Gophers, Bulldogs and Techos

I attended several institutions of higher learning. I even managed to graduate from a few of them! I believe my father-in-law was concerned for awhile that his daughter might have married a professional student. Considering the fact that Susan worked long hours as a nurse to help me pursue my educational dreams, he probably had some reason to be worried.

Although I learned a great deal in each program, only one school really marked me with any type of self-identification. I never think of myself as a former "Golden Gopher." When I see a bulldog I do not think about theUniversity of Minnesota Duluth. The only school identity I associate with Kilgore College are the "High-kicking Rangerettes." Beautiful to be sure, but somehow inappropriate.

Still, in some deep part of my psyche I will always be a Techo. Back when I attended LeTourneau College (now LeTourneau University), people referred to the students as Techos. Sometimes I thought we had it tattooed on ourforeheads. If we went into a local restaurant the waitress would invariably ask, "Are you boys Techos?"

We were. And, because the student gender ratio in those days was approximately 20 males to 1 female, we were also invariably boys.

Techos were known for making do with what they had on hand. They had a rather perverse pride in having no budget and still fixing whatever needed fixing. More than once I saw a group of Techos in a church parking lot get a failing engine running with whatever they had in their pockets. Techos were a tribal advertisement for the value of duct tape.

During my missionary career there have been many times I have had to use my education from LeTourneau to make repairs on the fly. Each time I have been particularly successful, I have wished another Techo had been around to see my victory. They would have understood.

Yesterday I found myself trying to start a tractor using some unusual materials and technique. I figured I had about a fifty percent chance of burning up the entire electrical system. However, it turned out to be another win for LeTourneau.

Once, Susan and I drove across miles of the altiplano with me seated on the fender of our 1968 Land Rover and Susan behind the wheel. I was holding two parts together until we could find a suitable workshop. Most of you would have thought me to look rather silly. Fellow Techos would have applauded my ingenuity.

This was the same Land Rover in which my father accompanied us on a trip along what has come to be known as the "Highway of Death." ApparentlyDiscovery Channel runs a show with a lurid description and footage of this road. (See the ABC News report on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRkoYD0esZc) Each time Discovery shows this program, people write asking whether we have ever driven on it. The answer is "yes," and we had to innovate to keep that Land Rover running all the way.

Using whatever He had on hand was also a value for Jesus. As you look at His public ministry you do not see him waiting until He had budget to buy props or develop program. He used what was around Him to share His message.In Luke 5 He uses Peter's boat as a pulpit and a teaching prop. He was known to take hold of a child and use him or her to share a message to His disciples. Trees, fields and rocks all were used to get across the message He proclaimed.

In John 7 He used the Feast of the Tabernacles to make a statement. During this eight-day feast, water was brought from the pool of Gihon to the Temple and placed in a silver basin. This procession happened each day of the celebration except for the last day. On the eighth day there was no procession and no water. At this exact moment Jesus stood up and said in aloud voice, "Whoever is thirsty should come to me, and whoever believes in me should drink. As the scripture says, 'Streams of life-giving water will pour out from his side.'"

I heard an Alan Jackson song the other day that said, "If Jesus came back today He'd be a hillbilly." I am not so sure. I wonder if He wouldn't be a Techo. My guess is He would still avoid the power structures and the elite, and all the budget that come with them. Instead He would use what He had around Him to proclaim the same message all over again. I am glad of that. We still seem to need those streams of water to quench our thirsty souls.