Jackie Robinson -- “YOU Don’t Belong Here!”

“YOU don’t be-lo-o-n-g here!” How many times did Jackie Robinson, America’s first black, major league, baseball player, hear this derogatory statement and dozens of more barbs hurled at him from different corners of major league stadiums in the late 1940’s?   Branch Rickey, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, also bore much criticism for choosing Robinson and supporting him emotionally and spiritually as together they broke the color barrier to major league baseball.

This Spring, the movie 42, named for the historic number worn by Jackie Robinson, recounts how Robinson and Rickey, broke the color barrier to major league baseball, in 1947.  To accomplish this feat, Rickey wanted a talented black baseball player who could “stand and deliver” at the plate when the pitches came.  But Rickey also wanted a player who could stand and take the verbal and physical abuse hurled at him both on and off the field. The following dialog between Robinson (played by Chadwick Boseman) and Rickey (Harrison Ford) attempts to capture what was at stake for both men:

Rickey:   “Your enemy will be out in force but you cannot meet him on his own low ground.”
Robinson:   “You want a player that doesn’t have the guts to fight back?”   
Rickey:  “No, I want a player who’s got the guts NOT to fight back.”
Robinson:  “You give me a uniform and give me a number on my back, and I’ll give you the guts.”

In spite of the ensuing abuse hurled at him on and off the field, Jackie Robinson proved himself in the minor leagues and then with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Few of us can even imagine the challenge of having to perform on an athletic field while listening to degrading taunts like “You don’t belong here!”

The torments and temptations that Jackie Robinson faced in breaking the color barrier to major league baseball were rooted in the most fundamental temptation used by the Satan from the beginning of human history.  Satan’s tempting ploy, expressed through the serpent in the Garden of Eden, was a variation upon the same ugly statement, “YOU don’t belong here!”  

God had appointed Adam as a “servant king” over creation to serve and preserve it as an expression of His own love for creation.  Then, God created woman out of Adam’s flesh to provide him with a complementary partner; and God performed the first marriage between man and woman.  However, Satan’s approach was to divide and deceive both partners.  His question to Eve, Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?  caused her to wrongly believe, “I don’t belong here!  After all, God must be withholding something greater from me.  Instead, look at me here, living under the restrictions of both God and my husband.”  Eve succumbed to temptation, and Adam along with her.  As a result of the fall of man, every one of Adam’s descendents is infected with the curse of sin.

How many lives of people from all walks of life have been deceived and destroyed by succumbing to the Tempter’s whisper, “You don’t belong here?”  Instead of celebrating the amazing ethnic diversity that exists within the human gene pool, we have used the differences like skin color, language, and cultural traditions as an excuse to divide, wall off, and exclude each other--complete with posted signs like “Whites Only” and exclamations like “You don’t belong here!”

But there was One Man Who withstood the Tempter’s snare--the God-Man, Jesus Christ.  The Gospels record Satan’s attack on Jesus with the same ploy he used on Adam and Eve—“You don’t belong here!  Look at you, Son of God, here in this wilderness without bread (Matthew 4: 1-4).”  Later, Satan offered Jesus a supposed better place to belong: “You belong on the pinnacle of the temple where all can see Your power as You cast Yourself to the ground and are protected by angels (v. 5-6).  But our Savior resisted the temptation (v. 7) and eventually went to the cross as a sinless sacrifice.  Isaiah 53: 11 reveals Jesus, the Suffering Servant, prophetically:

 …as a result of the anguish of His soul, He [God the Father] will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11).

As a result of Christ’s victory over death, He became the first of many who by faith in God are marching in the victor’s triumph over sin and temptation (2 Cor. 2: 14).  The movie 42 makes clear that the “guts” of both Rickey and Robinson were undergirded by their Christian faith.  Rickey challenges Robinson, “Like our Savior, you have to have the guts to turn the other cheek.”   

Branch Rickey encourages Jackie Robinson in scene from 42

In one of my favorite scenes, Robinson retreats to the tunnel after being verbally abused on the field.  There in the apparent privacy of the tunnel, Jackie emotionally explodes and splinters his bat in frustration.  Seemingly out of nowhere, Branch Rickey appears at Jackie’s side.  Sensing Jackie’s frustration, Rickey embraces him but is greeted with Robinson’s accusation, You don’t understand!  Rickey replies (as I recall), No.  I don’t understand [what you are going through]. But the Savior does.  It’s the wilderness [referring to Christ’s physical, emotional, and spiritual battle with temptation].

