – Theodor Gesiel, aka Dr. Seuss, from “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

(We’re turning over the column this week to my wife Pam, taken from her commencement address May 22 to the Mission Christian Academy class of 2026: 29 strong! – Bob)

“In the past four years in my English classes – and for a few of you, five years – we have read pieces by a wide assortment of authors, from Shakespeare to C.S. Lewis, Dickens, Agatha Christie, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Mary Shelley.  The names of the greatest writers the world has known have surrounded you each day in class.  But there is one very well-known and well-loved writer whom we did not study: Dr. Seuss.

“So … a bit of Seuss-ism on this auspicious day.

“‘Congratulations!  Today is your day.  You’re off to Great Places!  You’re off and away!  You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.  You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.  And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

“While we can agree with some of what Dr. Seuss wrote, as Christians, we have a different mindset when we look to the future.  True: this is your day.  Many of you have worked hard to achieve this goal.  You have persevered and finished well.  “You all ‘have brains in your head,’ and we hope that educationally you are prepared for whatever path you travel from here.  But more importantly, we pray that you keep your mind on Christ and that His Word is written on your hearts. ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.’ Most of you have made your first big decision: it’s college or technical school, the military or the work force. While you can ‘steer yourself in any direction you choose,’ we pray that you are allowing Jesus to guide your steps, that you are seeking His will for your life. 

“‘Oh, the places you’ll go!  You’ll be on your way up!  You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to great heights.  Wherever ‘you fly, you’ll be best of the best.  Wherever you go, you’ll top all the rest.  Except when you don’t.  Because sometimes you won’t.  I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, its true that Bang-ups and Hang-Ups can happen to you.’

“Those of us who have spent so much time with you here and have come to love and care for you wish we could tell you that as long as you stay close to Jesus and attempt in every way to do His will, life will be nothing but joy and happiness and success.  But that isn’t how life goes in this fallen world.  There will be ‘bang ups and hang ups.’ challenges, disappointments, and failures. 

“The Bible tells us there will be trials.  But the big difference between facing trials on your own and facing them with Jesus is that He promised He would always be with you; Jesus will never leave you or forsake you.  You know my story; you know life has not been a cake walk.  But in the disappointments, Jesus was hope. In the darkness, He was light. When I didn’t think I could take any more, He was my strength. Let Jesus be your hope, your light, your strength. ‘For with Him, you can do all things.’

“‘Oh, the places you’ll go!  There is fun to be done!  There are points to be scored.  There are games to be won.  Fame!  You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.  Except when you don’t.  Because, sometimes, you won’t.  I’m afraid that sometimes you’ll play lonely games too.  All alone!  Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.  And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.  There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.  But on you will go though the weather be foul.  On you will go, though your enemies prowl.’

“On you will be able to go as long as you put your trust in Jesus, for with Him, you will never be alone.  You need to remember that you have never been alone.  While this is a time of beginning – that’s why it’s called commencement – please look back at where you’ve been.  You have families who have surrounded you with their love and support.  Here at MCA you have had teachers and staff who have encouraged you and prayed for you and have come to love you.  And we will all still be here for you should you ever need us.

“‘On and on you will hike, and I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.  You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. So be sure where you step; step with care and great tact.”  The world will try to trip you up; Satan loves to cause confusion and fear.  But remember that “our God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”  So ‘let us lay aside every weight and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.’

“Congratulations! Today is the Lord’s day. You’re off to great places. You’re off and away.”  We love you, we’re excited for you, and we will be praying for you. 

“God bless.”

The Faculty and Staff of Mission Christian Academy

Mr. Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes that Mrs. Walters’ “Charge to Seniors” (which also appears in MCA’s 2025-26 Yearbook) is an annual graduation send-off, this year to MCA’s fourth graduating class. Mission Christian Academy in Fishers, Indiana, a K-12 private school, begins its seventh school year this August. MCA’s inaugural enrollment was 38 in 2020-21; enrollment this fall exceeds 750.

