UPDATE FROM JERUSALEM

     I shared earlier about our friend, Yair.  I was fearful that he had been called up to active duty.  I received this email from him today:  

Dear Ray
I am doing great. I was not called on reserve and I have many cancellations, so I am back home, reading a lot and watching the news. Our everyday life is more or less the same even though there were missiles everywhere. Many of my friends were called and one of them is injured, but he is doing better now.
As for my reflections, I would make an emphasis that we are not just, to have not solved the conflict untill now, but untill there will be a state builder On the other side, we have to do what needs to be done in order to protect our land and citizens. I hope that the campaign will end soon and that life would go back on track.
Yair

Conrad & Hinkle Pimento Cheese and "Our State"

        I love “Our State” magazine.   The August issue came this week with a feature on “Southern Food: Six Classics that Define Us.”

        The six classics are Pepsi Cola, Okra, Boiled Peanuts, Redeye Gravy, Honeysuckle, and Pimento Cheese.  I quickly turned to the article on Pimento Cheese, knowing that I would read about Conrad and Hinkle, but was stunned when they were not even mentioned.  The article was written by a Northern transplant by the name of Scott Huler.  I decided that I should write a letter to the editor to complain about this grievous omission!  (Wake Hamrick has a great letter in the August issue--not complaining about anything)

        I reread the article on Saturday morning to make sure I didn’t miss a reference to the Pimento Cheese King, Conrad and Hinkle.  It wasn’t there.  I wrote my letter and then called Lee Hinkle to make sure I was correct that C&H starting making Pimento Cheese in the 1930s.  Lee said someone had told him about the article and said they were mentioned.

        So I went back and read the article again, but could not find it.  Then I saw it—not in the article, but a sidebar placed by the editors that asked “Where do you get yours?  Musten & Crutchfield in Kernersville?  Conrad & Hinkle in Lexington?”

        Feeling better that we were at least referenced, I changed my letter.  Here is the letter that I sent to Our State this morning:

Editor:

          I loved your August feature on Southern Foods, especially Scott Huler’s article on Pimento Cheese.  Lexington’s Conrad and Hinkle Grocer has been on the town Square since 1919 and has been producing the most enticing, mouthwatering pimento cheese for over 80 years.  As synonymous with Lexington as our barbecue, people travel across state lines and time zones to enjoy this exquisite delicacy. 

Mr. Huler should visit Lexington and sample the quintessential Carolina caviar.  One taste of Conrad and Hinkle Pimento Cheese on fresh bread with a homegrown tomato—Oh my!  This Northern transplant will be shouting glory!

Ray Howell

 

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

The escalating conflict in Israel is of grave concern to everyone, especially to people of faith as the Holy Land is sacred to the world’s three major religions.  Several of us were in Israel just a few weeks ago.

 

I think our guide in Israel, Yair (whom we all called Jaya) is in the military reserves.  I have tried to contact him, but have heard no response.  I was in touch with him less than a month ago, so I am inclined to believe he may have been called up to active duty. 

 

I recall standing on the top of Megiddo (Armageddon) and talking about why the Apostle John selected this place to represent the ultimate conflict between good and evil.  No other land in the world has witnessed more war than the Holy Land.  Now, once again, there is deadly conflict in the land.

 

The Scripture that comes to me today is Psalm 122: 6-8  "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:  "May those who love you be secure.  May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels."  For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, "Peace be within you."

 

I will never forget my first trip to Israel in 1996.  We had just landed in Tel Aviv and were greeted by our wonderful guide, Sarah.  One of the first things she told us was:  "Of all the places in this huge world, God selected this small land to touch the earth." 

 

Is it more than irony that the most conflicted land on earth is where God reached down and touched us with his love and blessed us with the Prince of Peace?

 

Once again we pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  May God reach down again and touch the earth.  May the Prince of Peace shower his healing and protective grace upon the land.

 

 

 

RULES ARE RULES, BUT RELATIONSHIPS ARE MORE IMPORTANT

      Joyce and I are pretty sure we were the oldest chaperones at youth camp last week.  Joyce said she knows she was the only chaperone on Medicare!  When I told one of the counselors that I took my first group of youth to summer camp in 1974, he looked at me like I belonged in the Smithsonian. 

