Somewhere Children Shout by John Keeler Mitchell

Author:John Keeler Mitchell
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: sandlot baseball, best pal, road show, rumble, beach bums, dating, high school band, allowance

The session at the college on the Cayuga – it was a women’s-only institution called Wells College, and now is open to both women and men – was a departure, in that it could be more accurately seen as a conference. We were housed in dormitories and attended classes in legitimate classrooms. The focus on fetching a girl remained, but the theology was more strident, in particular, on the dangers of involvement with Catholics.

In dramatic fashion, a guest preacher went so far as to strongly caution his listeners – again, completely Presbyterian -- to never even date a Catholic (I had already crossed that bridge), because that could lead to more serious risk: you could end up marrying one. Impressionable me, I took note, since there was a small and mysterious Catholic church around the corner from my house, and my church as well. Then again, I doubt that anyone sitting near me had planned that far ahead. But I did give it some thought – for, oh, maybe for a day or two.

A bigger emotional bomb was a string of spontaneous testimonials that arose during an evening service toward the end of the conference. We sunk into one of those “opportunities” as part of quiet or silent prayer: you could articulate especially deep emotional religious experiences, the kind, I decided, that are obviously competitive.

It went on. And on. Eventually, a kid a few rows nearer the front of the hall had his say, and the pressure began to build: Should I say something, even if I flexed my imagination to the breaking point? Sweat, sweat and more sweat. Was I an errant Christian if I did not make some kind of declaration?

Saved, certainly in this case, by the bell. The presiding preacher spoke and we were back on program. The sweat dried and I learned something that has remained with me for the rest of my life: the firmest exhortations of preachers notwithstanding, and the supposed support factor of the crowd in play, your communications with the Universe are necessarily personal and should be private. You will be heard. Theatrics are counter-productive, and I have a feeling are low on the respect side.

(After much searching, the prophet Elijah finally heard God speaking to him in a “still, small voice.”)

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