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Page 4 I h e r
I >l«i<> RO*** «WW 1
r \c r June 6, 1990
R eligion
Scripture o f the
Week:
i i flu
Ezekiel Chapters 31-32
’ rom Lithuania Is A Lesson In Self-Respect
W hen the m ajor even ts in r
headlines prom ise to be re
major history tor niankim
w c k an sc *« c u ic k t ' 1 »c .. ■
careful scrutiny of w hat is ur yo I vc U tor
us to learn beneath the surta.
Current events occur so raj
the television images scurry mg across
our screens in the.. ;
.
defy us from taking too sc;
or m en nnfl w ow en
n a v c u i wk i'-' •
recent demonstratiA ns. '.;u c«¿irnace in
m protest
the streets, the loss o
another potential 1 lenai on
future scene from a move c. •lose script
has already been v, r .:,
We are in danger oi “ waiidling the
m ovie” of history as it is bei:ng written
instead o f involving ourselvc s, realisti-
cally, in the events
u y affect our
own lives!
Things are never just wha t they ap-
pear to be.
Christ wisely knew that i was diffi-
cult for us to learn our ‘ a . ons,” les-
sons in life that could h
t.is through
our difficulties and our a b d it ies to deal
with situations from the simp »lest to the
most complex.
Therefore. Christ made his ow n m es-
sages come clear to us this c ■1i parables.
The power of the parable «s tt« lihistra-t
live ability to com m unicate ■ m eaning
beyond mere words 1 he \ i isua! mes-
sages recorded in Christ < poral hies enable
us to grasp the essence of tits teachings.
He paints a masterpiece for us in the
people, their relationships to . . x.U nthor
and the lai
that, from »
LISI
“ G ive me th is m oun
of
con t)
As long as life shall last, I never shall
forget my first semester in ¡eminary. Three
months earlier, 1 had gradu;Ued from Bishop
College in the Department of Religion and
Philosophy. I had recei ved Honors for
outstanding achievements m mv field. I
had the distinction of gri;
institution that had been well known for
almost 100 \ ears for grade;« mp rruirr m*»rh-
ers of color than any other
country.
In the Fall of 1979.1 an tved at semin arv
in Pittsburgh. Penns lvani a u ith a pocket
overflowing with confide:ice. Instead of
applying my sell to those gi ant books, I was
out preaching everywhere I could get an
invitation. I was attendinji revivals every
time one came to town
made. After B ishop t liege anv other
school was just a p .'-ce •
at the end of that first ' n m
my grades, I discovered .!;
every course but o re ! had
the giant called over conf:
After that experic e. every evening
from pm to pm I w as
ing those Giant Books A
ence.Ithinkthatoniv once jr tw ice did I get
a grade lower than a ” B
Along with the Gian: i ;
and the giant of over :
also conquer the giae, to i ah earned head and
unconsec rated heart.
har
mi
T
fresh fro:
his first i
ronment. H
months, and
cally structu:
quotes from
Theologians.
Neihbur.Till
sermon was f
fitt- One ds
church came
man either y<
ntons or put I
There is a
and no burair
saints use to s
that says. " I ’
couldn’t fee l1
to say that it
religion that
detrimental I
burning, so it
learning
Religion a
ofleaning.no
religion at it’
learning and t
Russians trying to impose their will
•on other nations to join them in pur-
m a repressive totalitarian one-way
course to Power-over-People.
ic message to me and to any indi-
' ual who reveres the dignity o f living
; < 'ppressive loss of freedom, is to
arpen our own tools for independent
action and resolve.
As individuals, we have another lap
run, another jogging session to take,
her marathon to race towards as-
- "ting ourselves, here and now, in our
oca! community, our local government,
our state, and our federal areas, and our
national concerns.
This is the time to learn a lesson from
Lithuania.
The only way we can affect what
ultim ately happens to Lithuania, is by
starting in our own backyard. For as
Lithuania goes...so goes the course of
eedom for all o f us, from South Africa
to the U nited States!
No longer are we able to hide behind
the covers and deny the im probability
that " it can't happen here!”
Our nation values its freedoms, but
eneath the Capitol dome o f W ashing
ton D.C. the Lithuanian crackdown has
i up some significant reverberations.
Gorbachev in Russia has rejected
l i h u a n ia ’s attem pt to explain its decla
ration o f independence. To Russia,
Lithuania is a rebel republic, and like a
disobedient child must be seen and not
heard! The word has come to us through
Lass, the official press agency in Rus
sia.
