There are certain ingredients that make a quality bakewell tart. Each one plays its part and without it that scrumptious cake of beauty would not be as delicious.
I consider myself in this metaphor to be a bakewell tart in the making. (And that’s the only time anyone would ever be able to say I’m a tart.) There are many ingredients that have helped me to be as I am today, but I am still a work in progress. Up to this point, though, here are the ingredients that have been most pivotal in the making of me to date. You will note in this list the absence of one Jesus Christ. There’s a very good reason for that – which I will explain in another blog entry. In the meantime, these are in no particular order.
1. My Dad
As I grow older I appreciate all the more the impact of his example of manhood. It’s a reference point for me as a father myself. It’s a reference point for me as a husband. I took it for granted growing up and at some stage thought it wouldn’t be something I would want to imitate. Now I recognise and am in awe of how that shapes my life. Not saying I am slavishly following his pattern, but he still has a huge bearing on how I am.
2. Stevie Wonder
Music has been a fundamental part of my life since I can remember. Stevie Wonder, though, marks a significant step in my own appreciation for music. He was the first guy I took a serious interest in that was outside the gospel standard favourites that my siblings would enjoy. I gained interest in him and his music at those pivotal teenage years. His music profoundly shaped my love of songwriting, musical and vocal arrangement and the power of a good message in song.
3. Football
I didn’t worship God first. I worshipped football. It was a subject I took seriously to such a degree that I would have happily committed my life to following the game in all its ups and downs. I still love the game now, I’m just more wary of its ultimate value in the scheme of things. That devotion and attention though woke in me the capacity for depth and interest that was far more than surface. That has shaped my approach to anything I am passionate about.
4. Ritson Shields
There may have been other people who took some sort of interest in me. Ritson, however, was the first person who consciously made an effort to invest in my personal development. As I left home and the oversight of my father, Ritson for a brief time took on a pastoral role in my life. He allowed me to see his life for what it was and see that the things he was teaching me were not just theory, but things he implemented in his own life. The desire to practice teaching and get engaged in evangelism kicked off with him and anything pastoral I get involved in will have hallmarks of his influence on me.
5. Keith Green
I was witness to a lot of lifeless religiosity. That’s what made living a double life easy when I became a Christian. There was no need to let it affect all of life. Then my Mum introduced me to the music of Keith Green. That in itself was challenging. Then I read the biography on his life by his wife, called No Compromise. Marrying the music with the man’s passion for nothing but Christ had a deep and long lasting effect on me. I still can’t think of another singer who was so fearless and strong in declaring some tough truths about following, loving and living for Jesus.
6. David Dryden
There will be much more to say about him in the not too distant future. For here and now, though, I can say that my brother, as the closest male friend I’ve ever had in my life, has had a profound effect on me. Even when we were a lot younger, his idea of faithful friendships, his diligence at creativity and his humility were very telling. Since those days he’s only got better as a human being.
7. Comic Books
I love words. That love, however, came from my interest in comic books. Super heroes, sure. Also, however the likes of Tintin and especially Asterix. Yeah I would see the animated development of the stories but I was intrigued by the dialogues and descriptions. In Asterix books in particularly there was a great love of wordplay that inspired me and a sense of fun in that as well. The love of stories in super hero tales also had a key role in me seeing things through the lens of the story.
8. Bible Teachers
There are a number I could mention – Ray Stedman, David Pawson, David Watson, John Piper, Francis Chan, Frank Viola and Watchman Nee. All these have had a great impact on my love of Jesus in His Word. It’s one thing to love words, it’s another thing to love Jesus and it’s the best of all worlds to love Jesus in His Word and sadly I never always saw that combination where I was. People often saw reading scripture as a necessary chore, but teachers like these elevated it to a place of great delight, honour and privilege. That has made its way into my approach to scripture in terms of studying it and then relaying it to others.
9. Chris Evans
This fella is important because of his career in broadcasting and because especially what he did in his time as host of shows like The Big Breakfast and then his own radio breakfast show. I can honestly say my interest in what I could do in radio and in the media in general came from seeing the meteoric rise to fame he took via his own excellence in the media. I never wanted to ape his style, but his evident love for the business of communication in these formats, got me engaged in them when I got to university and are still an interest I’d love to pursue in one shape or form.
10. Authrine Dryden
My Dad showed manhood as he lived it faithful for his time. That worked for him and it evidently worked for the success of his marriage which is not long to celebrate 40 years. I evidently needed someone different to show what being a responsible man was all about for Christopher Dryden in this day and age. No individual has teased that out of me in every facet of my life more than my wife. Her influence in my life is not always overt and obvious, but the trail of the life that has been lived subsequently points to her shaping work in my life.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 