        Our youth attend Passport, an ecumenical organization that sponsors Christian camps all over the southeastern United States.  The counselors are all very young (mostly graduate school), the atmosphere is high energy, and the programming is exceptional.  The camps are held on college campuses, a great experience for the Middle and Senior High students who receive a Passport the first night assigning them to a group.  This group stays together for Bible Study, recreational events, and mission projects.   Working with local mission groups such as Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, clothes closets, food banks, and low-income housing, the students spend several hours each day engaged in a mission activity in the community.  We were in Danville, Virginia, a city devastated by the loss of industry and the economic collapse.  Being from Lexington, we felt their pain!

        On my first youth trip back in 1974, I established a bunch of rules.  We had not been at camp an hour before the girls informed me that the boys brought beer with them—a major violation!  I had only been at the church a few weeks and wasn’t much older than some of our youth.  It was clear that I was being tested and I prayed for wisdom to handle the situation in a redemptive way. 

        Rules are rules, I thought; and the boys broke the rules in grand fashion!  I called them in for a “Come to Jesus” meeting and they feared the worst.  If I had followed the letter of the law, I was to call their parents and ask them to come and take the boys home.  But rather than condemn these young sinners, I asked them what would happen when I informed their parents of their transgression.  One boy started to cry.  His daddy was the sheriff; a no-nonsense, tough guy.  His son was convinced he would hang him on the courthouse lawn. 

        In a moment that God most certainly directed (because I was scared the death), I introduced the concept of grace.  I would forgive these boys, but it they EVER did anything like that again—I would introduce the concept of judgment.  The boys were angels for the rest of the trip.  Looking back, it was that moment that defined my relationship with those young people, a relationship formed by grace.  They didn’t just learn about the Gospel, they experienced it!

        I worked with those youth for four years and kept up with them for many years after.  All of them, without exception, became great leaders in their churches and communities.  The boy who cried became a respected political leader in the state of Alabama.  Gradually, the distance of time and miles took their toll and I lost touch.

        A few years ago on Easter Sunday we had a visitor in the congregation. A mother was taking her son to visit Wake Forest University.  She had been one of the youth on that memorable trip so many years ago.  She shared with me that the church had a reunion and most of my old youth group was there.  They started talking about me, about that first youth camp, and we reconnected. 

        I have learned that it is through mission trips and youth camps that lifelong relationships are made.  We may have been the oldest chaperones at camp, but we wouldn’t take anything for the powerful experience of sharing these dynamic formative moments with our wonderful young people. We see lives changed and lifetime patterns of Christian service established.

        I don’t talk much about rules anymore.  Oh, we have rules, but if you have a relationship based on respect, trust, and love you don’t need to worry too much about them.  I don’t think our kids broke any of the rules, well, except curfew—but what do I care!  At my age, staying up past 10:00 pm is a curfew violation!   Let the kids have fun!   They will remember it for a lifetime.

 

 

America's Top Ten Sacred Sites

        Colin Beamer and friends are on a wonderful journey that placed them in New York City on July 4.  Colin posted that they visited the 9/11 Memorial.  It started me thinking about “sacred sites” that every American should visit if they have the opportunity.  Here is my list of the top ten sacred sites.  All but one is on American soil.  While Washington DC is number one, the others are placed in chronological order rather than order of importance. 

1)           Washington, DC:  You will discover the entire American Experience in Washington.  Gaze on our nation’s sacred texts at the National Archives.  Be inspired by our great leaders at the monuments and memorials:  Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, and MLK.  Pay homage to our fallen at the War Memorials:  WWII, Korean, and Vietnam, and don’t miss Arlington.  Review our nation’s history at the Smithsonian Museums and the Newseum.  See our nation’s government at work at the White House, the US Capitol, and the Supreme Court Building.  Be inspired and pray at the National Cathedral. Stand on the National Mall and simply be proud to be an American.

2)         America’s Historic Triangle:  Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.  This is where it all began.  The first permanent English colony at Jamestown.  A visit to Williamsburg is to travel back in time to Colonial America and an experience of the spirit of Revolution that was building.  Yorktown is where the dream of independence became a reality in our unlikely victory over the powerful British.

3)         Boston and the Freedom Trail:  The fires of Revolution were also burning in Boston.  Walk the Freedom Trail.  See Bunker Hill, the Old North Church, and relive the Boston Tea Party.  Follow the midnight ride of Paul Revere to Lexington and Concord and see where “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” was fired.  Every citizen of Lexington, NC should visit Lexington, Massachusetts if they have are able because the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” landed here just a few weeks later when brave Patriots named our town Lexington.

4)         Philadelphia:  When the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence placed their signatures on this priceless document, many thought they were signing their death warrant.  The odds were against them.  They truly risked their “lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.”  Visit Freedom Hall and the Liberty Bell.

5)         Fort McHenry:  This year marks the 200^th anniversary of our National Anthem.  Most Americans don’t realize how close we came to losing our new found independence in the War of 1812.  The story of Francis Scott Key and the writing of the National Anthem is an amazing experience.  Combine this with a visit to the American History Museum to see the actual Star Spangled Banner.

6)         Mount Vernon and Monticello:  A visit to the home of two our founding fathers is another journey back in time.  It helps us to understand the genius of two of our greatest founders.

7)         Gettysburg:  This is sacred ground.  It was here that the Civil War turned.  It was also here that Abraham Lincoln uttered his immortal words that have galvanized our nation ever since.  “That government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the face of the earth.”

8)         Pearl Harbor:  The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor changed our world forever.  Over 2,500 Americans died and it propelled us into World War II.  To visit the Arizona Memorial is a powerful and sacred experience.  It still holds the bodies of 1,102 sailors including Harold Tussey of Davidson County.

9)         Normandy:  D-Day not only won the war, but it saved democracy for our time.  Yet, more American lives were lost in one day that the entire war in Iraq.  The American Cemetery holds the bodies of 10,000 American soldiers, plus the Wall of Missing has over 1,500 names.  We must never forget. 

10)      The 9/11 Memorial.  This is the Pearl Harbor of our generation.  No one will ever forget where they were and what they were doing on September 11, 2001.  Freedom is never free.     

"The Shot Heard 'Round the World" Should Still Be Heard, Especially in Lexington

        What truly defines a community?  Where do we find our identity?  Can we go back to our birth to discover our true spirit? 

        The naming of Lexington shortly after the battle of Lexington is a remarkable story.  I have always wondered why we haven’t promoted this amazing link with the American Revolution.  I recently wrote letters to the Mayor, the City Council, the Tourism Authority and other community leaders, urging them to adopt the “Spirit of 1775,” as our birthright.  Here is the column I wrote for The Dispatch on June 21.  As we celebrate our nation’s birth next week I hope we who call Lexington, NC home will seize the “Spirit of 1775” and claim it for a new day!

        Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere." Nothing is more patriotic than reciting Longfellow's epic poem, recalling the brave Minutemen who gathered in the town tavern before confronting the British army on the Lexington green. The Brits must have been shocked when they arrived in Lexington, Massachusetts, in the wee hours of April 9, 1775, for they had no intention of waking the slumbering town. There was nothing in Lexington that concerned them — or so they thought.

The only reason the British were marching through Lexington was because it was on the way to Concord where the Patriots had a large arsenal of weapons and ammunition. But what they did not understand was there was something much more important to these passionate Patriots than guns and ammunition. It was this notion called freedom. The brave and courageous Minutemen stood their ground, but the British would not be deterred. "The shot heard 'round the world" was fired, and eight brave Patriots were quickly dead. The fight for independence had begun.

A few weeks later, as Dr. J.C. Leonard told the story, a messenger stopped in a small, unnamed North Carolina settlement and shared the riveting news from Lexington and Concord. The settlers, who also believed in this notion called freedom, were so deeply moved and inspired by the valiant sacrifice of the Minutemen that they made a stunning proclamation. They decided to name their settlement Lexington in honor of the New England battle.

