February 28, 2014
Technically, if you ask the insurance company actuaries, today is my 85th birthday. Don't you worry if you missed sending me a birthday card. My actual birthday is not until the 28th of August, but since the February date represents six months past the actual date of an insured's birth, they declare you to be the age you will become on your next anniversary. Don't worry, it's just their way of increasing your "investment". And don't worry if you think it is unfair; it is just the way it is. Life moves on....
Well, you could say that I received a birthday present, early, yesterday. I watched our President on TV announcing another new program, but don't fret, it won't cost you a dime. As a matter of fact, in my opinion, it could - possibly, save you some money, in the form of tax dollars you might not be spending.
This new program, entitled "My Brother's Keeper" is based on the President's realization that he suffered through many of the same obstacles facing far too many of our young "black" brothers. In my words, they face an identity crisis and it has become a fact of life in too many homes in America.
Yes, I know, I faced similar struggles when I was young, but I was not black, but white, and tho people who could help me were generous in their contributions. There was seldom any reluctance on their part. Then, I learned about such problems while I was in the Air Force and because of my job as a Personnel technician on our base in Japan, I was instructed to help with the integration of blacks into the routines of what had been, an all white organization.
At first, I was rather apprehensive; in fact, a Master Sergeant who out ranked me in our offices assured me that integration would never work. Well, it did work, thanks to the quality of black airmen assigned to our base. They were - as a matter of fact, some of the finest men I have ever worked with. Three of them would become my life long friends. Remember now, I was a white boy raised in an all-white farm community in Michigan. I had never seen a black person up close until those men came into my life.
Then, I chose to attend college at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA in 1953. It was not long before the Supreme Court ruled on the Brown vs. Board of Education case, granting blacks the right to attend schools that had previously rejected blacks. Working, part time, in a local department store, I was shocked to hear the responses of my all white co-workers on the day that decision was announced.
Had I not been recently married and was intent of earning a college degree, I would have been ready to join my brothers and sisters in the struggle to gain their dignity in the Southern states. As it was, I made a decision that I would never cease to promote racial equality, wherever, whenever, and I am proud to say I have never reneged on that vow.
The fact that we have a black couple as leaders in a nation that came together agreeing to the premise that all peoples are created equal in the site of God, it should be obvious that we should all agree that this thought be uppermost in our thoughts and intentions. Unfortunately, it is not.
Therefore, our President has acted on our behalf. He has not asked us to join with him, financially, as he asked many of our nation's leading organizations and employers to do, but if we are agreed that - in spite of our often publicized differences, we need to right the wrongs experienced by too many blacks, then this is our opportunity to help. That is my prayer that we will do so without even a murmur of discontent. We have had more than enough of political wrangling in recent years.
As I learned so many years ago, thanks to a high school Commercial teacher who assumed he could teach me to type by having us repeat the following, over and over and over again - "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of our country," I think these words say what needs to be said.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
February 27, 2014
Yesterday, I talked about Tom Friedman's article in the NY Times and based on the response I received, not many of you were that interested. Hate to realize that as the column was meant to alert friends to the realities of the world in which we live. Remember folks, it is our responsibility.
I had the same thoughts as I read Albert Mohler's response to the times in which we live in an address to the Mormon church. Oh, if only I could discover what prompted this relationship. For those who do not know who Reverend Mohler is, he currently is the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, located in Louisville, KY. As such, he speaks for the overwhelming number of Southern Baptists in our nation and more importantly, our Baptist friends and neighbors.
He starts his speech with these intriguing words, "I come as one who does not share your theology."
I do not care to demean the man, but it seems to me, the fact that our "theology" is divided should not be laid at the feet of others as he reveals - at least to me, that they have - perhaps, intentionally, divided the body of Christ, as it is, here today. He warns the Mormons that "we had better talk with candor and
urgency.
Then he drags out old Karl Marx who is reported to have said, "...the modern age would sweep all conventional morality and political structures aside in a complete transformation of values." If we have studied history, most of us realize that Marx died and was buried and most of this thoughts about the future were interred along with his body.
Based on his reference to Marx, he recalls Aleksandr Solzhenisyn, a more renowned Russian, who reminded us that, "Men have forgotten God." Actually, even that is little more than a half truth as women have also forgotten God, and because men and women form families, children and grand children have forgotten God.
I grew up in a family where my grandfather and grandmother knew God and lived out their lives in such a belief. From my earliest days, we attended church and there were various Pastors who would come to serve our country church, but it was not the person of a Pastor, but the words of the Bible they heard in his messages that inspired them to live out their lives. It was their example that instilled in me a belief in God. When I left their home to join the military, I kept right on attending chapel, but now I might be listening to men who may have opened their Bibles, but the words in their sermons often led me to explore thoughts that later I would learn, were not inspired by the Bible. And in the decades that followed, I would discover that more often than not, I would be listening to personal opinions rather than the eternal truths found in the Bible.
Then. Dr. Mohler turns to his belief that there are the elites who are more "classically secularized" and lays the blame for our short comings on plans developed for European ears and the ages old cliche, the American Universities.
Nothing troubles me more than such accusations. As a University graduate myself and as one who has earned my living as a personnel recruiter, I have interviewed thousands of university graduates in my life and the numbers of those who have been corrupted by liberalism has been insignificant.
On the other hand, I have also interviewed hundreds upon hundreds of "street" people who have told me of the "divisions" in their lives that were primarily caused by a church that dictated their life styles
and demanded allegiance to the words being "parroted" by their families. Sadly, so that many could not return home in a manner such as the Bible teaches in the parable of the prodigal Son, but continue living, never knowing of the lesson in love that is the foundation of that parable.
It wasn't long before he turned to the 50 million American babies aborted since the passage of Roe vs. Wade in 1973. No one grieves more for the enormity of this tragedy than I do as I near my 85th birth date, but I have yet to see an analysis of this problem that reveals that the huge majority of the abortions involved young people who now realize they have made an enormous mistake. That fact is that the overwhelming numbers of these young women have never heard what the Bible actually says about - loving one another as a lifestyle. I could spend hours debating the fact that "Roe v. Wade" is not the cause for blame, but another example of the failure of the Church to teach their followers the whole truth to be learned by STUDYING the Bible, taught by those who have EXPERIENCED the truths to be discovered.
We should not be surprised to learn that Dr. Mohler would turn his attention to the faults of the United Nations. Obviously, he has never studied the differences between those nations who represent people who have experienced the freedoms enjoyed by the more prosperous and those that are led by leaders whose appetites for personal prestige and rewards far exceed any interest in the dignity of the general population. But then, he obviously stands among the elites of the nations whose only real concerns for the disadvantages of others is their labor while extracting their resources.
I could go and on and on concerning this speech, but that would be wasting your time and mine. If I had the opportunity, I would love to walk through the Bible with Dr. Mohler, from the days of Joshua to what we know as the New testament and show him how he has misinterpreted the words of God, as expressed by those called by His name.
And I leave you with this apology I will offer to Dr. Mohler for not saying what I really would like to say to him as I believe he is one of those leading us to the future he fears.
Yesterday, I talked about Tom Friedman's article in the NY Times and based on the response I received, not many of you were that interested. Hate to realize that as the column was meant to alert friends to the realities of the world in which we live. Remember folks, it is our responsibility.
I had the same thoughts as I read Albert Mohler's response to the times in which we live in an address to the Mormon church. Oh, if only I could discover what prompted this relationship. For those who do not know who Reverend Mohler is, he currently is the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, located in Louisville, KY. As such, he speaks for the overwhelming number of Southern Baptists in our nation and more importantly, our Baptist friends and neighbors.
He starts his speech with these intriguing words, "I come as one who does not share your theology."
I do not care to demean the man, but it seems to me, the fact that our "theology" is divided should not be laid at the feet of others as he reveals - at least to me, that they have - perhaps, intentionally, divided the body of Christ, as it is, here today. He warns the Mormons that "we had better talk with candor and
urgency.
Then he drags out old Karl Marx who is reported to have said, "...the modern age would sweep all conventional morality and political structures aside in a complete transformation of values." If we have studied history, most of us realize that Marx died and was buried and most of this thoughts about the future were interred along with his body.
Based on his reference to Marx, he recalls Aleksandr Solzhenisyn, a more renowned Russian, who reminded us that, "Men have forgotten God." Actually, even that is little more than a half truth as women have also forgotten God, and because men and women form families, children and grand children have forgotten God.
I grew up in a family where my grandfather and grandmother knew God and lived out their lives in such a belief. From my earliest days, we attended church and there were various Pastors who would come to serve our country church, but it was not the person of a Pastor, but the words of the Bible they heard in his messages that inspired them to live out their lives. It was their example that instilled in me a belief in God. When I left their home to join the military, I kept right on attending chapel, but now I might be listening to men who may have opened their Bibles, but the words in their sermons often led me to explore thoughts that later I would learn, were not inspired by the Bible. And in the decades that followed, I would discover that more often than not, I would be listening to personal opinions rather than the eternal truths found in the Bible.
Then. Dr. Mohler turns to his belief that there are the elites who are more "classically secularized" and lays the blame for our short comings on plans developed for European ears and the ages old cliche, the American Universities.
Nothing troubles me more than such accusations. As a University graduate myself and as one who has earned my living as a personnel recruiter, I have interviewed thousands of university graduates in my life and the numbers of those who have been corrupted by liberalism has been insignificant.
On the other hand, I have also interviewed hundreds upon hundreds of "street" people who have told me of the "divisions" in their lives that were primarily caused by a church that dictated their life styles
and demanded allegiance to the words being "parroted" by their families. Sadly, so that many could not return home in a manner such as the Bible teaches in the parable of the prodigal Son, but continue living, never knowing of the lesson in love that is the foundation of that parable.
It wasn't long before he turned to the 50 million American babies aborted since the passage of Roe vs. Wade in 1973. No one grieves more for the enormity of this tragedy than I do as I near my 85th birth date, but I have yet to see an analysis of this problem that reveals that the huge majority of the abortions involved young people who now realize they have made an enormous mistake. That fact is that the overwhelming numbers of these young women have never heard what the Bible actually says about - loving one another as a lifestyle. I could spend hours debating the fact that "Roe v. Wade" is not the cause for blame, but another example of the failure of the Church to teach their followers the whole truth to be learned by STUDYING the Bible, taught by those who have EXPERIENCED the truths to be discovered.
We should not be surprised to learn that Dr. Mohler would turn his attention to the faults of the United Nations. Obviously, he has never studied the differences between those nations who represent people who have experienced the freedoms enjoyed by the more prosperous and those that are led by leaders whose appetites for personal prestige and rewards far exceed any interest in the dignity of the general population. But then, he obviously stands among the elites of the nations whose only real concerns for the disadvantages of others is their labor while extracting their resources.
I could go and on and on concerning this speech, but that would be wasting your time and mine. If I had the opportunity, I would love to walk through the Bible with Dr. Mohler, from the days of Joshua to what we know as the New testament and show him how he has misinterpreted the words of God, as expressed by those called by His name.