Jackie Robinson’s accomplishment on behalf of Black Americans places him in a long line of distinguished Americans of color whose faith, courage, and determination enabled them to be the first to enter other avenues of life in America.  Thus, in 1869, Hiram Rhodes Revels (R-Mississippi)(1827-1901) became the first Black American elected to the U.S. Senate, while Joseph H. Rainey (R-South Carolina)(1832-1887) became the first Black in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Likewise, Black Americans have made major contributions in education (Booker T. Washington, 1856-1915), the fine arts (Edward Clark, 1926- ), and statesmanship (Frederick Douglass (1818-1895). 

Among Black American women who rose to leadership and helped others achieve their destinies is Harriet Tubman, credited with leading over 300 slaves to freedom through the “underground railroad.”  In recent years, Condoleeza Rice became the first Black American to serve as a U.S. national security adviser; and later, the first Black woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State (2005-09).

Although the sampling of Black American’s I have included here is relatively small,  I believe those I have chosen represent the great number of Blacks who have not bowed to the taunts represented in the abusive claim, “You don’t belong here!”  Indeed, I would contend that those of any minority, whether Black, Hispanic, Irish Catholic, Jew, or Asian have succeeded, particularly in more recent times, because they overcame an even more subtle obstacle; namely, the tendency of some in positions of power to treat them as a “constituency.”  Members of constituencies are often discouraged and dispassionate in the face of constant reminders that they have been treated unjustly and therefore, are deserving of special advantages to compensate for these injustices.  Instead of being told, “You don’t belong here!” they hear a different, condescending message; namely, “You belong HERE.  You belong on a “plantation of Washington’s creation”--among those who have become perpetually dependent upon government handouts through food stamps, welfare, etc.”   In return for your gratefulness for these handouts, come election time, you should be kind enough to give your vote to those who are always there to help you along.

Creation of a political constituency by fostering dependence upon government is immoral and diabolical because it degrades the very spirit within man that can only be fulfilled by striving to achieve the purposes for which he or she was created.   Consider what really is necessary for achievement for anyone including Black Americans, as expressed in Harriet Tubman’s challenge:

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

Frederick Douglass understood the importance of individual responsibility in striving for success and listed “honor, integrity and affection" as the essential prerequisite for enduring success.  In his lecture, “Self-Made Men,” Douglass, the great Black orator, educator, and statesman of the Civil War era, describes a natural hierarchy of men which includes the “ambitious man” and the “unmotivated man.”  He applies the moral principle as follows:

the man who will get up will be helped up; and the man who will not get up will be allowed to stay down….   Give the negro fair play and let him alone. If he lives, well. If he dies, equally well. If he cannot stand up, let him fall down... (p 557)

Douglass further comments on the conditions that encourage or discourage achievement:

As a general rule, where circumstances do most for men there man will do least for himself; and where man does least, he himself is least. His doing makes or unmakes him (p 558).

The voice of Jackie Robinson echoes loud and clear with the voices of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass of the Civil War era, all in sharp contrast to the politics of Washington that would keep minorities in a perpetual state of dependence.  Robinson stated: 

 Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life.

Dr. Ben Carson

In recent months, Dr. Ben Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns-Hopkins University, has become a vocal advocate of individual responsibility, courage, and integrity.   Dr. Carson’s life story is a testimony that one can rise from a culture of low expectations to achieve great things.   He is quoted as follows:

You have the ability to choose which way you want to go. You have to believe great things are going to happen in your life. Do everything you can - prepare, pray and achieve - to make it happen.

Dr. Carson has frequently heard in so many words, “You don’t belong here.” when he spoken out against government dependency, or has shared positive solutions to our current health care debate.  Commentator Cal Thomas, in a recent WORLD Magazine article, has used the life of Dr. Carson to point out that strong Black American families can have a much greater success in building individuals with character than liberal programs that only foster government dependency:

The nightmare for liberals would be if Ben Carson became a role model for the poor instead of a target.  If more of the poor had mothers like his (and maybe active fathers, which he didn’t have), who focused on reading and discipline, more might grow up to be like him. They might reject the lie that they are incapable of succeeding because of their circumstances.

