Gone Fishing
Warren Thomas – Jan. 29, 1921- May 2, 1997
It is hard to believe that Warren went to heaven exactly twelve years ago today, (as I am writing). If you have been around Bethany for more than twelve years, you will remember Warren, and of course you still know his wife Betty Tom and their daughter Betty Anne Sperry & family. The fountain in front of the church is dedicated to his honor. I think of him often, and every time I walk by the fountain. He was my friend. Actually, it took some adjustment for me when he went to heaven. He would stop by the office regularly, and I would drop by his house just up from the church to share in a cup of coffee just as often. He loved coffee. When I would drop by his house from time to time, I can still hear his voice, ‘Get in here!’ Warren had a presence about him. He reminded me of what I thought Stanton was like under Abe Lincoln. The day when Warren and Betty first came to church could be called the era of Warren Thomas! He had a great sense of humor, and was a merciless teaser. If you got sick fishing, he would torment you. He was a great sportsman, and an excellent marksman. The era of Warren Thomas, that I knew, was a time of mostly fishing, but before this, Warren had quite a list of accomplishments under his belt. He spent 29 years in the Navy. He was an expert in diving, ship salvage, welding, and fire fighting. He was qualified for command at sea, diving officer, salvage officer, nuclear defense officer, etc etc etc. He served in a variety of salvage assignments for sunken ships all around the world. Included in his resume was the operation of clearing the Suez canal after the Six day War in the middle east. In 1960, J.C. McNicol, deep sea diving school officer in charge in Washington DC said, “Chief Warrant Officer Warren D. Thomas has worked for me at several duty stations in the Navy since 1953. I highly recommend him for any position requiring initiative, perseverance, and independent thinking . . . . he stays with a job until it is done.”
In the magazine Ocean Industry, March 1975, in an article on the clearing of the Suez Canal, Warren states: “Almost all salvage jobs – even the smallest ones produce surprises which are adverse to the accomplishment of the task at hand. No amount of preplanning, engineering, and deep thinking can fully eliminate these unexpected adversities; and one of the most important characteristics of the successful salvage master is his ability to innovate when the unexpected occurs.”
Well, this is a good word for us spiritually as well. No amount of planning can protect you from surprises in life. Faith is required to overcome them! Faith is optimistic, and innovative. We must walk by faith. This means that our faith must trust God when things happen that we do not understand. We are often perplexed in circumstances of life, and without faith, these can cast you down. If we are knocked down by the enemy, we must in faith seek God’s help to get up and keep going! Paul put it this way; “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:7-9).
God allows challenges of life to test our faith! (1 Peter 1:7). In the process, God will be glorified by our lives! Don’t be surprised either, as though some strange thing were happening (1 Pet. 4:12), we are called to share in the sufferings of Christ, but there is great reward, for the Spirit of glory rests on you! (1 Pet. 4:14).
Good word, Warren, and we’ll see you soon, when our ship puts out to sea!