Taking the name Lexington was indeed stunning because this part of North Carolina was swarming with Tories and British sympathizers. Only four years earlier Benjamin Merrill was hanged for treason for seeking a redress from the excessive taxation imposed by Gov. William Tryon. The members of his Regulator militia were forced to sign an oath of loyalty to the Crown or face the same fate. Yet, in this hostile environment, a full year before the Declaration of Independence, the spirited and freedom loving people who lived here took a bold and audacious risk — they staked their claim for the cause of freedom! "The shot heard 'round the world" was indeed heard loud and clear right here where we call home.

This is a powerful story that I have told many times. But I think we need to do more than tell this story, we need to claim it. This is our birthright! This is our legacy! This is who we are as a community! We were born in the "Spirit of 1775." It is this same spirit that can inspire and motivate us today.

Ten years ago I suggested that we should promote this unique legacy as part of our identity as a community. Bob Stiff, who was the editor of The Dispatch, endorsed the idea and wrote an editorial about it in July 2004. He stated: "Everyone involved in tourism promotion and economic development should be telling the tale about Lexington's unique and courageous declaration of independence more than 229 years ago." No one really took the ball and ran with it then, but today is a new day, and I am convinced that the time is right for us to claim our birthright. Yes, I'm back on my soapbox again.

Shortly before his death, Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel for a grand convocation. They had settled in the Promised Land but were experiencing many difficulties. Joshua felt that they had forgotten their past, their heritage — they had lost the spirit of freedom that had defined them for generations. The 24th chapter of Joshua is an historical recitation in which Joshua went all the way back to Abraham and reminded the people of their unique identity as a people blessed by freedom.

I have petitioned the mayor, the city council and community leaders to consider seizing the "Spirit of 1775" and claiming it as our birthright and identity as a community. I believe it can make a difference, not only in tourism and economic development, but it will also renew the true spirit of our community. After all, "The shot heard 'round the world" was quickly heard here and should continue to be heard today, especially in Lexington.

 

 

It's A Shame We Can't Mention God Who Painted the Sky Carolina Blue

On Mother’s Day I was in Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, along with 35,000 friends, family, and graduates for the 2014 Commencement of the University of North Carolina. Everyone had on Carolina Blue—the speakers, the graduates, the workers, the people—I had on a Carolina blue shirt in honor my oldest grandson who was graduating with honors and is going to Medical School in the fall.  God even painted the sky Carolina Blue.  (Oh my, I forgot. I’m not supposed to talk about God!) God wasn’t mentioned at all, but the blue devil sure was. (You know, the one in Durham) 

There was much talk about tradition during the ceremony; about UNC being the oldest state university and the first female chancellor, Dr. Carol Folt, referenced the first UNC female graduate who started a new tradition way back in 1889. However, there was one great tradition at UNC’s graduation that has been forgotten.  For the first 190 commencements an invocation was part of the ceremony, but they stopped the practice in 1993 and now God is not even acknowledged.  It’s not just Carolina.  A professor at ECU sent a letter to the graduates this year encouraging them to provide a personal statement for graduation “that discusses future plans or thanks someone.  However, you can’t thank God.”   

        Don’t you think this is kind of---ridiculous!

        A university is a place where all different thoughts and theories are presented, where our traditional beliefs and views are challenged, where our intellectual cages are rattled as professors push the envelopes of our minds past our comfort zones.  You and I know that college students are exposed to all sorts of views on every extreme. There is no subject that is taboo, no extreme that is off limits, no theory too outlandish to consider, well—except God. We wouldn’t want people to be offended so God is completely left out of the equation.  We are like the Emperor with no clothes, pretending to be so rational, sophisticated, and inclusive that we cannot see the naked truth of our intellectual blindness.

        I’m not talking about having a sectarian prayer.  I actually disagree with the May 5 Supreme Court ruling that allows sectarian prayers before governmental meetings.  A prayer should never be exclusive or divisive.  But there is not only a place, but a great need for a non-sectarian prayer that simply affirms the truth that we don’t have all the answers.  There is a greater power, a divine creative force that overshadows all of life.  We can’t do it on our own.  Whether one is a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist, or another religion we all agree that God is greater than we are.  A brief, articulate non-sectarian prayer simply affirms our proper place in the creative order.  The purpose is not to evangelize or indoctrinate or exclude, but to center our lives and focus under God, whatever our understanding of God may be.  That is the beginning of wisdom.

