Empathy

The first time I realized and recognized the true significance of empathy was at a toastmasters' club meeting. The word empathy means “the capacity to recognize and share feelings that are being experienced by another [human being].” It has been a long time, and I do not know if toastmasters' clubs are now in existence, but 60 years ago, toastmasters' clubs were important in every community. In these clubs, men (mostly young men) learned to communicate, articulate themselves, learned the craft of speech-making.

I was a member of a toastmasters' club, among its membership, professionals (lawyers, doctors, teachers), military officers, people who needed to learn to express themselves before others, especially aspiring politicians. A middle-aged man came to our group from a nearby small county. He was one of the most humble persons I have ever known. He had done well in business, and was now encouraged to run for political office. He wanted to run for a seat in the NC legislature; he did run and was elected. He was a product of the North Carolina school system and in spite of his wants and needs, he had been given very little remedial education; he simply did not know the meaning of words or how to use them.

I was caught up in the empathy of what he was trying to do, having known so many relatives and good, honest people who had the desire to serve, yet were “crippled” by inadequate preparation in public schools. He simply could not express himself, get his thoughts across to an audience...an intelligent audience would have made a mockery of him! It was the club's mission to courageously and correctly help him, through tender care. He learned through criticism, was not antagonized by those who wanted to help him.

The greatest fear of most people is the fear of speaking in public. Before the time of self-help development books, Dale Carnegie courses, talk-radio shows, such programs as toastmaster's, pilot clubs for women, only the college-trained, classic debaters of the university-type possessed the courage to speak before a group. Like the great education governor, Charles Brantley Aycock (1901-1905), spurred on to improve his education and the education of others by seeing his mother, who could not write, make her “mark” on a deed”, I heard my father say he wished he had the education to express himself before a group.

I first realized the number of honest citizens who wanted to serve their country, their fellow man, when I worked with the WRO (Welfare Right's Organization) of the early 1960s. These were the disenfranchised, mostly-black, almost always poor, products of the despicable eastern North Carolina education system, just trying to improve their lot in life. Cotton-mill workers, tenant farmers, day-laborers, moving through the eastern counties, working in green tobacco, produce markets, hand-picking cotton, they knew that they were not sharing in the American experience, the so-called “American dream”. They knew that their children would never have the opportunities planned by our forefathers. They knew that the American Constitution did not apply to them. They knew that they were the victims.

The owner of a furniture manufacturer told me without any hesitation (his son was in the legislature, one of the good ol' fraternity boys at the university when I was there) that he would shut down his factory before he would yield to any of our health-safety demands. One of my aunts went to the owner of the Spaford cotton mill, Mr. Davis, about washing the windows so that more light would come in, and they could see better to do their work. She was told that if she did not like the working conditions, she could find another job. This was the 20^th century eastern North Carolina mentality: rule by the Democrat party, keeping the people poor and ignorant, but still enticed to vote the straight Democrat ticket.

I ceased my activity with the Welfare Right's Organization when Mr. Saul Alinsky (Rules For Radicals) hitched these groups to the civil rights, black desegregation movement of the Lyndon Johnson administration. Now, 60 years later, there may be more rights, but the discrimination, disenfranchisement, racial attitudes are as bad as ever.

The bankers, the political powerbrokers, the Bilderbergers, the Satanic forces of the New World Order are as evident as ever. Islam is the mindless mass that will assist the New World Order in gaining control of the earth. Many Muslims countries are aflame; three hot wars, some cold ones. China, supplying Pakistan with planes, holding 40% of total US debt, is in the driver's seat (If the US debt was calculated with today's figures, not as presently calculated with figures of 30 years ago, the debt would be $75 trillion, not $14 trillion...a debt which is un-payable).

We have brief interludes in our nation's plight, such as that of brother Camping, who is solving the problem for many of us, the Rapture of Christians to the glory of Christ. Interesting that most snickering unbelievers/pretenders think they will be part of the group. I think that even Mr. Camping would assure you that Christ is not returning for a prostitute: those with one foot in the church house, one foot in a house of worldly pleasure. Christ is not returning for those who think they have some fire insurance, “just in case there is something to this thing called religion”.

We are children of light (1 Thessalonians 5:4), walk as children of light, not as the thief of darkness, stand as a defender of right. Get ready to speak for your faith, to defend the absolutes of right. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15).

Ordinary People, Ordinary Day

Other than those who have studied Bonnie and Clyde and their bank robberies there, or perhaps Mickey Mantle being born there, Joplin, Missouri is full of ordinary people and yesterday was an ordinary day. One can hardly imagine the tornado winds with so much force that they could strip the bark off of the trees!

