I have never been Black, Asian, Hispanic, Gay or a Woman. I have never been rich or lived in utter poverty. I have never been Jewish or Hindu or Muslim. And guess what. I am not going to apologize for that! However, I am a growing minority! I am a White Anglo-Saxon American Male Christian.
The news this past week has been crazy. With all the problems with the economy, violence in our communities and other suffering in the world, Chick-Fil-A is under attack because it's president, Dan Cathy had the gall to answer a question honestly.
"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit," he said. "We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."
So what is wrong with that? Can anyone actually say that they are surprised by this statement? Afterall, Chick-fi-A is closed on Sundays because of their strong Christian beliefs. Where is the hate that so many are claiming? Nowhere do I see in this statement anything that condemns any people or group. Is the man not due the privilege of free speech. And no, this is NOT hate-speech.
I am divorced. Should I be offended by Cathy's remark..."we are married to our first wives."? That would be silly. It is just another example of how polarized we have become as a society. It is the "we" vs. "them" mentality...and I hate it!
The company later released the following statement: "The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender." That IS Christianity!
Being Christian is not an exclusive club where only certain people are allowed in. If anything, we all qualify for inclusion because we share a common characteristic...we are all sinners. One of the greatest hindrances to true Christianity is the "holier than thou" mentality of judgement that some Christians feel they are entitled. " I may do this...but I would never do that" scale of sin is a disservice and an affront to God.
To a totally and completely Holy God...any sin is offensive.
So, Jeff, are you saying that gay-marriage is a sin? I am saying that there is strong scriptural evidence of what God's plan is: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 ESV)
"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." (Romans 1:26-27 ESV)
I also believe that there is strong scientific evidence that some people, male or female, are predisposed to not be attracted to the opposite sex. I don't have the answer for everyone. I only have the answer as I apply it to my life. This is just another of those times where I am happy I am not God. I am content to let Him take this one.
And consider this. In the scope or eternity and salvation does it really matter? "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:30 ESV) "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
(Mark 12:25 ESV)
I do not mean to take the scripture out of context; because Paul is not condoning homosexuality when he wrote: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28 ESV)...but, as Christians we have to leave room in our hearts that everyone has sacred worth. I see nothing in Mr. Cathy's comments that contradicts that.
Boycott if you want, however, I will continue to support Chick-fil-A because, as far as I can see, they actually do practice what they preach. And just because I eat a waffle fry doesn't make me a hate-monger either! Please choose your battles carefully! What are you really willing to fight for? (another future blog)
MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS...OR SO I THOUGHT
As I was working in my classroom this morning registration is taking place just outside in the hallway. An African-American woman came into my room and ask if I was the broadcasting teacher. When I said I was, she wanted to know why I didn't have a poster displaying African-American broadcasters on my bulletin board outside my room. What?
I am not artsy-fartsy when it comes to decorating bulletin boards. (or anything else for that matter) On the bulletin board outside my room I have my name, the schedule for the use of this room and a poster from the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. This is not meant to be a social, political or philosophical agenda. It was a gift from a former student and it fills the void of an empty bulletin board AND it relates to what I teach. I didn't draw it and I never saw it as being controversial or offensive in any manner.
The poster has drawings of people who have had or made an impact on broadcasting in Chicago. It includes, Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Jack Brickhouse, Harry Carey and Kula, Fran and Ollie; just to mention a few. Unfortunately, none of the people drawn on this poster is African-American.
There have been numerous African-Americans who have played huge role in broadcasting. I quickly brought to the conversation the names of Ed Bradley, Bill Whitaker (both of CBS News) Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby. I later added Bernard Shaw, the longtime anchor/reporter for CNN to my list.
Just because none of those individuals had a picture on the wall or on the bulletin board does not scream my lack of racial sensitivity. Not everything has a motive or an agenda. Not everything is politically or racially motivated. Does the fact that I think of Oprah as a broadcaster rather than a Black/African American broadcaster speak positively on how far we have come in this country or how far we still need to go? Does the fact I don't have a picture of Ed Bradley scream a lack of racial diversity? Is it not enough that I acknowledge Barrack Obama as President of the United States or does he need to the Black President?
Wouldn't a better way to approach me have been to say. "If I brought some pictures of prominent African-American broadcasters would you mind putting them up?" The mere phrasing of this woman's question implied a deliberate exclusion on my part. "Why are there no African-Americans on your bulletin board?' I was immediately put on the defensive and I resented it.
