"Black (Panther) History Month"

I'm so glad "Black History Month" is almost over.  I used to be a big fan of it, but when I saw Barack Obama support same-sex marriage and yet continue to be revered in "Black History Month," it was a big turn-off for me.  It's obvious that the man (who is Bi-Racial, not black BTW) was being honored, as Dr. King would say, "because of the color of his skin, not the content of his character" and that distresses me greatly.

In any event, February 2018 could well be called "Black PANTHER History Month" as Marvel's new movie (deservedly) continues to break all kinds of box office records.

And in breaking those records, note that "Black Panther" is not just being compared to other "black" movies*, but it's being weighed against ALL American movies, even those considered to be "white."

That's how it should be with our history...Life should imitate Art, there should be no more "Black History Month," the time has come to where we end this segregation, already! "Black History Month" had its place decades ago, but we're beyond that now. At least we should be beyond it,

The election, and re-election, of our "First (not really, of course) Black President," and, more importantly, the universal success of the Black Panther movie, a man (T'Challa) who has character Obama doesn't have, should serve to make "Black History Month"...........history.

* If "Black Panther" WERE being weighed against other "black" movies that debuted in February, I believe it bested out 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion" by gifted filmmaker Tyler Perry.  The great Cicely Tyson was in that movie, and my first wife Beth and I used to visit her School in East Orange, NJ.  I had the privilege of telling Ms. Tyson, personally, that it was just announced that the movie was the #1 movie in America for the second week in a row. At that time, 12 years ago, that was history but "Black Panther" has surpassed it by far.

"Billy (Graham) and Tommy (Morrison): The Preacher and the Puncher"

The night before Evangelist Billy Graham passed away recently, I was doing something he might not have approved of---watching an ESPN documentary about the late heavyweight boxer TOMMY MORRISON.  (Then again, seeing this pic of Dr. Graham and Muhammad Ali from about 50 years ago, who knows?  Maybe Dr. Graham did approve of, and enjoy, boxing?)

Morrison was, of course, the real-life pugilist who starred in "Rocky V" with Sylvester Stallone way back in 1990.  Nicknamed "The Duke" because he claimed to be a distant relative of John Wayne (his manager denied it), Tommy shot to stardom because of his prominent role in the movie.

In 1991 he lost in his first real-life Heavyweight Title bid to Ray Mercer but 25 years ago, in 1993, he won the WBO belt by besting George Foreman.  (Morrison also won the vacant IBC title, in 1995, by beating Razor Ruddock.) I saw Tommy fight live one time...as he was filming scenes for "Rocky V," in fact. Interestingly enough, Foreman ALSO fought that night---four years before they fought each other.

Tommy Morrison was very self-destructive, however and though he achieved his dream of being a World Champion, twice, a combo of booze, drugs and women destroyed him physically. He died in 2013 of complications arising from the AIDS Virus at the young age of 44.  There is absolutely no evidence that Tommy ever got saved and turned from his sins to trust Christ as his only Savior.  As I watched the sad documentary about his life and death, my heart wept.  The man could never admit he had AIDS and take treatment for it, so how could he ever then admit to himself that he (like all of us) was a sinner, and reach for the one remedy...washing in the blood of Christ?

When I consider where Tommy's soul probably is today, again, I say my heart weeps but he chose it, sadly.




Anyway, the very next morning, I learned that Billy Graham passed away at the ripe old age of 99.

Totally opposite from Tommy Morrison, Graham was a gentle man who loved the Lord and sought to make CHRIST (not himself) known via his worldwide evangelistic crusades, preaching, and writings.

He and his two Crusade "assistants," George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows, practiced "clean living" and it paid off.  Barrows and Bev Shea lived to be over 100, and Billy himself came within 9 months of reaching that mark. I saw Billy preach live two times, both in New York city area. The first was 1991 in Central Park, the second time was his very last Crusade, in Queens, circa 2005. (He did preach a few times after that at Franklin's meetings, but Queens in '05 was his last Crusade.)

There could not be two more different human beings than Billy Graham and Tommy Morrison. One died at 44 and is most likely in Hell, and one died at 99, after a long and useful life, and is in Heaven now because he DID wash in the blood of Christ and was saved.  (Note that Dr. Graham was saved not because he preached the Gospel but because he believed it.  ANYONE can be saved, simply by believing in Christ, repenting and trusting in Him for their eternal salvation. And that "anyone" included MORRISON, even if he truly repented on his very deathbed.)