This was the weekend in which Family Radio and its 89-year-old owner and founder Harold Camping, civil engineer and Bible scholar, had predicted the end of the world. Family Radio owns 66 stations worth $100 million, broadcasting around the world in 61 languages. Many of us were waiting with great expectation, the Christians of the world, to be caught up in the rapture. I was looking forward to having sight again. Some fruitcake denominations/religions, all-mixed-up, along with confused/lost unbelievers actually thought this sacred event pertained to, and included, them.

Amid the scoffing, joke-playing on believers, Neal Boortz, defamer-of-faith, said he would put empty clothing (all the apparel that a man would wear) by the street so that some would think they have been left behind. Another, on a local radio broadcast, actually said that nothing about religion could be believed, “for years they have been looking for Noah's Ark at the top of Mt. Everest.” Much like the woman at First Baptist Church (Wilmington, NC) who said that Golgotha was the giant that slew the disciple David. Or perhaps, like the one who worked for me, in an Episcopal Church every Sunday, who did not know there was an Old Testament and a New Testament in the Bible.

Harold Camping, the 89 year-old Bible scholar—for 60 years answering questions on radio about the Bible—may have been wrong, but always, even from the 1^st century, Christians-believers have been wrong about many things. During the 1^st century, they were looking for the immediate return of Christ.

Things at the church house have not improved, “a falling away”. (2 Thessalonians 2:3) Can one even imagine the newly-converted-to-Catholicism Tony Blair, going to a party with his priest Father Seed, being greeted at the door by a transvestite wearing a nun's habit? Even more beyond imagination, “falling away”, the Baptist Union University (Jackson, Tennessee) having Blair as the graduation speaker!

Ted Haggard is the bisexual pastor of St. James church (Colorado Springs, CO) . Ted was accused of a three-year relationship with a gay escort. After three weeks of counseling with some other pastors, he was pronounced as a bisexual. Not to be accused of racism... Bishop Eddie Long (De Calb County, GA) pastoring a mega-church with 25,000 members, lives in $4 million home. Not to be a gender discriminator...Dr. Robert Schuller of the bankrupt Crystal Cathedral, turned the pastorate over to his daughter, Sheila Coleman, who has preached against homosexuals in the choir and the congregation...much against her father's wishes: “I have a reputation worldwide of being tolerant of all people and their views”. Hitler's SS troops of WWII, professed tolerance. On their insignia, they had the words, “loyalty is a virtue”.

Brother Camping—as he is affectionately known by his millions of followers—like so many, is better known for his failures than his successes. 4000 books have been written about Abraham Lincoln, most pointing out his many failures; his one great success: becoming President in 1860. Babe Ruth struck out 1300 times, but he is remembered for hitting 714 home runs. Van Gogh painted 1700 canvas but only sold one in his lifetime...the last Van Gogh painting sold to the public sold for $71.5 million. Michael Jordan, reared in this city, was cut from the Laney High School team after he was ruled too short to play. Michael Jordan said about his failure, “I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot... and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why... I succeed. “

A real friend stands by you when you are in the wrong. Pitiful the individual, accused of anything, that is not supported by his family, even if he is in the wrong, even if he is guilty. This is the peril of politics. This totally blind, 100% disabled, service-connected medical officer veteran became active in local politics. At the time, believe it not (because I am now such a rabid Republican), I was President of the NC Young Democrats. The Democrat Party in North Carolina has been in power for over 100 years, mostly because of demography and decadence. Another Democrat had accused me of immorality, that I had been arrested at the Hotel Sir Walter in Raleigh with a prostitute. The local newspaper editor wrote, “how do these vicious rumors get started?” They start by vicious, jealous people at cocktail parties! Members of my family were the biggest purveyors of this gossip, especially one of my mother's sisters. She did not ask me if it were true.

I knew one boy, accused of rape. He was innocent, and was proven innocent, but not one member of his immediate family went to the trial, gave him any moral support. What would they have done if he was guilty, if he was in prison?

Swathmore College has published research on decision-making, concluding that we are corrupted by our many choices...in the grocery stores, even in the inspection of hotel rooms. Even for ordinary people on ordinary days, it may be necessary to make a decision...tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, standing up for a family member or a friend, standing up for your spiritual belief. Faith, action based on belief, sustained by confidence. You need faith in life as well as in death.

