CHAPTER 1
LUKE ISSACHAR WARM
“...because thou art lukewarm...” (Revelations 3:16a).
*
Luke Warm had grown up in the Houston suburdia, nice neighborhood, pleasant neighbors, and decent schools. He’d gone on field trips, to operas, museums, the zoo, and multiple plays.
Luke was fond of the arts, especially music and drama. Luke Warm sat backstage beaming. His performance was so good his drama teacher said she could hardly distinguish between him and the character he played. That compliment made Luke feel proud.
The Drama Department had performed Shakespeare’s “a Midsummer Night’s Dream” play. Luke Warm had made the character his OWN self-invention and the audience had given him a standing ovation.
Luke had played the character Puck. Puck, at least he thought, was the most important character in the play. Puck was mischievous, witty, a prankster and a blunderer, but he was also spirited and magical.
Luke had invented his own version of Puck by adding the needed humor, the appropriate language, and his own touch of fairy-ness.
Luke had to wear a lot of make-up because Puck was NOT to be portrayed as handsome or debonair. In fact, one of the other fairies called him a “hobogoblin,” which meant he was not as good-looking as the other fairies.
Luke Warm was no Puck, so the pervasiveness of deception when performing a character, certainly, could hide the reality of one’s true appearance.
Luke Issachar Warm was giftedly handsome with Hercules-like hair, thick eyebrows, a militant nose, perfectly defined face, muscular, but slender body, oozing with masculinity, and he moved with the grace and power of a lion.
People told him there was a mysterious aura about him and whenever he was around, they said, they could feel his presence. Luke thought he was GIFTED with some inner quality or resilient psyche that enabled him to perform the ambiguities, perplexities, humor, or magic of any character.
The role of Puck was the role that started Luke Warm’s journey. He had done his OWN self-invention of the Puck character which meant, for a few moments, he had to be brilliant at becoming someone else.
Luke had made the audience believe he was Puck through his OWN self-invention of the character. He saw how receptive they were through his cultivated persona of Puck.
It also made Luke believe he could become anyone he wanted to become. He could participate in society in a positive way, any way he chose, and it could bring enjoyment to others.
He’d been in every school play since he was a freshman and he had become attuned to the requirements of new identities through the self-invention of his characters.
Luke had enjoyed many of the characters he’d played and got to know them as much as possible. This was his last play before heading to college. So much had changed in his life and he couldn’t believe it was 1978 already. He felt a twinge of nostalgia as he thought about the end of this era of his life.
Nonetheless, he was ready. Luke was certain he’d learned how to present himself to others and decided he wouldn’t limit himself to a “fixed” personality as he headed out into the world.
Luke Warm could become ANYONE he wanted to become. He knew how to present his best self. He was often told he was gracious, connected well with others, was a good listener, had a good memory, especially with people’s names, was diplomatic, and was giftedly articulate. Luke had a way of making people feel important.
Luke was good looking, but he had a way of highlighting everything, he thought was good, about himself from his hairstyle, to his fashion, his conversation, and his own personal, sexy swag.
When Luke I. Warm walked into the room he became center stage whether he wanted to be or not. He was confident in the spotlight, but he was an approachable and relatable people person.
He wasn’t perfect and had his flaws, but he had a way of making people focus on his virtues; not his vices. People, male and female, gravitated to Luke. He really was a source of positive with his smiles, charming personality, and golden attitude.
He was “THAT” one person you met in life that lit up the room with his whole being. Not only was Luke the number one drama student in High School, but off stage he could tell stories that would keep his fellow students on the edge on their seats with suspense and laughter.
Luke I. Warm was LIVING ART and as a youngster, he was already more charming than he knew.
Just as Luke Warm continually re-invented himself through the many characters he played, he could also re-invented himself to suit the lifestyle he dreamt of having one day.
Luke Warm had grown up in Houston and in the Baptist church. His family had lived there for years, but recently, his parents, his five siblings, some aunts, uncles, and cousins had all migrated, together, to Son City, Texas.
While Luke was away at college between 1978 and 1982 his family had gotten involved in the charismatic movement, and had gone from being Baptist to non-denominational.
Luke didn’t go with them to Son City, Texas but decided to couch on Neutral Avenue instead, which was one of the longest streets in the world. It was actually the border between Son City, Texas and Hades, Texas.
