The Case of the Bouncing Ice Cream Cone

When is the last time someone asked you a puzzling question? You know, one that leaves you scratching your head and sends you mind a whizzing.  The one I get the most is why did I leave the ministry.  I get that question in a variety of ways.  How come you do not have a church?  Why don’t you pastor?  What do you miss most since you got out of the ministry? 

It is amazing how many people, that is church people, Baptist people, and people in general do not know what a Director of Missions does.  My favorite answer is that churches pay me not to preach.

Since I am out of the ministry, as people say, or do not pastor, folks want to know what I miss the most.  I tell them I miss time with church kids.  I have always had a great relationship with my church kids.  As Director of Missions, I have performed dozens of weddings for former church kids.

Another thing I miss is the discipline of doing three sermons a week.  I love studying and putting together a message from God to His people and those who need to hear His Word. 

Discipline is a way of life for believers.  I am concerned that today’s lack of discipline among people will be tomorrow’s disappointment.  It takes discipline to function in society.  Today everyone wants it now.  “It” covers just about everything in life. 

I had several instructors on discipline.  There was Mildred Miller, my seventh grade history teacher.  Monday’s homework assignment was one hundred facts for the chapter we were studying.  Tuesday’s assignment was fifty questions and answers.  Wednesday’s assignment was a combination of facts and questions.  Then, there was a test.  I loved history, but not because of Mrs. Miller.

There was Coach Lamar, my defensive football coach.  Everyday there were pushups, monkey rolls, wind sprints, the camel caravan, the Burma rope, and these were for practice.  There were other means of discipline when you could not get a play right.

I started at defensive end as a sophomore.  For the first three football games people got outside Nutt Burnett, the other end, and me.  For three weeks, the football team ran over either Nutt or me.  You notice I said the football team.  Nutt and I were the only two on defense.  We knew they were running outside.  Our job was to turn them inside.  I can say with pride that after the after the third game, no one, I mean no one, ran outside on the Jemison football team for three seasons.  I learned discipline to stay at home at my position and turn the play inside.

There was dad.  He taught me disciplines of life.  I remember one time after we had moved from Illinois back to Alabama we were returning home from Clanton.  I was around six or seven years old.  Dad decided to go the highway through Thorsby and Jemison rather than the shortcut of the dirt road.  Dad would hardly ever stop and eat.  We have drove for hours and never stopped to eat.  The big reason was lack of money.

On this particular trip dad asked what I wanted from the Dari Delite.  Up home, we had the Dairy Queen, Dairy Barn, Dari Lan, Dari Delite South, Dairy Delite North, and Dairy Lan Thorsby, all ice cream places.  The Dari Delite in Thorsby still has the best ice cream in the state.  I told daddy that I wanted an ice cream cone.  When we got there, I noticed many tempting delights made with ice cream.  While dad was getting me a cone, I decided I wanted a milk shake or malt.  Dad returned to the car with the cone and I told him of my change of heart and tantalizing desire of my taste buds.  He put the ice cream cone in my hand as we started home.  I told dad that I did not want the cone and that I wanted one of those delicious milk shakes or heavenly malts.  He said that I got what I wanted and to eat it.

I repeated that I not want the cone.  I remember to this moment conversing with him via the rearview mirror.  I sure you have had those conversations.

He said, “If you don’t want the cone, give it here.”  I did with a smirk of defiance.  I thought he would return to the Dari Delite and fulfil me the temptations of my heart and desire of my taste buds.  Dad tossed the ice cream cone out the window.  I will never forget watching from the rear window the ice cream cone bouncing down US Highway 31 between the towns of Thorsby and Jemison as my sister smiled and enjoyed her ice cream treat.  Dad’s words and actions were etched in stone that day and I pondered what could have been.

At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.  You will say, "How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!  I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly." (Proverbs 5:11-14 NIV).

The other day I stopped at the Dari Delite in Thorsby and ordered a hot fudge sundae with walnuts in heavy syrup.  I encourage you to visit it but be sure to have some discipline when ordering.