1959 was a very good year. Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union. The Grammy's were born. Ben-Hur and Sleeping Beauty hit the box office. Barbie came on the scene (well ... at least that's been good for Mattel, Inc.). The Dodgers won the World Series. A gallon of gas only set you back 25 cents. Even pink Cadillacs were cool.
I was thinking about 1959 as I celebrated birthday #54 last week. Much has changed:
Eleven Presidents have served our country:
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- John F. Kennedy
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Richard M. Nixon
- Gerald R. Ford
- James Carter
- Ronald Reagan
- George H. W. Bush
- William J. Clinton
- George W. Bush
- Barack Obama
Technology has exploded:
- Men on the moon
- Computers on every desk
- Cell phones in our pockets
- The digital world at our doorstep
American icons have come and gone:
- Neil Armstrong
- Elvis Presley
- Frank Sinatra
- John Wayne
- Jackie Robinson
- Rosa Parks
- Walter Cronkite
- Louis Armstrong
Innovations, revolutions, transitions, and transformations. While much has changed during my lifetime, there are some constants:
- Time still flies . . .
- "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." James 4:14
- I still need wisdom . . .
- "So teach us to number our daysthat we may get a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
- There is still only one Hero of the story . . .
- Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
- My future is still absolutely certain . . .
- And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
- God is still amazingly good . . .
- Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8
I've tasted. He's good. His blessings have flowed.
As I venture out into the uncharted waters of my 55th year, I'm still taking refuge in Him.