        On this Memorial Day weekend we remember the brave and courageous men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. It is this freedom that gives young men and women the opportunity to study in great universities like UNC-Chapel Hill.  God is not censored on the battlefields where freedom is preserved.  Retired Chaplain James Puchy recently said:  “Regardless of the circumstances of the battlefield, the cry of the soldier remains the same: God help me.”  He goes on to say the last words that many of those heard as they died were words of faith, prayer, and Scripture from a dedicated chaplain who was beside them providing comfort.  If God can be acknowledged on the battlefield in life and death, then our refusal to acknowledge him at times of great accomplishment in the free society they died to save strikes of intellectual arrogance. 

        Last summer I had the great privilege of being on the aircraft carrier, the USS Eisenhower, with my Navy son.  At night the Chaplain would come on the intercom and led a brief devotion closing with a prayer.  It was a beautiful, non-sectarian prayer that comforted, guided, encouraged, and most of all, simply acknowledged God.  Every sailor on the ship stopped, removed his hat, and listened to his words.  He was praying to the God who created them and protected them, the God who also painted the sky Carolina blue.  It’s a shame they wouldn’t mention that at my grandson’s graduation.

 

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

I've always heard "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

But what happens when it is broke and no one seems able to fix it? Healthcare is definitely broken — it's a disaster. And the more people try to fix it the worse it gets. Everyone who reads this column is concerned about healthcare. If you pay insurance premiums, if you provide medical insurance for your employees, and if you are facing a medical issue even with insurance — you are concerned.

Maybe you have heard about FaithHealthNC. This idea was introduced to Lexington in 2012 and initially focused on the faith community. But as the healthcare crisis has continued to escalate and as the FaithHealthNC dream has continued to evolve, we are realizing that this is much greater than local churches. FaithHealthNC has the potential to impact the entire community; churches, businesses, government, education, and the healthcare providers. It is an idea whose time has come.

I'm convinced that FaithHealthNC is one of the best things that can happen in our churches. When you consider that Jesus spent at least a third of his ministry healing the sick, when you recognize that the ministry of healing should be a major focus of the church, and when you realize that almost every family in a given church is dealing with a health-related issue, FaithHealthNC makes perfect sense. Remember the story of the four friends who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus? When they couldn't get him through the front door, they cut a hole in the roof. Now that is FaithHealth in action.

But why should the business community be interested in FaithHealthNC? The number one reason is "wellness." The best way to deal with the healthcare crisis is to stay healthy. Do you realize that approximately 80% of illness is preventable? Eight of the nine leading causes of death are preventable illnesses. Ninety percent of healthcare costs are related to preventable illness and disease.

FaithHealthNC focuses on healthy lifestyles—making wise choices in diet and nutrition, exercising, avoiding harmful habits such as smoking. It also stresses the importance of timely health screenings. Keeping a check on blood pressure and cholesterol, having routine blood work, mammograms and colonoscopies may save your life. The first colonoscopy I had ten years ago saved mine. A smart business owner will want his or her employees to stay up to date with health exams and screenings.

A second reason is access. FaithHealthNC gives you access to relevant health information. Educational opportunities are provided through FaithHealthNC. Since our church has been a member of FaithHealthNC, we have been able to provide excellent educational resources to our members. Outstanding speakers have educated us on proper diet and nutrition, heart-related illnesses, caregiving skills, advance directives, neurological disorders, cancer, and other timely topics. FaithHealthNC will also give you an inside door into the healthcare system. Should someone need a specialist, or if you have an employee having issues accessing services, FaithHealthNC can facilitate the process.

Networking is another reason to be involved in FaithHealthNC. You will be connected with dozens of churches, businesses and healthcare services that enable you to provide the very best care and access to your employees. If you are dealing with a need that you cannot meet, chances are someone in the network can.