If you lived on his street, it was either North Neutral Avenue, South Neutral Avenue, or simply Neutral Avenue.
Luke lived on Neutral Avenue with other folk who weren’t for the Son City lifestyle, but wasn’t against it either. On the other hand, they felt that way about Hades too.
He visited his family often. All he had to do was turn right out of his driveway, go seven miles, turn left onto the freeway, and he would be in Son City fifteen minutes later.
Luke’s grandparents had left his father an inheritance recently, which happened to be in Son City, Texas and consisted of acres and acres of land, plus a profitable business. There was a huge mansion on it with several guest houses, but Luke was undecided about whether he wanted to live in Son City or Hades, so he couched on Neutral for the time being, which was on the border of both places.
If you lived on the
west side of Neutral, your backyard faced Hades, Texas. If you lived on the
east side of Neutral, your backyard faced Son City, Texas. Luke SAW the sun RISE in the east, where Son City, Texas was, every morning.
Luke did accept his father’s offer to work in the family business though, but he refused to change his opinion about living in Son City or Charismatic Christian-ville, as he called it, in spite of his family’s urging.
Luke was experiencing financial difficulty at times, but he was too stubborn to ask for help. He wanted to do what he wanted to do and he simply refused to do anything else. He’d had huge arguments with his family, but he still didn’t budge.
Luke was famous, in his family, for his stubborn resistance and his refusal to accept defeat, big or small. His grandfather, who he called Poppy, said he was too stubborn for his own good.
Poppy was given the honor of giving Luke his middle name. He was almost seven years old before his parents changed his name legally from Luke Warm to Luke Issachar Warm.
Luke asked his Poppy why he’d chosen that name and he said “...It is a rarely used Hebrew name I found in the family ancestry and I thought it fit you perfect...” Luke liked his middle name.
Poppy told him that he and “this” ancestor exhibited the same kind of qualities. Luke didn’t agree with his family's assessment of him. He wasn’t stubborn he was just passionate, decisive, had his “own” personal convictions, persevered, and stood his ground.
Poppy did say something that angered him once, “...Luke its okay to be stubborn for the right reasons, but not just to get something your way. You can’t self-invent everything to your liking. How many times have I told you, you're too stubborn for you own good...”
Poppy was his favorite family member. When he was younger, Poppy coached the little league team Luke was on. He always complimented Luke on his persistence, focus, and drive, but he cautioned him not to let those things blind him.
One day his little league team lost and Poppy said, “...Luke you were so focused on WINNING “your” way...you lost your team the game...” Luke didn’t agree with his grandfather and told him, “...Poppy, you’re getting old and don’t know what you’re talking about. Had YOU listened to me we would have won...”
Luke got the whole team to side with him against his Poppy. His grandfather quit coaching his team after that and the two of them weren’t as close for a while.
However, Luke was determined to do everything to win his grandfather back, so he set out to be the best grandson ever. He thought he’d succeeded and had changed his Poppy's mind about him, but he hadn’t. On his deathbed his grandfather said, “...Luke, I love you, but you are still too stubborn for your own good. You will never understand what I’ve tried to teach you...until you truly surrender to God...”
Poppy KNEW Luke. Poppy SAW the "real" Luke. If Luke was honest, living on Neutral was hard, and if he surrendered like Poppy said maybe he’d go ahead to Son City with the rest of his family.
The charismatic movement had changed them. He had to admit he began to long for and desire the same life his family was enjoying, but without going through all the religious RIGAMAROLE they’ve been trying to present to him.
When he’d hang out with them, they were so restful and peaceful and he could clearly witness the advantages they had in their new Christian lifestyle.
His family was actually getting along with each other and being loving toward one another. He wanted to share that with them.
His family had even gotten a new set of friends, too, that seemed loving, sincere, generous, on one accord, and enjoyed serving one another.
Out of six children, Luke was the fifth child and they were always fighting when they were younger. Yet, he noticed his siblings, their spouses, and children were happy, singing, playing together, was living a more orderly life, and were genuine getting along. They had become a real, close knit family.
Luke Warm wanted that life and the advantages it seemed to afford his family and “that” group of people. If he had to live in this wicked world, he wanted to be like the Son City people in east Texas. Luke I. Warm had an ideal......
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