Jackie Robinson on "What's My Line?"

May the tribe of Jackie Robinson, Ben Carson, and so many other courageous minority leaders increase; and, may those in positions of authority recognize that proper stewardship of power should reflect the example of Branch Rickey who, as a godly, empathetic mentor, seized the opportunity to lift up a brother and support him in using his God-given talents to make a positive difference in sports.  It is noteworthy that Jackie Robinson never forgot to mention Branch Rickey as the essential element in his success.

For sake of discussion beyond comments you might wish to make regarding how you liked the movie, 42, I will close with a quote from Rachel Schroeder, at www.filmfracture.com who writes:

As a movie about Jackie Robinson, 42 is not going to provide any real insight into the man. What it will do, as movies of this sort always do, is signify something greater and remind all of us of what kind of place we came from, how far we have come, and how much farther we have to go--and that it is possible.   

After seeing the movie, or perhaps reading this blog entry, would you agree with Ms. Schroeder?  Is it expected and right that we today should carry guilt for what our ancestors have done?   If so, can that sense of guilt suffice as a motivation to take action?  What kind of action?  Or, should I learn from the past but not focus on the injustices of the past—while instead taking responsibility as an individual before God to love my neighbor in word and deed?

"Little Today. Leaders Tomorrow."

If opinion polls are any indication, many Americans are pessimistic about their future.  In a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, 1,025 adults aged 18 and older were asked to respond to the statement, When you think about the future of the United States – which do you agree with more:   the country’s best years are ahead of us (or) the country’s best years are behind us?   The poll results indicate that our nation is divided almost evenly in their outlook—47% said the best years are ahead, while 50% said the best years were behind us.

When clouds of pessimism arise about our future, we are often encouraged by good news and real-life stories that portray a positive outlook.   One such story began in 2004 when our son, Brad, founded The Little Leaders Company for the purpose of producing a Bible-based series of developmental videos for young children, infants to age three.

Within two years of its founding, the multimedia company had produced four 30-minute DVD's, each designed to introduce important Biblical concepts through the examples of Biblical characters—Noah, Moses, Joseph, and Ruth.  Each DVD is an explosion of vivid colors with quality animations designed to capture the attention of youngsters (and their parents) and to assist them in learning important biblical character qualities and other practical skills—learning their colors, learning to count, and exposure to other languages.

Brad with his niece (Kiara) and nephew (Caleb)

The DVD, Little Joseph, teaches that God has a plan for each of our lives; and, his “coat of many colors” gives opportunity for children to learn their colors and find joy in the richness and beauty of God’s creation.  Little Ruth, which features the life of the Old Testament character, Ruth, teaches children the importance of respecting their parents and other members of their family.  Little Noah and Little Moses introduce children to these Old Testament men of faith; and, demonstrate God’s faithfulness in saving Noah from the flood, and by leading Moses and the Israelites out of bondage.

From the beginning, The Little Leaders Company was rooted in family relationships.  As Brad recounts, his inspiration for this project was from existing DVD’s such as “Baby Einstein” which were favorites of his niece and her parents, Mindy and Steve Salyers.

Team of the Little Leaders Company

As Brad began the writing and production stages, he enlisted family members and friends to help with voice recordings, foreign languages, stand-ins, and choreographic roles.  Brad’s wife, Raquel, assisted in production while his sister, Mindy, and cousins, Sharon and Keith Kohler assisted in marketing of the DVD’s.

The slogan of The Little Leaders Company for nearly a decade has been “Little Today.  Leaders Tomorrow.” Now, children who have been exposed to important biblical truths and skills through Little Leaders are reaching the age when leadership skills are beginning to emerge.  So, we thought it would be interesting to feature several children who were “Little” nearly a decade ago and are becoming “Leaders Tomorrow” as they enter their adolescent years.

Caleb and his dad (2003); and assisting with media at his church in 2013.

For example, Brad’s nephew Caleb has entered high school this year at Stateline Christian School, in Temperance, MI.  While in junior high, Caleb was elected to a class office.  He currently assists in the ministry of Northpoint Church of the Nazarene, in nearby Toledo, OH where his father, Steve Salyers is pastor.  Caleb is developing his own interest in multimedia production with the encouragement of
his uncle Brad.  Meanwhile, Caleb’s sister, Kiara, finds joy in singing both at home and at her church, sometimes in duet with her sister, Della; or with other former “Little Leaders,” Cassandra and Brenda Petrey.

