Secret Identities

When I was a kid, my father got paid on every Friday. He always gave me my allowance of 25 ¢ when he got home. Right after supper I’d run down to the corner drug store to spend it; I’d buy two comic books, 10¢ each, and a fountain coke, 5¢, no sales tax in those days.

Ah yes, I lived the good life.

My favorite comic book Hero was Mighty Mouse!

But I also read Tales From The Crypt, Captain America, Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Captain America, Little Lulu…

Alas, my story is the same one told by every man growing up in America—When I went off to college, my mother…

I had that first edition comic that now sells on E-e-bay for $100,000!

Yes, every guy tells that same tale.

But we guys also stoically agree with St. Paul, who said “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things”.

Paul only said that because of sour grapes. His mother has a lot to answer for. Just think what one of St. Paul’s comics would sell for on e-bay!

The reason I got to thinking about this subject is that the Lord answered an odd prayer of mine.

You see, while I stagnate between writing one book and another, I devote my time to transcribing my friend Barbara White’s Prayer Diaries.

Barbara retired after 15 years service as religion editor of the Florida Times-Union. Among other duties she wrote a column, Along The Way. Her work won numerous awards and helped thousands of people in their spiritual quests.

My posting on August 20, 2007 “Shuffling Paper” tells how I turned a flowered shopping bag full of Barbara’s newspaper clippings into a four-book series, aptly named Along The Way, available at www.bluefishbooks.info .

About that same time, Barbara entrusted me with another bag, a canvas bag filled with her hand-written prayer diaries. Powerful stuff. I think her writings are destined to become spiritual classics; they have that potential.

Off and on for months, I’ve spent spare time transcribing these diaries.

In her duties as religion editor, Barbara covered every variety of religious event, happening, scandal, and activity. Pastors, rabbis, priests, bishops, singers, televangelists, gurus, and every sort of religious personality sought her attention. She treated people from each faith, denomination, and persuasion with respect, courtesy, honesty and fairness—while maintaining her own dedication to Christ.

Because of this loving attitude, religious leaders of all sorts became her friends and in crisis they sought out her council and input. So did non-professional Christians, Jews, agnostics, and just plain folks.

All sorts came to her for comfort, council, and hope in hurt.

My problem is that when she prayed for them, she often noted her prayers and concerns for them in her private diaries.

Sometimes just by their initials.

But sometimes by name.

How am I to handle voicing their problems which may help modern readers who go through the same sort of life issues—without breaking confidence?

I have no intention of betraying private things in publication of Barbara’s prayer diaries. Yet I want to maintain my own integrity in honestly transcribing these diaries.

On one hand, I think, This stuff happened 25 years ago; Barbara herself forgot she ever wrote about it, who’s around to remember that incident?

On the hand, some things were revealed in trust. That’s sacred.

Off and on the past couple of days I’ve prayed about how to handle this problem.

I’m up to May, 1984, in my transcribing—I’ve hit a place where the young married pastor of one congregation is being eagerly tempted about leaving his wife and taking up an affair with his secretary.

As I prayed this morning, the image of Mighty Mouse sprang into my mind.

I hardly ever think of Mighty Mouse when I pray.

Then it came to me…

Secret identities!

Virtually all comic book characters had a secret identity.

So when you read in Barbara White’s Pray Diary (if I ever get it published) about the triangle between Archie, Betty and Veronica. Or where Joker embezzled church funds, or where Scrooge McDuck tried to take over the church—Well, that’s how I’m disguising the real names of people who I feel need a secret identity.

Some of the life situations religious professionals get into! Well, they remind me of Tales From The Crypt.

But, thank God, such goings on only take up a few pages in the many volumes of Barbara’s diary.

Mostly her prayer diaries served to remind her of God’s faithfulness and glory in daily life. Thus most pages of Barbara’s diaries are taken up with private meditation.

For instance, Here is the day in the diary I was working on yesterday, it’s a section from Barbara’s Diary on May 27, 1984:

Being faithful is being strong in a broken world.

The breaking of big things:

Jesus slept through the storm in a floundering boat.

Does God sleep in my storm?

The disciples were following Him too! But they forgot two things:

(1.) They forgot His word. God always has a word. Jesus said they were going to the other side. Every word He says is to be trusted…

(2.) They forgot to focus on Jesus. We’ve got Jesus with us. He can handle it.

Jesus said, “Why are you afraid”? He wants us to look at the storm—but not the one we are looking at—the storm in our hearts.

Why afraid?

I used to be in control of things, now I’m not in control. I don’t know what to do and, Lord, I don’t find You very helpful in my boat at the moment.

It’s like playing musical chairs—faith doesn’t get here first. It may be anger or jealousy, or whatever. God wants me to see what gets there first in my heart.

Certain wonderful things can only be born in us through suffering. This is the reason Jesus slept so long. We have to see what needs to be crucified.

Jesus’ Second Question—Where is your faith?

We don’t ask that; we ask, “Why is this happening to me”?

So we start looking and we find our faith is in something else—boats, self, etc. It’s important for me to see how small my faith is.

The prolongation of pressure is a critical factor in the way God deals with us.

Storms are going to hit us. What are we going to turn to? Jesus said, “Peace. Be still”

And guess what—They got to the other side.

Oh, by the way, I don’t know yet if Barbara ever mentions me or Ginny in her prayer diaries, but if you read about Mighty Mouse in trouble… Please don’t reveal my secret identity.