Excelsior

By E. James Dickey

For the person who questions life in the world of the twenty-first century and who struggles within themselves, this book named Excelsior sheds new light.

More than an extended autobiography, this writing by E. James Dickey provides insight into everyday issues that can be found within the spiritual roots of our lives.

In essence, Excelsior transforms life from the negative to the positive in a way that is helpful, meaningful, and joyous!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973615583

E. James Dickey

Excelsior is the fourth book by E. James Dickey. A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Boston University School of Theology in the state of Massachusetts, and the Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, he is a fresh voice in behalf of spirituality during his retirement after forty strong years of appointive ministry as an ordained clergy. Popular acclaim has been granted to this new author with his three previous books: From the Trenches, an autobiography; The Amazing Power of the Holy Spirit; and a biographical approach to the whole Bible titled The Secret of the Bible. Excelsior further enhances a biographical approach to life with a personal, provocative, and forward look into a new century.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 E. James Dickey.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1557-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1559-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-1558-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018900824

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/25/2018

Dedic

ated

To the one Lord of heaven and earth,

Who has risen and lives

To empower his followers onward

And upward toward God’s

Everlasting kingdom now,

And forevermore!

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1   Transition

Chapter 2   Dual Existence

Chapter 3   A New Amalfi Coast Drive

Chapter 4   Out of the Blue

Chapter 5   Future

PREFACE

Excelsior! What a name. Furthermore, what in the world does excelsior mean? To add even more complications to this word and its subsequent understanding is the fact that anything about this name not easily can be found anywhere nor does it immediately make any sense.

Dictionaries in the English language apparently suggest that excelsior has something to do with wood and its shavings. That seemingly does not lead anywhere with the ordinary mind and most especially for a person like myself. What does such a definition have to do with anything other than perhaps a lumber company or a wood carver of some sort? Basically, then, this thought seems to lead nowhere.

However, the sound of the word excelsior does appear to be fascinating for a person like myself and has been appealing from the beginning. What really grabbed my attention from the outset was how close it sounded like the concluding sentence in the familiar Christmas carol that begins with Angels We Have Heard On High.

Each verse of that carol concludes with the exalted and resounding refrain: Gloria in excelsis Deo. Could it be that excelsior has some affinity with that glorious word excelsis?

With the encouragement of a neighbor and devoted college English professor, I began a long and arduous search for another meaning to excelsior. Ultimately, a research person at the library discovered what I really had longed to hear. Evidently, the Latin root of the word excelsior means: ever upward.

No better meaning ever could have been uncovered for my fourth book. As a sequel to my very first publication titled: From The Trenches, this one would commence with 2002 A.D., where my first published autobiography concluded, onward and ever upward ad infinitum!

Furthermore, this fourth book matches the fourth day of what I and many others experienced on The Walk To Emmaus. That became an offshoot of the Cursillo movement, which began in Spain during the 1940s, as a short course in Christianity for many Spanish people who were ignorant of the Christian faith. Then, it moved to the United States and elsewhere around the 1980s along with other offshoots as: The Great Banquet, Kairos, Chrysalis, etc.

The first three days on The Walk To Emmaus, which I and others experienced, centered upon the last three days of Jesus among his devoted followers. When we left the cloistered halls of that once in a lifetime experience, the fourth day had to do with people being closer to Christ each day thereafter.

Likewise, every day after my first three books would be covered in this my fourth book. Again, the only way for everyone to follow this pattern of behavior must be in going to the roots of their own lives like the word excelsior implies. Then, one must proceed to find that meaning in this existence which leads ever upward.

Such is my dream for you, the reader of this work titled: Excelsior. It is my great hope that you will find something in this writing that touches your heart and provides for you new motivation ever upward!

CHAPTER 1

Transition

After forty strong years of full-time, extremely active, appointive ministry and raising four very active children, the two of us, Sally and Jim Dickey, are leading a most active life in retirement at the conclusion of 2002.

How does that feel and fare in the fifth year of over four decades forward in our married life together? After all, no one else in our immediate family made it this far.

I guess you could say that the two of us are plowing through uncharted territory together in the new millennium of the twenty-first century.

The immediate response to this daunting question is that it feels good, especially when considering the possible alternative. How we fare with it all can be found in the same light.

The ups and downs of existence continue to present the usual problems, but with some heady resolve, excellent assistance and the continual presence of the Lord’s amazing Holy Spirit, it can be said that life is great and good beyond compare.