Other children of the past decade who were featured in Little Leaders DVD’s include Caleb and Kiara’s cousins. 

Kiara, Cassandra, and Brenda across top, in 2004;
and with Cassandra's sister, Serena, in 2013.

Space allows the featuring of only a few family members and acquaintances who have participated in The Little Leaders Company.  In fact, we trust that those who participated in the DVD’s are only a few of the “Little Leaders” who are becoming “Leaders Tomorrow” as their lives have been enriched by biblical principles through their parents, church, and community. 

Finally, if you know of one or more children or adults who have been encouraged by the biblical message through Little Leaders, please share it here through a “Comment” or other means provided on this page.  At a time when we are confronted with many unsettling challenges both at home and abroad, we applaud ministries like The Little Leaders Company as well as dedicated moms and dads, churches, and communities that are nurturing godly leaders for tomorrow.

No Gun Control Without Self-Control

What do firearms, knives, and words have in common?  All three can protect or save lives; and, all three can destroy by sharp and deadly replies. 

Thanks to the First and Second Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, we Americans have freedom of speech and freedom to bear of arms, respectively. These freedoms also mean relatively few restrictions against fiery tongues and fiery guns.  Nevertheless, our protection from both tongue and gun is rooted not in civil law but in the moral code.  The moral law is grounded in Jesus’ teaching that it is out of the heart [that] come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders (Matthew 15:19).  Therefore, the answer to a safe and civil society is not found alone in “tighter controls” on guns and speech.  Instead, there must be a revival within institutions that nurture a godly disposition of the heart; namely, the family and the local church, both within the context of caring communities.

All Violence Comes Ultimately from the Heart

I believe government is ordained by God to establish rule of law, execute justice for lawbreakers, and protect the nation from foreign invasion.    But, for such a system to work requires both leadership committed to just enforcement of the laws of the land; and, a citizenry that recognizes its individual moral and ethical responsibility to higher authority--and ultimately to God.  This relationship requires no less than a partnership between government and religious institutions, both functioning in their respective roles to maintain order.  While civil authorities encourage social behavior by external laws and deterrents to anti-social behavior; family and church nurture character qualities that promote self-restraint, personal responsibility, and benevolence.  Alexander Solzhenitsyn, in his essay "Repentance and Self-Limitation in the Life of Nations," underscores the necessity of strong character in individuals if a society is to prosper:

Whatever feelings predominate in the members of a given society at a given moment in time, they will serve to color the whole of that society and determine its moral character.  And if there is nothing good there to pervade that society, it will destroy itself or be brutalized by the triumph of evil instincts no matter where the pointer of the great economic laws may turn.[i]

Although many believe that government shouldn’t “legislate morality” or “engineer” society, still federal, state, and local governments continue to move in this direction.  Perhaps the moral laxity and the decay of the nuclear family have created the vacuum that government now seeks to fill.  Leadership in Washington, through “ObamaCare” has taken on the management of human health care and even the ‘health’ of planet Earth.  At the local level, the city of New York is attempting to ban big sugary drinks as If to occupy the vacuum left by an adult population that seems less responsible for both their own nutrition and that of their children. But government efforts to legislate individual and planetary health are both doomed to fail without a revival of godly human character and personal responsibility.

The Bible emphasizes individual or personal responsibility under the concept of stewardship.  Stewardship is managing that which is not ours but has been entrusted to us by our Creator—our abilities, our time, and our opportunities to become responsible, members of society.  Stewardship is taught in many parts of the Bible as I have previously highlighted in Oikonomia.  Of particular relevance here is Colossians 3: 23-24 where Paul states:

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.
It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

In order to fulfill our responsibility as stewards of creation, we have been entrusted with great potential as image bearers of the Creator Himself.  We are to be God’s caretakers who represent His interests as we rule over His creation.  But instead of representing God’s interests, our father Adam acted on his individual interests and consequently brought God’s judgment upon him and all his descendents.

