To My Lovely Bride Babbette
Introduction
As you and I grow older and the time of our departure nears, will we as God’s children celebrate the gift of eternal life in the midst of the approaching darkness? Will we—together—shine forth as lights on the top of the hill sharing His precious promise of eternal life with those He brings into our lives? Oh, how the mission field beckons; let us be bold and reach out with the good news from the Top of the Hill![1]
I’ll Never Make That Mistake Again
As a baseball player, Casey Stengel played outfield from 1912 to 1925 for five different teams. Proving to be an outstanding fielder with a career batting average of .284, he won a World Series ring in 1922 playing for the Giants. Starting in 1934 he managed the Brooklyn Dodgers (1934-1936), the Boston Braves (1938-1943), the New York Yankees (1949-1960), and lastly the New York Mets (1962-1965). Under Stengel, the Yankees won seven World Series championships and ten American League Pennants, but in 1960 Stengel turned 70 years old and following the Yankees’ loss to the Pittsburg Pirates in the World Series was forced by the front office to retire. Stengel is quoted as saying, “I’ll never make the mistake of turning 70 again.” Most people considered Stengel over the hill at 70.
True, the Mets were not a winning team under Stengel, but the “Amazing Mets,” as they were soon called, found a home and a loyal fan base in a city dominated by the most successful team in all of baseball, the New York Yankees. Consider that four years earlier in 1958 both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants relocated to California because they could not compete financially in the same market with the Yankees. In 1962, the Mets offered the “Old Professor,” Casey Stengel at 72, the job as manager. “(I)n his four years with the dreadful Mets, (Stengel) performed a more amazing job than he had with the lordly Yankees. For this new franchise he created an image of lovability that has barely eroded decades later.”[2] In 1965 Stengel broke his hip and finally retired from baseball, but the Mets’ organization and fans loved him and never forgot him. When the “Amazing Mets” did the impossible and won the 1969 World Series, the team awarded Stengel a well-deserved World Series ring.
Top of the Hill
Like Stengel, most of the brothers and sisters, who are a part of Top of the Hill, will never make the mistake of turning 70 again; on the other hand, each of us together are in a place strategically to do something amazing for our Lord and Savior. At the age of 70, Stengel was not over the hill, but on top of the hill… so too are we in Christ. As you and I age, we deal with infirmities and illnesses with names sometimes so long we can’t even pronounce them, let alone fathom how we might overcome them—our physical limitations and challenges grow daily.[3] Where then is our hope? Consider the words of the Apostle John:
5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.
5:10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. (1 John 5:9-11; underlining added[4])
Though our world may darken with age and infirmity, the light of Jesus’ promise of eternal life remains His imperishable and powerful testimony within each of us shining evermore brightly through the darkness out to those around us. In the eyes of the world we may be easily dismissed as over the hill, but in the hands of a loving God, you and I have arrived at the top of the hill with the light of Christ shining brightly in us.
If God has placed His greater witness within us (and He has), then what might our lives look like as the darkness settles in? Picture a candle burning at noon time; how many will see it? Picture this same candle burning at midnight; how many will see it? Now place this same candle burning at midnight at the top of the hill; how many will see it? Lastly, imagine a multitude of candles burning on the top of the hill at midnight—that’s precisely what we have in our fellowship today; how many will see God’s greater witness? The darkness that comes with age and infirmity allows the light within us to be seen from “miles around.”
All of us will one day die physically and our loved ones will likely conduct a celebration of life ceremony. What if you and I together celebrate our lives today as lights on the top of the hill? Our Lord and Savior has graciously placed us on this hill together by going to the cross and gifting each of us with His perfect gift of eternal life. By allowing others to draw near and witness His gift of eternal life in us, we engage the celebration of life. What might this symphony of hope, this celebration of life, look like?
A Celebration of Life
On May 31st 2025, The True Vine Fellowship hosted a charity car wash for Young Athletes for Christ (YAC). Though cold and rainy, we raised $800.00 for the purchase of Bibles. When time came to take down the car wash, I went to start my truck and found my hands unable to turn the ignition key. Thankfully all of the young men and women of YAC helped during take down. My family doctor thought the symptoms worth investigating, so she called for a Nerve Conduction Study (NCS).
On October 13th at 4:30pm, I went in for the NCS. The DPT asked me if I were retired. I explained to her that I am an evangelist and conduct outreach on the Olympic Peninsula. She proceeded with her study and refused further attempts to engage in conversation. From my toes up the feet and legs to the buttock, back, arms, and neck… culminating with my tongue, though I felt like an electrified pin cushion, I prayed for patience, kindness, and an open door to share good news while thinking surely she must not like Christians and has been offended. At 7:00pm I thanked her for being so thorough and gave her a Living Water Gospel of John with a gift certificate for Subway Sandwiches. She thanked me—truly, the Lord is good! Two days later, my family doctor called with the results. The NCS pointed to ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.[5] She has been our doctor for 15 years, and was upset with the results. I reminded her that I have eternal life and sooner or later will go home to the Lord, to which she responded, “Yes, you have your faith.” The next day, I dropped off a small flower arrangement and card to cheer her up.
