Educational Editorials # 

cleophas9@aol.com                     SEEMACAL2@CS.COM 

                                 Lessons for a Non-Believer and a Preacher 

The five students and I sat in the basement lounge of Dago's San Francisco apartment. Dago is a successful 78-year old by any stretch of the imagination. He owns the 3-story building with the beautifully landscaped back yard. He owns the elegant basement lounge with the long bar and 6 bar stools. He owns the vintage Mercedes Benz and another classic car that sit in his garage. He owns all of this, but he still does not believe in the Power of God!

Perhaps, God had saved Dago for this moment. Perhaps, God had instructed me to lecture Dago on this August 28, 2002 day. Perhaps, God placed words into my mouth that would change Dago's mind about Science and the Creation.

Dago sat behind his bar and took out a chess board and all of the pieces. He took out the board in response to my request that he engage one of the students in a game of chess. I had been used to Dago's expertise at the game of chess, because I had seen him dismantle many an opponent on numerous occasions. Dago's retirement years had been spent in playing chess with his many friends and he had become a "Bobby Fisher" with his very quick and calculated moves. Dago said that he was through with his friends and his girl friend, and they did not come by his home anymore. He seemed very bitter when he said these things.

I chose this particular student because he needed a lesson in discipline. There is no better way to teach a teenager respect than have a 78-year old "mess with his mind" by destroying him in a game of chess. Dago did just that. He quickly called out "check mate" before my 15-year old student could make 5 moves! I didn't mind the sound thrashing given to my student, but I did mind the educational quiz and the seemingly embarrassing conversation afterwards.

Dago insisted on telling my student about how dumb he was. He insisted on asking such questions as "Where is Lebanon?", and "Where is Israel"? Dago took to verbal thrashing when the student could not answer one of his questions. I didn't mind the verbal thrashing, but I did mind the insinuation that teenagers were a bunch of thieves. To that insinuation, I took to my sermon.

I told Dago about our church-going and our moralistic values with regards to stealing. I told him that God was in our lives and we would not steal anything from anybody. I told him that he too, should go to church sometimes and experience the Power of God. Dago told me that all religion was just a pile of "garbage" and there was no such thing as a "God". No matter how much I tried to interrupt, Dago kept on with his belittlement of religion. Finally, he stopped to take a breath, and that is where I began.

Dago had been intent on telling me that Science knew everything. He had been intent on telling me that there was no such thing as the "Creation". I shocked Dago when I told him that most Scientist believed in God. They believed in the Supreme Being because there was no choice. Who but a God could create such a Universe?

I shocked Dago when I asked the students several questions about the speed of light. He seemed amazed that each knew that light traveled at 186,000 miles per second. He stood amazed that each knew that light from the sun took approximately 8 minutes to reach the Earth. He stood in shock as each told of the light-year as the distance that light travels in one year. He stood more amazed that the number of galaxies in our Universe stood at infinity, as well as the number of Universes! Dago gasped at the escaped velocity from planet earth of 7-miles per second! He gasped even more when I told him that man would never venture out of his tiny solar system, and that some solar systems lay millions and trillions of light-years away from our tiny solar system.

I told Dago that we served the God of all of this Creation; and what a wonderfully powerful God that we serve!

Dago was a beaten man when I at last closed my comments with a few more facts. I closed after my lecture on the age of the Earth and "carbon dating" and "radioactive decay." Dago now knew that Science is a puny tool when it comes to explaining all that God has created, and so Science, itself, believes in the Power of a Supreme Being.

"Consider the fact that light from some distant star has just reached your eyes: Consider the fact that that light could have started out before our solar system was formed: Consider the fact that that light might be coming from trillions of years back in time, and you will undoubtedly believe in the Power of God. We are mere specks of tiny dust, as well as all that we can see in our puny little Milky Way Galaxy". And then I was finished.

Dago received his sermon well. Perhaps, God is pleased with the message on "light" administered to this now quiet, and beaten man. Perhaps, now this bitter human being will again invite his friends over for a game of chess. Perhaps, he will remove some of the anger from his heart. Perhaps, he will now pick up a Bible and realize that God has given him all that he now enjoys!

We sat in an In & Out Hamburger establishment at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. The 13-year old Micah and I enjoyed our hamburger and strawberry malt like the other people who sat in the next booth to ours. It was not long before I struck up a conversation with the family that sat next to us.

My conversation centered on our wonderful Tutoring Service and how God had blessed us to impact the lives of nearly 200 young people in a positive way. The conversation was a one-way one, because the Preacher who sat next to me, only wanted to hear me tell about the Power of God. He said that he had been used to talking to his congregation back in Stockton, and now he had a chance to sit and listen to another "preacher" from Los Angeles.

As usual, I found out all about the family that sat next to us. One young man was a Computer Engineer. He had a business in Mexico that dealt with computers. He spoke Spanish because being married to a Spanish young lady dictated that he did. She was very pleasant and smiled as I told about the goodness of God in our lives. 

The family from Stockton consisted of the Preacher, his brother and sister-in-law and a couple of youngsters. They sat and listened to my "sermon" and my apologies for not been a preacher. "Never in a million years would I stand in a pulpit and call myself a preacher", I said. I had not been called to do such by God. 

Perhaps, God has placed me as an Educational Minister, because I tutor students for free and I tell everyone about how God has blessed our Tutoring Service in  raising the grade point averages of all of our students. I tell everyone to just "step out on faith" and God will guide you. Just trust and believe, and it is already done!

19009 Laurel Park Road # 348 Dominguez Hill 90220, CA.

Tel. (310) 635-4536   

e-mail  seemacal2@cs.com    Cell Pho./Pager (310) 351-1950

e-mail  cleophas9@aol.com

Contact Person...Cleophas"Mike" McAlpin

Tel. (310) 635-4536.     Fax. (310) 631-9614   Address: same as above

                           www.weteachfree.com   

               A Federal and State of California Nonprofit Corporation

                             Student Grade Point Averages Tracking System

Comments: