Remembering Wayne Oates calls forth for me thoughts on a "theology of adventure." Wayne was a man who loved to explore and discover, a theme with which I connected immediately as a young student at Southern Seminary in the early 1980's. His intimate frontiersman-like forays into the fields and forests of himself, others, and the God he passionately loved made reading or hearing him not only fascinating, but fun as well.

One of my treasured memories that continues to live is an archetypal handwritten letter of encouragement I received from him several years ago in response to a journal article I had written. Upon reading the return address, I paused for an initial moment of anxiety, remembering an Oatesian line that went something like, "Sin can be forgiven, but I'm not so sure about stupidity." I wondered if he had seen the article and hoped for encouragement; to this day I am still encouraged. Aren't we all, as we continue to remember...

My grief over Wayne's funeral was compounded by my inability to attend. Ironically, I found myself returning late from teaching a New York City extension course on "The Psychology and Theology of Family Relationships" only to discover that he had died the night before I flew out of Louisville and that his funeral was later on the day I returned. Part of my grieving included carrying with me a number of Tom Chapman's A Practical Handbook for Ministry from the Writings of Wayne E. Oates to NYC the following week. Some might call it proselytizing. I choose to call it "sowing wild Oates!"