As I said at the top, I have never been black. I have not had to view the world as a "person of color". There is enough injustice in the world without having to search for it. There is enough hatred in the world without having to vilify someone about his biblical family values. This country is so polarized that we are choking ourselves to death. Our government can't work effectively because rather than compromise for the common good we would rather divide and conquer. We are more concerned with "winning"....and somehow when that happens we all lose.
Love one another. "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19 ESV) Everything kind of falls into place after that!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
Tragedy in Colorado
I have wondered the past few days what I would write about in my next blog. The topics that have run through my head have been pushed to the back burner due to the shooting massacre in Aurora, CO. Some of the details have been released by authorities as their investigation continues. As I write this 12 are confirmed dead and 58 are listed as wounded.
There are many directions this story will lean over the coming days and weeks. There will be the understandable quest for a motive, the inevitable link to the movie "The Dark Knight Rises", there will be discussions of the topic of violence in motion pictures and in life, concerns about tightened security at movie theaters and much much more.
One also has to think about the amount of tragic and violent events that have rocked that area of Colorado. The theater shooting took place not far from Columbine High School, the site of a mass murder in 1999. It is also the same community that is still haunted by the Jon Benet Ramsey murder; which remains unsolved. This area has certainly had it share of devastating events.
Wiser minds than mine will ponder and try to answer why these types of events happen in the Denver metropolitan area. The fact is this could have happened anywhere. Columbine and Aurora are not much different than the community where I live.
I don't say that to make people afraid to go out of their homes, into their communities, attend motion pictures or midnight premieres. If anything, it is just the opposite. You can never know when evil, the unexplainable might happen. We can not let unexplainable and random acts paralyze us.
Consider the story of one of the victims in the theater shooting, Jessica Redfield. Also known as Jessi Ghawi, she was an aspiring Colorado sports reporter who had narrowly escaped a Toronto mall shooting last month. She wrote in her blog that she had a eerie feeling that day and felt she had to get out of the food court area; so she left. Moments later a gunman opened fire killing one and wounding several others.
Last night there was no such eerie feeling. The 24-year old was one of the 12 to be killed. My point...none of us are guaranteed the next sunrise....next week...our next breath. We should not be afraid to live our lives as fully and as completely as possible. Life is too short not to.
It is common for us to hear of suicide bombers in the Middle East and we often breathe a sigh of relief when we learn that it didn't happen in our country or our community. Then something like this sends a shock wave through us.
The one topic that I haven't mentioned to this point is the weapons used in the massacre: “An AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 870 12-gauge shot gun and a .40 caliber Glock handgun. We believe those three weapons were used in the scene and another .40 caliber Glock handgun was found in the car. We’re not sure if that was also used in the scene,” said Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates.
All of the weapons were obtain legally; which is disturbing to me. I am as big a defender of America's Constitution...including the 2nd Amendment...as anyone. What I can't defend is why anyone needs to possess assault weapons.
This will be the main topic of debate over what happened in Colorado. Some will argue that if you take guns away from the people only criminals will have them. The reality is that the suspect was able to purchase the weapons legally because he had NO criminal record prior to the shooting.
He can't say that anymore!
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
.
There are many directions this story will lean over the coming days and weeks. There will be the understandable quest for a motive, the inevitable link to the movie "The Dark Knight Rises", there will be discussions of the topic of violence in motion pictures and in life, concerns about tightened security at movie theaters and much much more.
One also has to think about the amount of tragic and violent events that have rocked that area of Colorado. The theater shooting took place not far from Columbine High School, the site of a mass murder in 1999. It is also the same community that is still haunted by the Jon Benet Ramsey murder; which remains unsolved. This area has certainly had it share of devastating events.
Wiser minds than mine will ponder and try to answer why these types of events happen in the Denver metropolitan area. The fact is this could have happened anywhere. Columbine and Aurora are not much different than the community where I live.
I don't say that to make people afraid to go out of their homes, into their communities, attend motion pictures or midnight premieres. If anything, it is just the opposite. You can never know when evil, the unexplainable might happen. We can not let unexplainable and random acts paralyze us.
Consider the story of one of the victims in the theater shooting, Jessica Redfield. Also known as Jessi Ghawi, she was an aspiring Colorado sports reporter who had narrowly escaped a Toronto mall shooting last month. She wrote in her blog that she had a eerie feeling that day and felt she had to get out of the food court area; so she left. Moments later a gunman opened fire killing one and wounding several others.