In spite of the fall of man and the curse upon the creation, mankind was allowed to remain as stewards of  creation.  What followed was a steady march of “human progress” in the development of more sophisticated technology.  Each development increased the reach and power of humans to utilize the richness of creation’s treasures of soil, water, minerals, metals, fossil fuel, and biodiversity.  And, with each new technological advance from club and arrow to gun and bullet, and then, to rocket and drone came the challenge to use the potential of that technology either for human benefit and God’s glory, or for human destruction and God’s dismay.

The table below lists several common technologies that are influential in today’s culture.  (Click on table to view.)  The middle and right columns demonstrate that most technology can lead to either morally “good” or “bad” outcomes.

There are differing viewpoints about the moral component of technology[ii].  However, I believe the quality of moral character, judgment, and personal responsibility of the individual user is the chief determiner of whether a morally “good” or “bad” outcome will result from the use of technology.  For example, the same firearm used by an elementary school policeman to protect the students and teachers from the murderous intent of intruders can also be used by the same policeman in a fit of rage to commit the horrible act he or she is hired to prevent.  It follows that our society will not prosper amid a myriad of guns, gadgets, and goodies unless greater attention is given to the importance of each individual taking personal responsibility for his or her actions.

Mass shootings like the ones at Aurora, Colorado [See Oikononia, July 25, 2012] and Sandy Hook, Connecticut have prompted requests for new laws to prevent such tragedies.  Sadly, the moral and spiritual principles voiced by our clergy at memorial services for the dead are not allowed into our public schools, universities, and halls of government where attempts are being made to make sense of such behaviors and to prescribe ways to stop needless killing

Dr. Alveda King told Newsmax (March, 2013) that both her grandmother and her uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, were killed by guns; but her father was mysteriously killed with no gun involved.  She concludes that,

…rather than giving all of our effort to gun control, we need to start looking at the hearts of the people and even consider when you do things like taking prayer out of schools…or just cut off all efforts to give people value systems, and morals…

Solzhenitsyn claimed that the only “way out” is through repentance:

What way out remains to us?  Not the embittered strife of parties or nations, not the struggle to win some elusive victory -- for all the ferocious causes already in being -- but simply repentance and the search for our own errors and sins.  We must stop blaming everyone else -- our neighbors and more distant peoples, our geographical, economic, or ideological rivals, always claiming that we alone are in the right.  Repentance is the first bit of firm ground underfoot, the only one from which we can go forward not to fresh hatreds but to concord.  Repentance is the only starting point for spiritual growth. ‘For each and every individual.  For every trend of social thought.’

Shouldn’t we who are so rich and surrounded by gadgets—we who are even shaped by them, and who are killing and being killed by them (whether gun, knife, or pen)—shouldn’t we TAKE the only “way out?”  Solzhenitsyn’s “way out” of this rings consistent with God’s heavenly call recorded in the Old Testament:  If…my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land (II Chronicles 7:13 (part)-14). 

Taking the only way out?   Perhaps during this Holy Week, we can begin by setting aside a quiet time (away from distracting gadgets if possible), obtain a copy of the Bible, and read God’s Word.  Christ’s “Sermon on the Mount” recorded in Matthew Chapters 5-7 may be a good place to start.  Then, pray in communion with our Creator God, allowing His Spirit to illuminate our reading and our medication upon His truth claims.  After all, isn’t …the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)?

Prayer:   Thank you Father for being a loving God and even “Father” to those who have simply surrendered their pride and rebellious hearts to receive forgiveness for sin based on Christ’s sinless sacrifice on the cross.  Help us to recognize that our hearts are deceitfully wicked without your transforming work through your Holy Spirit.  Without your transformation of our dispositions from pride and hate to humility and love, no amount of man-made legislation will bring resolution to the problems we face in our homes, churches, schools, governments, and environment. Conversely, as we surrender to You, be pleased to mold and shape our hearts so that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds [so that we may] prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).

---

[i] I am indebted to Dean Ohlman for recent discussions in which he pointed me to Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s essay cited herein.   He has developed these thoughts very well at http://wonderofcreation.org/2012/07/03/confessing-for-the-church-part-2/

[ii]  Admittedly, there is disagreement as to where the moral component resides, whether in the technology itself, in the human creator, or in the interaction between creator and technology.  For example, see the following source:  Latour, Bruno.  2002.  Morality and Technology: The End of the Means.  Theory, Culture & Society  (SAGE, London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi), Vol. 19(5/6): 247–260

Lessons from Bilbo Baggens on the Big Screen

During the Christmas season, I enjoyed the movie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with our son-in-law and grandson.  At a time when movies introduce us to incredible fictional characters like Batman, Captain America, and Iron Man; and, historical giants like Lincoln, it is easy for me to dismiss the significance of “an ordinary life.”   However, in this first of three movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, I was challenged by the significance of just such an ordinary life through the character Bilbo Baggins.

Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit.  Tolkien describes these little fictional characters as “just rustic English people, made small in size because it reflects the generally small reach of their imagination.”  I wonder if Tolkien was thinking of Moses’ account in the Old Testament Book of Numbers when twelve exceptional leaders, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, were assigned to spy out the land of Canaan.  If you are familiar with the account, all of the spies except two, Joshua and Caleb, concurred with the report which stated “we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight (Numbers 13:33)."

If the Hobbits were “made small” because of limited imagination, perhaps in a similar way, the Israelites were “made small” because the image of God was too small in their imagination.  Not long after a miraculous deliverance from the Egyptians by the parting of the Red Sea, God had given the Israelites the go-ahead to enter the land of Canaan backed up with the promise based on His character and His Word which stated: "Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours (Deuteronomy 11:24).”   The Israelites present a clear example of how our exploits for God may be stunted or prevented by a small imagination and a unbelief in His Word.
 

How many times has my accomplishment for God been stunted or denied by my inability or unwillingness to see and imagine God’s power and wisdom through eyes of faith?   Therefore, I immediately related to the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, a very ordinary life compared to the wizards and dwarves in the story.  Gandalf the wizard asks Bilbo to travel with dwarf leader, Thorin, and a band of dwarves to Lonely Mountain to reclaim the treasure belonging to the dwarves and now under the control of Smaug the great dragon.   Bilbo’s role is to serve as the company’s burglar.

As Bilbo and company encounter numerous dangers, Bilbo remains physically a small Hobbit, but he gradually grows in courage and resourcefulness, eventually earning the respect and confidence of Thorin.  Through Bilbo, I learned that great accomplishments are possible when my faith is exercised.

Near the end of the movie, Bilbo Baggins challenged me in another way.  When Bilbo was asked why he had exercised a courage that had helped to save his comrades, he says something like this:   "Well, I like my home; I like my comfortable chair, and I was content.   But now I realize that you, my friends, have no home.  Your homes have been taken from you!  Therefore, it is only right that I help you to reclaim your homes."

Like Bilbo, the ordinary Hobbit, I have often been satisfied to be an ordinary person enjoying a comfortable, unambitious life.  But then, I remember that I belong to a band of humans who are also wandering orphans, deprived of a rightful home as intended by our King, the Creator of the universe.  But we have now been purchased by His blood.  For He came to Earth as Emmanuel, God with us; and, His obedience and ultimate death on a cross for our sin brought victory over the enemy who stole into the King's creation and brought corruption and waste.  Now, we have a home assured for us in Heaven, but having been enlisted in the King’s army, our mission is based on submission to His authority so that we can see clearly those all around us who have no home, whose homes have been taken from them so that they are wanderers on the Earth.

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. 
                                                – Hebrews 11: 13, 16

For consider your calling, brethren,
that there were not many wise according to the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble;
but God has chosen the foolish things of the world
to shame the wise,
and God has chosen the weak things of the world
to shame the things which are strong,
and the base things of the world
and the despised God has chosen,
the things that are not, so that He may nullify
the things that are,
so that no man may boast before God. 
                        --  I Corinthians 1: 26-29 NASB

May God help us to recognize ourselves as aliens in a kingdom of “homeless people.”  Then, may we submit to the King’s authority and power, and then, enlist in His mission to seek and to save the lost, so that the homeless may gain an eternal home while there is time.

