The most exercise the majority of 75-year-old American men get is lifting themselves out of the easy chair and walking into the kitchen for a meal. Many consider themselves fortunate if they get in a weekly round of golf with a cart. Not many are found playing competitive basketball at the Olympics level—Senior Olympics, that is. That is exactly what Richard "Dick" Lane does. “To keep moving,” and for fun, Dick plays basketball two or three times a week with various senior groups in Metropolitan Detroit, Ann Arbor, and most recently, Toledo, Ohio.
Dick, a member of the Metropolitan Church in Northville Township, Michigan, is a retired hospital administrator. He has competed for seven years and has received numerous medals for his efforts. Spring 2005 found Dick and “The Oldies But Goodies” Toledo team placing fifth in the most recent national games in Pittsburgh. (To get into the national games, a team has to qualify by coming in first or second at the state level in their age category.) A semi-final, triple-overtime, one-point loss kept them from medal competition. Therefore, Dick and his teammates have to wait until next year.
Dick’s involvement in the Senior Olympics affords him great exercise, camaraderie, friendship, health, and just plain fun—but more than all of this, Dick uses his playing as a witnessing tool. Via e-mail and snail mail, Dick communicates his basketball exploits to over 200 family members, friends, and former Air Force buddies, many of whom do not share his Adventist beliefs. He credits his Lord and Saviour with blessing him with a great life; his wife, Lorraine, who provides him with wonderful vegetarian cuisine; and the Adventist health message that stresses the importance of exercise for good health.
In his latest e-mail message, Dick stated, “I have lived beyond my alloted three score and ten. … I am shooting for 120 years of life unless (and hopefully) the Lord returns to claim His own. When you read Genesis 6 in the Bible … men had been living 700–900 years, but the Lord looked around [and] saw wickedness, violence, and the imagination of men’s hearts and minds were evil only and continually. This was just before the flood (sounds like today), so He reduced man’s mortal [existence] to 120 years. Today men and women are not living that long... I am so thankful for every day of life. … As we look at the condition of this earth and review Bible prophecy, truly our days are dwindling down to a precious few!... One of my favorite authors wrote, ‘Search the Scriptures for they are the voice of God speaking to the soul.’ After reading the Bible through a number of times, I can only say with surety that God’s Word is perfect, powerful, permanent … and precious.”
What an action-filled way to share one’s faith and trust in God. Dick may wear medals for his winning ways on the basketball court, but more importantly, he looks forward to a heavenly crown that will shine with numerous stars, representing many individuals he led to the truth.
Joy Hyde is the Metropolitan Church correspondent.
