Son in law Ben Bring takes his medical boards (following his 2nd year of medical school at Virginia Tech) on Tuesday 7/20/10. He and my oldest daughter Miranda (Ben’s wife) then immediately move to Salisbury, N.C. near Charlotte. Ben will do his 3rd year of medical school there. Miranda was able to land a first grade teaching position at a local school district. She’ll be a fantastic addition to her new school. My prayer for her is that she keeps the administrators and the 2 other current 1st grade teachers happy by working as a team. If she does that, then there will nothing impeding her ability to effectively teach her kids.
Natasha (19) has returned to U of Louisville to take two summer classes and to train with the trainers there. She wants to go into elementary special education. She starts at left back for the Cardinal field hockey team. U of L has virtually everyone back from their 12-8 team last year and plans on making some noise in the Big East and maybe beyond. Tash has our mini-van with her and has a bike as well to get around that large campus. My prayer for her is that she use her voice and trust in her voice since she’s got great instincts for doing the right thing at the right time.
Clarissa (17) left this morning on a mission trip to Leslie County, Kentucky with the Appalachian Service Project. She’ll be there until next Saturday (7/24). I told her that my pray for her and the gang is that they not think of it as work or earning anything, but rather as a chance to reflect the love that Jesus has shown her. That’s it – simple as that: blessed in order to be a blessing.
Wife Debbie did some traveling this summer, driving to Amherst , MA (UMass) for a College Connection field hockey event for Clarissa and then driving to Williamsburg, VA for a field hockey competition in late June. Brother Dan and I drove Clarissa to St. Louis over the 4th of July weekend for a field hockey tournament there. We met old friend Bob Gelchion (in the photos) who was on his way from Denver to Bethlehem, PA to help his brother’s family while his brother was having surgery. Also saw Pastor Hal (in photos) and his wife, Pam, who came over for the tournament. Hal and I played high school football together. He was right tackle and I was right guard on the Rhodes High School football team in Cleveland. Hal could never remember the snap count and would always ask me at the line of scrimmage. Once, against St. Ignatius, we were at the line and he asked, “James, what’s the count?” Trying to talk through my mouth piece and also not be obvious, I mumbled “It’s on two”. Hal said “What?” I mumbled out again, “It’s on two”. Again, Hal asks . “What?” and the Ignatius linebacker across the line says, “He said it’s on one.”
A photo I took of Clarissa on July 3rd at the St. Louis tournament is on the web page in the Athlete’s section. She hopes to play in college.
I’ve also updated the “Decisions” section of the web page to reflect a Franklin County Court of Appeals section that I won earlier this year. I represented a property manager sued by the rental property owner that he worked for. The plaintiff sued because there were more tenants in the house than were on the lease and the tenants ended up trashing the place. We prevailed on summary judgment on an exculpation clause in the management agreement that stated that there was no liability by the manager to the owner unless there was intentional misconduct or gross negligence. The appellate court affirmed the trial court’s decision. This one was interesting because: 1. The opposition was an old friend from Church (Stonybrook); and 2. My client was my former property manager for my rental properties. I had replaced him several years ago in that role. I’d joke to him, “Hmmm…., if I lose this case, then maybe I can sue you?” I argued through the case and to opposing counsel, “Isn’t the proper remedy when the manager isn’t doing his job to just fire the manager?” I’ve never heard of the late George Steinbrenner, Yankee owner, suing any of the many managers he fired.
I had a client/businessman say to me a few weeks ago, “Yeah Jim, you may think outside the box, but for us there is not box.” A great comment on creativity. I’ve written that on my refrigerator white board in a place of honor right next to “Pay mortgage 8/5”, “Don’t just play Church, be the Church” and “Muscles love water.” That last one came about because I’ve been battling a pulled rhomboid muscle in my upper back since Memorial Day weekend.
Finally, went to Comfest a couple weeks ago with my friend Lou Jannazo. Lou and I worked security at the annual 3 day festival several years ago. It’s kind of a hippy, tie-dye, “give peace a chance” kind of a theme. I hadn’t been there for many years. Lou wanted to buy a Comfest cap and I noticed the logo is now a series of circles with no doubt some deep meaning, but it wasn’t the yin and yang symbol that I remembered being on the caps and T shirts below the word “Comfest”. I had fun with the vendor and told him that I’d heard that they had to get rid of the old logo because the “Taoists had sent a cease and desist letter that threatened litigation”. What’s this world coming to?

