The Disneyland Effect

 

Looking for America 250

We just got back from a family vacation to Disneyland.  By "we," I'm talking about our son and daughter-in-law, and their two kids.  They wanted the kids to experience having their MeMaw and BePaw share the experience with them.  Did we ever share the experience with them?  It was quite a push for our bodies to cooperate (after all, I'm old enough to have had coffee with Walt Disney himself!).

I noticed something about the crowd walking around the place.  Most were friendly and seemed to go out of their way to be nice, as you would expect at the happiest place on earth. Amid all this goodwill, I had a surprise.  C.S. Lewis wrote SURPRISED BY JOY.  I was surprised by grief.  As we were going through the line at Flight Across California, I was telling some interesting facts about the photos displaying the history of aviation.  I asked them to look for a photo of the world's largest wooden plane, the Spruce Goose. My dear friend, Dr. Lloyd Mitchell, was on the team that engineered the hydraulic system for the massive plane. Sure enough, we found it.  I also saw a biplane and explained how my dad flew in one of those early contraptions.  As a boy, he had a deal with a local biplane pilot.  For every 10 paying customers he got to ride in the plane, he would be given a free ride.

Then it hit me.  I felt this sudden surge of grief.  I could feel it coming, but could not stop it.  I tried to fight the tears because of frequent nosebleeds.  The tears won.  I used all I had to stop the grief of my father and eventually made it to the ride.  I thought that was behind me, but as we left, the grief came back in a fury.  There was no stopping the flood as I moved ahead of my family and turned my back on the crowd.  That is when this late middle-aged woman came up to me.  

"Are you going to be all right?" she asked with such concern in her eyes.

"That last ride triggered this deep hurt of grief," I replied. 

By that time, my family realized something was happening and moved in to help.  The woman faded away.  I wish I could see her again to thank her for her compassion.

Why did people care so much for each other at Disneyland?  It was an artificially controlled environment.  Everyone was there to have safe fun.  You could leave a stroller or wheelchair parked with your belongings in it as you went on a ride.  

I lived in a similar environment in New York City following the terrorist attack in 2001.  I was a recovery worker (see footnote). That attack brought people together like a caring family.  The unimportant, small things didn't matter.  Caring for each other did.  It is no surprise that I felt culture shock when returning home near Portland, OR.  People were still more involved in their own world than in caring about Americans on the other side of the country.  Soon, the waving flags would disappear, and it would be business as usual.

Does it have to take tragedy to bring people together?  Perhaps if we make an effort to care for those around us, we could make this country and world a better place.  The truth is that we need to embrace the Prince of Peace.  He is the Prince of lasting peace.  In the Bible, the Book of St. John, chapter 14, verse 27, Jesus said:

        "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid."  (John 14:27 NLT).

And...

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:24-35 NLT).

Are you searching for a better America?  

I encourage you to invite the Prince of Peace into your heart and life.

  

*Learn more about my experience by reading my book, "Sent to Serve...The Chaplains of 9/11"

THE POWER OF SYMBOLS

When someone in the US is learning to drive, they must memorize traffic signs and learn the mechanics of driving.  The symbols on those signs are very important.  If one doesn’t follow them, they may cause an accident and end up in a serious predicament (like the man who didn’t obey the “Road Closed” sign and drove into a foot of fresh cement on an off-ramp). and even receive a heavy fine from a law enforcement officer.

What would happen if road symbols were suddenly changed and drivers didn’t know what they meant?  You might end up in chaos.

Sometimes people or groups steal symbols.  One example is the rainbow:

Many recognize it as the symbol of the LGBTQ+ movement.  Guess where they got it from?  For Christians, the origin is taken from the Bible as: 

A Sign of Peace showing that God would never again flood the earth.

A Reminder for God and Humanity: The text states, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." [Genesis 9:13]. It acts as a visible, physical reminder of God's faithfulness to His creation. For me, when I see a rainbow, I’m thankful.  I am thankful for God’s goodness, grace, and mercy that He has shown me.

Below is another symbol that hasn’t been stolen, but misinterpreted:

The Thin Blue Line flag is a symbol of pride and honor. It originated in the United Kingdom.  It is to commemorate fallen law enforcement officers and symbolize the relationship between law enforcement and the community.  The black stripes are a constant reminder of the fallen brother and sister officers. The blue line in the center represents the officer and their courage.  The black stripe immediately above the blue line represents the public. The line just under the blue line represents crime.  The blue line stands between the two black lines, a metaphor for standing between the public, protecting them from crime and danger.