Last night there was no such eerie feeling. The 24-year old was one of the 12 to be killed. My point...none of us are guaranteed the next sunrise....next week...our next breath. We should not be afraid to live our lives as fully and as completely as possible. Life is too short not to.
It is common for us to hear of suicide bombers in the Middle East and we often breathe a sigh of relief when we learn that it didn't happen in our country or our community. Then something like this sends a shock wave through us.
The one topic that I haven't mentioned to this point is the weapons used in the massacre: “An AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 870 12-gauge shot gun and a .40 caliber Glock handgun. We believe those three weapons were used in the scene and another .40 caliber Glock handgun was found in the car. We’re not sure if that was also used in the scene,” said Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates.
All of the weapons were obtain legally; which is disturbing to me. I am as big a defender of America's Constitution...including the 2nd Amendment...as anyone. What I can't defend is why anyone needs to possess assault weapons.
This will be the main topic of debate over what happened in Colorado. Some will argue that if you take guns away from the people only criminals will have them. The reality is that the suspect was able to purchase the weapons legally because he had NO criminal record prior to the shooting.
He can't say that anymore!
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Fallen Heros
It is said that we are a nation, a people that enjoys building someone up only to tear them down. We see it everyday in some form or another. This is mainly seen in the celebrity world. First there is the publicity push to get the person's name and face recognized and then the constant effort to keep that face before the public.
How often have we seen it? Some celebrity, we love, stubs their toe and the vultures are there to devour the carnage. We like to see the mighty and powerful fall. We also like a phoenix that rises from the ashes.
Sports and politics are full of such stories. Richard Nixon rose to the office of Vice-President under Dwight Eisenhower only to lose the 1960 Presidential election to John F. Kennedy. In 1964, Nixon ran for Governor of California only to lose there; spawning his famous line to the press, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore."
But four years later he receives the Republican nomination for President again and wins! What an amazing story of comeback. Unfortunately, he would leave the office in disgrace with the Watergate fiasco. Sometimes it is self destruction that writes the final chapter.
I could go on and on, sighting one example after another. OJ Simpson was an American sports hero whose legacy was blackened when we was accused of the murder of his ex-wife. Even though he was acquitted, most Americans still think he did it. He is serving prison time for another unrelated crime. Self destruction.
How many have found delight in the rise and fall of golfer Tiger Woods?
Then there are those people who can only see the color of the uniform the person is wearing. The great baseball player Albert Pujols left St. Louis this past off-season to sign with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It amazes me how Pujols could be the greatest baseball player of his day while with St. Louis and immediately become a washed up over-rated ballplayer the next year because he changed uniforms.
We are loyal to our teams, our schools no matter what. A good friend of mine worked in the Athletic Department at Auburn University. He was constantly receiving calls during recruiting season, checking on the progress the Tigers were making with this prospect or the next. During one conversation an avid fan called to inquire about a top notch recruit who had committed to Auburn. "He is going to be pretty good, isn't he?", the caller ask. "He is really going to help us. I like him a lot." When informed that the aforementioned player had actually signed with Alabama the next words out of the mouth of the caller was, "Well, that S.O.B. wasn't any good anyway."
He went from being a great catch to being an S.O.B. in less time than it takes to run a kick-off back! We look at things though different lenses.
This brings us to the recent trial and conviction of former Penn State defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. He was convicted of child abuse and of being a sexual predator. The trial has been over for a few weeks now but the fallout continues with the result of the eight-month, 267 page Freeh Investigation Report released today detailing a massive cover-up by top officials at the school; including Head Coach Joe Paterno.
I remember the outrage when "Joe Pa" was forced to resign prior to the end of the season. Defenders said he meant too much to the team, the school, the community and to college football to be forced out in such a way. The truth of the matter is he should have been gone years ago based on the findings of this report.
You see it stops being about wins and loses when crimes are being committed. How can anyone know that young boys are being brutalized and raped in the showers of any school's locker room and not feel repulsed and sickened by it? How could anyone walk in on such an act, as assistant coach Mike McQuery did and not beat Jerry Sandusky to within an inch of his life? How could high ranking officials, from Joe Paterno to the President of Penn State turn their heads and permit such acts. McQuery was afraid he would lose his job. The others thought it could ruin the school's reputation! How did that all work out for you now? It is the ultimate act of cowardliness! Real heros don't run from tough decisions!