Welcome Miles Maximilian King to the family! Born Wednesday, April 28, 2010 to niece Bethany (brother Fred’s and sister-in-law Linda’s daughter) and her husband, Larry King.
College freshman daughter Natasha is now home after her first full year at the University of Louisville. At the U of L, the spring semester ends right before the Kentucky Derby. The kids typically stay for the Derby celebration and then head home. Tash experienced for the first time the Americana that is the infield at the Derby – mudsliding, mudwrestling, mosh pits, mosh surfing.


Oldest daughter Miranda Bring and husband Ben will be moving in late July to Concord, NC near Charlotte where Ben will do his third year of medical school. Miranda is trying to find an elementary school teaching job there.


10th grade daughter Clarissa has been named lacrosse athlete of the week in the Columbus Dispatch. The photo and story appear this coming Saturday. She has 20 goals for the 9-3 Columbus Academy Vikings. She got to see U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder who spoke at the school yesterday. All the questions were preapproved and none of them included asking the controversial, but highly interesting question: Why is the government going to try the 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a Federal courthouse in New York City as opposed to by a military tribunal elsewhere (anywhere else, like, perhaps Gitmo). C said the AG was very funny and engaging and really enjoyed his talk.


Our new senior pastor at Stonybrook United Methodist Church, Michael Bowie, gave his first sermon last Sunday. Dr. Bowie was phenomenal. He is from Texas and is Stonybrook’s first ever African-American pastor. He now is shepherd to a nearly all-white congregation. There’s been talk about both sides adapting to each other over time. I disagree. I hope any new pastor can come to a fertile field of unconditional love and just do what he or she has been anointed by God to do. I would hate to see Pastor Mike operate on less than all cylinders just to appease all the many factions of a large congregation. I’d rather him operate at full throttle in the areas of his spiritual gifts. The Story of Leickly Chili: I was an adult when I finally learned that chili was not eaten on a plate with a fork (not in a bowl and with a spoon) or that it included anything other than just 3 ingredients: ground beef, kidney beans and tomato paste. That’s what chili was to us growing up because that’s what it took to satisfy the varying tastes of a family of 7. You end up with mediocrity. Even more interesting is that fact that we all actually looked forward to chili night. We liked the three-ingredient delight. That’s what average does – you develop a taste for it instead of for the excellent. I could be wrong but I don’t believe any of my brothers have probably eaten Leickly chili in decades. The only exception would be Dan.

Natasha returns home for 2 months on May 3rd, completing her first full year at the University of Louisville. Debbie and I saw the spring field hockey tournament at Louisville last weekend. Tash looked great, taking a big step since we last saw her play in November. Can’t wait to have her back.

Miranda and Ben were here for Easter. Miranda set me up on Face Book. Miranda’s teaching year will be a little extended (she’s a Title I teacher) due to all the school cancelations in eastern Virginia due to the snow.

Clarissa, a sophomore at Columbus Academy, scored both the tying and then the winning goal with 3.2 seconds left in the game as the visiting Viking lacrosse team beat Dublin Jerome 10-9 in an important Division II matchup last Thursday. The team is 6-1 and C has 12 goals on the season.

Wife Debbie, daughter Clarissa and I visited daughter Miranda and her husband Ben the weekend before last in Blacksburg, VA. Had a wonderful time with them and their two cute pooches. We visited the Anatomy Lab at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (“VCOM”) where Ben’s a 2nd year med student. We saw the incredible engineering of the human body by looking a the cadaver of an 80 year lady. Truly remarkable how all these body systems and specialized organs exist in such close proximity to each other in a tiny 5 foot, 90 pound body. Miranda and Ben will be moving to the Charlotte, NC area in late July. Ben will be doing his 3rd year of med school at a hospital in nearby Salisbury, NC.

Daughter Natasha just returned from a trip with the University of Louisville Cardinals’ field hockey team to Buenos Aries, Argentina. They played for club teams there. Tash wrote a blog entry that’s on the U of L field hockey web site. They saw the gauchos and visited the gravesite of Eva Perron. Tash said nobody else on the team knew about or had heard of any of the songs from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Evita”. I had asked Tash if she and her friends were going around singing: “What’s new Buenos Aries…” or “Don’t cry for me Argentina”. She officially starts spring practice now and has a scrimmage at the University of Indiana this Saturday. Classes at U of L end the week before the Kentucky Derby, so Tash should be home all of May and, hopefully much of June.