Raw Deal

The first time I heard the name Arnold Schwarzenegger, he was to star in a movie, Raw Deal. The local movie studio wanted to use one of my buildings as a filming location. It was then that I was told about this up-and-coming movie star, bodybuilder, and politician.

In 1939, Schwarzenegger's father was one of Hitler's “brown shirts”. In a 1970 interview by a national publication, Schwarzenegger disclosed that Hitler was one of his heroes. Somehow, Arnold married into the Kennedy clan, and a more unbelievable somehow, he became Governor of California. Like several other politicians, (Jesse Jackson, John Edwards, etc.), the terminator-governator became the impregnator of one of his staff members (Mildred Baena), and now he admits to having a child with her. This 14 year-old son is the youngest of his five (admitted) children. Of course, Arnold, like Jesse and John, apologized for his dalliances.

It is only when an innocent child is involved that we learn these things. If an illegitimate child were involved in the fornication-adultery of every politician, every professional athlete (Tiger Woods, Wilt Chamberlain), the world's population would be much larger. When I was young, there was a famous Ivory soap advertisement (99% Pure), few of us can claim purity on any level.

The only girl that I honestly knew to have an illegitimate child was Agnes. When I was in school, pregnancy of an unmarried girl was a very rare thing, you just never heard of it. Agnes was in my class, a friend, “wearing her apron high”, she talked to me about her problem, the stigma, the condemnation by her family and friends. She knew what it was like to wear the “scarlet letter”.

There was a young, “cute”, conqueror of females throughout the county, he was called William the Conqueror like the British warrior before him. “So cute, no girl could deny him, every girl just wanted his attention.” Agnes said to me, “I just knew he loved me, and this was my way of keeping him. You will never know how heartbroken I was after I had given him my most precious possession. He acted like he didn't know me.”

In today's world perhaps she would have had the option of an abortion, not so back in the 40's and 50's. Agnes gave birth to a son who took her family name, and from everything I know—and I never saw her after I left for college—her son was fine in every way. He was my youngest brother's friend in school (my mother had one son after her other three children were almost grown).

Agnes, recognized my mother at the beauty shop where my mother went each Friday. Agnes, who had married a widower and helped him raise his daughter, became a very good friend to my mother. She asked my mother if she remembered “her indiscretion”. My mother assured her that she did not sit in judgment of anyone. That she loved the son of Agnes regardless of his parentage, because he was a friend of her son, my brother. My mother told Agnes that God is not threatened by sin, that God is not shocked by anything. The tragedy of America, and the shame throughout the world: any country or society that kills its young, whether red, yellow, black, or white; God's chief creation, all precious in His sight.

For many years, via shortwave—but he is on 66 radio stations—I have listened to Family Radio on occasion, which in 2008 was worth $100 million. I understand the world-wide radio station and its programs are owned by Harold Campen, an 89 year-old engineer, who answers questions about the Bible on a program called The Bible Forum. It is an amazing expose of Biblical knowledge, he has memorized most of the Bible. In addition to his nightly radio broadcasts from his headquarters in Oakland, California, he lectures across the country and has a tremendous following, I understand that his ministry is 60 years old.

Mr. Campen and his followers have predicted the Rapture of the church this Saturday, May 21st, 2011. I have heard and printed out their mathematical calculations. He has previously predicated the end of the world in 1994, but said he made a mistake in calculations. One man in New York has spent his life savings ($140,000) putting up large billboards warning the public about the end of the world; people around the world are preparing for the event. Of course, the unbelievers, the pretenders, the imposters, and even those of us with the courage of our faith believe that “not even the angels in heaven know the time.” (Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32)

Clinical death is the end of the world for the unbeliever, it is truly a raw deal for anyone who has never accepted the grace and mercy of our redeemer, Jesus Christ. Clinical death, at any time is a good deal for the born-again, saved, believer in Jesus Christ. 85 years ago, there was one mosque in America; today, there are 3,000 mosques and thousands of Muslims in America, who like the billions of Muslims around the world, believe Christianity is a religion of blasphemy...that all non-Muslims are infidels, to be killed. In Western Europe, there are more Mosques than churches.

A Muslim can never be an American citizen because a Muslim cannot pledge/swear allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. Islam is the only religion in the world combining spiritual and secular beliefs.

Today, we are hearing much about the “mighty” Mississippi, all winter there has be historic snowfall, ice packs in the northern river now melting and flowing into the Mississippi. In 1957, the Mississippi River was 65 feet above flood level.

The beauty of the Christian faith, raw deals or good deals, plenty or famine, death or disaster, whether Christ returns this year, next year or a thousand years from now: all are already dead except those who have life in Him. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)