That is just what happened in this period of transition from one way of living to another. As much as we all might like things to remain the same or go backward, that is not possible.

Perhaps this is expressed best in one of the last sermons preached as interim minister at Indian Lake Community Church in 2002 titled: To Live Is to Grow. The sermon used the Biblical text from Mark 4:21-33. Here it is as follows:

A girl was about to go out on her first date. Her mother understandably offered some advice on the occasion. She said to her daughter, Now this young man probably will come to the door, escort you out to the car, open the door and let you in. Then he will probably take you to a nice place for a meal, and that is okay. You may go to a movie together. He could get some popcorn, candy and a soft drink for each of you. He might even hold your hand. That is okay. Afterward, he probably will take you for a ride, come to a beautiful park, stop the car, put his arm around you and lean over to kiss you. Now, that is a no-no!

Lo and behold, it took place almost exactly as that wise one predicted. The boy came to the front door of the house, very politely escorted the girl out to the car and opened the door to let her in. Then he took her to a neat place to eat and handled all of the gratuities beautifully.

He even took her to a great movie, got just what they wanted to eat and drink and gently held her hand throughout the show. Afterward, he drove to the most beautiful park in the whole area. He stopped and reached over to put his arm around her and kiss her.

At that, the young girl immediately put up her hand and said, Wait! Let me kiss you, and then your mother can worry.

Even though the naiveté might be questioned here, who could doubt the resourcefulness of that young girl? When we consider the dynamic at the heart of existence, we realize that to live is to grow, whereas to stagnate eventually means to regress, atrophy, wither and die.

More and more evidence is pointing in the direction that the learning process not only is essential to all human beings, but also lasts as long as life itself and perhaps forever.

For example, it is clear that what separates human beings from the rest of the animal kingdom lies in the intellect. Furthermore, it is well-verified that only one-tenth of the brain is used by most people. We hardly have scratched the surface at this point.

Moreover, many who have been declared clinically dead and apparently have seen the light of another life have returned to this existence with an insatiable desire for learning.

Even in matters of faith, we are coming again to the realization that only those who grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:18) are disciples.

Therefore, the craving for knowledge and existence literally goes hand in hand. How, then, do we continually go about this high learning process? Several suggestions have been offered through the years and they come before us in ascending order.

First of all, we learn by experience. We gain by what already has transpired in our midst. Although this includes our accomplishments, it primarily involves our past mistakes because we improve in a fundamental sense from our errors.

It’s what Dr. Ben Spencer, a superb college professor of literature at Ohio Wesleyan University, termed the aesthetic distance from the harsh realities of life.

Gloria Fulford tells about the time in the nineteen fifties toward the end of the summer when she went shopping with a friend for high school textbooks at a large bookstore. Her friend, petite and blonde, dressed in sweater, skirt and loafers had a long list.

As the friend approached the checkout counter balancing books in both hands, the clerk wrapped them and remarked, "Looks like you are going to be the smartest girl in the class.

Came the reply, I certainly hope so. I’m the teacher.

It is impossible to avoid the bumps and bruises that come through the hard knocks of this life, but it is necessary to learn from them. Hindsight is better than foresight. That in itself can be to our benefit.

If we ever hope to do better than in days past, we must begin to distill the helpful messages from those former hurts and improve upon them.

Many accomplish this like General Ulysses S. Grant did by never making the same mistake twice. All in all, learning from experience means that after going through suffering, we come out on the positive side in our thinking and action.

Secondly, we learn by association, both ideologically and interpersonally speaking. We understand this by putting ideas together either by the method of deduction or induction. This is the principle and rationale behind any form of education at all levels of life.

On the other hand, it usually takes other people to stimulate the desire in us to do it. Thus, there is always the need for teachers, leaders, friends and associates to help us along the way.

The late Bishop Gerald Kennedy in his book, While I’m On My Feet, appropriately says, It is strange that when one considers her or his education, each thinks of teachers and teaching rather than of knowledge and facts.

If we are receptive students, it is possible to learn from the mistakes of others without having to go through them ourselves. We not only learn by relating the facts, but equally important by interacting with other people.

Finally, we learn by doing. One clergy educator, Ray Eschelman, put it this way, We grow thirty percent by hearing; forty percent by seeing; seventy percent by seeing and hearing, and ninety percent by doing.

We gain understanding by having