USA Today gave Billy an amazing testimonial when they wrote that he was "America's pastor" and described him as having a reputation "untouched by sexual or financial scandals." Considering his 70 year ministry which took him all around the world and thus caused many human eyes to be upon him, his integrity was incredible! He always remembered that GOD'S Eye was watching, and lived before HIM, you see.

Admittedly Tommy Morrison was an extreme example of debauchery and self-destructiveness, but there's still a lesson to be learned because every moment someone lives without Christ IS self-destructive.

And again, Billy Graham was an extreme example of eminent godliness, but if we don't follow the Lord at ALL, we WILL miss Heaven!  And the first step to following Christ is to repent and believe the Gospel.

 

The question is, are you more like Billy or ....Tommy?

"Carol"

See, this is yet another reason why I've left Facebook to go back to blogging!!  I was already a bit sad this morning because it is four years ago today that my good friend Bill Bane, after battling cancer, passed away.  Then, I just happened to check Facebook and they decided to remind me it's six years ago today that my friend CAROL (on far right, with the short red hair) and I became Facebook Friends.  "What's wrong with that," you say...... "I like those anniversary reminders." Well, Carol recently passed away after battling with cancer, also.  And I simply wasn't geared up to reflect on TWO dear friends I've lost, today but...here we are!!

I've decided to make "lemonade" out of the "lemon" of this painful reminder, and do a blog (here, not on Facebook, Lol) about dear CAROL.

We (my first wife Beth and I) first met Carol Gordy around 1984-1985 at our former church in northern New Jersey.  Carol was a very loving, caring Christian woman who was gifted with an angelic voice and the ability to write songs and play guitar. She had all of the fruits of a godly Christian, in abundance, but she lacked assurance of her salvation, sadly.

She moved to Maryland in the early 1990s and got married and had kids.  I had the privilege of reading Scripture at her wedding to Bill Eubert, and by the way...our mutual friend Pastor Clarke prayed publicly at their wedding.  Beth and I "kind of" stayed in touch with Carol, but not MUCH until yes, six years ago today when I found Carol, and Friended her, on Facebook (that is ONE good feature Facebook has, by the way....helping you locate old friends.) My first Message to her was to tell her Pastor Clarke had died at age 99.

In time I learned Carol was battling cancer and so was BETH. In December 2016, Carol drove all the way up from Maryland to minister to Beth in song about 3-4 months before Beth passed away.  We appreciated it SO much because Carol had to rent a car to make the trip, and she drove alone in winter weather...a 6 hour round trip.

Beth passed away last March and six months later, in September I went down to visit Carol in a Baltimore hospital where she was now dying.

Carol was cheerful, upbeat, and (as always) thinking of others and sharing her faith that the Lord Jesus Christ was her only Savior and her only hope of going to Heaven.  Her previous assurance problems seemed to be GONE and I was encouraged how much she had GROWN in the time since we first met her.  Carol passed away about 3 months ago and I have no doubt that she is with her Savior now and forevermore.

But Carol IS missed, believe me.

I was initially a bit upset at Facebook for forcing me to think of (what turned out to be) FOUR loved ones who've died when originally, it was only Bill Bane (not Carol, Beth or Pastor Clarke) that I was thinking about today. But having written about CAROL this way, I feel a bit differently. What a difference 15 minutes makes, Lol!!

How can I be mad at them for making me remember, and try to memorialize for the first time, such a wonderful sister-in-Christ as............................................CAROL??

"Lessons from T'Challa"

WARNING: "BLACK PANTHER" MOVIE SPOILERS!!  The "Black Panther" movie was nothing short of fantastic!!  It is being universally praised by film critics, and it's well on its way to a record breaking Presidents Day weekend at the box office.  I highly, highly recommend it.

The things I, personally, liked are as follows:

1.) The wise women warriors that T'Challa surrounded himself with, and the fact that this noble King of Wakanda was smart enough to take advice from these loyal ladies. The Liberal critics are saying the movie is a cultural breakthrough for black people but honestly, I think it was more of a breakthrough for WOMEN.  I don't ever recall a movie, superhero or otherwise, where so many WOMEN were portrayed so nobly!! (And forget DC's "Wonder Woman".....Marvel just gave us several Wonder Women!!)

2.) There was no sex in the movie, "only" three curse words (by my man Michael B. Jordan, who went to the same high school here in NJ that I did.) The movie's "violence" was what they call "comic book violence." And, there were no Homosexuals out of the dozens of men portrayed in the movie....only MANLY men.

