The Last Class Lecture of J.D. Bales |
 I took J. D. Bales' Living
World Religions class during the semester before his retirement. When I came to class on
that last day, I had some sense that something significant at Harding was coming to an
end. Therefore, I decided to take as detailed notes as I could of Dr. Bales' last lecture.
Those notes have remained in a little spiral notebook for over fifteen years. Recently I
found the notebook and started thumbing through it and found the notes I took during that
class. what I have written here is a paraphrase of that lecture based on my notes and my
memory. - James C. Shelton. |
| I am very grateful, but as life marches on, we don't have time to regret it. My parents both died in a train accident. At age eleven, I learned that life is fleeting. My definition of lonesome is watching my brothers and sisters drive off leaving the eleven-year-old with his grandparents in Fitzgerald, Georgia. I came to Harding as a student in 1933. Harding was in Morrilton at that time. I had thought that I wanted to preach, but wasn't sure. It was only $15 a month for board. I also thought of joining the Navy, but I am glad I didn't - and it was probably fortunate for the Navy. In 1934 1 thought about traveling on freighters to see the world, but I came back to Harding. Finally a classmate said, "J . D., if you're going to preach, PREACH!" That sounded logical to me. I practiced my first sermon in the fields. I was so boring the cows dried up. My brother wanted to be a dentist. He said I would starve. He said, "I will be eating fried chicken when you don't have a thing in the house." However, I am glad I chose the course I did and if I live 'till die, I will eat pretty close to that time. In 1944, I came back to Harding from the California Bay area. I was making $75 per week preaching and Harding offered me $120 per week. Our talents are different. Stay where you will contribute the most. Make all the money you can, but don't can all you make. Prepare yourself - sharpen your tool and the Lord will find something for you to do. I was spared from World War II so I thought I should make the best of my life. Don't let secondary things cancel out your primary objectives. I already know more than I can do and never saw any need to know something I didn't have time to do. That is why I never was much for playing game. One year my wife and 1 were invited to someone's house for a New Year's Eve party. Everyone else was playing Rook. I went over to the bookcase and found a good book to read. On the way home my wife scolded me and said, "If you do something like that again, we will never be invited back." I told her that was the idea. I once was taken on a deer hunting trip. I could not see the need to sit in the middle of the woods and not do anything but wait for a poor deer to wander by. So I decided I would take some back issues of my journals. I was sitting there clipping articles when another deer hunter happened by. He stopped, looked at me and said, "I've seen it all now." I have seen one movie in the fifties, sixties, and seventies. I might go in the eighties if I live long enough. They haven't made that movie yet. In 1964, I went with Pat Boone to see the Parent Trap. Try to implement all your good intentions. For example, tell someone you appreciate them. Even if you don't appreciate them, they may not know. When you can, make a convert to Christ. If you don't make a convert, make a friend. Don't make an enemy. And, if you make an enemy, don't make an active one. Even though I wasn't successful, Pat Boone and I still have love for each other. I found out that the fewer things I knew how to do, the fewer things I was called upon to do - and, the more time I had to do what I wanted to do. Evaluate actions, not motives. Do not be jealous. Jealous thoughts suggest themselves; you don't have to entertain them. Brother Jimmy Allen used to sleep, er, be in my class. I have always tried to keep him humble and it is a full-time job and I haven't had the time so he is not as humble as I would like. Don't be jealous of others' work in the kingdom of God. Accept compliments, but when you get a pat on the back don't have such sensitive muscles that it causes your head to swell. When someone tells you how great you are, don't spend all your time trying to show them you are not that great. Failures can turn out to be successes. I once asked a girl to marry me. The fact that she said no I have counted as one of my greatest successes as I look back on it. If you find yourself on top of the world, don't be elated. For as the world turns, soon you will be on the bottom, but don't despair, soon you will be on top again. Live in the present, learn from the past, and build for the future. The Lord will enable us to bear all of our sorrows. Treasure what you have now. Don't despair over small matters. Don't let one small cloud blot out all the sunshine of life. Recognize life is passing. Sorrow and joy will soon pass. Build with gratitude on what others have done and don't destroy. The blessings we have in this country are ours to improve, not to destroy. As I come to the end of my career at Harding, the only regrets I have are some of the
things I wanted to do that have not been accomplished, but I do not regret the course I
have taken. I have faith the present generation will carry on just as well and perhaps
better than we did. |