And I leave you with this apology I will offer to Dr. Mohler for not saying what I really would like to say to him as I believe he is one of those leading us to the future he fears.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Let's look at the world in which we live, seriously
February 26, 2014
If you were here yesterday and noticed the date, you might be confused by the date I am using today. Actually, today is the 26th. You can chalk up my error yesterday to the fact, I am new at this, very new. But as you are about to see, I am still intent on offering my opinions, based on what I have learned over my eighty plus years.
The most obvious lesson is the fact that I am slow at realizing I left the "bold" key on.
Today, I had the choice on two important articles that came through my computer today. One was another lecture from a man who really troubles me, Albert Mohler. If you don't know of him, I would have to say, you are blessed - but I will get back to his thoughts. My choice today is an article appearing in the New York Times, today. Yes, I know, you may not like the New York Times and especially, Thomas Friedman. Well, I happen to like both; one, because the Times covers most of the real news - daily, and provides space for Friedman who seems to understand the times in which we live, better than the rest of the self-proclaimed arbiters.
Today, Friedman is quoting Professor of Foreign Policy at John Hopkins University, Michael Mandelbaum: "The biggest geopolitical divide in the world today is between those countries who want their States to be powerful and those countries who want their people to be prosperous."
The first are those States like Russia, Iran and North Korea and because they have the resources to drive their desires, oil and nuclear power, they can trade for the materials they do not have in abundance. The others are like those in Nafta, the European Union, the Mercosur trade bloc in Latin America and Asean in Asia. I stop here as its my opinion that most of us have little real knowledge of Nafta, the Mercosur trade bloc, nor Asean.
I scan lots of newspapers, watch a lot of the media outlets, both of them busy trying to convince the public that that they are on top of the trending developments in our world and most of us fail to realize we are merely hearing what others want us to hear - or, worse, the "news" that captures our attention.
Today, it's whether or not the Governor of Arizona will veto the "anti-gay" legislation on her desk. That tells me we would much prefer to see whose religious beliefs will be sustained by the fact she signs the bill or ends its effort to extend bigotry to Main street, USA.
Tomorrow, and most of the days for the time being, it will be to see which political party's chances will be improved in November by the numbers of "suits" facing the news cameras.
It's my prayer that things will not change significantly, because that keeps us busy and we tend to forget there are much more important issues in which we all ought to have our minds focused. All of that takes me back half a century while helping to elect Herman Talmadge to become Senator from the "great State" of Georgia. I was young then, very young, and had a mind that absorbed everything I heard, regardless of its source or credibility. Herman kept reminding us that people vote with their hearts and seldom do they use their minds to determine a political favorite. Well, to tell you the whole truth, I am being kind to Herman as some of the things he attempted to teach us were not fit for print. It was a good lesson for me to learn as most of the politicians I have known over the years were not that far removed from Herman's assessments.
That is why I referred you to Friedman's article. He goes on to discuss his thoughts of Professor Mandelbaum's conclusions and if you are really curious, you will read Friedman, today. I happen to like what he has to say, but I want to convince you that Talmadge's axiom remains valid, that people vote with their hearts and not necessarily their minds.
If that is a valid conclusion, it ought to remind us of the world in which we live and more importantly, the world in which our children and grandchildren will live.
That is how my votes will be cast. And you?
If you were here yesterday and noticed the date, you might be confused by the date I am using today. Actually, today is the 26th. You can chalk up my error yesterday to the fact, I am new at this, very new. But as you are about to see, I am still intent on offering my opinions, based on what I have learned over my eighty plus years.
The most obvious lesson is the fact that I am slow at realizing I left the "bold" key on.
Today, I had the choice on two important articles that came through my computer today. One was another lecture from a man who really troubles me, Albert Mohler. If you don't know of him, I would have to say, you are blessed - but I will get back to his thoughts. My choice today is an article appearing in the New York Times, today. Yes, I know, you may not like the New York Times and especially, Thomas Friedman. Well, I happen to like both; one, because the Times covers most of the real news - daily, and provides space for Friedman who seems to understand the times in which we live, better than the rest of the self-proclaimed arbiters.
Today, Friedman is quoting Professor of Foreign Policy at John Hopkins University, Michael Mandelbaum: "The biggest geopolitical divide in the world today is between those countries who want their States to be powerful and those countries who want their people to be prosperous."
The first are those States like Russia, Iran and North Korea and because they have the resources to drive their desires, oil and nuclear power, they can trade for the materials they do not have in abundance. The others are like those in Nafta, the European Union, the Mercosur trade bloc in Latin America and Asean in Asia. I stop here as its my opinion that most of us have little real knowledge of Nafta, the Mercosur trade bloc, nor Asean.
I scan lots of newspapers, watch a lot of the media outlets, both of them busy trying to convince the public that that they are on top of the trending developments in our world and most of us fail to realize we are merely hearing what others want us to hear - or, worse, the "news" that captures our attention.
Today, it's whether or not the Governor of Arizona will veto the "anti-gay" legislation on her desk. That tells me we would much prefer to see whose religious beliefs will be sustained by the fact she signs the bill or ends its effort to extend bigotry to Main street, USA.
Tomorrow, and most of the days for the time being, it will be to see which political party's chances will be improved in November by the numbers of "suits" facing the news cameras.
It's my prayer that things will not change significantly, because that keeps us busy and we tend to forget there are much more important issues in which we all ought to have our minds focused. All of that takes me back half a century while helping to elect Herman Talmadge to become Senator from the "great State" of Georgia. I was young then, very young, and had a mind that absorbed everything I heard, regardless of its source or credibility. Herman kept reminding us that people vote with their hearts and seldom do they use their minds to determine a political favorite. Well, to tell you the whole truth, I am being kind to Herman as some of the things he attempted to teach us were not fit for print. It was a good lesson for me to learn as most of the politicians I have known over the years were not that far removed from Herman's assessments.
