Posted: 3/29/04
CYBERCOLUMN:
On trading places with Vanna White
By Brett Younger
Sometimes the pastoral calling requires serious soul-searching. During those dark nights of the soul, ministers should think about Vanna White.
Do you remember when Vanna switched from turning the letters to touching a switch? The headline in our local paper was an attention grabber: ”Vanna will be pushing some buttons.”
| Brett Younger |
The story out of Culver City, Calif., explained, “Vanna White’s job as the renowned letter-turner on TV’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’ just got a little easier.” Producer Harry Friedman (who should have been commended for his willingness to make what I thought would be a controversial decision) said: “It’s true that Vanna will no longer turn letters. Instead, she will turn them on.” The new puzzle board allowed White to touch a switch to display correct letters picked by contestants.
The pastoral counselor in me wondered whether this was a sign that years of letter turning aged Vanna before her time. At one point the then-40-year-old White reported, “The new puzzle board was designed especially for me.” Concerned viewers watched carefully to see if Vanna was physically less capable of turning letters that twisted so effortlessly 10 years before.
Cynics wondered about the statement that Vanna’s job “just got a little easier” and asked, “How could Vanna’s job get any easier?”
Intelligent people asked, “Is ‘Wheel of Fortune’ still on?” Even more intelligent people asked, “What’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’?”
For me, the most striking quote (among many) was from the ebullient letter-turner-turned-button-pusher, Vanna herself: “I’ve always felt that I have the most fun job on television. Now, it’s going to be even better.” Like other contemplative ministers, I immediately began comparing my job with hers. Would I trade jobs with Vanna White?
When I am in a ministerial quandary, I often ponder the hidden truths to be found in “Wheel of Fortune” (which is, after all, a game based on hidden truths).
A minister’s job and Vanna’s job are quite similar. We both get to dress up in glamorous outfits. She works with words; ministers work with words. Most of our problems seem hard at first, but things usually work out eventually. We both work with nice people. (Wouldn’t Pat Sajak make a great deacon?)
This is not meant to minimize the differences between our professions. Vanna wears each outfit once; ministers often wear the same outfit each Sunday. Unlike the contestants on the show, preachers are not paid by the word—though some preach as if they are. On “Wheel of Fortune,” there is only one big winner. In the church, everyone gets all the grace there is.
One of the biggest differences is that turning on letters seems (and I mean no disrespect) somewhat limiting. Most jobs, even ones as fascinating as Vanna’s, tend to narrow one’s perspective. Some jobs make the lives of those who fill them seem smaller until they start believing that touching a switch rather than turning a letter is a major life change. Solving the puzzles becomes more important than asking the big questions.
Ministers are fortunate to deal with big questions. When I was at seminary, I had friends who had given up on the institutional church. They were willing to consider any religious job that wasn’t church-related, because they were afraid of the constraints of pastoral ministry. None of them stuck around long enough to know the joy of serving with a genuine church.
The best congregations, far from constraining any thinking their ministers might do, act as catalysts to help us think in broader terms. If we’re fortunate and paying attention, we will see that we are surrounded by people who ask the big questions: How does Christianity relate to other world religions? What does it mean to be as truly inclusive as Jesus was? How can a church go beyond what is expected? How do we avoid getting caught up in trivialities? How should we spend our lives?
A crucial question for most people is, “Does my job lead me to hear only small questions or deal with the big picture?” By that criteria, ministers have a wonderful job. Vanna should be so lucky.
Brett Younger is pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. This is an excerpt from “Who Moved My Pulpit? A Hysterical Look at the Ministerial Life,” available in April from Smyth & Helwys Publishing.
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