We have to be careful here too. Following the announcement of the verdict, the district attorney in the case made statements about believing young children; that someone finally listened and that they will continue to listen. It took great courage for these boys, now young men, to tell their stories, to testify. Good for them. They are the real heroes here. They showed much more courage than any adult at the time. Justice can and will be served. But....
Let's not slip into the Nancy Grace school of "everyone is gulity until proven innocent". The fact is, people do lie. Not every person accused of a crime is guilty. Not everyone who says they were abused or raped or sexually assaulted is telling the truth! We only have to look back at the Duke University Lacrosse team scandal to know that.
All it takes is one claim against a teacher/coach/co-worker for his/her career and reputation to be tainted forever; whether its true or not. None of this is easy. So what do we do? We do what Penn State DIDN'T do. We follow up. We check out stories. We do listen and act accordingly. Its the same mantra we chant in journalism: Seek the truth and tell it fully. Then do the right thing!
The one thing we should have learned from Nixon to Paterno is that covering up something only makes it worse! Look how many more boys were victimized after these issues came to the attention of the powers that be. Much of this could and should have been avoided.
Due diligence is needed in all of these matters. All of us must take off our team colors and our rose colored glasses, lay aside our idol worship of celebrities. They are human and subject to human flaws. They put their pants on just like the rest of us. We must remember the definition of what is truly a hero, a champion. It shouldn't always be measured in wins and losses, national titles or championship rings.
Root for you favorite team. Cheer for your favorite player. Have fun with it. Just don't equate character and class with the ability to catch a football or to hit a baseball or to dunk a basketball or to coach a team to victory. Put things into perspective. No matter who wins or loses tomorrow night's Cardinals-Reds game or this fall's Iron Bowl game or the BCS Championship there are 1.3 billion Chinese and 1.2 billion people in India who could care less.
As long as there are flawed human beings in this world there will be fallen heros. There is only one hero that will never let you down; who has no flaw in Him. There is only one victory that matters. Jesus Christ is that hero and his victory over sin and death not only matters to you and me, but also to those 1.3 billion Chinese and the 1.2 billion people in India....and every people, tongue and nation on this planet.
Seek the truth: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6 ESV)
Tell it fully: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
How often have we seen it? Some celebrity, we love, stubs their toe and the vultures are there to devour the carnage. We like to see the mighty and powerful fall. We also like a phoenix that rises from the ashes.
Sports and politics are full of such stories. Richard Nixon rose to the office of Vice-President under Dwight Eisenhower only to lose the 1960 Presidential election to John F. Kennedy. In 1964, Nixon ran for Governor of California only to lose there; spawning his famous line to the press, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore."
But four years later he receives the Republican nomination for President again and wins! What an amazing story of comeback. Unfortunately, he would leave the office in disgrace with the Watergate fiasco. Sometimes it is self destruction that writes the final chapter.
I could go on and on, sighting one example after another. OJ Simpson was an American sports hero whose legacy was blackened when we was accused of the murder of his ex-wife. Even though he was acquitted, most Americans still think he did it. He is serving prison time for another unrelated crime. Self destruction.
How many have found delight in the rise and fall of golfer Tiger Woods?
Then there are those people who can only see the color of the uniform the person is wearing. The great baseball player Albert Pujols left St. Louis this past off-season to sign with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It amazes me how Pujols could be the greatest baseball player of his day while with St. Louis and immediately become a washed up over-rated ballplayer the next year because he changed uniforms.
We are loyal to our teams, our schools no matter what. A good friend of mine worked in the Athletic Department at Auburn University. He was constantly receiving calls during recruiting season, checking on the progress the Tigers were making with this prospect or the next. During one conversation an avid fan called to inquire about a top notch recruit who had committed to Auburn. "He is going to be pretty good, isn't he?", the caller ask. "He is really going to help us. I like him a lot." When informed that the aforementioned player had actually signed with Alabama the next words out of the mouth of the caller was, "Well, that S.O.B. wasn't any good anyway."
He went from being a great catch to being an S.O.B. in less time than it takes to run a kick-off back! We look at things though different lenses.
This brings us to the recent trial and conviction of former Penn State defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. He was convicted of child abuse and of being a sexual predator. The trial has been over for a few weeks now but the fallout continues with the result of the eight-month, 267 page Freeh Investigation Report released today detailing a massive cover-up by top officials at the school; including Head Coach Joe Paterno.
