I have discovered, however, that getting unwittingly involved in someone else's project can end up solving our own problems or helping us to learn and grow in areas we never dreamed were possible. Growth in any dimension can have profound spiritual benefits when we perceive its broader implications.

A number of years ago, my older brother felt compelled to compile and transcribe the trunk load of handwritten diaries, letters and notes left by our deceased sea-captain father. The material included harrowing tales of disasters at sea, from murder and mayhem to sinking by enemy torpedoes. There also were accounts of childhood poverty, shoveling manure, meeting girlfriends, being mugged by bootleggers, coping with striking unions and the decline of American shipping. Such things were combined with the conflicts of marriage and parenting, illness and aging. Also included were mundane details of haircuts, family arguments, household chores and lots of nautical terms needing explanation for landlubbers.

It was a monumental task. The penmanship was unclear, the spelling atrocious, sentence structure often garbled and the time sequence confused. After all, Dad was just keeping log-like notes, not producing literature. My brother sought to construct a reasonable record to share with family members and even dreamed of publishing a book. The job was overwhelming, and he needed help. My wife and I, with somewhat more of an academic bent, were enlisted.

Then came several years of editing, correcting, slashing redundancy, reducing volume, reading aloud, rewriting for readability and eliminating the haircuts. It became an obsession of consulting style guidelines and publishing requirements, of writing proposals and query letters to editors. All the time we kept watching our life-expectancy time clocks.

We finally finished and were at last in print. Enthusiastic readers have been enjoying Iron Jaw: A Skipper Tells His Story ever since. Why, it even has been listed by amazon.com on its British, French, Finnish and Japanese websites!

There is nothing like the satisfaction of completing a difficult task and relishing the appreciation of others. For me, however, the greatest reward was coming to know my father in ways I never had before. As a child I hardly ever saw him. He was always at sea, and I grew up with a truncated model of fatherhood. In the process of editing his words I discovered my unknown parent. I came to honor him as a person, talents and foibles and all.

Thirty-six years have passed since his death, and I am better acquainted with him now than when he was alive. I can comprehend what drove him, why he and my mother often argued, how he became a leader of men and a professional man of the sea. I also have a greater appreciation for my mother and what she had to cope with. At the same time, I have engaged in a closer personal relationship with my brother and, perhaps best for my soul's health, I have a keener understanding of where I came from and what makes me who I am.

It seems clear to me that it is never too late to get better acquainted with our families, both living and departed, and with the written records that have been left to us. Learning about our forbears and where we fit in the picture speaks powerfully about the Bible as the spiritual story of us all. Better knowing and honoring our parents also helps us to enjoy the ongoing celebration of the communion of saints as a vibrant creedal reality.

The Lord is glorious in his word and in his saints.

Come, let us adore him.