Dr. Warren Wiersbe, an ode to a life extraordinary.

Dr. Warren Wiersbe and his lovely wife, Betty.

It's amazing how long it takes for thoughts to finally gel together when we lose an extraordinary person. I've finally been able to coalesce my meanderings, and hope this is well received. Here goes...

I first met Dr. Warren Wiersbe when I was about 12, during the time I helped my parents with janitorial work. I'd heard of him and knew he was a writer, which I passionately wanted to be, so I found his desk and left him notes from, "Janitor Mark." Amazingly, he kept all those notes and filed them for safe keeping. Well, he was enchanted by my youthful exuberance and met me in person, and thus began a lifelong friendship and mentor-ship. We spent many hours talking, learning, and joking. His humor always managed to dig under my shyness and tear it loose. He was a wonderful man, and I loved him dearly.

He heartily encouraged my writing, and critiqued everything I wrote--including my first two books. The amazing thing was, though he disliked fiction, he always found time to read whatever I created. His wisdom helped me in far more than writing. He mentored me spiritually, and I will forever be grateful for his guiding light. I owe him a great debt.

My favorite memories are when he would take me to the steak house and we would have lunch together. At the time I wasn't aware of just how special those times were, but I was a kid and was at least wise enough to make those times count. When I turned 16, and got my driver's license, he gave me a congratulation card with $25 inside for my first ticket! What a jokester. The privilege of such attention was lost on me at the time, but now I can only look back with wonder.

When my son was born, we named him Peter Warren, in honor of Dr. Wiersbe. My whole family met both him and his wife many times. We didn't take enough pictures, but I'm glad for the ones we have, and he gamely posed for them. It's impossible to express just how big of an impact he made on me and my family. What an extraordinary man.

If there is one lesson that Dr. Wiersbe taught me above any others, it was quiet humility. He always gave credit to God first, and only accepted praise second-hand as the tool of the Creator. I saw how he treated fame, the way he practically ran the other way when confronted by it. He enjoyed anonymity whenever he could, but didn't complain when I'd introduce someone to him. What a fantastic example he was!

I hope that I've passed on his lessons to my own children. I hope his influence has made me a better man. I hope his memory never fades. I wish I could talk to him more, and ask his opinion on things, but that time is sadly gone. I will never forget him, or his special ministry to me.

Thank you, Dr. Wiersbe, and thank you, Mrs. Wiersbe for always being gracious and loving even when we interrupted dinnertime. We miss you both.

- M

I'm late. I'm late, for a very important date!

I was reading "Alice in Wonderland" and it got me thinking about the idea of professional imaginations. There are some people who are lauded and paid simply for having fantastical imaginations--people like the director Tim Burton, or writer Philip K. Dick of "Blade Runner" fame. William Shakespeare is often considered the greatest master of the English language, and I'll wager it has a lot to do with the imaginative use of said language. Why do we prize imagination so greatly?

The White Rabbit from Disney's "Alice in Wonderland"

In some ways, it's like a magic trick--we know there's something simple behind it, but the effect is so dazzling we really don't want to know how it's done. We also know there's significant work and struggle in play, to the extent where most people prefer others to do the heavy lifting. There's nothing at all wrong with this attitude--since, it's the same one we use when we go to a restaurant and have someone else cook for us--and, so we are safely incredulous at the displays of wizardry.

I spend a lot of time observing people, and something I've noticed is nobody loses their imagination. Bored golfers sometimes perform amazing stunts with their equipment, dulled office workers may do circus acts with their pens, construction workers will dance with their own heavy machinery. It's incredible the depths of human imagination. Many times it's said that we lose our imagination as we age (I've said so myself), but I'm thinking now that our imagination simply changes from fantastical to useful. We still love fiddling and playing, though we make it look like work... seems contradictory, doesn't it?

- M

Overnight sensation, skyrocketing success, and a meteoric rise.