Different thin line flags represent others who serve us, including fire, EMS, forestry, dispatch, etc.

The thin blue line flag is a noble cause and symbol.  The current narrative claims this as a racist symbol to SOME.  The SOME are saying to this flag, “We know better than you what you stand for.”  Really?

In the U.S., we believe in the freedom of expression only if it fits the current narrative.  I live in the Portland, Oregon area.  It is considered a very liberal city (ex. “Keep Portland Weird”).  We had a small decal on a car window, showing support for fallen officers.  My wife parked in a public lot.  When she got home, I noticed the decal had been hit with something, and the window had shattered.  We can’t support officers who have died in the line of duty!  A Sheriff’s Deputy told me, “You probably shouldn’t fly your Thin Blue Line flag at home.  It may not be safe.”  This is America, right?

In many ways, symbols have become confusing because people look at them subjectively and decide what they want them to mean.  Check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0QvUwxndzs&t=253s. 

In the movie “What About Bob?”, starring Richard Dreyfus (Dr. Leo Marvin) and Bill Murray (Bob), Dreyfus is a psychiatrist, and Murray is a mental health client.  Dr. Marvin drops Bob off at a mental health facility, but his college calls him back to say there is nothing clinically wrong with him.  Bob is found in the library telling the staff this story: 

“There was this Doc who was showing a patient various Rorschach ink blots.  He asked, ‘What do you see? Patient says, “Sex.”  How about this one? “Sex.”  Okay, what about this one?  “Sex.” The Doctor says, “Sex, sex, sex.  Your problem is sex!  Client replies, “You are the one with the problem.  You have the dirty pictures.”

Why are symbols important?  They identify a group or movement.  It’s a way for people to express themselves.  Freedom of expression is vital to the rights of all Americans.  Let’s let others have their interpretation of their own symbols of expression, as long as they let others do the same and don’t resort to violence. We may not agree with them, but we should respect their right to other ideas and beliefs.  That is the American way.

Breakfast Surprise

 

We went out for a post-Thanksgiving breakfast.  Geo, our friendly waiter, greeted and seated us.  A young couple occupied the table behind us.  Our “neighbor” got a phone call.  One could easily hear that he was congratulating and encouraging a co-worker.  He got a second call later from someone else and was just as encouraging.  I certainly was impressed.

On my way back from getting to-go boxes, I walked up to them and said, “Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but hear your last two phone calls.” 

“Oh, was I speaking too loudly?” he asked.

“No”, I responded.  “Being inside and next to each other, it was hard to miss.”  I continued, “It sounded like you were talking to a friend or fellow employee.  You sounded very encouraging and complimented them on their recent accomplishment.  You did the same with the second caller.”

“Yeah,” he added, “I like to encourage others.  It encourages them, and me.”

“Well, I’m very impressed.  We need more people like you,” I concluded.

I told him about this blog, Journey into Story.  I explained that the purpose is to learn others’ stories.  The more we know each other’s stories, the more we take steps towards mutual respect.  In the end, as it spreads, peace is passed along.

His friend, a young woman, is maybe 20 years old. She is a drift car racer.  (What is “drift racing?”  When finished with this post, click the link at the bottom of the page.)

As I was leaving, I shook her hand and said, “Be careful.  You are too pretty to get into a wreck.”

After they left, I spoke with Geo.  He said, “Your bill has been paid by the couple you sat next to.”  Nice, it made my day, so I put my arm around Geo’s shoulder and put a nice tip into his hand.

Please consider listening to others’ stories and sharing your own.  In the process, everyone receives benefits.

Drift racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK8Gc4vH2YM

FOUNDATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE

I grew up in an inexpensive house.  I knew we were poor when we visited my Uncle Dave.  They lived in a beautiful two-story home with immaculate furnishings.  The style of our furniture was Early Goodwill.  My father and a friend built an addition onto the kitchen.  At the time, it looked big, but it didn’t look so big when I came back as an adult.    

Many of you may have seen the Canadian comedy show, “Red Green.”  Red fixed everything with duct tape.  My dad fixed everything with Liquid Nails.  It often didn’t look that pretty, but was sometimes functional.

The house had a forbidden corner.  It was where a water pump once stood, so the floor sagged in that corner.  It wasn’t good for anything except storing bathroom linens.  My dad would say, “You kids don’t get too close to that corner, you might fall in!”  We were scared to get near it, except to retrieve a bath towel and wash cloth.  I would stand at some distance and reach as far as I could without falling into that chasm where I would disappear for all eternity.  If you ever dropped any change in the kitchen, it would probably roll down there, and the rescue of that coin wasn’t worth the danger.

