FIFTY YEARS LATER

Know why after fifty years, Dr. Martin Luther King's words still resonate?

Dr. King's words resonate because he "got" the big picture.  He was acquainted with the One who would one day bring the hammer down on iniquity.  In the meantime, Dr. King knew he had been given a specific and hard task;  he was to straighten his back and courageously proclaim truth in the face of vicious hatefulness.

The good news?  The same One who called him also empowered him.  Dr. Martin Luther King was God's man for America.

How do we know that?  When Dr. King spoke, his words reflected eternal truth.  There may be people who think "let justice roll down like water" was what Dr. King said.  Actually, Amos said it first...a long time ago.  When Dr. King's words matched heavenly truth, they struck down deep in men's souls.

    "I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

    
    I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'
   
  I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
   
  I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
    
  I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
    
  I have a dream today.
    
  I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
    
  I have a dream today."

Some believe that the good Lord gave Dr. King a heads up the night before he died.  His words give evidence to that.

"And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

And it was a desire to bring God glory that carried Dr. King to the finish line.  His example was of selfless faith.  The dream WILL be fulfilled, just as he said.  Of course it will happen in the Promised Land, but to the extent that men are responsible before their Maker, it can be fulfilled here as well.

Meanwhile, would writing more laws help?  We've already legislated into the subjective by instituting "hate crimes".  Can hearts be completely legislated against hate?  If not, what's the answer?

We individually make decisions every day.  Here is ONE WOMAN'S STORY that suggests a reasonable action point.

You know, if Dr. King were here today, I think he would enjoy seeing the progress that his day never got to see.  Gone are the Jim Crow laws.  And this amazing chart shows black voters have steadily increased and their percentage surpassed white voters.

Wouldn't Dr. King relish the sight of a black President, Justice of the Supreme Court, Attorney General, and others?  I think he would love the leadership role Dr. Ben Carson has stepped up to assume.

America has honored Dr. Martin Luther King in many ways.  Think of the MANY streets in our country that bear his name.  Think of the Nobel Peace Prize, given to him in 1964 for the way he tacked racial inequality through nonviolence.  Think of the Presidential Medal of Honor, given to him posthumously for his activism.  His birthday is a federal holiday...and in 2011, a memorial statue was placed on the National Mall.  Our nation stands in debt to Martin Luther King.

Those rewards are nice and everyone likes to be acknowledged for what they do.  Dr. King garnered many honors, but his name is great because God trusted him with the opportunity to inspire people to live better...and point the way to God as the final judge.  And now?

We can just imagine him in God's presence where his dream has become reality.  

That's the ultimate reality.

STORIES WITH A MORAL

Mike and I have spent summer nights with old movies.  It's just easier to not have to carry the dysfunctional relationships and outrageous violence that comes out of Tinseltown these days.  Sticking with the "old stuff" is more restful; while the sets may be primitive, you can concentrate more on the character's persona and the message.

We've run through many of John Ford's Westerns...and now this week we've seen his Indians/settlers movie ("Drums Along the Mohawk") with a YOUNG Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda from 1939.  It had the feeling of authenticity as the settlers ran from the Indians to the fort.

Last night we saw "Ox Bow Incident" from the novel of the same name.  There were many character actors but the star was Henry Fonda, playing a more surly "anti-hero" hero role.

Ox Bow tells a persuasive story of justice by using a lynch mob and characters who deliver CHOICE lines.  Dana Andrews is good as one of the three accused prisoners (along with a swarthy Anthony Quinn and John Ford's brother Francis, who plays the older man).

There was a line from the movie that really made me think.  As the posse was forced to consider their humanity, Fonda's character reads a letter that says:

"Law is a lot more than words you put in a book, or judges or lawyers or sheriffs you hire to carry it out. It's everything people ever have found out about justice and what's right and wrong. It's the very conscience of humanity. There can't be any such thing as civilization unless people have a conscience, because if people touch God anywhere, where is it except through their conscience?"

Isn't that FANTASTIC?  That thought hooks into some pretty hairy events in our news this week that have involved conscience-free individuals.  You know who I mean.  There are those Oklahoma thugs who shot the Australian athlete.  And now we read an 88-year-old WW2 vet was going into the Eagles Lodge to play pool and two teens beat him to death.  

Who shoots a man in the back for sport...or intends to harm an octogenarian?  Both horrific stories were initially reported as random acts.  My bet is that more will come out on both stories.  We need Paul Harvey, don't we?

A feral cat is wild and so are conscience-free people.  And their increase is causing civilization to come apart at the seams.  So why can't we put together the obvious clues to figure out what should be pretty obvious...that kids can't raise themselves?

It's embarrassing to state the obvious.  Kids need standards to develop standards.  Kids need a Dad and a Mom and church and school with the same values.  If kids are inundated in sexuality, they lose their innocence and the joy of being a child is squeezed out.  If movies and music proclaim violence without any consequences, imagine the shock when kids act out and then find out differently.  If a child has no accountability, they do not know how to be accountable to God.