 

Friends:  It’s my birthday week, the last week of school, Indianapolis 500 weekend coming up with family in town, Memorial Day, summer beckons … why not say something outrageous about the Cross of Christ? See the column below. Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #914

May 21, 2024

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Cross Off 70

By Bob Walters

“The days of our years are three-score years and ten ...” – Psalm 90:10

There you have it.  Psalm 90 says we will live 70 years. If I wake up Thursday morning, May 23, I will have proven the Bible correct, celebrating the big Seven-O.

Psalm 90 goes on to say that strength may give us 80 years, but the whole of Psalm 90 is not about the glories of old age but the pitifulness of our overall lives.  God’s been watching us, the psalmist – believed to be Moses – says, and God is not impressed. Our days are “toil and trouble,” Moses prays, “… and they are soon gone.”

Shortly thereafter, he entreats of God, “…teach us to number our days so that we may get a heart of wisdom” (90:14). God delivered that “heart of wisdom” fifteen hundred years later in the living, human and divine person of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is our “heart of wisdom.”  Living a long life will not give us wisdom; not the kind of wisdom for which the psalmist pleads: the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of man.  It is one of a gazillion Old Testament phrases that speaks directly to man’s only source of relationship with the wisdom of God, and of God Himself: Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament, throughout, sets us up to know and appreciate Christ.

The New Testament reveals the new life and covenant in the wisdom of Christ.

James 1:5 says that if any of us lacks wisdom, to ask God for it, “…who gives generously to all without reproach.”  God gave us Jesus Christ so we would pursue wisdom – in Christ – that transcends this life and bridges into eternity. And we traverse that evil-to-good bridge by the grace of the person of Christ, who actually is the bridge.

And speaking of that bridge, as I wander ever closer to the next bridge from this life to eternity, for my birthday I thought I’d say something true, but maybe outrageous.

Here goes.  Not long ago I was watching a Bible expositor draw that familiar sketch of the Cross spanning a chasm between the world and heaven, death and life, dark and light, evil and good. Condemnation, fear, guilt, sin, lies, and hell on the left; salvation, love, grace, forgiveness, truth, and the Kingdom of God on the right. 

Let me first say: “A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.” says Ecclesiastes 10:2.  But that theological drawing of the left-to-right bridge over the chasm to transcendent God?  That bridge is not the cross of Christ; that bridge is the person of Christ. Our relationship with God – salvation – depends on Christ alone.

Somehow, dependably, most of humanity loves the dark and hates the light, says Jesus (John 3:19).  We go left when the Bible says go right. Our hearts and deeds are evil, Jesus is saying.  And we prefer they remain unknown, in the dark, on the cross.

But … we are not saved by the cross. We are not saved by the Bible.  We are not saved by church. We are not saved by baptism.  We are saved by the person of Jesus Christ: His love, His grace, His obedience, and the blood of His covenant with God.

The other stuff is important: the tools of our knowing. The cross is an example.  The Bible is our guidebook.  The church is His body. Baptism is the gift of signing on to the promises of Jesus – heart, mind, body, and soul.  But salvation.  O! … salvation.

Salvation is a relationship with a real person, Jesus, and comes from no earthly relic, event, idea, or deed. The supremacy and sufficiency of Christ is unchallenged

In the Holy Spirit, we know that our salvation resides in Christ alone. Outrageous!

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) knows his birthdate – “5-23-1954” – better now than at any previous time of his life because of how often healthcare providers ask for it.  Psalm 90, by the way, is considered the oldest Psalm as the Jews wandered Sinai.  P.S. – I have written much about the Cross since beginning this weekly column / blog in November 2006. Here are 12 on the Cross, in order, my blog search button says are the best. Click on the number to see the column. #812 and #640 are my favorites (on PCs it's "control-click" on the link).

650 4-30-19 – Life Beyond the Cross (Preparing for eternity)

651 5-7-19 – Living at the Cross (The Cross is closer than we think)

652 5-14-19 – At the Foot of the Cross (Jesus lives; how do we live?

