Leading the Field

            The historian, Jay Winik, recounts in his book APRIL 1865 the state of the South after the Civil War ended in 1865. Economic, physical, emotional, and spiritual devastation prevailed. Survivors searched for healing.

            One warm spring Sunday, the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was participating in a communion service. Dr. Charles Minnergerode was administrating the emblems.            

            Unexpectedly, one of the first to arrive to the communion alter was a tall, well-dressed black man who had been sitting in the section reserved for “Negroes.”

            A stunned silence prevailed in the sanctuary, marked by tension. Before the war, whites were always served communion first. Now, a line had been crossed.

            Church members remained seated in their pews, unsure of what to do next. Dr. Minnergerode was clearly mortified.

            As the black gentleman knelt before the minister, the strain became almost unbearable. And then … an older, white man arose from the congregation, and, in a very dignified manner, strode to the front of the sanctuary. He knelt beside the black man.  Others in that church took note and soon followed his lead.

            The white gentleman leading the way was the former general, Robert E. Lee. 

            Whether it is treating people of all races or economic brackets as equals, offering the “sinner” the love and hospitality of the Lord, or standing up for holiness when no one else will, God will always need people willing to courageously stand up and lead the way.*

           

            *This story is one that I am sure many of us have heard for years. It is so good, a preacher fears it will appear on SNOPES.COM someday, proven to be a myth. I appreciate Winik investigating this story in his marvelous history of the end of the civil war. His conclusion, after much research (including interviewing the church historian of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church), is the event did indeed occur.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. I told the fathers of my church yesterday, "Guys, when you take your daughter to college for the first time, don't let her walk you to the car when you say goodbye.” Let me explain.

            As I wrote last week, Judy and I were to take our oldest daughter, Haleigh, to college for the first time, Thursday. We tried to script our departure. Everything proceeded well until Haleigh volunteered to leave her roommate, suite mates, and all of the activities going on in her dorm to walk us to our car.

            Bad idea.

            I should have thrown a “hissy fit” and insisted she stay in the dorm.

            Instead, I said nothing.

            Haleigh followed us to the car. We said our goodbyes, and I was doing relatively well when I got into our vehicle.

            Then, as we were pulling away, I made the mistake of looking back in the rear view mirror. I saw the strawberry blond hair of my oldest child walking away from me. She looked so alone and vulnerable.

            Now, for all I know, she might have been singing, “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah; Zip-a-dee-A…”—happy to be rid of us. Unfortunately, my emotional state wouldn’t allow me to think that.

            Analyzing the situation: I knew Harding U. had a cookout planned in an hour. I knew she was going back to her roommate and friends in the dorm, but I could not help but think of that scene in the movie FATHER OF THE BRIDE, where Steve Martin sees his college-age daughter morph before his eyes into her four-year-old former self. In my case, Haleigh morphed into the toddler she had been years ago.

            I told Judy what I am sure Lot told his wife, "Whatever you do, don't look back!” It was too late for me; my tears had already turned me into a pillar of salt.2. What is Labor Day going to be like with out Jerry Lewis hosting MDA?

3. I like what Cardinal Daniel N. Dinardo recently said, “Pregnancy is not a disease, and children are not a ‘health problem’—they are the next generation of Americans.

4. Have I mentioned how much I appreciate the iPhone app NEWS 360°?

5. I am sorry, but I am having a hard time getting excited about the Dallas Cowboys this season.