What do we expect when we mock righteousness?  What do we expect when eargates are filled with defamatory language and games train their fingers to violent impulsivity while substituting for social interaction?  

Some of these movies we have been watching are SEVENTY-FOUR years old.  Whoa!  Their technique may be subpar, but they know how to tell a story with a moral.  Lord, help us pursue virtue so that our lives will have a moral.

"Whatsoever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, THINK about these things."  Philippians 4:8

RHEA LANA

When we had a toddler and four-year-old, I felt like there wasn't a good time to close my eyes.

These days, each sunrise brings that same familiar feeling.  It seems as if a perpetual vigil is required to guard against whatever our government is planning.  Here's a good example:

Know what RHEA LANA is?

Rhea Lana Riner is an Arkansan's success story...a Mom who birthed a consignment sale for children's clothing and accessories in her living room fifteen years ago.

This spring/fall sale is known to women who love bargains.  Moms are HIGHLY motivated volunteers because their service buys an early ticket to the sale.  An early ticket is pure gold.

Click HERE for a descriptive YouTube that shows Rhea Lana describe the event.  The prototype proved so well-oiled that it has mushroomed and others bought the franchise.  Now Rhea Lana sales are in 22 states.  Even Honolulu has a Rhea Lana!

Enter the Department of Labor.  Government says that it is not fair that Rhea Lana does not pay her "employees".  That just goes to show the government has obviously never been to one of her sales and therefore has no understanding of the value of "first dibs".


Here is Rhea Lana's side of the story in a column from USA Today.

Listen.  The women who wash/press/hang their kids outgrown clothes on hangars are just looking for a little extra income.  It certainly is a winsome ministry to young families.  And customers enjoy finding designer outfits for little to nothing.  It's win-win.  Or it WAS until the DOL decided to regulate it.

Breaking labor laws?  If only the Labor Department knew how willing these volunteers are to participate and profit.  They don't want minimum wage, but they do like making money (for used clothing) and saving money (for new season clothes).

If anything sits still or prospers, the government considers how to glom on.  It's pretty ridiculous and SURELY does not promote a climate favorable to the entrepreneur.   If you are feeling led to throw your voice into the fray, you could SIGN A PETITION asking government to leave this business alone.

LINES TO GET IN A RHEA LANA SALE

INSULT OR INJURY?

When Oprah was mistreated in Switzerland, was it insult or injury?

Was it cause for alarm when a clerk wouldn't show her a $38,000 purse?  Really?  Oprah gets by with wanting a purse that costs what our house cost when I was in third grade?  Capitalists wonder how rich liberals keep from being singed when they fire up their rants against greedy rich people.  But to be fair, hypocrisy is not the issue.  Oprah felt slighted by racism.

So who knows the root of Oprah's rebuff?  No one but the clerk who (of course) denies the rebuff was racial.  Was Oprah profiled by weight...or just old-fashioned social snobbery?  I'm thinking most people are familiar with being EVALUATED in a store by a snotty salesperson.  That's why we loved Julia Roberts' takedown in "Pretty Woman".

Am I saying it was not hurtful?  SURE it was hurtful.  My whiteness felt such a slap this summer at an American Indian grocery store by a surly American Indian clerk who had previously been very kind as one of her tribe checked out.  But I didn't make a federal case of it.

Sometimes insults are only injury if they are allowed to be.

How about the Missouri clown who wore an Obama mask?  Was that insult or injury?  Well, when compared to being burned in effigy or having your fake head impaled on a stake...I guess "just wearing a mask" seems tame.

President Bush never made a federal case of his insults.  Why?  Think they weren't hurtful?  Just imagine if President Obama's face were on some of these signs...

2006 HBO documentary, "Death of a President"

I'm sure these examples of the hate that President Bush sustained were hurtful.  Knowing people hate you is a cross to bear.  But the former President never whined about his treatment or ordered the Secret Service to act...or answered back by returning evil for evil.  My opinion is that such strength came from a good sense of self-identity.

Christians are people who have become aware of how God sees them.  And from the foot of the cross, everything else fades to pale except the opinion of the worth Dispenser.  The world's opinion still stings, but God's affection and acceptance is a warm blanket.  In those times, He is good to whisper encouragement about the kingdom to come.

I got a kick out of Jase Robertson's experience in a NYC hotel lobby this week.  When he asked hotel staff about a restroom, the man escorted him out the front door because he was mistaken for a homeless person.  Did Jase file a complaint about facial profiling?  Nah!  He thought it was pretty funny and they remained at the hotel as guests.  That is a healthy perspective which disallows injury.

If Oprah and President Obama want to move to such a place of less offense, they have that option.   

Consider Jesus' example in Isaiah 53.  He endured active mocking by men and passive ignoring by men who turned aside.  Men looked down on Him and put no value on Him.  Then He went to His death considering it joy to buy man's redemption.  Yeshua Ha-Mashiach knows something about insult and injury.