Fast forward to the present.  We bought a house that had problems we weren’t aware of.  The house is not level!  Our ground is clay near a drainage ditch.  When it rains, the clay acts like a sponge, expanding the foundation.  Now, if a friend falls indoors, we only have to go to the Northeast corner of the room to find where they rolled.  Well, it’s not that bad, but you get the point.

FOUNDATIONS ARE IMPORTANT for houses and for nations.  Friday is Independence Day in the U.S. Our nation has certain foundational principles and ideas.  Those principles came from four basic sources.   The four major influences were ancient thought, Enlightenment philosophy, the English tradition, and Protestant Christianity.  (1) Ancient world thinkers and their failures taught the Founders a lot when constructing the American republic.   (2) Enlightenment thinkers emphasized that the people should rule themselves through a limited government that would protect natural rights and secure the liberties of the people.  (3) The British protected basic rights, such as the right to trial by jury, property rights, and no taxation without consent. The government would be limited, especially the monarchy. (4) The writings associated with the Protestant Reformation emphasized individual liberty from civil and religious oppression. Protestant ideas, based on Scripture, of resistance against tyranny were generally consistent with the other three strains of republican thought. (For further reading on this, click here.)

If you start to erode any of these four building blocks of the foundation of America, it causes instability.  If enough is chipped away, the nation can fall.  The one area that has most eroded is the Biblical principles because they are the easiest to attack and misinterpret.  We have gone on a witch hunt for Christian teachings that were used to build our original foundation.  After all, it was Jesus who told the story about the foolish man who built his house on a foundation of sand.  The winds and rain came, and the house was destroyed.  The wise man built his house upon a rock, and it withstood all that came against it. (Matthew 7:24-27).  We know how we built our foundation.  If we let it erode, we only have ourselves to blame.

As we consider these things, let’s be thankful for the wisdom of our founding fathers.  They gave us a great start. It is our responsibility to preserve it. 

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Many Forms of Mother

 

For many, the word Mom or Mother represents a term of endearment.  This probably explains why Mother’s Day gets top billing over Father’s Day. 

Americans spent $33.5 billion on Mother's Day-related gifts and activities in 2024. The numbers for Father's Day were $22.4 billion last year.  There are some reasons for this with guilt being a top motivator.  We’ll leave it at that. 

Mothers fulfill an important role in our lives, as do all women.  A woman doesn’t have to be a mom to be a mom.  My friend, Donna, has made a couple of trips to Nepal to help out the churches there, where Christians are persecuted.  The person in leadership of over 100 churches there calls Donna, “Mom.”  It would not be proper to call her by her first name, so she is given that title.  She has made a great impact on his life.

We have a friend from Tanzania, Africa.  His home language is Swahili.  We don’t speak Swahili. Our language is Hoosier (look it up).  In their country, they show respect to an older woman or man as “Mama” or “Papa.” Linda is Mama, and I am Papa. These are terms of endearment.

When Jesus was on the cross, he looked down at his mother and the Apostle John standing with her.

            ²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:25-27 NIV)

Jesus was asking John to take care of his mother.  He was also asking his mom to take care of him.

Women who play a significant role in someone’s life can be a mom, mother, or mama.  They become our nurturers, cheerleaders, and inspirers in our lives.  They are there for us, love us, and guide us.  (Check out my story about Grandma Frye in the February 16, 2024 post, “Circle of Friends” to illustrate this).

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO YOU!

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THE EXPENSE OF INDEPENDENCE

 

Today is Independence Day, for those living in the United States.    John Adams wanted July 2nd to be the official start of our nation since the Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 2, 1776.  Here is what he said;

“[Independence Day] will be the most memorable Epoch, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival… It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade with shows, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this continent to the other from this Time forward forever more,”

 What words come to your mind when you hear, "The Fourth of July?" Fireworks, ice cream, parades, cook outs, etc.  Probably few of us think of "sacrifice."  Yet without it our nation would not have come into existence.  

Someone in our family's past sacrificed for us to have a free America.  Who was it for you?  We are a land of immigrants.  Some, like myself, had people here from the beginning.  My 10th great grandparents came over on the Mayflower in 1620 and my 5th great grandfather William P. Johnston, fought in the Revolutionary War.  Some may be newcomers to our country.  Maybe you are the one who sacrificed for your family.  The problem, it's not a "One-and-Done."  Once our freedoms were established, we have to keep fighting to protect those freedoms.

