EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH
Start year as servant to all
By H. Murray Hohns
I was a little boy during the Great Depression.
I was born in 1931, six miles east of New York's Times Square.
Shortly after that, my parents bought a modest home on a dead-end street where it would be safe for me to play. The street was 320 feet long, lined with eight houses on each side and ending with abandoned tennis courts.
No one had any money, but we always had a Christmas tree. I remember when you could buy one for a dollar. In early January, all of the men would bring their dry trees to the abandoned courts, stack them into a huge pile and set it on fire. The instant conflagration was impressive and exciting for a youngster's eyes. That neighborhood tradition continued until the war.
Those are memories of good days long ago.
I teach a course that covers religious revivals starting with the 16th century. It's easy to teach, because its content is fascinating and familiar to me.
My two favorite historical personalities are Charles Finney and Benjamin Hardin Irwin.
Finney was a lawyer who lived in upstate New York. He was handsome, blond, 6 feet and 200 pounds, the finest athlete in his area; he had a wonderful baritone voice, was an excellent cellist and had a brilliant mind. He left law and went on to become one of the most famous preachers of the 18th century. As a feminist, he insisted that women break a long-standing tradition and speak in church. Later, Finney opened his Oberlin College to women and to escaped slaves.
When Irwin preached in the 1890s in the heartland of our country, fire and heat could be felt and seen by the audience. This phenomenon brought all kinds of attention and popularity to Irwin, who was soon to crash and burn as his leadership came to an end in 1900.
Two gifted men — one who lived for others and one who lived for himself.
I draw a series of columns on the blackboard for the last classroom session of the term. I label the columns by century: 1500, 1600, up to 2000. I expect the students to know the names of those whom history cites as leaders for those centuries.
The last column, this century, is blank; it's too soon to know those leaders. I tell the students they can be one of the leaders in this century.
That potential exists for you as well. Leadership is desperately needed in all fields. How do you become a leader? It's easier than you might think.
You begin by starting where you are, quietly helping others who can never repay you, not seeking thanks or recognition but looking for places to secretly help any and all, and finally you serve with love and joy, even those who may not like you and seemingly oppose you.
Jesus said the greatest among us is the one who is the servant of all — a challenge to ponder for the new year.
H. Murray Hohns of Makiki is a retired engineer and an associate pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship. Expressions of Faith welcomes written works from leaders in faith and spirituality. E-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8035.
