GOD IS AT HOWIE
IN OUR
HOUSE
The popular television personality
about "the realest member of his fa
3y BUD COLLYfER as fold to ji CoWf
Between emceeing the popular television shows,
"Beat the Clock" and "To Tell the Truth" Clayton
"Bud" Collyer finds time to act as superintendent
o Sunday school at the First Presbyterian ChurSh
in Greenwich, Conn. Bud started out to be an at
torney, but the acting success of his sister, June
Collyer, and his mother, Caroline Collyer, drew
him into the entertainment world. This year Re
celebrates his 50th birthday and his silrer jubfee
in show business.
From the time our children were very satdSL,
they knew that there was Someody Else ita tnr
family. They couldn't see Him. They couldn't tarn
His hand. They learned early that when tfaey sjutfte
to Him. He had His own ways of answering.
But as they grew older, we helped fham nat&at
stand that His answers brought them tfntenbwent.
Knowing that He was genuinely iMtwestefl in aS
they did quickened their own iwfcerests. ?ir
warmth of having Him near gave tbem strOngfik.
To help our children enjoy a riear ftitfS df
ligion than you get by taking God r fhe SaAjtetft
only and bottling Him up for the rest tff Sie wesk.
we talked naturally with them about (heir Maker
till He became part of everythirtg fcej thought,
said, did, and ate not one day a wejuft Rut seven.
Soon God became as familiar and welcome at
our house as anybody's "Uncle Joe." 'ffrffrout dis
respect, the children felt they CL-oaM fcnus Sua
flreu prafaioms or just let Hn knew how things
were gomg fceeaase they liked Him.
Talking with God was the form that prayer took
art rtwr Coilyers. We never asked a child, "Did you
say your prayers?" We always said, "Did you talk
to God?" We never heard their prayers, either.
Instead, we a& talked to God together.
f this day, sih- children and Pat, Cynthia, and
Micbeei are now pretty much grown-up think of
God as "the reatest" member of our family, who
ought to be in en everything, and is. For them, re
ttgnn has become the fresh and healthy way of
life that real religion should be.
The.re is only one way to make God a member
of your family. You have to ask Him in.
In my esse it took no special effort to ask God
in because teng before I had a family, my feelings
absut God wore intensely personal. He was never .
just a name to me, a remote power beyond the
stars-. Ha was real-, near at hand, part of my daily
H& -the biggest part Or so I thought, with the
ooag oeHfidenee of youth, till in His own way God
sfeowBSl m trow much He cared,
1 was 17 years old at the time, a high-school
seahrr about to take a final history examination
that ras vital to my getting into college. As I put
my books m my locker, I asked God to help me
m to pass fhe examination but just to keep my
4ts about me. not to panic. He must have heard
ma, t drought bitterly when I saw the questions.
Bud bos taught all his children,
Cynthia (left), Pat, and Michael,
to make God a daily companion.
for while I could answer the first two, I didn't
know beans about the last four- but I didn't panic
At the end of the halfway period, still stumped,
i decided to go back and at least polish the two
answers I knew. As I worked to improve the sec
' end one, I suddenly saw a clue to the third. Then,
with an eerie feeling, I found in the third a clue to
the fourth, and so on down the line.
Afterward a classmate remarked what a tough
examination it was and asked how I had fared.
With a shaky laugh, I started to say, "Well, by a
lucky hunch . . ." Then it hit me. As soon as I
found privacy, I went down on my knees.
"I'm sorry, God," I told Him. "What else can I
say? You gave me the help I asked for. You spoke
to me in Your own way. And just because You
didn't do it with angels or in a burning bush, but
instead worked through my own mind, I almost
failed to see it."
With his help. I have not failed since. In 25
years of show business, I have talked inti
mately with God in my dressing room every time
I went on to play "Superman" or to emcee quiz
programs like "Beat the Clock" and "To Tell the
Truth." I have confided to Him my hopes for the
show, and He, in turn, has not failed me. I might
add that I never leave the studio without making
rt a point to thank Him sincerely on my knees.
My wife Marian and I share the view that God
has His place in business, too, so we take Him with
us to contract negotiations and such. We feel that
He not only knows more about everything, but
His kind and loving Fatherhood of us all helps do
away with friction.
Do I ever have doubts? Thanks to the God who
is always "at home" in our house, I can honestly
say, "Never." Nor has Marian. Jfor have the chil
dren. We believe with all our hearts that the fam
ily which approaches God in the way I've been
talking about as a family insures itself against
doubts and fears.
Let me sum up:
1. If you make God a very real member of your
family by inviting Him in daily,
2. If you make Him part of every single thing you
do during every waking hour,
3. If in your prayers you talk to God as if He were
right there with you (for He is),
4. If in every situation you apply God's opinion
before your own by asking Him what He wants
you to do yon can't lose.
You will find that your whole life will be differ
ent Everything you do will be more meaningful.
Your joys will be more thrilling, your fun keener.
Your contentment will last Your grief will be
easier to bear.
Don't take my word for it See Matthew 6:33:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His
righteousness: and all these things shall be added
unto you."
COVER.:
The lovely and talented Bartfea?' t&ttts oStf
the focal point for Ernest Gcng's lwt&
photo. Ann and Mary of Lebanon. Fa., &afg!
taken to the ice as naturally ducks to
water. Read "Ttoins with Talent" (page 8).
IEONARO S. DAVIDOW' Wfrt and PkUMrr
WALTER' C DREYFUS Via President
TATRICK E OtOURKE AdrrrtUi,, Director
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