That is why I referred you to Friedman's article. He goes on to discuss his thoughts of Professor Mandelbaum's conclusions and if you are really curious, you will read Friedman, today. I happen to like what he has to say, but I want to convince you that Talmadge's axiom remains valid, that people vote with their hearts and not necessarily their minds.
If that is a valid conclusion, it ought to remind us of the world in which we live and more importantly, the world in which our children and grandchildren will live.
That is how my votes will be cast. And you?
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Looking into the future
February 26, 2014
Yes, I know, I took a few days off, but I had begun to notice that I was not getting many questions about my early life - after hearing whispers for years which I thought I might help others to understand, so I am sifting gears to address those matters that concern me and hopefully add insight in the media.
I have spent the last few days watching TV and reading a number of the newspaper articles I have been accumulate, I have reached the conclusion - as a nation, as the world at large, we are going nowhere fast and it might seem, we are picking up speed.
Historians will tell you that as a nation, we seem to "live" between crises. When one occurs, we tend to put our noses to the proverbial grind stone and - as a result, we accomplish our goals and - in the process, every one seems to feel good. Then, we tend to relax and the inevitable occurs, we discover another crisis. I am not talking about the government, I am talking about you and me and our neighbors.
Now I understand, you will probably not agree with my assessment. I did not expect that you would.
It's not your fault, that is just that we existed in the century in which we were born and raised.
First, there was the aftermath of the Spanish-American war, then World War I and World War II, and Korea and Vietnam and more recently, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I came to being in the early days of World War II and bought into the need to "support of our troops" against the evil intentions of Germany and Japan and it was good that we did respond as we did.
And then we did what "good" people are supposed to do. While the rank and file of our workers were hard at work rebuilding our nation to meet future demands, while providing for their families, those in our government were active developing relationships with our former enemies.
Then, unfortunately, we decided to get involved in Vietnam for no better reason than to halt what we had perceived to be, the expansion of Communism. What a terrible, terrible mistake. You probably have not heard of such an accusation, but then you may have not attempted to discover why certain segments of our population began to demand a share of the pie that others seemed to be gloating over the fact, they were enjoying second and third helpings. I heard that up close and much too explicit terms when I attempted to join the others who were protesting that war.
Having witnessed the hypocrisy involved in too many of our decisions in Korea, I stopped marching and started studying in earnest.
Then came Osama bin Laden and eventually, 9/11. The events of Pearl Harbor would fade into the background as we realized the struggles would be more serious than anything we had known in the past.
This war would be fought with bullets and blood, but and even more destructive force would be loosed against us. We may thing we have won the war on the battle fields, but we have not won the war that will be affecting our lives for generations to come.
It is being played out on the streets where we live as we watch those who were elected - by us, to represent us, wage mock warfare with empty accusations that their opponents are deceiving us and if we do not end this mockery, our nation will fail. Nonsense! This nation will no fail until those our forefathers identified as "We, the people" give in and give up.
That is what the election of 2016 will determine. We have time to prepare.
Yes, I know, I took a few days off, but I had begun to notice that I was not getting many questions about my early life - after hearing whispers for years which I thought I might help others to understand, so I am sifting gears to address those matters that concern me and hopefully add insight in the media.
I have spent the last few days watching TV and reading a number of the newspaper articles I have been accumulate, I have reached the conclusion - as a nation, as the world at large, we are going nowhere fast and it might seem, we are picking up speed.
Historians will tell you that as a nation, we seem to "live" between crises. When one occurs, we tend to put our noses to the proverbial grind stone and - as a result, we accomplish our goals and - in the process, every one seems to feel good. Then, we tend to relax and the inevitable occurs, we discover another crisis. I am not talking about the government, I am talking about you and me and our neighbors.
Now I understand, you will probably not agree with my assessment. I did not expect that you would.
It's not your fault, that is just that we existed in the century in which we were born and raised.
First, there was the aftermath of the Spanish-American war, then World War I and World War II, and Korea and Vietnam and more recently, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I came to being in the early days of World War II and bought into the need to "support of our troops" against the evil intentions of Germany and Japan and it was good that we did respond as we did.
And then we did what "good" people are supposed to do. While the rank and file of our workers were hard at work rebuilding our nation to meet future demands, while providing for their families, those in our government were active developing relationships with our former enemies.
Then, unfortunately, we decided to get involved in Vietnam for no better reason than to halt what we had perceived to be, the expansion of Communism. What a terrible, terrible mistake. You probably have not heard of such an accusation, but then you may have not attempted to discover why certain segments of our population began to demand a share of the pie that others seemed to be gloating over the fact, they were enjoying second and third helpings. I heard that up close and much too explicit terms when I attempted to join the others who were protesting that war.
Having witnessed the hypocrisy involved in too many of our decisions in Korea, I stopped marching and started studying in earnest.
Then came Osama bin Laden and eventually, 9/11. The events of Pearl Harbor would fade into the background as we realized the struggles would be more serious than anything we had known in the past.
This war would be fought with bullets and blood, but and even more destructive force would be loosed against us. We may thing we have won the war on the battle fields, but we have not won the war that will be affecting our lives for generations to come.
It is being played out on the streets where we live as we watch those who were elected - by us, to represent us, wage mock warfare with empty accusations that their opponents are deceiving us and if we do not end this mockery, our nation will fail. Nonsense! This nation will no fail until those our forefathers identified as "We, the people" give in and give up.
That is what the election of 2016 will determine. We have time to prepare.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
"Life on the road"
February 20, 2014
If you believe that I knew where I was going, you are mistaken. I was headed North and placing myself at the mercy of anyone who would stop and offer a ride.