Clarissa is at lacrosse camp this week with her high school team. So Deb and I empty nesters for a few more days. They start their season 4/1 against Thomas Worthington. C’s been playing a lot of field hockey through the winter with the Coyote Club team. The Coyotes finished 2nd in a National Indoor Tournament (“NIT”) qualifier in St. Louis in late January and then competed in the NIT in Virginia March 5-7. For playing in a highly ranked pool, they did very well. They finished 3-4.

Grandma and Uncle Dan, Ben and Miranda are planning on being here for the Easter weekend.

I get the honor of leading the next two Saturday morning Bible studies. We’re in chapters 2-3 of Ephesians. Been losing some weight. Down to around 240 from about 255. A lot of exercise and a lot of eating produce.

The blog's been down. GoDaddy did some updates and caused it to get knocked out. At least I'm back up, thanks to my webmaster Uncle Tim Quinn.

Youngest daughter Clarissa asked me to do a "Marine" story about my Dad, her Grandpa, for a project she's doing in American History. Below is my story. I was honored to do it and am honored to restart the blog with this remembrance.

My story about Clarissa and her sisters Miranda and Nataha’s grandpa:




My story about Clarissa’s grandpa

My Step Mother, Lenora, who was married to my Dad for 33 years before his death in 2003, always maintained that he was a strict old Marine. She’d say that Edward Leickly ran his four boys like a platoon. I never really quite saw it that way. Frankly, we weren’t overly rambunctious kids, but I thought that we pretty much did what we wanted. When we went too far, that’s when the strict Marine came out. An example was my solo 6-hour bike ride one evening throughout the near west side of Cleveland without any contact with home. Returning home after avoiding Dad’s search detail, I found that punishment was quick and severe. He’d explode, dish out some Marine justice, then it was back to the same old loving dear old Dad. After you paid your price by maybe taking a slap or two and getting yelled at (no one could yell as loud as that old first sergeant), then everything was back to normal as far as he was concerned. If we wanted to sulk for hours over our punishment, that was our prerogative, but he was back to normal immediately: giving out hugs, kisses, good natured teases and a corny, but lovable, sense of humor. We always knew we were loved. We always knew not only that we where in a family, but that he was thrilled we were part of his family. It was that way no matter how badly we ran our paper routes or how lazy we were with the chores or how disrespectful we were of the neighbors. Dad was semper fidelis: always faithful.

I was born 13 years after he and his Marine comrades won the battle of Okinawa, the last major campaign of World War II. His fighting days were long over, but not the toughness he had. I mentioned when I had the privilege of offering a eulogy at his funeral that my mother died when I was nine, my younger sister Nancy died when I was 16 and my Dad had lost his job for a period during my childhood. This was his wife, Lucille, dying in 1967 at the age of 46 to cancer. This was his little girl, Nancy, his only daughter, dying at the age of 14 to leukemia. This was his job, his mortgage, his bills, his family. Being a dad now, I’m not sure how I could react to all that. I do know that in spite of it all, I’ve never seen my childhood as anything but happy. That was God’s doing, but God did it by giving me a old loving Marine for my earthly father. Food was always on the table. We got to go to high school football and basketball games and then MacDonald’s or Arby’s or the Red Barn thereafter. There were always sports. He paved over practically the entire backyard in order to put in a basketball court for his four sons and the neighborhood kids – He cared more about raising boys than grass. Christmas always came and he was Santa without the red suit and beard. (I think there was something from his Marine background that would never allow him to abide facial hair.)

During the tragedies that struck him and our family, there was never a feeling of desperation or hopelessness or defeat. We felt loved and we were happy. He’d always joked that Marines never retreated, “they just advance to the rear.” He certainly never retreated on his family and whenever a Marine “advances to the rear” it is because he’s covering someone else’s back. Semper Fi.

I think he and a lot of what Tom Brokaw call “The Greatest Generation”, showed their love a lot more than they talked about it. Their love came from doing their duty – doing the things they’re supposed to do. He helped a lot of people that I know he didn’t particularly care for on a personal level. “Like him? What does that have to do with anything?” -- that was his attitude. Just like taking care of your brothers in arms during the heat of battle – protecting each other by doing their duty. Sometimes duty was ugly. He told me that while a main invading force of Marines slammed into Okinawa in a frontal assault. The Navy delivered a smaller force, including my Dad, where the island narrows behind the enemy lines in order to cut off the retreating Japanese. The desperate defenders found themselves between the classic Marine hammer and anvil and were desperate to plow through the Americans to avoid death or capture. Dad said the lines were confused and there was no opportunity to take prisoners. He took no joy in this, but he had to fight ruthlessly in order to protect himself and the men around him who counted on him. He was willing to battle and do whatever it takes to do his duty and to accomplish his mission. That is something that never changed for him long after he fought his last battle in the Pacific. The battles that the Marine Corps prepared him to fight after his return from the war were of no less significance than the battles of Tarawa and Okinawa.

