Just Like Looking in a Mirror

I have mentioned previously that I sometimes feel a bit… out of the mainstream. I was going to say “like an oddball”, but you know what? I’m not taking the rap for it. Maybe the mainstream are the oddballs.

In any case, it was refreshing to turn on the TV this fall and see someone that (at least in some respects) reminds me of me. I don’t know if that’s happened much since the premiere of Mad About You, which for awhile had us searching for the hidden cameras in our apartment.

My new role model/separated at birth twin is Rod Calloway, the First Gentleman played by Kyle Secor on Commander-in-Chief. I’m not going to claim “identical” twin, although if someone else wants to make the tall-dark-&-handsome comparison, I’m not going to interrupt. My identification with Rod (aside from his love of baseball) is more functional.

The First Gentleman, of course, is the husband of Mackenzie Calloway, the nation’s first female president. Rod is himself very able politically and often gives Mac advice on the big issues she faces (by the way, who watching this show or West Wing would ever want to be president? That job is just way too hard for a mortal).

I am, of course, the spouse of a pastor, and I feel that like the First Gentleman I’m often in a unique (and somewhat tightrope-like) position. I have a lifetime invested in the church, just as my wife does… with resulting ideas and opinions I’m always prepared to share.

Here’s the First Gentleman tightrope: I can have ideas, but I always have to be careful not to undercut her or make it look publicly like I’m the real power behind the throne. I can share opinions with others, but I have to make it clear that I’m not speaking for her, unless specifically authorized.

More than anything else, I think the common ground is this: I can do a lot of things behind the scenes, so to speak, to support her and make her ministry more successful. But it’s pretty astonishing how easily I can undermine her ministry. If I do something stupid, I can embarrass her and weaken her effectiveness. In fact, I can make her look bad in many more ways than I can make her look good. Maybe I’m inflating my importance, but how many professions do you know of where someone can have so much effect on how their spouse is perceived?

Apparently I'm to be denied this opportunity for video mentoring, as my local ABC affiliate has curiously stopped carrying the show. Otherwise I'd be watching Rod Calloway like a hawk, hoping to pick up some tips that will help me “do my job” better.