Finally,

3.) In the movie, T'Challa emphatically stated that he didn't want refugees in Wakanda (his nation) because they would  ruin it.  Now, it's this LAST thing which is the real subject of my blog.

You see, T'Challa (the Black Panther) has a viewpoint about Wakanda very similar to what Donald Trump's view is about refugees and AMERICA.  But why is Trump hated by the Liberal media so much,  while these same Libs universally praise the movie wherein the hero makes EXACTLY the same point as Trump does?  Is it because T'Challa is fictional, that they allow him to stray from the Liberal mantra? Or is it because he's black, and Liberals (especially white Liberals) give black people liberties that they don't give whites?  You decide, but what I conclude is anyone who loves T'Challa and hates Trump for his opposition to refugees or illegals is a tad inconsistent, at best.  I'm not a big Trump supporter but give the guy a break, already!! Perhaps people will learn lessons from T'Challa that they won't learn from Trump. T'Challa's NOBILITY does tend to give him credibility, even though he's fictional.

At the end of the movie, T'Challa's thinking evolves to the point where he is willing to reach outside of Wakanda to help the world with his nation's wealth and highly advanced technology.  However, there's no indication he changed his stance on refugees coming IN,  as he addressed the United Nations.  It was merely about Wakanda reaching OUT.

Good for him.

I doubt if Donald Trump would ever get glowing reviews from Liberals for taking the exact same positions.

 

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HE MOVIE YET, THERE ARE *TWO* HIDDEN SCENES AT THE END.  DON'T MISS OUT!!

"A Book I Heartily Recommend"

After leading my Men's Sunday School class in a study of 6 different Parables of Jesus, we've now embarked on a 12 week study of Tony Evans's recent book "Watch Your Mouth" (pictured.) 

The subtitle is "Understanding the Power of the Tongue" and the point of the book is what we say IS very powerful, either to bless others or harm them.  Now, in the photo, you'll see two books...the one on the right is MY copy, and the heart I drew on it reminds me of Luke 6:35 where Jesus warns us that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  The one on the left is how the cover of the book really looks.

If we heed the advice of Proverbs 4:23 and "Guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" then our WORDS will be guarded, as well.  When it comes to how we use our speech, it all starts with the heart.

At several points in "Watch Your Mouth," Dr. Evans speaks of the fact that our written, online communications  have just as much power, either for good or evil, as our verbal words do.  This is an important point to remember in a day when so-called "Social Media" is used casually in ANTI-Social ways.  The men in my class are, for the most part, older than I am but I am impressed with their perceptive comments about Social Media even though they don't use it much, themselves.  They see it as a threat to real, God-honoring and edifying communication as God intended, and I very much agree.

This book has been very, very helpful to me and it may prove helpful for you, as well.

If you ever get a chance to read Dr. Evans's book, I highly, HEARTILY recommend it (Lol)!! You may not wish to draw a heart on the cover, but I believe you WILL love the book .

"Women Who Cry Wolf"

 

 

Many of the women raising sexual harassment claims against male celebs recently have valid claims, but not all do.  Such is the case, many believe, with the sexual harassment claims last month against Stan Lee (pictured), the 95 year old co-creator of most of the Marvel Comics Universe.

Lee just lost his beloved wife of almost 70 years, just turned 95 in December and has been in poor health, to boot (he was recently hospitalized.) Yet his lawyer had to send a letter, just before Christmas, to "Concierge Nursing Care," the company which provided the nurses in his home that allege he groped and harassed them. 

The rebuttal  letter (below) was also sent to news outlets which picked up the story of the accusations, yet very few printed any of Lee's defense.  In fact,  I've only seen one reprint of this entire, excellent letter...

 

"We urge you to refrain from publishing any article regarding these Defamatory Claims because an article based on false and Defamatory Claims would cause irreparable damage to Mr. Lee. Various anonymous individuals have attempted to extort money from Mr. Lee based on false allegations, but when we have asked them to identify themselves and provide their full legal names and contact information, they have, not surprisingly, gone radio silent. The appropriate place to enforce the rights of Mr. Lee with respect to these Defamatory Claims would be in a court of law if they are ever filed and prosecuted, which has not occurred, but not a trial in the press in the court of public opinion after Mr. Lee’s excellent reputation has been wrongfully crucified based on false allegations.