Web Links:
The Hobbit – Concept and Vocabulary Analysis (source of artwork used above, by David Wenzel)

“It’s Not Dark Yet, But…”

The following entry grew from a brief response to Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, whose article, “It’s Not Dark Yet, But…”, in his blog “Coming Clean,” invites club members and other blog followers to urge President Obama to make “tackling climate disruption a top priority of his second term:” 

Hello Mr. Brune: 
 I appreciate your concern and zeal for a better environment.  However, the Sierra Club should not invest too much of its time and resources in the polluted waters of Washington with its failing leadership.  For example, I'm trying not to question the president's judgment as he has led Washington's effort to "pick winners" among companies promising "green energy" options.  Unfortunately, he gave us too many losers like Solyndra while wasting tax dollars in the process.  Indeed, my confidence in a leadership that has wasted trillions on bridges to nowhere has waned.   If the same trillions had been invested under the direction of knowledgeable business entrepreneurs guided by good scientific technology, we could be on the road to much cleaner energy and much less political cronyism from Washington.  Witness the difference between FedEx and the US Postal Service.  Or, consider some of the amazing successes coming from private investments in alternative energy based on new technology.

“Getting darker?”   It sure is.  And, unless the US addresses its penchant for borrowing from China, one of the Earth's biggest polluters, America will enter the kind of "darkness" known only to societies like the Soviet Union and China in the mid-20th century where the government had its way in social planning in every area of life.  Programs out of Washington, funded by borrowing more money, have never and will never produce the results possible in a free market economy that is allowed to function in an environment of real justice which is enforced by rule of law. 

Oil derrick of "fracking" operation  near Carrollton, Ohio

"Saving the Earth" is like "Saving Our Children" from the evil intentions of people with guns (or knives or drugs).  In both cases, the focus should not primarily be upon the "outward means" (guns, knives, smokestacks, pipelines and drilling rigs).  Rather, the focus should be upon reclamation of the moral and ethical disposition of those choosing and using the "means."  Aldo Leopold was not opposed to wise use of Earth’s natural resources when he stated:

By and large, our present problem is one of attitudes and implements. We are remodeling the Alhambra with a steam-shovel, and we are proud of our yardage. We shall hardly relinquish the shovel, which after all has many good points, but we are in need of gentler and more objective criteria for its successful use. -- A Sand County Almanac, pp 263-64 [Ballantine edition]

Mr. Brune, caring for the Earth and our children both have major moral and ethical requirements and I like what one of your predecessors, Carl Pope, said:

We sought to transform society, but ignored the fact that when Americans want to express something wiser and better than they are as individuals, by and large they gather to pray. We acted as if we could save life on Earth without the same institutions through which we save ourselves.  -- Sierra Magazine 83 (November/December 1998): 14–15, 14.

It's not dark yet, but... darkness will come unless we realize that climate change, mass shootings, out-of-control national debt, abortion, gay marriage, corporate fraud, etc. are all just the “tips of icebergs”  because we have submerged and suppressed the voice of moral conscience that had come from objective moral absolutes rooted in Judeo-Christian teachings.   If we return to these teachings and apply them, we will have hope of staving off the darkness and seeing a brighter day and a greener, safer Earth. 

Creation Conscious Christmas Cleanup

Once again, our celebration of Christmas has become part of family history recorded in our memories and photos.  This year I’ve been trying to glean some lessons by reflecting upon our preparation and celebration of Christmas.  It all started when I was preparing our so-called garbage for weekly pick-up at the curb.
Thanks to our attempts at recycling, our weekly output of “waste” is less than one average-size garbage bag per week.  As a result, the company who serves us discounts our quarterly rate—a nice economic incentive over and above our calling to do what is right as stewards of creation.   So, I became quite reflective as I sorted the “Christmas waste” from our collective unwrapping and “un-packaging” of gifts.

Christmas wrappings, packaging, and reusable boxes

While I was gleaning and separating the metal, plastic, cardboard, and recyclable paper, I began to reflect on how we handle the material side of Christmas.  I’ve recorded my thoughts here in hopes that they will give additional life and usefulness beyond our regular ritual of handling the “stuff” of Christmas celebration.

While pawing through the pile of crumpled, colorful wrappings, I had to consider the relative importance of my gleaning and sorting in the first place.  After all, considering the mountains of garbage generated at Christmas, what difference can my separation and recycling make?  Besides, isn’t it likely that my ‘garbage company’ can do an even better job of sorting and recycling than I can?  Aren’t there more constructive ways for me to use my?   But then, my pawing and pondering began to yield some unexpected treasures.