While this community has suffered through the worst economic crisis in modern times, we have not lost our care and compassion. The best reason to be involved in FaithHealthNC is simply because we care about one another. Just like those four guys in the Gospel story who found a way to get their friend the help he needed, FaithHealthNC is designed to help us help others because we care.

The Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce recognizes the great potential that this has for our community. On May 20, the Chamber will sponsor a forum during a luncheon at the YMCA to introduce FaithHealthNC to the business community. I will be there. I hope you will, too. It's an idea whose time has come.

What Does the Word "Easter" Mean?

        Joyce was getting ready to post something on Facebook this morning and she said, “I’m going to wish everyone a happy “Resurrection Day.”

“Why don’t you say Happy Easter?” I asked.

“What does the word Easter mean?” she asked me.

My answer was, “Gee, I don’t know.”  So I looked it up.

        According to the Venerable Bede, an English Monk and historian from the 8^th century, the word Easter came from the goddess “Eostre” whose festival was celebrated by pagan Anglo Saxons at the vernal equinox and was associated with spring and fertility.  Perhaps this is a reason that some people don’t want to use the word “Easter.”  The only problem is that there is no other record of this goddess in antiquity. 

        The English word “Easter” is related to the German “Ostern” which refers to the east—the dawning.  That makes sense.  But there must be a better reason. 

        The strongest tradition relates Easter to Passover.  Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and the Gospel writer John makes of point of telling us that at noon, the hour of Jesus crucifixion, the paschal lambs were also slaughtered.  The Hebrew word for Passover is “pesah” and in most European languages it is the origin of the word for Easter. 

        Just as the Paschal lambs were sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross becomes the atonement for our sin.  Easter then means more than “resurrection,” it means forgiveness of sin through the cross and abundant life and life everlasting through the resurrection.  The cross loses its meaning without the resurrection.  The resurrection loses its power without the cross. 

        I’m often asked why we use the term “Maundy Thursday.”  That question is one I do know without having to look it up.  The word “Maundy” is Latin for mandate.  It was on Thursday night of Holy Week in the Upper Room that Jesus gave his disciples a new mandate, a new commandment, “That you love one another as I have loved you.” 

        I can’t think of a better way of celebrating Easter than following Jesus mandate to love one another, can you?  Especially since our sins have been forgiven and we have the dawning of a new day to live!

Why Do We Call It "Good Friday?"

          So why do we call it “Good Friday.”    The crucifixion was anything but good.  It was the most terrible form of execution, designed to inflict the greatest amount of suffering, humiliation, and pain.  The Germans call this day Karfreitag. The Kar part is an obsolete word, the ancestor of the English word care in the sense of cares and woes, and it meant mourning. So in German, it is “Mourning Friday.” And that is what the disciples did on that day—they mourned. They thought all was lost.

        It is only in English that we talk about a “Good Friday.”  Some have said that good can also mean holy, but I think that is a stretch.  There are a number of cases in set phrases where the words God and good got switched around because of their similarity. One case was the phrase God be with you, which today is just good-bye. So perhaps Good Friday was originally God’s Friday.

        But perhaps the reason we can call the day of crucifixion “Good Friday” is because of the good that was accomplished through this horrific act.  In the crucifixion Jesus became our sin.  He died to give us life.  Through his death our sins are forgiven.  The crucifixion led to the greatest good.  “For God so loved the world that he gave . . .”  

        If we call this day “Mourning Friday” with the Germans, we are facing reality head-on.  We live in a world of pain, suffering, injustice, and sadness—in the darkness we are left to mourn.   But if we choose to call this day “Good Friday,” we are also facing reality, but with a different outcome.  Because of the cross we have hope.  Because of the cross the darkness becomes light. 

        Dr. Thomas Long wrote about the two worlds that are colliding in the cross and resurrection.  He says of the women who came to the tomb on Sunday morning, “Without even knowing that they had crossed the border, they left the old world where hope is in constant danger, and might makes right, and peace has little chance, and the rich get richer, and the weak will eventually suffer under some Pontius Pilate, and people hatch murderous plots, and the dead people stay dead, and they entered the startling and breathtaking world of resurrection and life.”  

        On this “Good Friday” let us remember who we are!  In the words of Pope John Paul II, “We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song!”