"Mr. Lee categorically denies these false and despicable allegations and he fully intends to fight to protect his stellar good name and impeccable character. We are not aware of anyone filing a civil action, or reporting these issues to the police, which for any genuine claim would be the more appropriate way for it to be handled. Instead, Mr. Lee has received demands to pay money and threats that if he does not do so, the accuser will go to the media. Mr. Lee will not be extorted or blackmailed, and will pay no money to anyone because he has done absolutely nothing wrong."

 

Now, HE (Stan Lee) may have done nothing wrong in this instance, but "Women Who Cry Wolf" certainly have, if these allegations are false. They have hurt him, and they have also hurt many women who have valid complaints but may very well not be taken seriously now.  And again, there really ARE and HAVE BEEN women who have been harassed by celebrity men but it is to be feared that this "Me Too" mentality inspires Copycat Complainers who are just out to make a buck.  In this Politically Correct atmosphere, it is so easy to "shake 'em up and shake 'em down" with false allegations that the media jumps on.  Stan Lee is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but it's wicked to, as Stan's lawyer said, conduct "a trial in the press / in the court of public opinion."  Let these Copycat Complainers file their grievances in a court of law if they're for real, but, if not, they'd best beware that THEY are not taken to court.

Now...as much as I love the creator of Spider-Man, the Black Panther and so many other legendary heroes, it needs to be said that Stan may have helped set himself up by his recent comic book creation of a female stripper.  By doing that, he chipped away at his OWN "impeccable character" and "stellar good name" and left an opening for unscrupulous women to exploit that.  Nonetheless, that does NOT mean he's guilty as charged in this instance.

In closing, Stan Lee may not have much time left on this earth, and, when he dies, God, Who knows the truth, WILL hold him accountable for every sin he's committed unless he comes to trust in Christ as his Saviour and has his sins forgiven.  And, those who make slanderous, careless, character-damaging comments about others for ANY reason will be held to account, also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"EAGLES!!"

 

Congrats to the 2018 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles! Their victory parade is today, in Philly.  Though I'm a New York Giants fan, I'm pleased to hear about the Christians on this team and I simply LOVED their gritty performance on The Big Night.

Really, I'm a BASEBALL fan but I'm trying to get into football....this year the Giants showed me how NOT to play, as I'm trying to learn the game.  Geographically, I live in New Jersey but closer to Philly than to New York, so those Giants better do better NEXT year!  The Eagles are a team that was FUN to watch.

Speaking of baseball, my New York Yankees made a weird move by signing former Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson yesterday. Maybe they're trying to one-up their crosstown rival New York METS, who, as far as I know, still have former QB Tim Tebow in their farm system? (The day BEFORE yesterday, the Mets one-upped the YANKS by stealing Todd Frazier away from them.)  Anyway, I digress.

.........................CONGRATS, EAGLES!

"The Black Panther and the Whitehawk"

I can't wait for the new BLACK PANTHER movie, by Marvel (only two more weeks)!  Ever since I was a kid and read his comics in the '60s and '70s I admired the noble T'Challa, of Wakanda. So hey, WAKANDA fan would I be if I missed  the Panther's first MOVIE (Lol)?

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, two white guys, took quite a chance creating The Black Panther back in the mid-'60s.  There were not many...in fact, there weren't  ANY  black superheroes then and they stuck with their creation even when a radical, anti-American group adopted the name shortly thereafter and became quite infamous.  They (the Marvel guys) were not politically correct, you see (and I'm glad they weren't)!

People thought for themselves in those days. 

Fast forward to today, when white people who sing that they're "dreaming of a White Christmas" are called racists for no other reason than that they like that song. 

A (white) friend of mine and I were driving recently and wound up inadvertently on WHITESville road.  We both laughed when I joked that this "accident" may indicate a secret desire to be white supremacists....after all, we do both live in WHITING.  It's funny in a way, but the sad thing is there really are folks who would peg us like that, based on such stupid "evidence." .

Pictured is my new submission to our local paper. This is the 25th bird they've published over the years, but it was the first FICTIONAL one I've drawn.  After I submitted it, I actually feared that my poem / art could be misinterpreted, by the Politically Correct out there, as having a subliminal racist message. The truth is, "Whitehawk," the fictional bird I drew and wrote about, is merely a variation of a real bird named "Nighthawk." It's a shame how paranoid people have become these days, and there's no excuse for it at all.

Political Correctness has to stop, and people have to start thinking for themselves (and not letting OTHERS tell them what to think, feel or do.)