812 6-5-22 – Person to Person *** (The saving personhood of Jesus)

640 2-19-19 – Cross Purposes *** (Purpose of the Cross)

692 2-17-20 – Close Call (Church)

862 5-23-23 – Just Like That (Lessons of the Cross, and last year’s birthday)

750 3-29-21 – Father, Forgive Them (Jesus on the Cross)

663 7-30-19 – For My Sake (Understanding the Cross)

287 5-15-12 – Sin and God’s Saving’s Plan (My sins on the Cross)

527 12-20-16 – The Cross, Christmas, and Freedom (Strength of the Cross)

393 5-25-14 – Defining Moments (Importance of the Cross, and my 60^th birthday)

 

Spirituality Column #750

March 30, 2021

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

‘Father, Forgive Them …

By Bob Walters

“… for they know not what they do.” – Jesus on the Cross, Luke 23:34

Mercilessly hung on the cross, Jesus uttered first these words of forgiveness.

Obedient unto death for His Father’s glory, Jesus spoke of divine forgiveness and human ignorance. He revealed His endless grace, called on God’s endless mercy, and called out humanity’s endless darkness: “…for they know not what they do.” 

On the cross, Jesus was telling us all, “You can trust me … you are forgiven.”

On the ground, people cloaked in ignorance still wondered, “Who ARE you?”

Forgiveness has a funny way of stealing the show at the crucifixion.  As Christian believers we celebrate forgiveness of our sins in Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross.  We are maybe a little less attentive to Jesus forgiving those in close proximity to the event: Pilate, soldiers, Pharisees, the jeering crowd, followers hiding in fear, etc.  We probably don’t spend a lot of time on the “know not what they do,” the “ignorant” part.

Early-20^th century American humorist and commentator Will Rogers was fond of saying, “Everybody’s ignorant, only on different subjects.”  Not known for his religious leanings, Rogers nonetheless perfectly hit on the confined nature of human knowledge.  We all possess some knowledge about some things, and time and again we see that the things we don’t know – our ignorance – bring out fear, hostility, and indifference.

At Calvary Pilate knew Roman governance but he didn’t know truth.  Pharisees knew the Law but for years selfishly had misapplied it.  They then blindly ignored and became hostile when the Law’s prophetic fulfillment – Jesus Christ – arrived in their midst.  They refused to see God’s Truth they should have recognized. Roman soldiers knew how to put a man to death but were entirely indifferent to who Jesus was.

Jesus’ disciples knew Him personally, yet even after all they had heard and seen, 10 of them hid in fear.  The 11^th, John, was at the foot of the cross, and the 12^th, Judas, hung himself. John, let’s note, was the only disciple not to eventually die a violent death.

When we don’t know what we are doing or what’s going on around us, our ignorance might feel like bliss and even lessen our guilt.  Are we accountable for what we don’t know?  Jesus on the cross graciously called for God’s forgiveness of his accusers despite their ignorance, hostility, and indifference; His love was that great.

Jesus tells us to love God and love others, forgive our enemies, and invites us to follow Him.  We love being forgiven, but the cross shows us how the world – in its ignorance, hostility, and indifference – reacts when Truth arrives to replace worldly lies.

The world won’t change Jesus; we can trust that.  He changes us when our trust, love, and faith join Him on the Cross; sin and ignorance fade, and truth lights our way.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) has this theory – it’s not scriptural, it’s a theory – that most of Jesus’ followers, the cheering celebrants of Palm Sunday, were not at Calvary but in fearful hiding from Jewish leaders.  The jeering crowd with the Pharisees were likely rebels who that morning had assembled before Pilate to beg Passover Amnesty for their leader, Barabbas.  The Pharisees wanted Jesus dead, this loud cohort wanted Barabbas alive, and so Barabbas, a rebel who was to be crucified that day, became the first person directly “saved” by Jesus.  One imagines the “two thieves” (insurrectionists? Mark 15:7) were surprised to see Jesus in (their ally?) Barabbas’ place.