| “See, I am doing a new thing!” |
| —Isaiah 43:19a |
My longtime friend, Donald L. Loeb, has been in heaven for several years now. Don was an amazingly interesting individual. I cannot express adequately how much I valued his friendship. One of the amusing things about Don was the rather ironic sense of humor he often displayed and his deadpan delivery of some very funny lines.
Don served as Fire Chief in Dunkirk, New York, on two occasions in the 1960s and 1970s. In between, he worked as an Inspector for the New York Fire Insurance Rating Organization, doing insurance surveys of automatic sprinkler-protected buildings. Don looked at the world in a very amusing way. For example, he called my attention to a particular small park, named to honor a Polish military engineer, Tadeusz Kościuszko. The park had been created by the intersection of three streets that formed a nearly perfect triangle. But, as Don delighted to point out, the name of the little park: “Kościuszko Square.”
Don taught many classes in fire protection for Chautauqua Country, for New York State, and other notable organizations. He also wrote hundreds of magazine articles on the various aspects of fire department operations. For many years, he was considered one of the principal authors for Fire Chief magazine.
Don always maintained that in life everyone needed to have, what Don called, a “Ting.” He also maintained that every successful organization, whether it was a fire department, a social club, or even a church, needed to have a “Ting.” What’s a “Ting”? It’s just Don’s amusing way of emphasizing the common word “Thing.”
If you are a manufacturer of products for a particular industry, in order to be successful, you must have a “Ting.” If you provide a service to a segment of the public, in order to be successful, you must have a “Ting.” If you lead a troop for the Boy Scouts of America, your troop must have a “Ting.” If your church intends to be as successful in fulfilling its mission on behalf of Christ and His Kingdom, your church must have a “Ting.”
A “Ting” is not a goal. It’s what you do to capitalize on your resources in a way that will either attract your customers, clients, the people you want to reach, or present something entirely unique to the public that will draw them irresistibly into your sphere of infuence. Your “Ting” will help you earn the opportunity to present yourself, your product, or your mission in an effective way.
For example, I once was the part of a church that had a long tradition stretching back more than 75 years. All throughout the history of that church, it had provided an extremely excellent music program to its members, friends, and the community at large. Clearly, that music program had become the church’s “Ting.”
Sadly, because the “Ting” always garners a great deal of public attention, not everyone in that church appreciated the importance of maintaining the “Ting.” Over the years, instead of appreciating the inherent power and beauty and value of that music program, some pastors even became very jealous of the “Ting.”
I remember one pastor who foolishly said, “In regard to our music program, I sometimes feel that the tail is wagging the dog.” The proper response to that pastor would be to point out that in a very real and very critically important way, the music program was the dog! That’s because for the success of that church, it needed to always remember that the music program was its “Ting.” Its music program was the one thing that differentiated it from all the other churches in the community. The music program made this church stand out. The excellence and professionalism of the music program made a definite impact on the entire community. And, most importantly of all, the music program attracted such a large number of church people to participate in its many offerings that it became the major force driving Christian formation and Christian discipleship in that church.
Sadly, the naysayers eventually pushed the key leader of the music program out of the church. As a result, with the loss of leadership who understood the importance of maintaining the “Ting,” the church has virtually collapsed—a shadow of its former self with waning relevance and influence in its community. Attendance has dropped dramatically. Oh, the naysayers are happy now, but they are the only ones. By all reasonable measurers, the attempts to create a new “Ting” have all failed miserably.
If you have any influence in your life at work, in your life at your social organization, in your life at your church, make certain—absolutely certain—that those places have carefully and clearly identified their “Ting” and do whatever is necessary to maintain that “Ting.” I guarantee that the success of those ventures depends on it.
In your personal life, you very well also may have a “Ting” that defines you. For many years my “Ting” was the repository of information I possessed regarding how various rules and regulations in the fire codes and standards came into being—what losses prompted a particular regulation; what failure produced this requirement; why the code section was worded the way it was.
Since my retirement forced by disability in 2003, I continue to help those who ask for help. But naturally, since I am no longer able to attend national meetings, those questions come less frequently with each passing year.
Now, God has given me a new “Ting” that draws on similar talents and abilities. Still in a support role, I can use my gifts as a writer and website maintainer to help my current organization and also my church. Like all older individuals, my influence and value continues to wane, as I grow further into my dotage.
You see, that does happen from time to time in our personal lives. God will give us a new “Ting” if our old “Ting” is taken away from us. But, I must quickly add that this “New Ting” idea does not often work very well within businesses, organizations, or churches who abandon or fail to maintain their original “Ting.”
In fact, in Isaiah 43:16, 18-19, God promises to “re-Ting” His people when He moves them to a new place:
This is what the Lord says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters…“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
And, this new “Ting” that God was so graciously providing was an even better “Ting” than His people had ever experienced before. Remember that Isaiah was living at a time when the people of Israel had divided into two kingdoms: Israel and Judah. Both kingdoms had experienced godless kings—though Judah had remained somewhat more faithful to God overall. Both had aligned themselves with idol-worshipping neighbors. War was constantly in the air. Neighboring nations wanted to utterly destroy God’s chosen people.
But, God promised a pathway through the wilderness and streams of refreshing water in the desert lands. That’s a promise that we can rightly claim, as we begin a new day.
We can ask God to give us a new “Ting”—a new vision, a new understanding, a new caring, and a new love for the people around us. We can ask God “for health and strength, for love and care, for a sense of His Presence everywhere.” And, if we ask, God’s answer is “Yes!”
Based on a blog originally posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2017
