Rev. A.J. Ogden

As a lad, living four miles out from a small town, I walked to school and back eight miles daily. Being extremely poor with patches on my pants, and ragged coat when weather was cold, I developed an inferiority complex to say the least! I was very ignorant and unaccepted by the town kids.

The town kids, who were rich compared to me, did not accept me very well, and would not let me play in their ball games or other activities. They said I was “low class” and the more they said it, the more I believed it. When my low self esteem was about at the bottom one day, there came encouragement from our music teacher as I was crying in self pity. Mrs. Meak always tried to encourage me when the others put me down. She approached me with these kinds words, “Don’t worry about it son, it ain’t nothing but a game.” In a few minutes the bell would ring!

Mrs. Meak always told me I’d be a preacher someday. I could not even imagine it at that time, but she turned out to be right. Sometimes I would be there without any lunch and she would give me a sandwich. Yes, Mrs. Meak said, “It ain’t nothing but a ball game. I am interested in your game of life…that is what counts.” Their ball game would end in a few minutes, but the game of life was more important.

While I was not a Christian at the time, she helped me to look beyond a little persecution to more important things. Thank God for a real teacher like this. Paul the apostle said in I Corinthians 1:26-29, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence.”