"It takes twenty years to become an overnight success." Eddie Cantor (comedian, actor, and radio personality) said that many years ago. I'm sure he was speaking sarcastically, but I think it's one of the very true aspects of life. We've all seen shooting stars in celebrity, where suddenly someone is every place you look. A recent example would be Jim Carrey. Here's a guy who spent years upon years slogging through the pits, achieved a bit of celebrity on a television show, and then skyrocketed into view after the "Ace Ventura" movie came out. I heard a story that ten years prior to that movie he'd written himself a check for a million dollars, signed and dated near to when he contracted to do the movie "The Mask." -- note, he earned ten million on that movie alone. Lots and lots of hard work, to suddenly be noticed.

 

Another old saying is: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice." I've read that studies show experts in any field have generally about 3,000 hours of practice behind them. Yes, talent does factor in, but practice and self-discipline make up the majority of what most call "natural talent." Larry Bird (a competitor during Michael Jordan's time) in basketball said he had no talent at all, but his immense skill was the sole result of practice.

 

It's easy to see a sudden celebrity and wish the same upon yourself, but reality rarely awards those flights of fancy. The truth is, if you want success you'll need to earn it through hard work, determination, and an ability of never giving up. You choose the level of your success by remaining steady, dropping lower, or pushing harder. The old buyer's saying is especially true here, "You get what you pay for."

 

I urge you all to seek greater and dream bigger. Why settle for less than your best?

 

- M

Meeting famous people

How do you respond when you meet someone famous? Imagine meeting a big time movie star? Or a star athlete? How about a Nobel Prize winner? Perhaps someone who walked on the Moon? Maybe a popular artist, or rock star, what about an author, or president? How about a king? What would you do if you noticed Princess Kate eating breakfast at the next table?

 

There's a popular show called "Undercover Bosses" which does at least answer the question of how would you respond to meeting the CEO of your company. It's interesting to see how people--who earlier in the episode treated the CEO as just another average worker--suddenly sit with startled expressions and find themselves much more reserved and held back than when they didn't know. I'd say it's pretty common to respond that way. It's funny to see the bubble of space surrounding anyone famous, as though they have a force field keeping everyone at least two feet away.

 

I've worked to minimize the effect personally, but it's almost impossible to prevent. There's probably all kinds of psychological theories about the why and what, but I think it comes down to respect. Anyone who we value highly (think about doctors for instance) we naturally find ourselves somewhat intimidated by them. That intimidation naturally leads to awe, feelings of inadequacy, and sometimes outright jaw dragging behavior.

 

The funny thing is, I'm betting that most famous people truly do want people around who treat them like normal people and not with the velvet gloved awe that most fans demonstrate. Sure, they are famous, but they're human beings just like anyone else. And that's my thought for the day...

 

- M

Castles, those great structures of fantasy and history!

Arguably the most famous castle in the world is Neuschwanstein in Bavaria--a castle so bombastic that it basically bankrupted a whole country. It's an amazing place. I've been there several times and remember it well, especially the magical grotto and the incredible bedrooms. If you ever get the chance, go see it. You'll instantly recognize it, even if you've never seen it before, because Walt Disney totally ripped it off when he designed his Cinderella Castle. And, why not? It's a fairytale castle, and it's real.

I've loved castles since I learned about them. They are huge. Strong. Elegant. Confounding. If a prison, or a barricaded iron door can be gorgeous then they definitely fit the bill. I love them. I've designed them. I've played in them. And, I've enjoyed dreaming about them.

Castles are now part of our romantic notions of the Middle Ages. They foster images of chivalry, damsels, knights, and heroism. Sure, the reality is very different, but why spoil a good fantasy with clear thinking? In the end they are simply awesome. I'll never stop loving them. And, one of my dreams is to see the fantastic Welsh castles still standing. Actually, I'd enjoy going to castle ruins as well. Ah, whatever castle... let me at them!

- M

ps. There are hot air balloon tours of castle that go down the Danube river... hint, hint, hint... for anyone willing to drop cash on it... just a thought.