On October 16th, Babbette and I shared with our home fellowship our medical and personal concerns. As a husband, my desire is to live to take care of my wife Babbette who battles MS. As evangelists, Babbette and I desire to seize every opportunity to reach out with good news and equip our brothers and sisters to share the promise of eternal life. Our small but mighty home fellowship prayed for our deliverance and that our Lord’s perfect will would be done.
A couple of days later, our next door neighbor Richard dropped over with a special gift, a beautiful picture of the Eagle Nebula. Richard is a brilliant scientist, who worked for Boeing for decades on several key research projects, and in retirement, became an “amateur” astrologist. He and his wife Norma settled in Sequim years ago to avoid the light pollution of the city. Many a late night and early morning Richard set up his telescope and took pictures of the cosmos. I had never found an opening to share my faith with him, but his recent struggles with health issues provided a common ground to share our experiences and the certainty I have of eternal life. He tells me that he believes in God, but perhaps not in the way I do. The Lord is good!
On November 5th, I had an appointment with Dr. Kumaraswamy, a neurologist at UW Medical Center. He asked if I were retired. Babbette and I explained that we are evangelists conducting outreach on the Olympic Peninsula for The True Vine Fellowship. He was particularly interested in the Promise of Life Café. As we departed, we left him with a Living Water Gospel of John and gift certificate for Subway. He was very thankful. On the way out of the clinic, we also engaged a receptionist and gave her a Living Water and gift certificate. The Lord is good!
On November 10th, two LDS missionaries joined me for Mexican food at Baja Cantina. I shared the events just described to you, urged them not to leave the mission field without knowing for sure they have eternal life, and left them with two Living Waters and gift certificates to Subway along with an invitation to get together again. The Lord is good!
Each of these instances are whistle stops to reach out with the good news of eternal life. Indeed, the greater witness of God, the miracle of life in His Name which abides in every believer, shone like a light in darkness for others to see in Babbette and me. How better to lift Babbette’s and my countenance in the face bad news than a rich bounty of opportunities to share our Lord and Savior. Indeed, the Lord answered our home fellowship’s prayers. The Lord is good… very, very good!
Will Babbette and I steadfastly celebrate the miracle of eternal life by sharing His promise from the top of the hill? As old age sets in and health challenges continue darkening all of our lives, will any of us, as brothers and sisters, do the amazing and share the good news of our Savior? We hope so, but clearly, our endurance is not an act of the flesh, but a miracle of God’s deliverance.
The Father’s Vineyard: The Miracle of WE
One of the most beautiful things about being a Kansas hayseed is the sure knowledge that I’m not special. When asked about what Kansas was like, from an early age I learned to respond with a simple question: “Have you ever had pancakes? Scrape off the butter—all wheat and real flat.” Now at 70 years old, I still answer with this same response knowing full well I’m about as amazing as a stack of pancakes, but there is something wonderfully miraculous and amazing about my Father’s vineyard. WE (the vineyard)—God the FATHER (the Vinedresser), God the SON (the True Vine) along with YOU and ME (the branches)—all of us together are a part of our Father’s vineyard designed explicitly to bring forth an abundance of eternal life.
15:1 I am the true vine and My Father is the vinedresser.
15:2 Every branch in Me which does not produce fruit He props up, and every one producing fruit He prunes so that it will produce more fruit.
(John 15:1-2)
First, note that a vine has many branches—many YOU(s) and ME(s), some productive, some not, all sustained by the SON (the True Vine); next, the FATHER (the Vinedresser) tends His vineyard by lifting up and pruning branches in order to bring forth life in abundance from His SON (the True Vine); lastly, the miracle of life in our Savior’s name or eternal life courses out to the many branches, the many YOU(s) and ME(s) for the explicit purpose of producing more fruit. WE—the Father, the True Vine and His branches are inexorably linked together: The one who abides in Me, and I in him, is the one who produces much fruit, since you can do nothing apart from Me (John 15:3-5). In time and under the careful and loving care of the Vinedresser, the True Vine brings forth fruit through the branches. As the branches abide together, the work of the Holy Spirit grows more and more apparent drawing others to believe in the True Vine and His promise of eternal life.[6]
Wonderful, you say, but as we age, will you and I (YOU and ME), continue to greet the challenges of old age as the handiwork of our Father propping us up and pruning to produce more fruit, or will you and I become overwhelmed? If we lose sight of our Father’s handiwork and good purpose in us, then failure to abide in the True Vine and His promise of eternal life becomes all too possible.