Edward A. Leickly died April 5, 2003 at the age of 80. There was a Marine Corps honor guard at his funeral. The flag draping his coffin was folded and presented to his widow, Lenora Leickly, on behalf of Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush and on behalf of a grateful and free nation.

Oldest daughter, Miranda Bring (25), was hired at Dublin Elementary School yesterday to teach the remainder of the school year. Dublin Elementary is in a community close to where Miranda lives with her husband Ben in Blacksburg, VA.� Ben's in the 2^nd half of his 2^nd year at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (�VCom�) affiliated with Virginia Tech. They will be moving to another town after this school year in either Virginia (possibly Newport News) or in the Carolinas (possibly Spartansburg, NC) for his 3^rd year of study.

Niece Bethany King and husband Larry of the D.C. area are expecting their second child, a boy, on or about 4/30/10. Bethany is the daughter of my oldest brother, Fred, and his wife Linda. Bethany and Larry had their daughter, Stella, in 2008. This will be the second grandkid for Fred and Linda.

Our middle daughter Tashi (18) is back at class at U of Louisville, taking among other things, chemistry and biology. She starts the dreaded winter conditioning Monday for field hockey.

Youngest daughter Clarissa (16) was selected to an indoor field hockey club team called the "Coyotes" and will play in a National Indoor Tournament qualifier in St. Louis on the last Sunday of this month.A week later she heads to Orlando for an outdoor festival to play before college coaches.She's a sophomore.

Wife Debbie and I saw Sherlock Holmes last week. First movie in probably 9 months. It was good. Sherlock says something about not being interested in a theory, but in facts. Having a theory, he reasoned, caused one to only pursue facts that fit that theory or to color the facts to fit. Good advice.

Saw the NCAA national championship football game last night. U of Texas QB Colt McCoy, one of the best QBs in Texas history, prepared his whole football career for this moment. He was injured on the game's 5^th play with his team leading 3-0. Without their star and leader, the Longhorns fell to Alabama. After the game, McCoy fought back tears, saying: I'd given anything to be out there with my team. I don't know these things happen, but I do know that I will still give God all the glory. I'm still standing on the rock. Could be that his faith in face of such a devastating setback will resonate louder than winning the championship.

Christmas 2009 was wonderful.  Oldest daughter Miranda Bring, who turned 25 on 12/21/09, was home with husband Ben and their two dogs, Mahollo and Cletus.  The dogs make our partially crippled dog, Teddy, feel young again.  Although Miranda was not in Columbus for her actual birthday on the 21^st because of work, Mom baked a cake and we had beef stew and celebrated Miranda’s birthday on Monday the 28^th.  As is customary, we went through the “10 Cutest Moments” in Miranda history, one of which was her pronouncement many many years ago that “Dad, I’m past the cute stage.”

 

Step Mom Lenora and brother, “Uncle Dan” were here for Christmas.  Mom cooked the ham, layered cheese potatoes, pies and cookies.  Saturday night, all of us ate at Cain’s (chicken fingers) courtesy of daughter Clarissa’s Columbus Dispatch Athlete of the Week that she earned with the game-winning assist in the regular season game against arch rival Watterson.  Athlete of the Week winners get a certificate for 8 free Cain’s meals.  Middle daughter Tash earned that honor last year and we took advantage of that at Christmas time 2008.  We’re hopeful Dan and Lenora can return for New Year’s Day and the Ohio State v. Oregon Rose Bowl game.

 

On 12/23 we saw high school buddy ret’d Air Force Lt. Col. John Jannazo and his kids, grandkid as well as John’s brother Lou, wife Annie and their two sons.  We played a touch football game on the tennis courts of nearby Bishop Watterson High School.  Lou and Annie live just 2 blocks from Watterson in the Clintonville area of Columbus.  It was great to see John, Lou and the families again.  We sat around, ate and talked of old times.  John went through a rough, rough year going through a divorce with wife Cindy.  Cindy was also a friend of ours from the James Ford Rhodes High School class of 1975.  They had been married for over 25 years.

