Pastor Steve’s Blog April 7, 2019 I read an online column this week by Paul J. Batura, vice president of communications at Focus on the Family and the author of “GOOD DAY! The Paul Harvey Story.” The online column asked the question “Whatever Happened to Howard Johnson’s?” In his column he shares about his childhood vacations and road trips with his family and stopping at the orange roof restaurants and hotels along their way. I can also remember our family vacations back in the 1960’s and stopping at the place with the orange roof quite a few times ourselves. I liked their ice cream. Nostalgia can be a great thing and can bring back some wonderful memories. But as great as they are, they are in the past, and not the present. Go looking for a Howard Johnson’s orange roof restaurant today and you only find them in your memory. As great as our past experiences have been with God as individuals and as a church, we can’t let ourselves be caught in nostalgia-only mode. Our relationship with God needs to exist within the current realities of our lives and circumstances. That’s the only way for us to move forward and be used of God. But it doesn’t mean we don’t treasure and honor our past, but we need to live in the present. God said His name was “I AM.” God is always in the present, not the past nor the future, and so should we also be. With that said, let me share a little bit of his online column with you so that you, too, can share in the nostalgia of decades gone by and smile with that memory. “If you’re over the age of 35, the sight of the orange roof and copper steel cupola weathervane were at one time synonymous symbols of either the great American road trip or a special family meal – or both. With over 1,000 dining establishments in North America in the 1960s and 1970s, Howard Johnson’s was, for several decades, the largest restaurant chain in the United States. Established in 1925 as a small pharmacy by Massachusetts native Howard Deering Johnson, the enterprising Quincy resident quickly expanded his efforts to selling ice cream, hot dogs and soda at area beaches. The enterprise was a success. He perfected his ice cream recipe by increasing the butterfat content and soon distinguished himself from the competition by offering 28 flavors, a remarkable selling point in an era of few choices. His first restaurant featured classic New England fare that would become fan favorites – especially fried clams, hot dogs, baked beans and a hearty line of desserts, including sherbet and pie. World War II not only slowed Johnson’s expansion but actually threatened to shutter the business altogether. But with the peace in 1945 came renewed prosperity. In 1954, he opened his first motor lodge in Savannah, Georgia. The advent of the Interstate Highway System later in the decade only fueled the company’s growth. By the late 1970s, there were over 500 motels scattered all throughout the country, many of which had his accompanying restaurants next door. I’ve had the great pleasure and privilege of staying in a few magnificent hotel properties as an adult, but in my mind and memory, as silly as it sounds, Howard Johnson’s was six stars on a five star scale. Maybe it was the air-conditioning, a total luxury for a kid who learned to accept as normal the humid, sweltering summer heat of New York. Or was it the pool that each motel had in its courtyard, often with a slide and diving board? It’s funny how childhood experiences often inform adult habits, for good or bad. To this day, one of the great joys of my life is an early evening swim followed by dinner with my family. I realize now that’s because that was our family’s tradition as a kid – and supper at Howard Johnson’s always seemed the perfect ending to a perfect summer’s day. My choice was always the same – the “Daily Double” – two hot dogs in toasted butter buns, slipped inside cardboard sleeves, accompanied by a side order of crinkly, crisp French fries. In planning this year’s vacation, I was saddened to see that all the Howard Johnson’s we stayed at in the area are gone now – either taken over by new owners or demolished altogether. The restaurants have been out of business for years. As I plotted and searched properties online, though, I realized that I wasn’t really searching for Howard Johnson’s. I was searching for my childhood. I was reaching for that which has faded into memory, for a time when my greatest cares were hot dogs and swimming pools.”