The first one was a pick-up loaded with tomatoes and operated by three Hispanics. It was getting dark and I was grateful for the offer. Of course they filled the cab and I was riding in the bed of the pick-up.
All went well until they broke down about an hour later. They got out cursing and one was holding a knife in his hand. ""What now, Lord?" I have no idea of their intentions and I wasn't about to stick around. "Adios" I shouted and headed on up the road. Fortunately, a truck came by and I waved him down and told them him of my previous "ride". He laughed, told me he was not authorized to pick up hitch hikers, but he would take me to the next truck stop and see if he couldn't find me a ride, heading in towards Missouri which by now I had decided would be a good place to stop and look for others.
One of my new found friend's friend told me he could take me to Springfield the next day, but he was going to sleep at the truck stop first. I was waiting outside the lunch room when a waitress came out for a smoke "break" and wondered why I was there. When she found out I was waiting on that other truck, she left and came back with a "pass" which allowed me to sleep in their bunk house. The next morning I was on my way again. In Springfield, I found a "mission" where I could eat and sleep and I not only found a paying job for the next day, the owner of the company I was working for offered me a job of cleaning up around his house over the weekend. He paid me twice as much as I had earned on his payroll and fixed up a place where I could sleep in his barn.
I went to church with his family and told them of what I was doing and they gave me their address so I could stay in touch with them and permission to call them "collect" as I went along my way.
A fellow told me there was lots of work in Kansas City, so after working on Monday, I headed up to what I thought might be a better location. So much for my thinking. When I got there it was raining and cold - in July, so I headed for a larger Mission. It was dry but I was about to be frightened unlike any-thing I had ever experienced before. We had to listen to a sermon, standard practice in most Missions and the text the preacher used was John 8:32 - "..you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." I will never forget it. After the sermon we were fed a bowl of watered down gruel and herded into a small room with a window up over a door that had been barricaded. Twenty one black men and me and that was OK until they locked the door behind us. My first reaction - "What if there is a fire?"
I slept very little that night. And when they finally let us out, I literally ran out of that place and in the process, stepped off a curb, fell and twisted my leg on my way to the street.
Fortunately, the freeway was close so my leg was OK until I stood for a few minutes, trying to hitch a ride. Fortunately, a little roadster stopped and the driver asked me where I was headed. "St. Louis" popped into my mind and he replied, "Get in, I'll be passing through there is a few hours." Along the way I would learn that he was an Air Force Chaplain, a Catholic, and we spent the time talking about religion, the Air Force, and life in general. I was so interested in his opinions that I hardly noticed that my leg had begun to swell up. He offered to buy me lunch at the intersection where he would be heading South. but I pointed to my leg and told him I was changing my mind. I would head towards Michigan and stay with my Uncle and Aunt until I was better.
By the time I got there (Port Huron, MI), my leg was much better and they were not at home, so I laid back on a lawn chair and fell asleep. Imagine their surprise when they came home from the grocery store and found me laying there - as if I might be dead. At first, they did not recognize me, it had been twenty years since we had been together.
After a few days with family, I was back on the road, this time headed in the direction of Charlotte, NC, but because of the available rides, I would up in a river town East of Cincinnati, OH, where I met a man who worked on the river boats between that area and St. Louis and he suggested I might like to get a job on one of the boats. I made an application and spent time around that area picking up small jobs and began attending church services whenever they were available. By this time I had a routine in mind that I stayed with for the rest of my time.
The river boat job did not come open, so I headed South again, this time winding up in Beckley, W Va where I met a Pastor who was having family problems and I stayed with him, handling most of the church responsibilities except for preaching. His wife and he reconciled their differences and now he wanted me to go to Seminary as he was convinced I would make a good Pastor. To prove his point, we scheduled "revival" services and I did, indeed, preach some of the services. Unfortunately, as soon as the Seminary heard that I had been divorced and was not living with the Mother of our children, they rejected the application. When I decided to move on I thought again of Charlotte and the Pastor chose to drive me over and get me settled in - he was not convinced that life "on the road" was good for a man in his 50's. We would remain good friends for a few years, but the last time I called him, I would learn that he had suffered a heart attack and died.
I found that jobs were easy to find in Charlotte and of course, there were lots of churches to visit. My favorite job was as a temporary working in a Coca Cola plant. There a supervisor took a liking to my work regimen and had me "run" a test line where they were evaluating new products and all I had to do was to keep the area clean and when they had a new or revised product to run, I would operate the line. It was an easy job, but others they had hired to do it apparently could not do what needed to be done.
While I was there I lived in the YMCA dormitory which brought me in touch with a number of guys who were there because of family problems or court orders and so I had lots of opportunities to hone my counselling or interviewing skills.
I did also meet a gentleman at a meeting his wife wanted him to attend, but being bored, he went out on a patio to smoke. I noticed him and decided to join him and wound up with a relationship that made all of my "wandering" worthwhile. He was a rich man, had either built or bought several companies in his life and now, he wanted to retire and enjoy life with his wife and delinquent daughter. To make a much longer story shorter, he would invite me to come and live with his wife and he on the coast in Florida. It was a fascinating offer and I was ready to move on. They stayed another day while I got my clothes packed and we were on our way. He let his wife drive and he and I sat in the rear sear and talked. At the restaurants where we stopped to eat, she would take over the talking and by the time we arrived in Florida, we were close friends. He paid me to live in their guest house and we talked, and talked, and finally I convinced the two of them to travel. They settled on Europe, leased a chalet in Switzerland and traveled all over Continent. Meanwhile, I was left with their house but then the daughter appeared one day with the news that she was leaving her Doctor husband and moving in with me. Not me. She had been an alcoholic and I wanted no part of that. So, I left. I had called her parents, but learned they were away. I left a message and didn't hear from then until she called to let me know my friend had a heart attack and died. The last I heard from her, she had renewed their lease and she had no plans to return to the States.