First, I realized that the “what difference can I make” argument extends far beyond whether or not we choose to exercise stewardship of our material blessings.  It is also at the heart of God’s call to evangelism and discipleship.  After all, if we are to be faithful as witnesses of the “Good News” toward a spiritually needy world, we must believe that our individual and often seemingly unnoticed efforts can make a big difference in God’s harvest.  That includes a “word fitly spoken” (Proverbs 25:11) as well as proper acts of stewardship of the material gifts of God.

Second, my sorting gave new meaning to the torn and shredded wrapping paper and packaging.  This pile of colorful, cast-off, coverings of the treasures we had only recently purchased and wrapped as Christmas gifts now served as a reminder of our love for our family.  A torn-open, cardboard package that had held a doll (“Made in China”), anchored securely with some flexible wire that is great for “twist-tying,” was also a reminder of the smiles and joy of our granddaughter when she first opened the package.  Other torn wrappings and packaging had been removed with anticipation by me, and I was reminded of the joy I saw on the faces of givers who were delighted at my excitement. Wonderfully, my stewardship of the cast-off wrapping paper and packaging seemed to provide a fitting closure to our time of giving and celebration.  Our love and kindness toward each other was being revived and extended by my responsible care in disposing of the materials that had once enclosed the treasures inside.

Third, and somewhat related to the previous point, I began to realize that my investment of time to properly sort and recycle our wrappings and packaging provided additional time to reflect thankfully on what we had just done in giving and receiving gifts.  So often, we hurry through activities that are only possible because of the gracious hand of our Creator God.  For example, the discipline of offering a prayer of thanks at mealtime allows us the blessing of pausing and considering God’s gracious provision of nutritious food and the ecological, agricultural, and economic system that makes it so readily available.  As I handled the wrappings and packaging, I realized that the “cost” of these materials went far beyond our monetary expenses in purchasing them.  There is also the “ecological cost” or “impact” on God’s creation through the refining, manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and shipping of the products and wrappings.  In light of these costs, it is only proper that we take time to recognize the ecological and stewardship mandates that define our responsibility and that of our children toward material resources.  

In summary, I was encouraged not to omit even small efforts to “make a difference” through words or actions of good will toward God, my neighbor, and creation.  Also, my attention to the stewardship of Christmas wrappings and packaging enhanced the benefit of these material resources by providing a few moments of reflection and closure on our time of giving and receiving.  Although their color and beauty is temporal, the eternal value of these wrappings was assured by acknowledging their role as vehicles of love and good will in our Christmas celebration.

I close with a few practical suggestions for applying stewardship of material resources to the Christmas (or any birthday) celebration:

1.    How am I doing in providing an example of good stewardship both of material resources, including what may be called ‘waste,’ and the Good News of Christ’s coming and soon return.   After all, shouldn’t my actions toward material creation, the Creator’s footstool (Isaiah 66:1), be a pleasing part of my worship and service to God?

2.    How can I be more conscious of the environmental impact of packaging?   What distinctions can I make in choosing products that are packaged with environmental stewardship in mind?

3.    I’m challenged to research my ‘garbage company’s’ role in the waste stream – what happens to our garbage?   Is it sorted and reclaimed?  What is my part in stewarding these resources?

4.    Are there lessons for both the givers and the receivers of gifts with respect to how we handle the treasured contents of a package AND the packaging and wrappings?   Have we lost the distinction between the means and the ends of gift giving?  Means as well as ends?

5.    I’m challenged to expand our use of reusable gift boxes.  Although young children enjoy tearing open packages with reckless abandon and joy, at least some gifts can be given in reusable boxes.  Indeed, we’ve begun to circulate some sturdy boxes covered with colorful paper among our homes, and which reappear the following year with a new gift inside (see examples in photo, upper right).  We also use other packages such as used cereal boxes.

Please “Comment” to add your thoughts, questions, or practical suggestions.

Prayer:   Father in Heaven, thank you for sending your Beloved Son to be the Savior of the world; especially, to be the Savior of all who accept His sacrifice to provide atonement for their sin.  Thank you that this Son of love Who entered this world and humbly took on flesh, wrapped in cloths in a manger; all within the busy, distracted, commercial world of His time.  Help us (help me) not to be so distracted by all the wrappings and trappings that I miss Your purposes for me.  After all, my own works—even my efforts to be more “green” environmentally-- are only filthy rags if I forget my desperate need for daily spiritual renewal through confession and regeneration.  Amen.