15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and withers. Then they gather such branches, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:6)
This particular fire is not the fire of eternal condemnation (John 15:3), but the winnowing fire that one day will remove the wood, hay, and straw from our foundation at the Bema Seat (1 Corinthians 3:10-17). The warning to the branches (YOU and ME) could not be clearer: While it is utterly impossible to lose eternal life (John 10:28), failure to abide can lead to a catastrophic loss of opportunity to mature in the True Vine and produce fruit for our Father’s vineyard. How might you and I avoid becoming withered branches?[7]
Remember, it’s not about me or you, It’s about WE—the Father, the True Vine and His branches. How are we kept from failure?
15:7 If you (all) abide in Me and My words abide in you (all), you (all) will ask whatever you (all) wish, and it shall be done for you (all).
15:8 My Father is glorified by this; that you (all) produce much fruit. So you (all) will be My disciples. (John 15:7-8; underlining added)
Each you in this passage is a second person plural you (all). As we abide in the True Vine and His word, we ask of the Father, the Vinedresser, who will answer our prayers helping us overcome and produce much fruit… in this manner we will be Jesus’ disciples. A loving and gracious God answers prayer miraculously transforming and sustaining the branches in order to bring forth life in the name of His Son. The Lord is good… very, very good: Through fellowship, prayer, and His Word, God the Father sustains us as fruitful branches abiding in the True Vine!
Conclusion: The Power of Fellowship, Prayer, and the Word
Like Casey Stengel, few of us will ever make the mistake of turning 70 again. Thankfully, we are not over the hill, but have been strategically placed together as lights at the top of the hill bearing within each of us His greater witness of eternal life (1 John 5:9-11). YOU and ME are a divinely integrated part of the WE (our Father’s vineyard)—God the FATHER (the Vinedresser), God the SON (the True Vine), and YOU and ME (the branches). As branches, you and I are not only eternally alive, but are also explicitly purposed and equipped to share the good news of our Lord and Savior. Through Top of the Hill and fellowships like it, WE flourish overcoming the darkness through the power of fellowship, prayer, and His Word. Our loving and caring Father, the Vinedresser, never fails to hear our prayers and shape our lives (John 15:1-8). Together, let’s do the amazing and celebrate the miraculous gift of eternal life from the Top of the Hill by sharing a simple promise with others: Amen, amen, I tell you, whoever believes in Me has eternal life. I am the Bread of Life (John 6:47-48)! Oh, Mrs. Tyler, how the mission field beckons!
[1] Top of the Hill is a fellowship ministry for mature believers at Fairview Bible Church in Port Angeles, Washington. This article was written to honor Marsh Welsh, who having organized this ministry faithfully for many years, is now stepping down from leadership.
[2] George Vecsey, Casey Stengel: He Called Them ‘The Amazing Mets,’ (10/25/2015) (http://www.georgevecsey.com/home/casey-stengle-he-called-them-the-amazing-mets)
[3] The challenges of getting older should never be dismissed. Taylor Blatchford, Seattle Times mental health reporter, writes: “For the past 10 years, suicide rates in the 70+ population have consistently been above those in the general population. …People they love are dying or moving farther away. Physical challenges mean daily tasks can become harder and energy is lower. Some may be facing frightening health challenges, including terminal illnesses. Finances can be a challenge for adults who are no longer working and have medical costs. They’re also gradually losing autonomy and independence.” Taylor Blatchford, “Suicide rates high among Washington older adults” The Seattle Times (11/24/25).
[4] All Scripture quote from the Gospel of John is from the Living Water, Gospel of John Logos 21 Version (Glide OR: Absolutely Free Inc., 1996). All other Scripture is quoted from The New King James Version of the Holy Bible (Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
[5] “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), formerly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurological disorder that affects motor neurons. Motor neurons are the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement and breathing.” (http://www.ninds,nih.gov/health-information/disorders/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als)
[6] Later in His discourse, our Lord reveals the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:5-15). The Apostle Paul lived the blessing of the indwelling Spirit and exhorted his flock to follow his example: Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). Paul desires his flock to know the Spirit’s salvation/deliverance and boldly share the good news (Philippians 1:19-20 and 1:27-28). According to the Apostle Peter, the fruit of the Spirit (2 Peter 1: 2-10) is the inward manifestation of Jesus’ promise of eternal life and the Spirit’s work of transformation (sanctification) that draws unbelievers to consider Jesus’ promise (God’s Word). When unbelievers believe, they become an outward manifestation of the vineyard’s fruit (justification). Both apostles exemplify productive and rewardable branches.
[7] The withered branches represent servants who suffer catastrophic loss when the wood, hay, and straw are winnowed off the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).