The Founding Fathers disagreed on many things, but they knew compromises were needed to see the work of freedom happen.  Our nation has revealed growing pains through the years.  With those pains have come division (just look at the Civil War).  Siblings can have some painful fights, but if an outsider threatens, they pull together.  We saw this in most of our wars and even 9/11.  

In 1858 when Abraham Lincoln was running for the U.S. Senate, he gave his "House Divided Speech. In it he said, in part, "A house divided against itself, cannot stand," in reference to Jesus' words in the Bible.

Replica of Lincoln Inaugural Bible, (C) 2024 Wally Johnston

In many ways, we are divided today, at least if you read social media and the news.  Personally, I don't think the division is as bad as it appears, but it is divided.  If the divide gets too large, our "house" will fall.  With that in mind, what are you willing to sacrifice to save this great nation?

SEEK TO UNDERSTAND

Seek To Understand

By Cate Arnold (c) 2016

While I was quietly re-elected to City Council in November, 2016, the angst over the presidential race was loud, angry and full of accusations. The attacks on conservatives versus liberals, Republicans versus Democrats, government employees, and so many “others” continue to rage.

My mother taught me the importance of the words: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” She taught me the importance of caring for family and community. She was impeccable – not perfect, but someone who desired health and happiness not only for my siblings and our own families and friends, but for our fellow human beings.

Seek to understand: can we gather accurate information about what’s happening in the moment? For instance, I was talking to a gentleman who said that we can’t fix our roads because politicians are wasting our money. I explained that over the years, we’ve had serious structural changes: a huge decrease in the federal funds available to build new roads, massive expenses for maintenance of the roads we’ve already built, and static fuel tax rates while construction costs rise every year, including some years of double-digit inflation for inputs like asphalt and land costs. Replacing politicians doesn’t change these conditions.

We must have the patience and wisdom to understand the lands that we live in. Only accurate physical accounting gives us what we need to find solutions. Only by understanding our structures can we devise solutions and find better ways towards a better world for those coming behind us.

I hope to start a new movement, the Impeccable Moms’ Movement. What would an Impeccable Mom do? Get to know the people and lands we live in, understand and work with others in spite of our faults, spend our hours caring for our communities rather than attacking others, expect accurate and honest information about what we face; and face our problems head on together with integrity, respect, kindness, and hope.

Cate Arnold is one of those people you want to talk to.  She has her own story and is willing to share it, but she loves hearing other people’s stories.  She is bright, educated, and down-to-earth. To see what she thinks is most important for Beaverton, OR, look at 3 Essentials on www.cate4beaverton.com. To contact her, send your phone number to cate4beaverton@gmail.com

 

  

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU!

 

My wife and I recently went through the same medical procedure; cataract surgery.  Because I'm a gentleman, I let her go first (she claims I had another reason for doing so).  The surgery wasn't so bad.  The tricky part was remembering to put in the eyedrops 4, 3, 2, times a day that differed for each eye.

They took the patch off the next day.  It is amazing how bright the lights and colors are now.  When I compared them to the untreated eye, they were yellowish in one eye and brilliant in the other.  I looked in the mirror and realized, "I don't have renal failure after all!"

Many things in life can color our vision of the world around us.  We may see others through the lens of opinions or prejudices.  The problem is that we think we are seeing things clearly because the lens has been tainted for so long.  Don't let anyone tell you they see clearly on every issue.  While you are at it, don't claim the same pronouncement.

There is only one person who walked this earth who didn't need his lens cleaned...Jesus Christ.  If he saw something and made a claim about it, it was clear and true.  He hung around some sketchy figures.  He didn't see them as sketchy, but people with needs.  He saw what they could become. I wish I had those kinds of lenses!

I read about a man who wanted to see others as Jesus did, so he took a grease pencil and put a cross on each lens of his glasses.  He then stated, "I now see the world through the cross of Jesus." 

We will always have some discoloration as we look at others and the world, but if we allow Christ to help us see more clearly, it can make a difference.  That's the kind of “different" we all can use.

Here's looking at you!

 

                                                    

AMERICA'S CORN MAZE

 Well, folks, it's that time of year again, Autumn, when the trees turn multi-color and coffee shops serve pumpkin spice coffee.  It's also time for corn mazes, you know when farmers cut mazes in their corn fields and people try to navigate through them.  Most places have maze maps to help in case there are lost adventurers.  Some stubbornly refuse because they claim they don't need maps...until they do!