One day when He returns, He will put His foot on the neck of iniquity.  Maranatha!  

OH, MY GOODNESS!

In gearing up for the coming fall session, last week BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) challenged us to think which of God's attributes that we have experienced this summer.  As I considered the possibilities, I'm going with "GOODNESS".  

Of course I knew God had been good to me BEFORE I discovered Him...good to me daily as I cling to Him...and that doesn't count how good He is to have another kingdom ahead for me.  But my final answer is "GOODNESS" this summer because I'm bowled over by some specific kindnesses...

*Mike and I began the summer with a trip to the Grand Canyon.  People don't always get to make the trips that our minds dream up, so we were happy it came together.  The sight-seeing morphed into head-lifting as we considered the immensity and power displayed by the Shaper of the Canyonlands...just by the power of His word.  Isn't that what Romans 1:20 says?  His creation lights up our physical eyes, leading our spiritual eyes to connect the dots to truth.

*On our Western migration, we found a great church in Flagstaff, AZ called North Point Fellowship.  Their worship introduced us to a new group whose song I've been singing all summer.  The group is named Rend Collective Experiment...they are Irishmen who wrote "Build Your Kingdom Here".  Sometimes you just know a song will be in your head a long time and this group helps me remember the goodness of God's plan when He chose US to work with HIM.

*July saw a backyard project that we are hoping will make our home more visitor-friendly for the grands, for others, and for us.  I liked decorating the backyard; God is good to allow us join Him in creativity and the satisfaction that brings.

*Grandchildren.  Life is so rich with these little people.  

The girls got to come to GrandCamp individually...and the boys drop by often.  

Below Nate is the little one shouting "Mimi!  Mimi!"  Doesn't everyone like their name proclaimed?

How could I not bless God for His good gifting of these three girls and two boys who express their love so freely?

So my heart is full of God's goodness.  What's that you say?  Do I hear skeptics thinking...well, SURE you think God is good.  He came bearing gifts.  What if your summer had worn a suffering hat?

It did.  We lost a family member and Mike has rotator surgery scheduled.  Life is full of the rain that falls on the just and the unjust.  But in all circumstances, the Lord remains the same...His heart is good and kind.

A man named Micah wrote that God has shown us what is good and what He wants from us.  We are to do right, love compassion, and walk without pride before Him.  That last part about walking humbly comes easier as we remember He made us (not we ourselves).

So what about you?  Which God-attribute have you experienced this summer?

WAR ON WOMEN

We're hearing the word "phony" thrown around a lot lately.

Back during the last election cycle it was said there was a war against women because citizens did not think it right to fund birth control.

Such a "war" draws up in shrinkage when laid alongside the true war on women as seen in the horrendous sex slave business that is alive and well in America.

Perhaps you saw the article last week about the largest sex-trafficking bust in the United States.  The FBI cooperated with local and state officials and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as they rescued 105 children and arrested 150 pimps across the nation.

Score one for justice.

Then yesterday a judge sentenced kidnapper Ariel Castro to life plus 1,000 years for equipping his home with sex slaves.  Imagine what those girls went through; they lost a decade of their lives and now begin their hard work of regaining normalcy.

The judge said "there is no place in this city, there is no place in this country, there is no place in this world for those who enslave others."
If only that were true.

Castro's operation was one house, but all across the country there are little girls systematically snatched and forced into prostitution and life-threatening situations that rob their childhood.

Last night, Mike and I purposefully watched a harsh movie.  It was full of the "F" word and cold-blooded murder and brutality to young girls and the WORST side of manhood.  God help us because "The Abduction of Eden" was a true story.

Here is a TRAILER that shows that this is not a popcorn movie.  It is a gritty documentary-drama which feels very authentic.  Based on the story of a girl named Chong Kim, it tells how girls are kidnapped and sold like animals.  Chong Kim helped write the screenplay and all the actors (the young woman who played Chong, the actor Beau Bridges, and the drug-addicted pimp) all turned in solid performances.

Again, "The Abduction of Eden" is not for the faint of heart.  My heart is weighed heavy after seeing such complete disregard for life...and brutality reminiscent of the Holocaust.

But if you are looking for an authentic cause...a place to fight injustice and stand up for little girls who live in fear and despair...know there are MANY organizations to consider joining.  If you are like me, you are surprised to realize there are more slaves held worldwide THAN AT ANY POINT IN HUMAN HISTORY.

We have friends who are part of a LOCAL GROUP IN TULSA who have responded to the activity on the I40 corridor.  For an international effort, consider the INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT.  This is a cause that can be shouldered by the leading/enabling of the Spirit of God.

"The spirit of the Lord is on me, because I am marked out by him to give good news to the poor; he has sent me to make the broken-hearted well, to say that the prisoners will be made free, and that those in chains will see the light again."  Isaiah 61:1 BBE