 

Clarissa has finished her classes at driving school and is getting close to getting her license.  Tash goes back to the University of Louisville Tuesday for her 2^nd semester.  We got her a temporary fitness pass to Lifetime and she and I have worked out every other day. 

 

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that friend Denny Roe had died.  His wonderful wife, Sally, lost her battle with cancer and was buried this morning.  She was 82.  

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

 

                                                                                    -- Charles R. Swindoll

 

 

 

 

 

Today would have been our son Nathaniel’s 21^st birthday.  He was born December 19, 1988 and died January 6, 1989.  Today would’ve been the day I would have taken him to get his “first” beer.  We’ve been so blessed.  I never understood when I read the book of Job from the Bible how, after the deaths of the righteous Job’s children at the beginning of the book, it could be said at the end of the book that God “restored” Job.  What kind of restoration do you give a parent that loses a child.  Without adequately being able to put it in words, I have some understanding of how God restored Job.  That’s because he’s restored us.  We had two daughters (Natasha, 18, and Clarissa, 16) who we wouldn’t have had but for the tragedy with Nathaniel.  We would have stopped at one girl (Miranda, who was 4 at the time) and one boy.  Tash and C have blessed us each and every day of their lives.  The full restoration comes some day – long into the future – when there will be a glorious homecoming with the Lord Jesus and we’ll all be together again:  Nathaniel, Debbie, Miranda, Natasha, Clarissa and me.  That’s a blessing.  That’s restoration.  21 years ago I put on the headstone the epitaph: “The flowers return in the spring, but not the joy”.  That’s how you feel when you lose a loved one.  Thanks to Jesus, the joy is in full flourish, with or without the flowers. 

 

Debbie, Tash, C and I were at Nathaniel’s gravesite today and said a prayer of thanks for him and for the family of another dear baby lost – Casey Adams.  Nathaniel and Casey’s graves are only about 40 feet apart in the cemetery’s Garden of Angels.  We saw that someone in the last year or so has continued to place various decorations, toys, manger scenes on Nathaniel’s headstone.  Don’t know who it is, but Deb and I are warmed by the fact that God has sent an angel to let us know that He and his special messenger haven’t forgotten our little boy.   Hope to know who the kind folks are someday so we can thank them heartily. 

The Christmas lights are up and tree is still to come.  The Christmas cards are printed up and soon to be mailed.  What follows will be appearing in a Christmas card near you:

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE LEICKLYS

            The photo on our Christmas card was taken at 18-year-old daughter Natasha’s graduation from Columbus Academy last June.  In the photo, Tash is holding the flowers with big sister Miranda (25 on 12/21/09) to her left in the blue dress and little sis Clarissa (16) on her right.  Proud mom, Debbie, is on Tash’s far right.  I’m in the middle back with Grandma (Lenora Leickly) to my right and my brother (Uncle Dan) to my left.  Son-in-law Ben (Miranda’s husband) couldn’t make it back for the graduation due to medical school obligations, so he’s not in the graduation photo.  This is the closest photo we have during 2009 of an entire family photo.   It’s the “you snooze, you lose” rule.

            Miranda and Ben live in Blacksburg, VA where Ben is in the middle of his second year of medical school.  Miranda earned her master’s degree in education at Radford University in May.  Grandma and I were able to come down for the graduation.  The couple have adopted 2 cute dogs that they bring to Columbus with every visit.  Debbie is considering re-adopting Ben and Miranda’s youngest dog, Cletus, as a younger companion for our dog, Teddy.  Can’t wait to invite Cletus into the Leickly Family Circle of Trust.

            Tash started summer classes at the University of Louisville in early July and went on to have a great field hockey season with the Cardinals, starting at left back all season.  The team finished 12-8 overall and third in the Big East.  Tash is majoring in psychology and is doing well in school.  We’ll insist she play her violin for us during her break.

            Clarissa smashed five out-of-the-park homeruns as a catcher for her fast pitch Lady Dragons softball team last summer.  As a freshman in high school at Columbus Academy, C started with Tash for the lacrosse team last Spring.  C was an all-conference performer for the Columbus Academy field hockey team as a sophomore midfielder this Autumn.  The field hockey team finished as state runners-up for the second year in a row.