Imagine if everyone was given a different map, but there was only one true map.  Some might make it through by sheer accident, but most would be at a dead end.  People can claim the right map but that doesn't mean they have the right map.

Mr. Holland's Opus with Richard Dreyfus is one of my favorite movies.  Here is a composer who has to support his trade by working as a teacher.  He is not thrilled about the job, and in the clip below, his principal gives him a piece of her mind:

Mr. Holland is not giving the students direction and an example to show them the way.  Years later, when the principal retires, she has a different message for him.

Remember the corn maze map?   Consider being lost in a wilderness (like the reality show, "Lost.") and someone has given you a compass from a pile of compasses with a different North.  That compass may send you to a place you don't want to go.  At that point, you better send up a flare...if you packed one!

By living in a world where everyone has their own truth, we bump into each other without finding True North.  What is to become of our moral compass and how do we know what is right and true?  We may find sound advice from Fredrick Douglass, a former slave who became a leader of the abolitionist movement in the 1850s and '60s:

"There is no such thing as a new truth:  error might be old or new, but truth is as old as the universe."

To whom can we look for an objective truth?  It was a carpenter-builder from Nazareth who said,  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

How do we know if Jesus was who he said he was?  And how do we know the Bible is reliable?  Those questions go beyond the limits of this post, but if you are truly interested in knowing the answers, I direct you to the following YouTube videos: The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith

In the meantime, try not to get lost.  It's no fun in the dark!

(Please share your comments by clicking the pencil icon below.  I look forward to hearing from you.)

Saint Patrick's Day...a Horse of a Different Color

We once lived in Santa Monica, CA. I served as an associate pastor of a church. We had a young Irishman visiting for a time, so I thought we would help him feel at home. We invited him to our apartment for a St. Patrick’s Day party. We had the place decked out with green and shamrocks. After our other guests were gone, he said, “You know I’m from Northern Ireland.” I replied, “Okay?” He continued, “The Northern Irish are Protestant, not Catholic. Our color is orange, not green.” I hadn’t realized there was a difference and embarrassingly apologized. He responded, “No need. I just appreciate you thinking of me.”

If you look at the Irish flag below, you will notice the two colors. The white unites them.

There is quite a history behind those colors. My ancestors were from Scotland and were forced to move to Northern Ireland under King Charles I. They had to pay high rents to their English landowners. They were persecuted in Southern Scotland and then again in Ireland. The Catholic Irish didn’t like this imposition, which led to hostilities. My family put up with this for a while but eventually moved to America around 1750/60.

To learn more about this, and enjoy some Irish music, etc. click on  [1] at the bottom.

 Here’s my take on St. Patrick’s Day. The Catholic St. Patrick came to convert the island hundreds of years before the Protestants showed up. He was the one to bring the light of the Gospel (Good News) to the Emerald Isle. I don’t think we should let symbols cause divisions.

Sometimes various groups try to change the meaning of symbols. One example is the Blue Line Flag, which symbolizes that law enforcement is the barrier between anarchy and citizenry. It also pays honor to fallen officers. Some groups tried to change the meaning of that flag with a false narrative symbolizing bigotry.

I say on this St. Patrick’s day, we are celebrating the Christian Saint who brought Christianity to Ireland. On March 17^th, he would be wearing green. Let’s join him.

 Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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[1] All Things Orange and Green

BOYS 'N BIKES

One of the great joys of growing up in Indiana was riding bikes. I know boys ride bikes elsewhere, but this is My story :) Riding bikes was second only to playing baseball. Baseball was sacred…we were all Cubs fans!

Back to bikes. We would attach a playing card at the back wheel so it would hit the spokes. I can see you are not impressed but we thought it sounded like a motorcycle. We jumped ramps in the street like Evil Knievel (if you don’t know who he was, ask someone older). We had races. The great challenge was seeing who could ride the most circles in Fergeson’s driveway. I think I held the title at 300 times. The Guinness Book of Records wouldn’t come so we told our friends and family. I think that record stands because everyone else moved on. Who wants to waste their time going around in a circle? Where is the dedication?

I read a story recently about two boys in Indiana who rode bikes together. They were going by a cemetery where a fallen soldier was being laid to rest. The boys approached as they begin playing Taps. Without communicating with each other, they laid their bikes down at the same time and stood at attention. At the conclusion of the music, they hopped back on their bikes and rode on. Little did they know a neighbor saw what was happening and took their picture.

 In an age where some picket at funerals of fallen soldiers or police, these boys paid their respects. I would say what they did was more important than riding a bike in circles.

The original story can be seen at Good News Network