Dear Friend,
This month I am thinking about eternity in a deeply personal way, with various health issues besieging friends and family. Our brief sojourn here on “terra transitional firma” occupies the forefront of my mind.
A friend died recently. I use the term “died” advisedly, as you will read.
Ron and I shared some time together the weekend that he passed. It has been said—and erroneously attributed to Albert Einstein—that “Coincidence is God acting anonymously.” Prolific and profound author G.K. Chesterton called those moments “spiritual puns,” and C.G. Jung dubbed them “synchronicity.” There was Ron on the weekend of his rendezvous with Jesus, visiting Katharine’s and my local congregation in Napa, California.
I smile to think that his last earthly congregational moment was in Beit Abba, The Father’s House. God’s front porch, so to speak.
I had seen Ron only a few times in the past 25 years. On this particular
weekend, he came to attend our congregation’s Holocaust Memorial event.
Our guest speaker—Holocaust survivor Dr. Sonia Korn-Grimani—regaled the
audience with her dramatic tale of “God acting anonymously” in sparing
her from Nazi atrocities. A gifted German linguist, author, musician,
and diplomat for peace, Dr. Sonia was knighted by the nation of France
as a cultural ambassador.
Ron and Dr. Sonia shared a moment after her speech. She encouraged him, signed a copy of her book for him, and offered to review his book as soon as he could send her a copy. Ron was pleased and approached me with that signature broad smile as we spoke briefly about getting together.
“I would like that,” I told him. “Call me, and we’ll set it up.”
I wondered, “Which hat is he asking me to wear? Pastor, rabbi, therapist?” No, he was looking for his old friend.
Now, however, our get-together will have to wait awhile. I will see him again; just not yet.
When Ron’s family asked me to speak at his memorial service, I pondered where to find a nun’s habit. I really wanted to invoke the musical inquiry of the Mother Superior in The Sound of Music: “How do You Solve a Problem Like Ron Singer?”
My friend was a multi-talented, many-media maven. He was part Charlie Chaplin and part Mark Twain, with a dash of Philippe Petit, the high wire walker who, in 1974, traversed the sky between the doomed Twin Towers. Ron’s gifts mixed with the doubts of Thomas and a yearning for true love and peace, which led him to found a summer camp where he imparted his clowning, juggling, and slack rope-walking skills to kids. Many of those youths attended with the aid of scholarships, to get a respite from the inner cities, breathe some fresh air, and try a creative way of life.
Ron brought smiles to “whosoever” back in the day.
Ron and I met more than 30 years ago, and I felt very much at home with him, his wife Tenney, and the family. We shared many laughs at their kitchen table. As a single man, I often appeared just at dinnertime; I’m sure they recognized my timing as an instance of Jungian synchronicity.
Ron and I were Jewish, interested in film, theater, music, and literature, and were both somewhat spiritually minded. We had been card-carrying members of the “anything-but-Jesus” crowd. In fact, Ron shared Groucho Marx’s opinion: “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member.”
You see, we Jews know that Jesus was a nice Jewish boy who became the first Catholic and that his parents, Joe and Mary Christ, lived in Rome, near the Coliseum.
Jesus? No, thank you. I’m Jewish!
When Ron and I met, I had recently escaped from the enclaves of Buddhist Jews (Bu-Jews, we are called) meditating in the desert, where, I discovered, I was definitely at “two” with the cosmos.
As I wrestled with the remote possibility that one could be a Jew and follow Jesus, I met Ron. He had recently had the same wrestling match with his faith and lost to Jesus… well, won.
Even with his newfound faith in Yeshua (Hebrew for “Jesus”), Ron nurtured his “inner curmudgeon.” He had the audacity at a children’s theater production to perform an interpretation of “meditating on the Word” by sitting in the lotus position on his Bible! Religious zealots often misunderstood his seeming irreverence.
Of course, I am convinced that now Ron knows that the Hebrew word for “meditation” means “to mutter, to read softly out loud, and repeat”—which is a proven methodology for memorization.
My friend went on to a long career inspiring high school students and young adults as a drama and English teacher. He served joyfully on short-term missions to South America, bringing the Word of Life to children in undeveloped areas.
Thirty years and 25 pounds ago, we performed together at the Marin Civic Center in the San Francisco Bay Area. I played Jesus, and Ron played the wicked King Herod. Ah, typecasting.
Ron’s solo number demanded of Yeshua, “Do a Miracle!” which he played with a very convincing, barely suppressed rage.