I remember the outrage when "Joe Pa" was forced to resign prior to the end of the season. Defenders said he meant too much to the team, the school, the community and to college football to be forced out in such a way. The truth of the matter is he should have been gone years ago based on the findings of this report.
You see it stops being about wins and loses when crimes are being committed. How can anyone know that young boys are being brutalized and raped in the showers of any school's locker room and not feel repulsed and sickened by it? How could anyone walk in on such an act, as assistant coach Mike McQuery did and not beat Jerry Sandusky to within an inch of his life? How could high ranking officials, from Joe Paterno to the President of Penn State turn their heads and permit such acts. McQuery was afraid he would lose his job. The others thought it could ruin the school's reputation! How did that all work out for you now? It is the ultimate act of cowardliness! Real heros don't run from tough decisions!
We have to be careful here too. Following the announcement of the verdict, the district attorney in the case made statements about believing young children; that someone finally listened and that they will continue to listen. It took great courage for these boys, now young men, to tell their stories, to testify. Good for them. They are the real heroes here. They showed much more courage than any adult at the time. Justice can and will be served. But....
Let's not slip into the Nancy Grace school of "everyone is gulity until proven innocent". The fact is, people do lie. Not every person accused of a crime is guilty. Not everyone who says they were abused or raped or sexually assaulted is telling the truth! We only have to look back at the Duke University Lacrosse team scandal to know that.
All it takes is one claim against a teacher/coach/co-worker for his/her career and reputation to be tainted forever; whether its true or not. None of this is easy. So what do we do? We do what Penn State DIDN'T do. We follow up. We check out stories. We do listen and act accordingly. Its the same mantra we chant in journalism: Seek the truth and tell it fully. Then do the right thing!
The one thing we should have learned from Nixon to Paterno is that covering up something only makes it worse! Look how many more boys were victimized after these issues came to the attention of the powers that be. Much of this could and should have been avoided.
Due diligence is needed in all of these matters. All of us must take off our team colors and our rose colored glasses, lay aside our idol worship of celebrities. They are human and subject to human flaws. They put their pants on just like the rest of us. We must remember the definition of what is truly a hero, a champion. It shouldn't always be measured in wins and losses, national titles or championship rings.
Root for you favorite team. Cheer for your favorite player. Have fun with it. Just don't equate character and class with the ability to catch a football or to hit a baseball or to dunk a basketball or to coach a team to victory. Put things into perspective. No matter who wins or loses tomorrow night's Cardinals-Reds game or this fall's Iron Bowl game or the BCS Championship there are 1.3 billion Chinese and 1.2 billion people in India who could care less.
As long as there are flawed human beings in this world there will be fallen heros. There is only one hero that will never let you down; who has no flaw in Him. There is only one victory that matters. Jesus Christ is that hero and his victory over sin and death not only matters to you and me, but also to those 1.3 billion Chinese and the 1.2 billion people in India....and every people, tongue and nation on this planet.
Seek the truth: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6 ESV)
Tell it fully: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Thursday, July 5, 2012
I Miss Mayberry
I learned of the death of Andy Griffith Tuesday while I was driving back to the area where I grew up. I did not grow up in Mayberry; in fact my hometown is much smaller. As a kid, we didn't even have a Sheriff or any kind of police presence in our town. We did have a town drunk though.
The Andy Griffith Show (AGS) was based in the fictional southern town of Mayberry, NC; but it could have been any small town in the US. Debuting in 1960, it ran until 1968 and then gave way to Mayberry RFD (1968-1971). We purist will tell you that vintage AGS ended when it began being broadcast in color.
CBS had a host of sticoms that centered around small city or rural life: The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Hee Haw and Gomer Pyles USMC (a spin-off of AGS), This homespun approached appealed to middle America but not so much to Madison Avenue. Despite the fact that overall ratings were still strong, the demographics were not what national advertisers were looking to reach. CBS, which stood for the Columbia Broadcasting System started being called the Country Broadcasting System among the advertising execs.
Not all that slowly, CBS began to cancel these shows; replacing them with more urban and "socially conscience" shows, i.e., All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time and Maude.
