From Y2K to 201`0

2010…it’s one of those dates that I honestly believe most folks wouldn’t have thought would never arrive, or that we would survive to arrive. All throughout 1999 the talk of the year was about Y2K. The predictions of how the computer world was going to crash, how cars were going to stop running and even planes may fall out of the sky if that special computer chip that dealt with dates was not replaced. My library has several books dealing with Y2K and how to survive if food shipments ended, what to store, and even how to store it for a long time until the greatest computer crisis was fixed or the world ended with the return of Jesus Christ.
On New Years Eve 2009, I spoke at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky at a youth event they had planned to bring in the new age of 2010. A part of my introduction began by asking them where they were 10 years ago. It was funny to hear the answers that ranged from I was only 4 years old and I have no idea, to teenagers that were 10 at the time and remember watching the ball drop in New York on television. For me, I reflected that 10 years ago I had organized a New Years Eve Event at the Pineville High School Gym to celebrate the arrival of Y2K, or simply the year 2000. The theme Southern Baptist had was Celebrate Jesus 2000, and as pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church of Dorton Branch I couldn’t think of a better thing to do, so we planned, promoted and enjoyed ringing in the New Year. Other area youth joined and we invited First Priority Clubs from all over to also participate with dramas, skits and musical selections. Truth is we had a great time, I remember it just like yesterday even though it was 10 years ago. It is amazing how time races forward and then we stand looking back at the decade just past.
The scary moment of the evening came right at midnight and the changing of the year when an electrical breaker blew her fuse. You could hear a pin drop when that occurred and the funny moment came when a gentleman from the breaker room yelled, “it’s a fuse”. I guess for a moment we were not sure if the computer crisis had arrived and power grids in Southeastern Kentucky had failed and their ability to produce electricity was lost. Funny how you can laugh and be scared at the same time, but we managed to do both and to develop our Christian Faith through both events. The lesson in the end was that He is still in-charge no matter the experience.
The truth is that we are all on a journey called life. Each of our journeys provides a different experience and each has their own individual moments of crisis, challenge, and consideration. We have options as we travel along that include everything from traveling alone to running with a pack. Our options include acting in accordance with trust in faith or you could opt-out for no faith at all if that be your choice.
Myself, I have had many different experiences from life that I pray I am able to draw from to share in this column encouragement and shelter for the storms of life for you. Writing is one of those parts of my journey that I had never planned on. I never had a moment prior to landing my first column with “Until then” that I thought this is what I wanted to do or had an interest in. Today, I can write that I absolutely believe this is something I should be doing. Writing, sharing, and attempting to be a positive part of the journey of others is a worthy task and one I am both grateful for and humbled by the journey. Thanks for reading this column and 10 years from now in 2020, I pray I am still providing a smile for your steps and a helping hand for the road.

Until then