Happy Birthday Gary Sweeten

05/05/05


This is the most important birthday I can ever remember. I am 67 years old, but that is incidental.

During my Junior year in high school at Mt. Vernon, Illinois I was sitting in study hall preparing for my May 5 natal day when it hit me that it fell on a very unusual time. May 5, 1955 is 5/5/55

Although I was not and am not a gambler or numerological, it occurred to me that these numbers has a special feel to them. There were four fives in a row. Wow! That felt very special.

During my childhood and youth I fantasies about the future in a grandiose manner but really did not think much about what life would be like in fifty years. Then, when May 5, 1955 rolled around I began to consider life in 50 years when the numbers would once again be all fives.

Would I still be alive? My maternal grandfather and paternal grandparents had died in their fifties and in 2005 I would be the ancient age of 67.

Would I be married? What kind of wife would I get?
What about children? Grandchildren?

What kind of work would I be doing?

What kind of world would we live in? I read all the Buck Rogers comics and heard some say we would have flying cars but what would be the reality in the new millennium?

The fact that I might have an opportunity to see 05/05/05 in the 21st Century stimulated some mighty deep thinking, and here I am fifty years later. Those 50 years seem like a flash. Events transpired that I could not even begin to imagine. We do not live like Buck Rogers but some of my decisions brought unimaginable changes.

I encountered the Holy Spirit in a life changing manner in 1958.

The Lord told me to attend college.

I went to Mt. Vernon Community College and met Betty Ann Ward who inspired me to be a counselor.

I met and married Karen Mayer

I became embroiled in conflict with a racist principal and resigned my teaching position.

I entered graduate school and got a masters' in higher education/Student Personnel Counseling

I was called to U of Cincinnati and got involved in the Jesus Movement

I met Dick Towner from College Hill Presbyterian and was called onto the staff of that marvelous church

My doctorate was about equipping lay Christian counselors

I was asked to train lay people all over the globe

God called me to set up a Christian psychiatric hospital

Karen and I have two children, two in laws and three grandkids.

All this is much more fantastic than Buck Rogers ever imagined.

God is Good. Life is very good.