The shows in the 60's did not match the real life of the 60's. Perhaps that is why they were so embraced by us "common folk". In Mayberry the biggest issues were Barney and Thelma Lou's relationship; Opie getting the wrong grade on a report card; Andy's dating life (he sure dated a lot of good looking women in such a small town*). Then, occasionally, there was some lawman's work where Barney's courage was always tested.
{*We purist think Helen was a b%^$# and Andy should have married Peggy the nurse. Much hotter!}
In real life the 60's were anything but what we saw in prime time. It all seemed to begin in November of 1963 with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. From that day on, all Hell broke loose: the assassinations of Malcom X, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy; and the attempt on the life of George Wallace. There was Viet Nam, the Civil Rights race riots in L.A.and Detroit, waterhoses and police dogs in Birmingham, the Manson Family, and Richard Speck. No...Mayberry was not real life at all!
Even my tiny hometown was not immune. One of our own died in Viet Nam. The biggest battle Gomer Pyle ever faced was Sergeant Carter! Shows like AGS helped us escape, if for only 30 minutes at a time.
People will look back on those TV shows and think it was a quieter, easier time; but it wasn't. I do not long to return to those days at all. The events of that era, as CBS reporter Dan Rather once said, "...shook something loose from the American psyche". Some have said life has never been the same in this country since. We springboarded right into the 70's with more riots, Kent State, Watergate, the Munich Olympic tragedy, Iran hostages, gas shortages and double-digit inflation.
This is why we loved the AGS and shows of it's kind. It was life as it should be, how we wanted it to be. The fact that the show has never really left the airwaves, with syndication re-runs, tells us that we still wish it were that way.
Each generation and decade will have trials and tribulations. It is called life. Rarely can we solve any of our problems in 30 minutes (minus 8 minutes of commercials). We push on. We do the best we can. We dream of better days from the past and for our future.
The song MAYBERRY by Rascal Flatts, talks about "I miss Mayberry sitting on the front porch drinking ice cold Cherry Coke". Great song and great thoughts of a life most of us wish we had. But it is dream, a fantasy; and there is nothing wrong with that. But in reality, in real life, it is hard to miss what you never had.
The passing of Andy Griffith is just one more reminder that life and DEATH do happen. How grateful I am for the many hours of entertainment and escape that show has brought to me and millions of others. Rest in peace Andy. You made our world a better place because Mayberry could be everyone's hometown.
Yes, even though I never lived there...I MISS MAYBERRY!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
The Andy Griffith Show (AGS) was based in the fictional southern town of Mayberry, NC; but it could have been any small town in the US. Debuting in 1960, it ran until 1968 and then gave way to Mayberry RFD (1968-1971). We purist will tell you that vintage AGS ended when it began being broadcast in color.
CBS had a host of sticoms that centered around small city or rural life: The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Hee Haw and Gomer Pyles USMC (a spin-off of AGS), This homespun approached appealed to middle America but not so much to Madison Avenue. Despite the fact that overall ratings were still strong, the demographics were not what national advertisers were looking to reach. CBS, which stood for the Columbia Broadcasting System started being called the Country Broadcasting System among the advertising execs.
Not all that slowly, CBS began to cancel these shows; replacing them with more urban and "socially conscience" shows, i.e., All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time and Maude.
The shows in the 60's did not match the real life of the 60's. Perhaps that is why they were so embraced by us "common folk". In Mayberry the biggest issues were Barney and Thelma Lou's relationship; Opie getting the wrong grade on a report card; Andy's dating life (he sure dated a lot of good looking women in such a small town*). Then, occasionally, there was some lawman's work where Barney's courage was always tested.
{*We purist think Helen was a b%^$# and Andy should have married Peggy the nurse. Much hotter!}
In real life the 60's were anything but what we saw in prime time. It all seemed to begin in November of 1963 with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. From that day on, all Hell broke loose: the assassinations of Malcom X, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy; and the attempt on the life of George Wallace. There was Viet Nam, the Civil Rights race riots in L.A.and Detroit, waterhoses and police dogs in Birmingham, the Manson Family, and Richard Speck. No...Mayberry was not real life at all!
Even my tiny hometown was not immune. One of our own died in Viet Nam. The biggest battle Gomer Pyle ever faced was Sergeant Carter! Shows like AGS helped us escape, if for only 30 minutes at a time.
People will look back on those TV shows and think it was a quieter, easier time; but it wasn't. I do not long to return to those days at all. The events of that era, as CBS reporter Dan Rather once said, "...shook something loose from the American psyche". Some have said life has never been the same in this country since. We springboarded right into the 70's with more riots, Kent State, Watergate, the Munich Olympic tragedy, Iran hostages, gas shortages and double-digit inflation.
