Torch, Fall 1991

) New Ministries Retirement offered new ways to minister and new activities to try. For the first time I became a deacon and also sang in the choir. I'll never be a soloist, but the learning and the fellowship are fabulous. Being a deacon gives me some insight into whether I might function well in a tentmaker type of service overseas. As a retired person with income, one could even be a short-term missionary. When my wife and I traveled in Europe earlier, I was surprised at how many senior citizens I met who were serving the Lord side by side with veteran missionaries. Some were printing materials, some were teaching, and some even filled in when the missionary had to go home suddenly. One summer we met a former pastor and his wife who were teaching at a Christian school in Madrid on a short-te1m basis. They had taught during the school year and had come to Germany for a vacation. We met them at another Christian academy which uses one of its dormitories as a summer hostel. Many volunteer retirees serve as hostesses and cooks there. Ofcourse, many seniors do volunteer work here in the U.S., too, such as driving a bus for a senior citizen center or tutoring at a local school. Many retirees share their skills and experience on mission boards or church committees. There are even groups of men who live in their mobile homes and travel about, constructing church buildings. Another Honeymoon Christian marriage can be one of the greatest joys on earth, and we found that retirement meant that we could be together most of the time. Some retirees seemed to try not to be with their spouses. But we resolved to make this opportunity the basis for more joy and pleasure by doing as much as possible together. My wife and I often do the dishes and the cleaning together. We also eat out together more often (but not too often lest we put on too many pounds). Retirement can be another honeymoon for the ones who remember why they got married in the first place. We wanted to be together-and we still do! Use of Finances One lesson I was glad I learned before retirement is that one's freedom to choose a particular lifestyle depends directly on one's financial resources. When my mother came to live with us, she wanted me to manage her investments. I did not know much about investing, so I signed up for an evening course at a local university. Later, I was able to join an investment club where I continue to learn about choosing promising growth stocks. The knowledge we gained about investments helped us in dealing with investment counselors about our money. For example, in looking at annuities, we wanted to maximize our income. But we had other goals than just saving to our dying day so that our heirs would have the biggest possible inheritance. We had saved long enough. Now it was time to enjoy and use what the Lord had been pleased to grant us. We decided to buy life insurance that will go to our heirs tax-free and then use whatever else we had for the Lord's service in our retirement years. Another way to avoid probate of the estate is to choose a living trust. Now we are free to save our income, free to spend it, free to give it to missionaries or to Cedarville College, or to let it go to our heirs. The Lord has blessed us financially, and we feel we have planned well. We've found that retirement is almost like coming out of college, but without the financial burdens. Physical Well-Being We learned some lessons the hard way. When a blood test showed I might have cancer, I took more notice of my physical condition. I thanked the Lord the test turned out to be a false alarm. Still, my wife and I began to take our diet and exercise more seriously. I learned to play racquetball. I played seven or eight hours a week and found it most refreshing. The sustained high heart rate and hard work for my lungs and muscles chal– lenged my body to react and adapt to this regular exercise. This sense of physical well-being has kept me going back to play sports and to exercise. I actually felt that I could do more things and do them longer. For me, exercise also reduced the side effects of tension such as headaches and chest pains. Even more important, I not only had the conviction that my health was better, but I also felt positive about myself. I seemed to have a greater capacity to face my problems aggressively and to want to overcome them. This reiriforced my positive attitude about God and His ways in my life. Time with God Since my retirement I finally have the time to read God ' s Word faithfully every day. Previously, my devotional life was a series of starts and stops. The demands of employment, of the family , of crises, all conspired to break the schedule of Bible reading and prayer. Life consisted of restarting and rearranging time for devotions. Devotions, like physical exercise, can have a cumulative effect. They can and do produce a spiritual well-being irI which I want to be and to do all that I can for God. He does not give this sense of spiritual health as an emotional wave. It comes from quietly and consistently communing with God in such a way that soon a day without Him is empty. A time with the Word is like a tired and thirsty runner finding a glass of cold water. The Word, as the Livirig Water, satisfies my spiritual thirst and my heartfelt needs and carries me forward in seeking and doing His will. This satisfaction does not come immediately or easily. Many believers confuse it with the pleasure that comes from hearing an irispiring speaker or siriging spiritedly with fellow believers. That bririgs joy to a Christian, too. But the quiet reading of God ' s Word, the attitude of communion with God, the assurance that He is in control of my life, develop a readiriess to say, "Lord, I am ready for you to come today or I am ready to live another 30 years. Please make use of me and what you have given me." Harmon Bergen, former German professor at Cedarville College, was granted the title of associate professor emeritus of foreign languages when he retired in 1990. He taught English and foreign language courses at Cedarville and conducted several study tours to Germany. Senior citizens may take courses tuition-free at Cedarville College on a space-available basis. For more information, contact the Admissions Office at 800-777-2211 .