All of life is lived under the shadow of the Cross, in the glory of the Resurrection, and before the promise of the Return. All of life. That includes the good, the bad, and the ugly.

One of the gifts of advancing in years is the ability to connect some dots, to connect some people and circumstances and stories encountered across several decades. For example, take the case of The Reverend Robert T. Young.

In 1972, Rev. Young was the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs at Duke Divinity School. Therefore, when applying for admission to Duke in 1973, this pastor addressed letters to Rev. Young. The assistant dean's prompt replies answered questions and offered encouragement. From 1973-1976, Rev. Young seemed to this observer to be a friendly, constructive influence in the life of The Divinity School.

Later, Rev. Young became the Minister to Duke University and the Honorary Dean of Duke Chapel. A little farther down the road, he worked – for US Senator Terry Sanford, at the UNC-Charlotte Athletic Department, and in a congregation. His was a varied career.

In 1979 or 1980, best as I can remember, Dr. Michael Novak came to Duke to speak. Dr. Novak, once a radical-liberal who broke ideological ranks to become a neo-conservative, spoke to a Duke audience that was not altogether admiring of the guest of the hour. In that rather political setting, I was disappointed that Rev. Young reacted strongly against Dr. Novak and allowed his incivility to become distracting to others.

Last summer, on August 31, Rev. Robert T. Young crossed the Jordan. Soon after that, the story of his life was written, in obituary form, for the public interest. Included in the obit were his election to be president of the student body at UNC-Chapel Hill, his New Testament study at the University of Glasgow in Scotland under Dr. William Barclay (1907-1978), his authorship of A Sprig of Hope and Holy Moments, his enduring commitment to Duke basketball, and his presiding at the marriage of Coach Roy and Wanda Williams.

Then "The Politician Is Young's Story, Too," by D.G. Martin, appeared in the March 14 News-Times on the opinion page. There it was noted that, years ago, Rev. Young's affair with a church member had devastated his family and his church, and had caused vocational changes. Furthermore, the newspaper story reported that Rev. Young was the father of Andrew Young. Andrew Young, you will recall, was once an aide of former US Senator John Edwards. When John Edwards was unfaithful to his wife Elizabeth, Young assisted Edwards in the cover-up that followed. Day after day, due to the many media outlets in our country, this sordid set of circumstances was retold to the American people. In due course, however, Andrew Young walked away from John Edwards and wrote a tell-all book, The Politician, in part to pay his legal bills and living expenses. Andrew Young, whose father had fallen from the line of duty and repented and found forgiveness and new life, had himself become acquainted with the other side of life. We can hope that his life is reclaimed by grace, as was his father’s.

These lives, these stories, the connecting of these dots, are interesting. They unfolded under the shadow of the Cross, in the glory of the Resurrection, and before the promise of the Return. What Jesus endured, what Jesus accomplished, and what Jesus will achieve helps people, from all walks of life, to be truthful, to be forgiven by God, and to be recreated in the messiest of times.

Again, all of life is lived under the shadow of the Cross, in the glory of the Resurrection, and before the promise of the Return. All of life. That includes the good, the bad, and the ugly.