This is why we loved the AGS and shows of it's kind. It was life as it should be, how we wanted it to be. The fact that the show has never really left the airwaves, with syndication re-runs, tells us that we still wish it were that way.
Each generation and decade will have trials and tribulations. It is called life. Rarely can we solve any of our problems in 30 minutes (minus 8 minutes of commercials). We push on. We do the best we can. We dream of better days from the past and for our future.
The song MAYBERRY by Rascal Flatts, talks about "I miss Mayberry sitting on the front porch drinking ice cold Cherry Coke". Great song and great thoughts of a life most of us wish we had. But it is dream, a fantasy; and there is nothing wrong with that. But in reality, in real life, it is hard to miss what you never had.
The passing of Andy Griffith is just one more reminder that life and DEATH do happen. How grateful I am for the many hours of entertainment and escape that show has brought to me and millions of others. Rest in peace Andy. You made our world a better place because Mayberry could be everyone's hometown.
Yes, even though I never lived there...I MISS MAYBERRY!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Love of My Life
I have been doing alot of deep thinking lately. Not that I don't usually, but circumstances in my life have caused me to reflect on the past, the present and the future. As I move past middle-age (it is doubtful I will live to be 114 years old, so yes I am beyond middle age) there is more past now then there is future; at least in quantity.
It is staggering just how many lives I have had already. Or should I say "careers" Some are more jobs than careers but hopefully you get the idea. Lets see.
I have: Mowed lawns, hoed and turned watermelon vines, loaded and stack watermelons, baled hay, cut corn out of beans, worked at an A&W, been a janitor, a mover, and worked a snack bar; all before graduating from Junior College. This does not count two full seasons practicing and playing basketball for Spoon River College. Then there was the summer job working in a factory and the 1 1/2 years in puratory there following my time at SRC.
Since graduating from Western Illinois University I have been a staff announcer, disc jockey, news reporter, sports director, play-by-play man. I have worked both TV and radio. I have done voice-over work and I have produced and edited numerous project, for various clients.
Along the way I have worked with a travel agency...sold encyclopedias,...co-owned, published and sold advertising for a bridal magazine...taught high school....and have my own financial services business.
Whew, I am tired from writing all that and I am sure if I thought harder I would likely think of some other endeavors I have been in. I won't even mention the stations, teams, and free-lance broadcasting jobs. Now throw in there son, brother, student, cousin, boyfriend, husband, father, brother-in-law, ex-husband and friend.
The point and the title of this entry is to look at my life in different sections rather than as a whole. After all, to get to the "whole" person you have to look at the sum of their parts and there have been lots of moving parts in my life.
So why the moment of reflection? Why now, at this time? Well, I am coming out of a relationship where I thought with all my heart that I had found the true love of my life. Details are not important here but for months I walked around consumed with the grief and mourning of that lost love. I was miserable and not able to find much happiness or joy in life. It was bad! It is that valley I referred to in an earlier blog.
But here is the deal. What does "love of my life" really mean? If you break it down as I did earlier...I have had many different lives. Now that is not to imply that I had that special someone along each of those times,but seasons come and seasons go. In fact, that is bibical:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV)
She WAS the love of my life...at that part of my life. There were even seasons within our relationship. The first date was the "time to be born". The dating and courting process was the "time to plant". The love and affection we shared was "a time to build up". The death of loved ones during our time was the "time to mourn". It goes on and on.
Now apply all that back to the whole life experience. The scripture starts out that we are all born. We can't escape that fact. Each of us will go through every one of these seasons. We will, in one form or another, weep and laugh, mourn and dance, embrace and refrain from embracing, keep and cast away. It is part of life. None of us can avoid any of it.
But look how the author of Ecclesiates ends this particular passage. "A time for peace." Is it an accident that he writes of all these seasons of life and then concludes talking about a "time of peace"?
We can be assured, no matter the circumstances, if we place our lives and our confidence in God that through it all we will receive peace. True peace can only be found in one place and that is the Cross.
Love of my life? The true love in my life and in yours is Jesus Christ and the love he showed on the Cross. It is there whether we realize it or not. His love is there through ALL seasons.
" And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,....(John 1:14 ESV)
The word IS Jesus. Jesus IS God. God IS love. His love endures FOREVER!