That's part of this story. More will be revealed as I talk about my experiences with churches along the way and the impressions I got from having heart-to-heart talk with many of the Ministers I met along the way. But the greatest thing I ever learned was this nation has a diversity of people that even the most educated among us seems to comprehend. I used to believe that would account for the promise of our future, but to be honest with you, I am no longer certain of that.
If you believe that I knew where I was going, you are mistaken. I was headed North and placing myself at the mercy of anyone who would stop and offer a ride.
The first one was a pick-up loaded with tomatoes and operated by three Hispanics. It was getting dark and I was grateful for the offer. Of course they filled the cab and I was riding in the bed of the pick-up.
All went well until they broke down about an hour later. They got out cursing and one was holding a knife in his hand. ""What now, Lord?" I have no idea of their intentions and I wasn't about to stick around. "Adios" I shouted and headed on up the road. Fortunately, a truck came by and I waved him down and told them him of my previous "ride". He laughed, told me he was not authorized to pick up hitch hikers, but he would take me to the next truck stop and see if he couldn't find me a ride, heading in towards Missouri which by now I had decided would be a good place to stop and look for others.
One of my new found friend's friend told me he could take me to Springfield the next day, but he was going to sleep at the truck stop first. I was waiting outside the lunch room when a waitress came out for a smoke "break" and wondered why I was there. When she found out I was waiting on that other truck, she left and came back with a "pass" which allowed me to sleep in their bunk house. The next morning I was on my way again. In Springfield, I found a "mission" where I could eat and sleep and I not only found a paying job for the next day, the owner of the company I was working for offered me a job of cleaning up around his house over the weekend. He paid me twice as much as I had earned on his payroll and fixed up a place where I could sleep in his barn.
I went to church with his family and told them of what I was doing and they gave me their address so I could stay in touch with them and permission to call them "collect" as I went along my way.
A fellow told me there was lots of work in Kansas City, so after working on Monday, I headed up to what I thought might be a better location. So much for my thinking. When I got there it was raining and cold - in July, so I headed for a larger Mission. It was dry but I was about to be frightened unlike any-thing I had ever experienced before. We had to listen to a sermon, standard practice in most Missions and the text the preacher used was John 8:32 - "..you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." I will never forget it. After the sermon we were fed a bowl of watered down gruel and herded into a small room with a window up over a door that had been barricaded. Twenty one black men and me and that was OK until they locked the door behind us. My first reaction - "What if there is a fire?"
I slept very little that night. And when they finally let us out, I literally ran out of that place and in the process, stepped off a curb, fell and twisted my leg on my way to the street.
Fortunately, the freeway was close so my leg was OK until I stood for a few minutes, trying to hitch a ride. Fortunately, a little roadster stopped and the driver asked me where I was headed. "St. Louis" popped into my mind and he replied, "Get in, I'll be passing through there is a few hours." Along the way I would learn that he was an Air Force Chaplain, a Catholic, and we spent the time talking about religion, the Air Force, and life in general. I was so interested in his opinions that I hardly noticed that my leg had begun to swell up. He offered to buy me lunch at the intersection where he would be heading South. but I pointed to my leg and told him I was changing my mind. I would head towards Michigan and stay with my Uncle and Aunt until I was better.
By the time I got there (Port Huron, MI), my leg was much better and they were not at home, so I laid back on a lawn chair and fell asleep. Imagine their surprise when they came home from the grocery store and found me laying there - as if I might be dead. At first, they did not recognize me, it had been twenty years since we had been together.
After a few days with family, I was back on the road, this time headed in the direction of Charlotte, NC, but because of the available rides, I would up in a river town East of Cincinnati, OH, where I met a man who worked on the river boats between that area and St. Louis and he suggested I might like to get a job on one of the boats. I made an application and spent time around that area picking up small jobs and began attending church services whenever they were available. By this time I had a routine in mind that I stayed with for the rest of my time.
The river boat job did not come open, so I headed South again, this time winding up in Beckley, W Va where I met a Pastor who was having family problems and I stayed with him, handling most of the church responsibilities except for preaching. His wife and he reconciled their differences and now he wanted me to go to Seminary as he was convinced I would make a good Pastor. To prove his point, we scheduled "revival" services and I did, indeed, preach some of the services. Unfortunately, as soon as the Seminary heard that I had been divorced and was not living with the Mother of our children, they rejected the application. When I decided to move on I thought again of Charlotte and the Pastor chose to drive me over and get me settled in - he was not convinced that life "on the road" was good for a man in his 50's. We would remain good friends for a few years, but the last time I called him, I would learn that he had suffered a heart attack and died.
I found that jobs were easy to find in Charlotte and of course, there were lots of churches to visit. My favorite job was as a temporary working in a Coca Cola plant. There a supervisor took a liking to my work regimen and had me "run" a test line where they were evaluating new products and all I had to do was to keep the area clean and when they had a new or revised product to run, I would operate the line. It was an easy job, but others they had hired to do it apparently could not do what needed to be done.
While I was there I lived in the YMCA dormitory which brought me in touch with a number of guys who were there because of family problems or court orders and so I had lots of opportunities to hone my counselling or interviewing skills.