            Debbie’s still enjoying working as a pre-school teacher at Stonybrook United Methodist Church’s Early Learning Center.   I moved my Columbus downtown law office to 145 E. Rich Street back in late May.  We’ve got a good group of sole practitioners on the floor – Gordon Shuler, Eugene Butler and James Connors – who all get along well.

            Hope for all of God’s blessings for you and your family.  God is good – all the time.

 

            “In football, everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team.”                                                                                  -- Jean Paul Sartre, French existentialist

 

            “ I like to think I win two out of three times when the other side doesn’t show up.”

                                                                        -- James Leickly, American litigator

 

VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT:  JamesLeickly.com

 

 

Friend Denny Roe died of cancer November 30^th.  Debbie and I attended his funeral last Saturday.  Denny was a pilot, ham radio operator and U.S. Army veteran.  He and his wife Sally, who survives him, were roommates with my entire family up in Lakeside, Ohio in a summer cottage during the United Methodist Church’s West Ohio Conference for a few years.  We served together as lay delegates to the conference.  The Roes were the most hospitable people I’ve ever met, welcoming our girls as if they were their own grandchildren.  Denny was 82 years old.

 

On Thanksgiving Day friend and legal colleague David Levine died after being diagnosed with lung cancer just a few months earlier.  David was not a smoker and was a big health nut.  His son eulogized him as having a “sharp wit and a clarity of thought.”  No doubt true.  David was 56 years old. 

 

Grandma, Uncle Dan, Miranda and Natasha were back for Thanksgiving as Deb made the feast.  16-year-old Clarissa and I were in Palm Springs, CA at the annual field hockey festival.  It’s a chance for high school players to be seen by college coaches.  I was a driver/chaperone.  C had a good festival playing with a team of mostly seniors.  Natasha played over the Thanksgiving holiday in an alumni field hockey game at Columbus Academy with her (and C’s) personal coach, Christina Williams (a former Stanford all-American) and Tash’s former high school teammates Sue Ferger (Duke), Layne Averill (Michigan State), Ellie Szkowny (Davidson). 

 

Tash returns from her final exams on Tuesday night.  Miranda works until December 23^rd, so she, husband Ben and their two cute dogs will arrive that evening.  Grandma and Uncle Dan are expected Christmas morning. 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” -Ephesians 2:8-9

Had a discussion with buddy JC (attorney Jim Connors) on the letters of James and Paul in the New Testament and the argument between salvation by works or by faith alone.  JC is doing an exegesis on the book of James.  I've believed that James and Paul (like all scripture) are consistent, but that their epistles are like two warriors in the same army standing back to back and fighting different enemies.  James was fighting the "cheap grace" folks that believed but didn't trust and act on thir belief, while Paul (author of Ephesians, quoted above) was fighting those who added requirements to the payment already made by Jesus on the cross.  After our discussion, I found this article on the Internet and thought it was a good, thoughtful discussion.

Does Salvation result from Works or from Faith?

An analytical answer by Don W. Stoner

We are told by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” -Ephesians 2:8,9 (all quotations will be taken from the KJV)

But we are also told by James:
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” -James 2:14

Here, as with many apparent contradictions in the Bible, the difficulty disappears when we critically examine the possible meanings of the terms (words) used. Once we know the different possible meanings of those terms, we can examine their usage, in Scriptural context, to determine which of the possible definitions was originally intended.

In the question of whether salvation comes by works or faith, we first need to get a clear understanding of what the term “faith” (and its synonym “belief”) really means. Looking up “faith” and “belief” in an unabridged dictionary, such as Webster’s, reveals that they both have about a half dozen possible definitions. Further, except for the modern legal usage of the term “faith,” the two words are virtually interchangeable.

Although the words, themselves, are interchangeable, their definitions are not. The first thing we need to do is get a clear understanding of what differences exist between the different definitions so we will not confuse them with each other. There are two different definitions which we need to understand particularly well.

First, the terms “faith” and “belief” can be used to mean: “To hold to be true, unwaveringly.” A non-biblical example of this kind of belief can be found in the story of Peter Pan. In order to save Tinkerbell, children hearing the story must convince themselves that fairies exist and shout, “I believe in fairies.” This sort of belief has been suggested as a model for what is required for salvation in the Biblical sense. For our discussion we will refer to this definition of belief as, “definition one.”

