What Is The Edge? Part 2

I learned about the edge from my dad. When I was young my dad worked for Baer Industries, a metal finishing shop. Mr. Baer hired my dad to run his shop because of my dad’s knowledge of the business. As the business grew under my dad’s leadership, Mr. Baer made him a partner giving him 10% of the business. Every Saturday he would take my brother Pat and I to do some cleaning. If you have ever been in a metal finishing shop you know how dirty it is. My dad left the safety of his position and went to the edge to start his own business. I can remember the day when we moved all these machines into this small building and Freer Industries was launched. Less than a year later my dad bought a building on Hoover Road between 7 & 8 Mile roads in Detroit. All through his life I watched my dad make moves in business that some would consider unsafe or risky but they always worked out. My dad did this consistently in expanding the business and in buying property, he didn’t worry, he just trusted the Lord. My dad was always grateful for every blessing he received, and he always helped others, both financially and by fixing or repairing something for them.

I have been blessed by many people I’ve had the privilege to know, who lived on the edge in some way. They are not perfect people but they are real. Their lives have not been ideal or pain free but just the opposite. And in spite of problems and setbacks they continue to live near the edge instead of the safety of the middle.

The edge does not mean you live a wreckless life or a purposeless life or a selfish life or a self-destructive one. That may fit the definition the world gives to people who live on the edge, but it has nothing to do with what I’m talking about. People who hurt themselves and others are not on any edge, they’ve fallen into a pit and are trapped by lies and self-deception.

There are certain aspects of my writing/teaching that have been toned down because if I were to follow every path my mind wants me to go down, I would offend everyone and there would be no point in writing because no one would be reading. My goal is to go along the edge, but avoid going over the cliff. Sometimes I know I go too far on certain subjects and have offended people, but at the same time it has registered with others who have felt the same way but never verbalized it. There are other times I felt I haven’t gone far enough. I know I have more sarcastic contempt for phoney religious people than I do for the real deal sinner. This area more than any other has gotten me in trouble with religious people, legalists, charismaniacs, prosperity psychobablers, well you get the idea, I’d better stop here.

What is the Edge? Part 1

A number of people have asked me what do I mean by the "Edge", in letters from the edge. First I am not talking about "The Edge", the guitarist from the band U2 ( of course that was obvious and you should have seen it coming). The edge is not a place where the majority of people live, it’s the out of the way, not mainstream. The edge is not for the faint of heart, the religious, the uptight, the easily offended or the fearful. It’s not for those trying to play it safe, those who are hedging their bets or those who have the next five years already planned out.

The dictionary defines edge as: first "thin, sharp cutting part of the blade", second, the edge is "the quality of being sharp-keen", third, "the projecting ledge of a cliff", fourth, "the part farthest from the middle", and fifth, "the verge or brink as of a condition". Some of this would apply to what I mean by the edge. I have always had a sharp cutting wit or sarcasm that has got me into a lot of trouble. I have always lived closer to the ledge of the cliff than on safer ground. I have always found myself involved with things that would be considered fringe by the majority, but I most identify with the edge meaning "the verge or brink as of a condition". There are some people who are always "on edge", which the dictionary defines as "so tense or nervous as to be easily upset, irritable or impatient", I am not talking about that. To me the edge is a place that always contains the possibility of danger or disaster. The edge is the place your mother always warned you about and told you not to get close to.

I remember an incident from my childhood (I was about 11 yrs. old), that happened at McKenney Elementary School, located at Pembroke and Burt Road in Detroit, Michigan (this is for those who might know the neighborhood). There was a ledge that was just below the 2^nd floor window that my friends and I would try to walk the length of the building on. On this particular day I had leaned my bicycle against the wall where the ledge was. As I was walking the ledge this day, I lost my balance and fell off, right were I had left my bike. Oh, I forgot to mention that my bike once had a light on it that was held in place by two metal prongs sticking straight up, yes, you guessed it the light was missing, but the metal prongs were still in place. When I fell those 2 metal prongs went right into my left buttocks (for correct pronunciation of this word think Forrest Gump), breaking my fall. Needless to say I was in a great deal of pain, but I couldn’t tell my parents because we were told not to walk that ledge. I went home and tried to bandage my wound with cotton pads and tape. I went to the dinner table and sat there trying to pretend everything was o.k. but I was bleeding and finally had to tell my dad the truth. I said Dad I have to talk to you. He went into the bathroom with me and I showed him the wound. He calmly came out and told my mom we have to go out for awhile I have to take Mark to the emergency room. My mom didn’t find out what happened until we got back. To be contuined.....

Letters From The Edge

For the past 3 years I have been sending out a fairly regular e-mail called Letters From The Edge. These letters contain my take on life, experiences Ive had in life, observations on Christianity, and encouragement to fellow travelers. Some of these letters will get posted here on this blog, but if you would like to receive them in your e-mail contact me at mjfreer@gcfellowship.org and I will add you to the list. In another post I will explain what I mean by the edge.