I did also meet a gentleman at a meeting his wife wanted him to attend, but being bored, he went out on a patio to smoke. I noticed him and decided to join him and wound up with a relationship that made all of my "wandering" worthwhile. He was a rich man, had either built or bought several companies in his life and now, he wanted to retire and enjoy life with his wife and delinquent daughter. To make a much longer story shorter, he would invite me to come and live with his wife and he on the coast in Florida. It was a fascinating offer and I was ready to move on. They stayed another day while I got my clothes packed and we were on our way. He let his wife drive and he and I sat in the rear sear and talked. At the restaurants where we stopped to eat, she would take over the talking and by the time we arrived in Florida, we were close friends. He paid me to live in their guest house and we talked, and talked, and finally I convinced the two of them to travel. They settled on Europe, leased a chalet in Switzerland and traveled all over Continent. Meanwhile, I was left with their house but then the daughter appeared one day with the news that she was leaving her Doctor husband and moving in with me. Not me. She had been an alcoholic and I wanted no part of that. So, I left. I had called her parents, but learned they were away. I left a message and didn't hear from then until she called to let me know my friend had a heart attack and died. The last I heard from her, she had renewed their lease and she had no plans to return to the States.
That's part of this story. More will be revealed as I talk about my experiences with churches along the way and the impressions I got from having heart-to-heart talk with many of the Ministers I met along the way. But the greatest thing I ever learned was this nation has a diversity of people that even the most educated among us seems to comprehend. I used to believe that would account for the promise of our future, but to be honest with you, I am no longer certain of that.
February 19, 2014
The last post left you at a bus station in Tulsa, OK, hanging up from a phone call where I learned that the man I had come to see, hoping that he could help me get past the experiences of my life in California, was not available and would not be available for at least two more weeks.
What was I to do? I knew no one in Tulsa to help and I was nearly broke. It was then I remembered that we had passed a "labor pool" as the bus was headed for the station. I decided I would try working on the "wrong" side of the desk. I knew it was late, most of the available jobs were filled. I would have to wait and so I took a seat after filling out their brief application card, It was 9:30 AM, I would wait until almost 2PM before the dispatcher asked me if I could count. It turned out that he needed someone to help with an inventory at a nearby company. Thank you, Lord.
The job was rather simple but there were hundreds of items to be counted. I went to work. At 5PM the "boss" asked if I would like to work overtime. Sure! And so I worked until 8PM and was told they wanted me back tomorrow. The boss asked me where I lived and I had to confess I would be looking for a place. He told me of a downtown motel that was cheap; he seemed to understand my dilemma and handed by a $20 bill to pay for my rent.
That was Monday and as it turned out, I worked all week - 40 hours, and when I got paid by the labor office, I tried to repay the $20 the boss had loaned me and he smiled and said, "Forget it, that was the best investment we have ever made" and then he handled me a company check for $50, claiming that I had earned it.
I walked up the street feeling good about myself and as I passed a cocktail lounge, I thought I would stop and have a beer. "After all," I thought to myself, "a laborer is entitled to relax after working all week." Funny, as I tried to open the door, it appeared to be locked. I tried again, and tried again. I had heard voices within and was puzzled but just as I started to walk away, two couples walked up and opened the door I thought had been locked. I started for follow then and then I remembered my question about my need to repent. Maybe, the door just seemed to be locked to me for a reason.
I walked on to the YMCA and paid a week's rent and when I got to my room, I opened my Bible again to see if I could find an explanation, but there was none. The next morning, Saturday, after eating my breakfast at a nearby diner, I decided to ride a bus out to the ORU campus. It was as beautiful as I had thought it would be. Just sitting on a park bench, I felt better thanI had felt for months. I noticed there was a book store nearby and decided to see if Oral might have written something related to my recent experience or, the experiences in my past. I did not find one, but glancing at a jewelry display I saw an item I liked and picked it up and noticed the card to which it had been attached. It was a Bible verse, Acts 1:8, ..."you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses.." I had already picked out a church I would attend the next day, so I bought the item and put the card in my pocket as a reminder to ask someone what that verse might possibly mean to me.
Would you believe, the text the Pastor had chosen for his sermon was the one I had noticed the day before. I sat in my pew hanging on his every word. I knew that I knew I had found a church home as it would be for the next two years. But I was about to have my world turned upside down.
I had left instructions with the CA State people in the office that monitored the homes in which we had placed the children temporarily, that I would let them know when I would be returning. I was about to be shocked beyond my comprehension. My wife had been released from prison and regained custody of our children. I hired a lawyer to investigate the reasons for that decision by the State and he had to tell me there was nothing we could do from Oklahoma. I decided to wait until after I had accomplished the purpose of my journey.
As it turned, that would never happen. I began to speak with elders in my new church home and it was their counsel that I stay in Tulsa, work if I could find a job, and wait to see what happened with our children. It would be a long wait.
Meanwhile, it seemed, I had new power as every place I turned to for employment, I was hired and it went from good to opportunities beyond anything I had experienced in California. Eventually, I would find an even better opportunity in Dallas, TX, and so I moved there. Unfortunately, it would not turn out to be as good as it had sounded, but while there, I met a number of good friends, some of whom had other opportunities and so it went on and on. Finally, I made a deal that paid me a lot of money and I had a plan. I would sell my equity in a business I had helped to establish and send the receipts to the State of California to maintain my obligations for child support until there was no further responsibility.
By this time, I considered myself to be an authority on what the Bible had to say and I had been looking for the possibility of joining an established training company or similar organization. I prayed and asked God, what He would have me to do. A word of advice to those reading these words, don't ever ask God for such counsel unless you are prepared to do what He asks you to do or go where He asks you to go.
Clearly I heard Him say, :"Go, be with my people."
The only interpretation I could make was to consider my thoughts in years past. As a Manager of a "labor" office in Los Angeles, I used to wonder why grown men, many well educated, would get in such a situation in life where they had to work for minimum wage, paid daily. It has always troubled me that in a nation as prosperous as we have become could ignore the circumstances of such people and worse, those without sufficient educational preparation to find a better job for themselves. I knew what I had to do, I knew where He wanted me to go.