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
(1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV)
Doesn't it make you feel safe and secure that there is one person that will always love you; that God's love will never leave you? It does me! God will not leave me regardless of the season I am in. He proved that by living the life I could not live and dying the death I deserved to die and defeating sin and death when he rose from the grave. AND he did it all BEFORE I was even born...BEFORE I had a season at all! What love!
I look forward to many more seasons in my life: Father-in-law, grandfather, etc.. I will have seasons of loving and being loved. There will continue to be more seasons of trial. But, I know what I have been seeking through the many seasons so far, the LOVE of my life, has been with me the entire time. Praise God!
I hope you know that kind of love too. If not, look to the Cross. No greater love was ever known!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
It is staggering just how many lives I have had already. Or should I say "careers" Some are more jobs than careers but hopefully you get the idea. Lets see.
I have: Mowed lawns, hoed and turned watermelon vines, loaded and stack watermelons, baled hay, cut corn out of beans, worked at an A&W, been a janitor, a mover, and worked a snack bar; all before graduating from Junior College. This does not count two full seasons practicing and playing basketball for Spoon River College. Then there was the summer job working in a factory and the 1 1/2 years in puratory there following my time at SRC.
Since graduating from Western Illinois University I have been a staff announcer, disc jockey, news reporter, sports director, play-by-play man. I have worked both TV and radio. I have done voice-over work and I have produced and edited numerous project, for various clients.
Along the way I have worked with a travel agency...sold encyclopedias,...co-owned, published and sold advertising for a bridal magazine...taught high school....and have my own financial services business.
Whew, I am tired from writing all that and I am sure if I thought harder I would likely think of some other endeavors I have been in. I won't even mention the stations, teams, and free-lance broadcasting jobs. Now throw in there son, brother, student, cousin, boyfriend, husband, father, brother-in-law, ex-husband and friend.
The point and the title of this entry is to look at my life in different sections rather than as a whole. After all, to get to the "whole" person you have to look at the sum of their parts and there have been lots of moving parts in my life.
So why the moment of reflection? Why now, at this time? Well, I am coming out of a relationship where I thought with all my heart that I had found the true love of my life. Details are not important here but for months I walked around consumed with the grief and mourning of that lost love. I was miserable and not able to find much happiness or joy in life. It was bad! It is that valley I referred to in an earlier blog.
But here is the deal. What does "love of my life" really mean? If you break it down as I did earlier...I have had many different lives. Now that is not to imply that I had that special someone along each of those times,but seasons come and seasons go. In fact, that is bibical:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV)
She WAS the love of my life...at that part of my life. There were even seasons within our relationship. The first date was the "time to be born". The dating and courting process was the "time to plant". The love and affection we shared was "a time to build up". The death of loved ones during our time was the "time to mourn". It goes on and on.
Now apply all that back to the whole life experience. The scripture starts out that we are all born. We can't escape that fact. Each of us will go through every one of these seasons. We will, in one form or another, weep and laugh, mourn and dance, embrace and refrain from embracing, keep and cast away. It is part of life. None of us can avoid any of it.
But look how the author of Ecclesiates ends this particular passage. "A time for peace." Is it an accident that he writes of all these seasons of life and then concludes talking about a "time of peace"?
We can be assured, no matter the circumstances, if we place our lives and our confidence in God that through it all we will receive peace. True peace can only be found in one place and that is the Cross.
Love of my life? The true love in my life and in yours is Jesus Christ and the love he showed on the Cross. It is there whether we realize it or not. His love is there through ALL seasons.
" And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,....(John 1:14 ESV)
The word IS Jesus. Jesus IS God. God IS love. His love endures FOREVER!
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
(1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV)
Doesn't it make you feel safe and secure that there is one person that will always love you; that God's love will never leave you? It does me! God will not leave me regardless of the season I am in. He proved that by living the life I could not live and dying the death I deserved to die and defeating sin and death when he rose from the grave. AND he did it all BEFORE I was even born...BEFORE I had a season at all! What love!
I look forward to many more seasons in my life: Father-in-law, grandfather, etc.. I will have seasons of loving and being loved. There will continue to be more seasons of trial. But, I know what I have been seeking through the many seasons so far, the LOVE of my life, has been with me the entire time. Praise God!
I hope you know that kind of love too. If not, look to the Cross. No greater love was ever known!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
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