Their word is not our Word!
“ And fear not them which kill the
body, but are not able to kill the soul;
but rather fear them which is able to
i. strcy both soul and body in hell.” St.
M atthew 10:28.
T ass d e sc rib e d the
L ith u a n ia n
p r e s id e n t’s p lea
President Vytautas Landsbergis) a
“ dead end.”
The tension was burdensome, for even
this writing,* Soviets had occupied
the C hief Prosecutor’s O ffice, Com m u
nist Party headquarters, and presided
over the printing presses since March 11
ieclaration o f independence.
The issues that have captivated my
¡nation bear further discussion and
thought President Landsbergis said in
simple words that Lithuania’s future
rests upon publicity as self-defense.
In the world arena the Soviet Union
realizes that its relationships with for
eign countries hinges upon some meas
ure o f world opinion.
Stalin’s own birthplace in Georgia
with about 60,000 people has dem on
strated for secession from Russia.
There will be no easy solutions to the
Baltic unrest
Yet, isn’t it more than a chess board
for powerplaying with human beings as
pawns?
Anyone can say, “ D on’t involve
m e...It’s too far aw ay for me to care
w hat happens to them .”
W hich is a way o f casting out some of
the greatest treasure available to us., .the
learning experience o f applying what is
happening in the world to our own lives.
For every incident that comes our
way which requires us to take a stand
and stand tall, let us do it with resolve.
For every incident that comes our
way which requires us to take a stand
are able to zoom in from the panoramic
to the particular, to appreciate the con
tent o f his stories and their application
to our personal lives.
W hat if we were able to do this with
present happenings in the world around
us? Could we perhaps then trap the
meanings o f events before they elude us
and slip off to become world history?
I believe we can.
I fear that we are in danger o f not
perceiving the world stage clearly in its
relationship to our present actions, our
immediate purposes, and our day-to-
day lives.
W e cannot afford the luxury o f w ait
ing for future generations to give us the
perspective we need to see things more
clearly! Had the African slaves landing
on our shores been shown the future
im pact of their slavery upon the turmoil
of the sixties, the Freedom Riders, and
the subsequent rise o f a ruling class of
black legislators taking leadership across
the United States o f America... they may
very well have demanded FreedomNow
in an insurrection that would have ad
vanced “ em ancipation” for the entire
human race!
W e are c hained to present time unless
we project far enough into the future to
ssage From the Pulpit of Dr. T.L. Lewis,
¡rningstar Missionary Baptist Church
ship of Athens and the religious fervor of
Jerusalem.
There is yet another giant that you must
conquer if you want to live victoriously on
the mountain. This giant is not a vicious or
' o!ent giant. He might even go unnoticed
■'.rst. But don’t let him fool you he is just
■s deadly as the others. He is the giant
led complacency. He is the giant that
v .11 lull you into a false sense of security.
He is the giant that will cause you to be
j ; ease in Zion. He is the giant that will rob
> ou of your sobriety. He will trick you into
inking that now you are on the mountain,
i ou have arrived. Sit back you got it made,
fnere is no need to study and prepare any
more.
There is no need to sober, to be viligant,
'b e watchful. You are on the mountain,
lie is that giant that will tell you that the
j - pel is for other folk. You don’t need to
e in Sunday Church School, nor Bible
Siudy and Prayer Meeting; its for those
ler folk. After all you are on the mountain
now.
When you make it to the mountain,
> -l’t let the giant of complacency put out
our fire of enthusiasm. Don’t let the giant
implacency damper your discipleship
fervor.
You want the mountain, then be pre-
; i io confront and conquer these giants.
; giant of 1 (Ego, Flesh, Self), the giant of
■. onfidence, the giant of a learned head,
... i unconsecrated heart, and finally the
giant of complacency.
Finally, let me encourage you to reach
for your mountain. Some of the most
fit ant events in the archives of human
istory have happened on mountains,
i was on a mountain that noah land the
Ark of God, Ararat.
It was on a mountain that Abraham
offered up Isaac, Monah.
Il was on a mountain that Moses re-
c a cd the 10 commandments. Sinai.
It was on a mountain that Moses stood
•u i looked ov erin the promised land, Nebo.
It was on a mountain that they buried the
bones of Moses, Nebo.
