Tim’s Blog, September 2023
Do you know about “High, Low, Buffalo?” It’s a way for a family to give up data on their day. “What was your high, low, buffalo today, Jerome or Hortense, or you there?” And around the table every person tells about three aspects/events of their day—good, bad and unexpected.
I suspect this was part of the training program Jesus had for his disciples. At the end of each day He and the 12 would sit around the campfire, and he would ask them to take turns telling the group their high, low, buffalo for the day. Like any group of only partially civilized men, the disciples were very competitively trying to out-do their fellow team members with the highest, lowest, and most impressive unusual event (buffalo).
Picture the scene: They, all 13, seated on the ground, passing around the hard tack and hummus, goat cheese and red wine, all imagining furiously what to say when their time came to report high, low, buffalo. What would impress the Lord about a certain disciple’s insight into the events of the day? Of course, the one for pulling out the stops would be “buffalo”—something special, life-altering, showing the insight gained by this ordinarily dense disciple.
They knew that in the folds of his robe, Jesus had a little red leather-bound notebook. It would only come out during “high, low, buffalo.” Yes, there was a record of what was said. If Jesus had published it, He was going to call it “Campfire Vignettes by Incredibly Ordinary Humans.” It did get published, but they changed the name to “The New Testament.” Yes, I don’t get it either. But, we move on.
Jesus was careful to pick out the order of the disciples’ reporting every night, because they pretty much all saw the same thing every day. It is true a couple of them would doze off and miss something good, like when Jesus sent some demons into a passel of pigs. That evening at campfire when this “buffalo” was reported by Bartholomew, Peter and James checked on their wine (apparently they had dozed off that day). And when Jarius’ dead daughter rose up just as Andrew was returning from the privy, he fainted when she said, “Hi!”
There was a lot of smirking among the brothers after supper because clearly some had done a better job than others reporting and seeing pretty much the same event. Some of the group every once in a while took the desire to be best down the road too far. Every once in a while, a flying donkey showed up, and James was famous for the time he reported the Holy Spirit appearing in a dance routine with a chorus of angels.
These disciples didn’t challenge the prevaricators very much, because some pretty spectacular sights had been seen, and Jesus let it go, because he found the boys could be very entertaining at times. Many a late night he and his Father would go through the red notebook and share a good laugh—meant with love—but a laugh nonetheless. After all, one of the Creator’s greatest gifts is laughter. We need it. So often it is even healing.
Albert Schweitzer was one of Jesus’ best friends—I understand they have lunch regularly in eternity. One of the Lord’s favorite quotes of Albert’s is as follows: “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Well said, Albert—even more so because that is how we know you lived your life.
Now I’m going to put this together with our being CHURCH. We all need to be rekindled at times, restored to our best selves. This is not a “do-it-yourself” project. The church exists to love, forgive, heal, inspire and BE TOGETHER. If there was a campfire every night, and we all shared our “high, low, buffalo,” we would hear all kinds of amazing things from those in our circle. Not all nice things, I admit—some anger, lots of pain and fear, more than a little disappointment and regret. But also copious amounts of joy and wonder—and gratitude—gratitude for loved ones, friends, strangers who sometimes step up to help for no good reason, but just to help, and, of course, gratitude to GOD. Most of the most beautiful and glorious things in life come, and we can’t figure out why—and the only possible answer is GOD!
So often those buffalo moments are so great, or simple but make such a difference, there is nothing to say. Just tell the story. That story may be just what someone nearby needs. It goes in the red leather notebook. And you know who smiles.
I may never be in that notebook, but I think our church may be. A church around the campfire, listening to one another, praying for those who have suffered a great loss, hearing clearly words of those who don’t know what to do, because they have lost the light.
We are a church, and that means we are here to give anyone who is in need some of what we have—always and forever.
So guys—around the supper table, let’s hear your “highs, lows, and buffalos” for this day.
God bless you all,
Tim