With that I literally walked out of Dallas on a blazing hot July afternoon, wearing nothing more than a shirt, jeans and a pair of "penny" loafers, no hat, carrying nothing but my Bible. I was heading North to be with His people.
I really had given no thought to money, what I might need, what a reasonable person would have taken with him or her. I just had a confidence that God would provide and He did, for over two and half years and it would have continued, but then there was this lady who dared to declare, long before she knew anything about me, that she loved me and wanted to marry me. But that is another story for yet another day.
The last post left you at a bus station in Tulsa, OK, hanging up from a phone call where I learned that the man I had come to see, hoping that he could help me get past the experiences of my life in California, was not available and would not be available for at least two more weeks.
What was I to do? I knew no one in Tulsa to help and I was nearly broke. It was then I remembered that we had passed a "labor pool" as the bus was headed for the station. I decided I would try working on the "wrong" side of the desk. I knew it was late, most of the available jobs were filled. I would have to wait and so I took a seat after filling out their brief application card, It was 9:30 AM, I would wait until almost 2PM before the dispatcher asked me if I could count. It turned out that he needed someone to help with an inventory at a nearby company. Thank you, Lord.
The job was rather simple but there were hundreds of items to be counted. I went to work. At 5PM the "boss" asked if I would like to work overtime. Sure! And so I worked until 8PM and was told they wanted me back tomorrow. The boss asked me where I lived and I had to confess I would be looking for a place. He told me of a downtown motel that was cheap; he seemed to understand my dilemma and handed by a $20 bill to pay for my rent.
That was Monday and as it turned out, I worked all week - 40 hours, and when I got paid by the labor office, I tried to repay the $20 the boss had loaned me and he smiled and said, "Forget it, that was the best investment we have ever made" and then he handled me a company check for $50, claiming that I had earned it.
I walked up the street feeling good about myself and as I passed a cocktail lounge, I thought I would stop and have a beer. "After all," I thought to myself, "a laborer is entitled to relax after working all week." Funny, as I tried to open the door, it appeared to be locked. I tried again, and tried again. I had heard voices within and was puzzled but just as I started to walk away, two couples walked up and opened the door I thought had been locked. I started for follow then and then I remembered my question about my need to repent. Maybe, the door just seemed to be locked to me for a reason.
I walked on to the YMCA and paid a week's rent and when I got to my room, I opened my Bible again to see if I could find an explanation, but there was none. The next morning, Saturday, after eating my breakfast at a nearby diner, I decided to ride a bus out to the ORU campus. It was as beautiful as I had thought it would be. Just sitting on a park bench, I felt better thanI had felt for months. I noticed there was a book store nearby and decided to see if Oral might have written something related to my recent experience or, the experiences in my past. I did not find one, but glancing at a jewelry display I saw an item I liked and picked it up and noticed the card to which it had been attached. It was a Bible verse, Acts 1:8, ..."you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses.." I had already picked out a church I would attend the next day, so I bought the item and put the card in my pocket as a reminder to ask someone what that verse might possibly mean to me.
Would you believe, the text the Pastor had chosen for his sermon was the one I had noticed the day before. I sat in my pew hanging on his every word. I knew that I knew I had found a church home as it would be for the next two years. But I was about to have my world turned upside down.
I had left instructions with the CA State people in the office that monitored the homes in which we had placed the children temporarily, that I would let them know when I would be returning. I was about to be shocked beyond my comprehension. My wife had been released from prison and regained custody of our children. I hired a lawyer to investigate the reasons for that decision by the State and he had to tell me there was nothing we could do from Oklahoma. I decided to wait until after I had accomplished the purpose of my journey.
As it turned, that would never happen. I began to speak with elders in my new church home and it was their counsel that I stay in Tulsa, work if I could find a job, and wait to see what happened with our children. It would be a long wait.
Meanwhile, it seemed, I had new power as every place I turned to for employment, I was hired and it went from good to opportunities beyond anything I had experienced in California. Eventually, I would find an even better opportunity in Dallas, TX, and so I moved there. Unfortunately, it would not turn out to be as good as it had sounded, but while there, I met a number of good friends, some of whom had other opportunities and so it went on and on. Finally, I made a deal that paid me a lot of money and I had a plan. I would sell my equity in a business I had helped to establish and send the receipts to the State of California to maintain my obligations for child support until there was no further responsibility.
By this time, I considered myself to be an authority on what the Bible had to say and I had been looking for the possibility of joining an established training company or similar organization. I prayed and asked God, what He would have me to do. A word of advice to those reading these words, don't ever ask God for such counsel unless you are prepared to do what He asks you to do or go where He asks you to go.
Clearly I heard Him say, :"Go, be with my people."
The only interpretation I could make was to consider my thoughts in years past. As a Manager of a "labor" office in Los Angeles, I used to wonder why grown men, many well educated, would get in such a situation in life where they had to work for minimum wage, paid daily. It has always troubled me that in a nation as prosperous as we have become could ignore the circumstances of such people and worse, those without sufficient educational preparation to find a better job for themselves. I knew what I had to do, I knew where He wanted me to go.
With that I literally walked out of Dallas on a blazing hot July afternoon, wearing nothing more than a shirt, jeans and a pair of "penny" loafers, no hat, carrying nothing but my Bible. I was heading North to be with His people.
I really had given no thought to money, what I might need, what a reasonable person would have taken with him or her. I just had a confidence that God would provide and He did, for over two and half years and it would have continued, but then there was this lady who dared to declare, long before she knew anything about me, that she loved me and wanted to marry me. But that is another story for yet another day.
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