What Clint Eastwood Taught Me About Getting Older - And About Living the Christian Life

Clint Eastwood just turned 86. I still see him young and handsome as Harry Callahan in 1971, with that sharky smile as he looked over the barrel of his .45 – “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”

Eastwood is more than the iconic Dirty Harry, of course. He is a producer, Oscar winning director, musician, and businessman. At 86 he is weathered and lined, but certainly not at all a frail old man. He could still whisper ominously, "Go ahead, make my day!” and be believable. Especially accompanied by his old friends, Smith and Wesson.

So how does he continue to engage life at such a high level? When asked that question, Eastwood tells a story about a friend of his who was, at the time, 95 years of age and going strong. Clint asked him his secret, and his friend said,“I never let the old man in.”

For Clint that means banishing the idea that “your life is finished, you’re too old, all you’ve got is nostalgia.” So he keeps producing and directing movies, and writing music. Living life.

Why I Love Being a Christian

I just watched part of Tim Keller’s DVD series, The Reason for God, based on his book. He sat down with six people who have objections to the Christian faith, to dialogue with them. The session was unscripted, insightful and fascinating.

The best moment for me was when one of the skeptics asked Dr. Keller if he was open to the possibility he might be wrong about Christianity. He responded that he has two basic reasons for his faith: rational and existential. He said that though he was confident in the rational arguments, it was possible they might be shaken. But for him the existential reasons– his experiences of the presence and power of God over the years since he has been a Christian – were unassailable.

Our experiences need to be rooted in the truth of Scripture. But Keller is right – obeying the gospel truth leads us into life experiences that are powerful and unassailably wonderful. To tell an unbeliever about these is like trying to describe a sunset to someone born without sight.

Still, Dr. Keller’s video made me want to write down some of the “experiences” that make me love being a Christian. This post is longer than I prefer, even though I tried for just the highlights. There’s so much I love about being a Christian!

• Experiences of forgiveness and cleansing. I have come to know what the Scriptures say: Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Psalm 32:1). Can there be anything more wonderful than knowing your sins – past, present, and future – have been forgiven by Almighty God!