The other definition of “faith” and “belief” that we must consider is: “To trust in or rely on.” A non-biblical example of this definition would be “belief” in the U.S. Dollar. In this example, the question of whether or not Dollars exist is not an issue; a person’s level of trust in the Dollar is what matters. A person who “believes” in the Dollar, in this sense, will probably not be selling his Dollars to buy Swiss Francs or Japanese Yen. This sort of belief has also been suggested as a model for what is required for salvation. Here we will refer to this as “definition two.”

Now that we have a clear understanding of the differences between these two definitions for “faith” or “belief,” we are ready to examine the Scriptures. When we apply these two possible definitions to individual verses, the surrounding context can tell us which definition is correct. We will start with John 3:16. Correct understanding of this verse is very important because the verse is foundational to Christianity.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. “ -John 3:16

As we learn from the first three verses of John, chapter three, the speaker is Jesus and he is addressing a man named Nicodemus who came to Him at night. When Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must “believe” in the Son of God, the question of whether or not Jesus exists is never an issue. Nicodemus is standing right in front of Jesus and can verify that for himself. Instead, Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he must trust what Jesus is saying about Himself. What is important is whether or not Nicodemus will rely on Jesus – not whether he believes Jesus exists. Belief in the sense of "definition two," not "definition one," is what Jesus requests here.

Next we will examine a verse from James: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” –James 2:19

Here we are reminded that the question of God’s existence is not an issue to the devils. Their “belief ,“ in this sense, is unwavering. Here James is telling us that the kind of “faith” specified by "definition one," although good, is no more than what the devils possess. It is not enough to usher in salvation. This is why James says:

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” –James 2:14

We can see from context that James is using "definition one" for his meaning for the term “faith.” This kind of “faith” cannot save anyone. James provides some more information in verse 18:

“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” –James 2:18

Here James reminds us that the kind of “faith” which is required for salvation will produce actions. Returning to our non-biblical example, a man who is selling his Dollars to buy gold, proves, by his actions, that he does not “believe” (definition two) in U.S. Dollars as much as he believes in gold. James’ argument is that a man’s actions will tell us where his trust (belief - definition two) really resides. The kind of faith which the devils possess (definition one) can stand alone, apart from works, but the other kind cannot.

Finally, let’s examine Paul’s statement about faith in his letter to the Ephesians:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” –Ephesians 2:8,9

Let’s suppose that I intend to give you a Dollar; I hold it out and offer it to you. Because you believe the Dollar has value, you reach out your arm and take it, making it yours. Your physical action of acceptance shows that you believe the Dollar has value; but that action is not enough work that you could claim to have earned the Dollar. It is still my gift to you. What Paul is telling us is that no matter how much work our faith (definition two) causes us to do, it will never be enough to earn the gift of salvation. That is still a gift that we can never claim to have earned.

In conclusion, are we saved by works? Certainly not. The works, which our faith (definition two) demands, could never pay for salvation. Are we saved by faith? Faith (definition one) will not save us; but faith (definition two) is the means God has chosen for delivering his free gift.

Field hockey banquet

 

The 2009 Columbus Academy field hockey team had its banquet yesterday.  Jewel Benson and the senior parents put on a fantastic celebration for the state runners-up at the Benson’s barn.  Jewel’s husband Frank is at home now but still recovering from double pneumonia.  It was touch and go for awhile with Frank, but the Lord was gracious and it looks like he’ll make a recovery.  My sophomore daughter, Clarissa (“C”) was one of three Vikings winning all-conference.  The other two were senior Mia Wise and sophomore Dina Sinno.  Mia was team MVP; senior Caroline Casey was most valuable offensive player; senior goalkeeper Alicia Tamarkin was defensive MVP; sophomore Rachel Viets won most improved; and sophomore Allison Martin won the coach’s award.  The Viking award (most inspirational) went to senior Taylor Long who came back despite missing the prior two seasons with 2 ACL’s.  Our 2 second team all conference players were seniors Sarah Burley and Caroline Casey.  Sophomore Liz Benson (Frank and Jewell’s daughter) earned honorable mention all-conference for the second year in a row.   The evening and fellowship was great.  Coach Anne Horton sang a rap that summarized the entire season with the refrain:  “No respect, No respect.”  It was a great hit and unfortunately may become a You Tube sensation. 

