The good ol' days

I'm a mere 40 years of age, and I remember the good ole days too. But I'm also a realist. With the good ole days comes no microwave, no computers, $800 VCR's, and two Germany's.

The truth is, we don't want the good ole days. We want just the good things from the good ole days, and want to leave the bad stuff from the good ole days behind.

 

It seems to me that time has a way of making the "good ole days" seem better than they really were.

I have seen this in the churches I have pastored, and I am not sure there is a solution other than preaching the Word of God and showing the people that God is still active today and wants each of them to be an active part of His plan.

 

Funny thing. Back in MY "good old days," I was in a traveling youth choir that performed Christian "folk musicals" at various churches. We actually were one of the first to perform one by Ralph Charmichael and Kurt Kaiser called "Tell It Like it Is." In it, there was one song that had these lyrics, spoken on behalf of youth:

For yesterday, you've got the answers down pat,
But today is the problem for me.
Please stop talkin' 'bout the "good ole days,"
Day that might have been.
Please stop talkin' 'bout the "good ole days,"
'Cause they'll never be back again.

And part of the narration said:

Yesterday has come and gone.
(Sorry 'bout that!)
Tomorrow hasn't yet arrived.
(Sorry 'bout THAT!)
The only thing we have is now.
And if we do not use it, we'll be
(REAL sorry 'bout that!)

Still true. Now is the day of salvation. Redeem the time.

 

There is a strong human tendency to remember the good about the past and forget the bad.

 

My Dad says I think that way. He calls it "selective memory."

 

YOu know I thought you were in your late 20s or even early 30s. Wow 40!! Just kidding, I'm right behind you at 36, but I got 4 more years!!!! ha ha.

I agree with you. I can't imagine doing without the internet.. I even have a friend that is the college pastor at a local church and the way he keeps up with all his "sheep" is via the internet. Every morning they have "cyber worship"

Now, we couldn't have done that 30 yrs ago.

 

I can remember the days when my grandparents had an outhouse and then installed a toilet in the house.

 

Everybody sing....

Don't let em tear that little brown building down
Don't let em tear that little brown building down
Don't let em tear that little brown building down
For there's not another like it in the country or the town.

 

Of course, remembering the good ole days can be a good thing sometimes. Just consider what God repeatedly told Israel over and over again whenever they would begin grumbling about the current situation: Remember when you were in Egypt and I delivered you by my mighty hand. But, it was never in the sense of being stuck in nostalgia. I was to the point of remembering that God is all powerful and faithful to meet the needs of his people.

Joseph Botwinick

 

My old testament theology prof recently highlighted the meaning of the hebrew word zakar which is repeatedly used throughout the OT to remember God working through the history of the Israelites. And through that remembering to have faith that God will be with them as they move forward towards the new and unknown.

zakar

 

No, most of the people in my Church are old retired people, but they seem to be hoping for a better tomorrow and speak much more of the future than they do of the past. They recently hired a new youth pastor and they love him and they are expecting great things to happen in our church.

 

Yeah, my neighbors keep telling me that I should put one of them fancy new toilets in my house, but the outhouse was good enough for Paul and Silas, and it’s good enough for me. It was kind of rough, though, in the winter months when we lived in Whitehorse up in the Yukon Territory. We didn’t have any electricity and we could not afford a lantern, and to find our way to the outhouse in the dark of night in 16 feet of snow when the wind-chill factor was 60 degrees below zero was a bit of a challenge.

http://www.city.whitehorse.yk.ca/

 

Yeah. I remember Alaska in the early 60's as a child. {Born territory of in 1956.}
We didn't have to find our way out in the middle of the night though.

We were the proud owners of the proverbial "pot to pee in."

You just dumped it in the outhouse the next day.

My mother burned the house down one winter night at 20 below trying to fill a hot Coleman lantern.

That was unhandy as I recall.

Ah, the good old days.

I truly loved it there though.

MR

 

Ah- yes! Tell it like it wasn't. Nostalgia ISN'T what it used to be!


In His grace,
Ed

 

The good old days are memories long past minus the bad times then. What we are really saying is we dont want any bad times now. I am sure back in the early 50s when my parents got married, my grandparents talked about the good old days of the 20s. And the beat goes on.