I have a confession to make; I am a poor speller. This trait has been with me since I began reading. My mother, an English teacher, knew this fact and helped me practice my spelling words. I memorized the assigned weekly spelling words and did well on the tests, then promptly forgot how to spell some of the words. My mother believed that I thought this information was not important enough for me to remember. Whatever the true reason, I was not gifted in spelling.
During the second semester of my freshman college year, I was required to take a humanities class. One of the required readings was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, an insightful book about a person’s relationship with technology. The professor told our class to review one of the key chapters and prepare to write an in-class essay.
I outlined the assigned chapter, made copious notes, and thoroughly prepared for the essay. Once in class again, the professor told us to write a letter to the university’s president using the assigned Pirsig chapter. I asked if we could use the book and any notes we had prepared, and the professor replied positively. Over the next hour, I wrote my letter with passion using Pirsig’s writings. When I finished, I believed it was my best essay ever written.
The following class, the professor handed back our papers and I received an A-. He twice circled the word separate, then wrote at the bottom of my paper: “You would have scored an A except you misspelled separate.” (I spelled it seperate) To make matters worse, he wrote the word, seperate, on the blackboard and told our class that a student, “in another class,” could not spell this word and would be a failure in life. My paper was the best in the class, yet I could not spell a simple word and had been punished. I sat in class shamed and depressed.
When I attended seminary, I worked long and hard to memorize the spellings and definitions of hundreds of theological words. It was laborious work, but I did not want to repeat my spelling failures. I made a few spelling errors during examinations when we were required to write long in-class essays, but these mistakes were not common English words. I am still not a good speller, but I have improved.
Each weekday evening, around dinner preparation time, my wife and I watch Wheel of Fortune. For thirty minutes, we enjoy watching contestants solve word puzzles by guessing letters. We play along and critique the contestants’ abilities. My wife should go on this game show as she is usually one step ahead of me. I am slow and rarely the first to solve a puzzle. When a contestant makes an obvious mistake, we laugh and say how embarrassed we would feel making silly mistakes on national TV. It reminds me of my misspelling separate, except millions would know that I was a goof.
Wheel of Fortune has been on TV for 50 years. Pat Sajak hosted the show for 41 seasons and was recently replaced by Ryan Seacrest. They shared the spotlight with Vanna White, the beautiful blond who turns the board letters. Vanna was interviewed by NPR and asked why the game show has been popular for so many years. She stated that it gave Americans relief from all the tragic world news. Wheel of Fortune is a place of shalom, a time when people gather and enjoy a simple word game filled with laughter, suspense, and rewards. All family members can enjoy the game, and every contestant leaves the show with at least $1000.
I ask some Christian friends why they attend their church amidst a denominational division. One of them spoke about her need for Sunday worship to be a time of quiet reflection and peace. Once the church becomes disruptive, she will depart. Sunday morning worship is her refuge from living in a competitive and conflicted world. She needed her Wheel of Fortune moment during worship.
I believe we all need Wheel of Fortune moments. We need safe spaces to push back against the prevailing culture that dominates the media. The recent presidential campaign blasted the airwaves with negativity, anger, and falsehoods. Denominational divisions have soured the Gospel message. To bring back shalom, watch Wheel of Fortune and attend houses of worship that practice peace and offer refuge. It is healthy to seek kingdom time to balance the prevailing culture chaos. I give thanks for all Wheel of Fortune moments.
