Charlie Chaplin was the most famous man in the world, the most famous movie star from WWI until 1920. Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Pat Boone, Bill Gates, Houdini, all famous in their time. Very few young people know little about these famous people who so monopolized the headlines. With the television, Ed Sullivan, Lucille Ball, Uncle Miltie (Milton Burl), even Archbishop Sheen were regulars in most homes. More regular than church attendance and certainly more important than prayer meeting.
I have never ceased to be amazed with the importance “supposedly” normal, rational, human beings putting values on certain things. Even The pretenders at the church house, the courthouse, the schoolhouse, even the White House, putting emphasis on nothingness when there are so many important matters in the world. One forty year old man was painting in my house. I was listening to a debate between Presidential candidates. He said to me in all sincerity “Who is that talking”. I said, those are the men who are running for the president of your country. He said, “I have never heard of them.”
Every day of my life, at five in the morning. I celebrate our Lord's supper in my kitchen, the bread representing the broken body of our blessed Lord, a sip of wine representing the shedding of blood on Calvary. I pray for my healing and the healing of every one in the world who needs healing, because Christ took all of our sicknesses, infirmities to the cross. I pray for all who have never experienced redemption through the shed blood of Christ. I am thankful that I have this knowledge and, thankful, that I keep up with happenings in the world.
God wanted me to experience the world, gave me the funds to travel the world... although blind, through senses, smells, and to listen to the world.
I was stupid enough to believe that people would be excited about my world travels (8 round the world trips, passport stamped in 157 countries. I thought family and friends, people in churches, colleges, politicians, would be interested in photographs made by a blind man. Critical sites, my guide would take the camera and make the pictures. I have thousands of fantastic photographs. During the past fifty years I could count on one hand those interested in the photographs and two hands those interested in my travels. Most people are just lazy. Only interested in trash which they find on television. Most people, could care less that I am a totally blind, 100% disabled, service connected medical officer veteran, who used his time, talent, treasure, while still having the energy to do these things. Even when I wear my veterans cap, rank of Lt. Colonel medical ca-duce and other military emblems does anyone take note. They simply do not care. I once asked a pastor who had driven me to many family funerals, etc. “Have you ever heard a member of my family mention my military service. Despite everything, I have worked hard, lived frugally, a philanthropist for a many worthy causes?” He said “No, they think of nothing but themselves.”
One, “so called” Christian college founded by poor people raising money at church suppers, I gave thousands of dollars for awards and scholarships. Each time anyone from that college came to my house, always wanting more money, I would give them a personal gift from my large collection of memorabilia and books. Before they had gotten out of town, I had dictated a note expressing my thanks for their visit. It is an insult to God and should be an embarrassment to most “thinking” people, that I never receive a response. Even those from the University where I give much more, making now a pretension of Christianity, always show appreciation. Recently, the President and Vice President of Mt Olive College, after we had gone out to lunch, in the living room of my house, to my embarrassment, said they would name a building for me if I would give a certain amount of money. They thought that I was too stupid to realize that the naming of a building was up to the trustees. Is this there “gimmick” in approaching all prospective donors?
One would think, that over the years, a man who had achieved what I have achieved in spite of everything would have been a regular speaker “certainly at a chapel service” to give some measure of inspiration to young people beginning their long journey of life's doubts and fears. In Mauritania, I saw slave girls herding goats. I was told that they were regularly raped, that in case of a child, the child was just put in a hole and covered over. In Mongolia, Before crossing the Gobi a Tibetan refugee male told me in broken English of his torture. Without bitterness, wishing to understand, a very old lady pointed out to me, many years ago, the scariest verse in God's Word. Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. (Psalm 98:9)
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