 

 

Phil and Jonathan Kramer’s visit

 

Old college roommate and buddy Phil Kramer made his annual pilgrimage to Columbus with son Jonathan over the weekend.  They came for the OSU v. Iowa game.  We had a great time even though we had to scrounge for tickets outside the stadium.  Tickets were going for $300 a piece since this game was for the Big Ten championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl.  We were able to avoid the scalpers and just collect 4 tickets from fans with extra tickets.  (You just have to stand in the pedestrian traffic patterns from the parking lots and put your fingers up.)  We got 2 from a couple OSU employees for $40 each and 2 from a fan for $60 each.  So 4 tickets in for all under face value!  Clarissa and I sat together and even stormed the field after the game to celebrate.  The 4 of us went to our traditional post-game meal at Max & Erma’s. 

18-year-old University of Louisville freshman, Natasha, found out Tuesday night that her field hockey team, the 12-8 Louisville Cardinals failed to make it into the 16-team NCAA tournament starting this weekend.  It was especially crushing for Team Cardinal’s three seniors.  The season is therefore officially over for Tashi.  She’ll be home in two weeks for Thanksgiving.  Big sister Miranda and husband Ben will also be in from Blacksburg, VA for Thanksgiving as will Grandma and Uncle Dan.  Youngest daughter, Clarissa, and I will be in Palm Springs during that time for a national field hockey festival.  Clarissa will be on an Ohio club team.  I’m a chaperone/driver.  Clarissa, by the way, was named all-conference as a sophomore. 

 

Buddy Phil Kramer, Ohio State roommate, and his son Jonathan, will be flying in tomorrow morning to visit and see the OSU v. Iowa Big Ten championship game.  Look forward to seeing them, although they fly in on a red-eye arriving at 10 a.m. Saturday and out at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.  Quick trip.  Jonathan is now about 14 years old. When he was only 10 we were doing some site seeing in Columbus with a larger group of mutual friends when we stopped at a MacDonald’s so some of the group could use the bathroom.  Jonathon remained in the second seat of his mini-van with the door rolled open while I stayed in my pick up parked next to him.  Clarissa was with me.  So the three of us caught up with each other while the others took care of business.  I gave him some good natured teasing and he fired back.  When the others came out of MacDonald’s and it was time to leave.  I said, “Well, see ya Jonathan,” to which he answered:  “Jimbo!  I’ll see you in HELL!”  Hilarious – could tell he’d been watching too many movies.  (Got me to wondering how many movies have that line in it:  Unforgiven, Gettysburg, Point Break, plus many others I’m sure.  Jonathan says he may have gotten from Harrison Ford in Stars Wars The Empire Strikes Back.)

 

Also, my buddy Derik Hines, the former pastor at Stonybrook United Methodist Church who did Ben and Miranda’s wedding in 7/08.  Is in town this weekend from Phoenix.  I’m hoping to get together with him for breakfast tomorrow.

 

Wife Debbie, C and I are going to see some kids we know in the Gahanna Lincoln High School presentation of “Christmas Story” tonight.  It’s the play version of the popular movie about the Red Rider bb gun. 

 

 

 

FIELD HOCKEY JUDGMENT DAY FOR THE BABY LEICKLYS

"Smile through the tears.  Speak above the pain."

1. Cards fall in Big East tournament

After a fantastic finish to the regular season, the University of Louisville Cardinals field hockey team headed to the Big East tournament at the University of Providence determined to avenge a regular season double-overtime loss to 6th ranked UConn in the semifinal round.  The Cards fell 2-0 and now must hope for an improbable at large bid when the NCAA field of 16 is announced Tuesday night.  18 year old daughter Natasha played well.  It's strange in that the Cards will have to practice and train through Tuesday evening as if their season is still alive because, if they do get in, the first round game is just a couple days thereafter.  We're proud of Tash!

2. Viking fall 1-0 in state title game.

Columbus Academy's field hockey team's incredible run to the title came up just a little short.  The Vikes lost 1-0 to arch rival Bishop Watterson in a game that was very well played and could've gone in either direction.  We knew the Vikes would just get stronger if they fell behind.  They had trailed Thomas Worthington 1-0 in the district final and trailed defending state champs 1-0 in the state semifinals.  In those games, they drew together and increased their intensity.  The same was done this time.  The Vikes played extremely well.  I told my buddy Scott Barkin standing next to me that CA would force Watterson to make at least on or two great plays at the end to win their championship.  Watterson did just that.  On two penalty corners in the final minute, 16 year old daughter Clarissa got of two blistering drives from the top of the circle.  The first was just wide left while the final one was saved by Watterson's outstaning goaltender.  Congratulations Vikings!