I believe Ron’s demand has been answered and that he is experiencing the greatest miracle of all: the grace and mercy of God offered by his Messiah, which is available to all who call upon Him. Ron has moved on. He is in Good Company.
Albert Einstein did say: “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the
luminous figure of the Nazarene.”
Ron suffered with various health issues, and lately told his daughter, “I have been very lonely, but in my loneliness I am finding Jesus as my friend.” Now Ron and Jesus are laughing together, and his loneliness is a thing of the past.
Ron leaves a powerful legacy in his gifted children and beautiful grandchildren. We will miss him, but we take comfort in knowing that he has found the love and peace—the shalom—that he sought.
Here’s the afterword that still captivates me: At the memorial, Tenney recounted a dream of hers several days after Ron’s passing. In an indescribably beautiful meadow with luminous flora and a rich carpet of verdant green grass, she saw Ron in the distance, only he was young and vibrant with the “twenty-something” vitality she remembered from years long past. She approached him angrily, scolding that he had mightily scared everyone, especially her. “We thought you were dead! Here you are, just fine; so typical of you!” She railed with a loving, wifely rebuke. Tenney awoke at the words, “Here you are, just fine…” to find shalom in her heart.
You know me well enough, Dear Reader, not to imagine that I am building a doctrine on these events or dreams. But if you will allow me, I ask you to ponder with me (and with Tenney) the majesty and miracle of life eternal provided by Yeshua, King of the Jews and Savior of the world.
Our very timely television series provides a unique study of that same Savior of the world through a study of Joseph, a favored son of Jacob. Please join us on Zola Levitt Presents for:
JOSEPH: DREAMER/REDEEMER
Perhaps more than any of the patriarchs in the Bible, Joseph presents us with a clear preview of the Redeemer, Yeshua HaMashiach. From his humble beginnings to his ascendancy as a leader of the known world, Joseph pictures the One to come. Born to humble parents, Yeshua’s suffering and ultimate sacrifice as the Lamb of God will lead to His return as the Lion of Judah. In this nine-part series, we lay bare the “Egyptian” (foreign) identity and centuries-long gentile view of Jesus and reveal Him as the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world.
Please come with us to experience the land where the King walked as a Lamb and where He will reign as a Lion. Our Zola Tours manager, Sandra, can help you select your pilgrimage. We are down to the wire for this fall’s study tour, but you are welcome to call her to discuss options at 214-696-9760, email her at , or visit www.levitt.com/tours.
Select your trip from the following study tour options:
| Deluxe | Israel | Oct 11–20 | $3,988 |
| Grand Petra | Israel & Petra | Oct 11–23 | $4,988 |
| Grand Athens | Greece & Israel | Oct 5–20 | $6,888 |
| Ultra Grand | Greece, Israel, Petra | Oct 5–23 | $7,888 |
Or you may prefer to come with us in spring 2016:
| Deluxe | Israel | Mar 13–22 | $4,288 |
| Grand Petra | Israel & Petra | Mar 13–25 | $5,288 |
Zola Tours has been hosting pilgrims for over 30 years, and we know you will have a life-changing experience as you travel with us through the Land of the Covenant.
Whether Katharine and I see you in the Land, or you see us first on Zola Levitt Presents, please remember the Lord’s scriptural command: “Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim!” (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!) — Psalm 122:6. And thanks for staying tuned as we wrap up production of the last Joseph television programs and embark on the next Bible teaching series, Times of the Signs.
Your brother and messenger,
Myles
P.S. Keep looking up! Redemption draws near and eternity calls, we know not when. (Luke 21:28)
Dear Myles,
In spite of this world’s worsening troubles, Believers all have a bright, eternal future with Messiah.
“Here’s my contribution for September. Please bring Yeshua’s gospel to the Jew first (Rom.1:16) via TV, www.levitt.com, and teaching literature.”
Beautiful and useful, this lovely Jewish calendar provides the dates of all the biblical feasts and sabbaths. Learn the names of the months, the Holy Days and all the rest through the English phonetics like in our monthly Hebrew Lesson in the Levitt Letter.
Zola’s first book about his heritage and his faith. An especially fresh and unvarnished look at the peculiar world of Jewish Christianity, a witness to the Chosen People and the author’s unique testimony. An excellent gift for a Jewish friend.
Zola’s first book about his heritage and his faith—an especially fresh and unvarnished look at the world peculiar to Jewish Christianity, a witness to the Chosen People, and the author’s unique testimony—makes an excellent gift for a Jewish friend.
The holidays our Lord celebrated, filmed on location in Israel. These celebrations provide one of the most fascinating studies of biblical types and shadows.