It w as on a mountain that Elijah defeated
i 450 Prophets of Baal, Cannel
It was on a mountain that the first King
of Israel died, Gilboa.
It was on a mountain that the holy city of
Jerusalem was built, Zion.
It w as on a mountain that the prophet
Zc chan ah prophesied that the feet of the
Lord shall stand in the Day of Judgment,
Olivet.
And finally it was on a mountain that the
Lord of the Universe was crucified. It was
on a mountain that he bowed his head. It
w as on a mountain that he gave up the ghost.
But it didn’t stop here, God raised him up.
I now he is seated eternally in the Heav-
enlies.
That tells me that even though the
mountains are high and lifted up, they are
not our final destination, God has another
place higher than any mountain.
But while I am down here give me this
mountain!!!!!!!
AM EN
help ourselves advance beyond our p er
ceived limitations.
A gain...things are not always what
they seem!
“ And he spake a parable unto them;
Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they
not both fall into the ditch?” St. Luke
6:39.
W e are asked to remove our “ blind
e rs” and think with our own heads,
rather than a r r e m in a the dinat*»« o f »u»
and stand tall, let us do it with resolve.
For every time we allow ourselves to
buckle under a repressive authority that
puts our own bodies, our own health,
and our own welfare at risk: let us speak
out and com m unicate, and broadcast
that situation to community and friends
so that they can be alert to the job, the
person, the employer, the organization,
the legislator, or the administrator re
sponsible. Gather any grievance, no
matter how trivial, to discuss with the
abusing party and first make every ef
fort to ameliorate the difficulty.
Afterwards, broadcast through all the
means at your disposal so that the of
fending behavior is nipped in the bud.
Totalitarianism in the home or work
place may be difficult to deal with, but
it can be faced and removed once we de
cide to treat it like a cancer, heal it or
remove it!
The irony of R ussia’s dominance over
Lithuania occurred without legal prece
dence. After W orld W ar II no treaty
exists by which Russia can legally claim
the right to what was an independent
country, and which later became apaw n
in the aggressive hands of the Soviet
Union!
No matter what the might o f Mother
Russia portends to be, we learn from our
own Master that “ Every Kingdom di
vided against itself is brought to desola
tion; and a house divided againsta house
falleth.” St. Luke 11:17.
The same is true when we are tom
apart, internally and warring against
ourselves...better to resolve our con
flicts and make peace with our own
minds, our own hearts, our own souls.
A lesson from Lithuania is a lesson in
self-respect.
W hatever the price that must be paid
for its achievement, it is worth paying
for...Christ paid the supreme price for
us, and where we m ust, we can do no
less on behalf o f our own immortal
souls.
•Prim e M inister Kazimiera Prunskiene
called for “ com prom ise...not retreat.
She viewed the threatened economic
sanctions as crucial but echoed the Lithu
anian cry for independence in spite of
R ussia’s insistence that Lithuania, L at
via, and Estonia...the Baltic nations
subm it to the legal provisions estab
lished by the Soviet parliam ent
Prison Ministries
PRISON MINISTRIES, INC
P.O. BOX 12396
PORTLAND, OREGON 97212
REVEREND EDDIE BUTLER SR.
2/15/09 - 5/28/90
Reverend Eddie Butler Sr. was bom
in Lovelady (V istula), Texas, Febru
ary 15, 1909 to G eorge and Paralee
Buder. He was the fourth o f eleven
children.
In 1932 he married Rosa W right and
began a union that lasted 52 years and
bore six children.
In 1942 the family moved to Port
land, Oregon where Eddie continued
his em ploym ent with the Pullman
Company for the next 33 years. He
became a leader in the A. Phillip R an
dolph movement to form a union in
support of Black Pullman Porters with
the objective o f standardizing wages
and working conditions.
Upon retiring from the Pullman
Company in 1973, he was employed by
a com m unity Senior Citizen Program.
During the next few years his com m u
nity activist involvement turned to Senior
Citizen issues and the NAACP Credit
Union where he served as loan officer
for 12 years.
During these years Eddie renewed
his affiliation with The Good Samari-
tan Church o f God in Christ and began
to seriously study and direct his faith in
God to the ministry. He served as
Sunday School superintendent at Good
Samaritan Church for many years where
he was able to touch and influence
many lives. He was ordained as a
minister with the Church o f G od in
Christ in 1988.
He leaves to mom tw o sisters; Mabie
Canada of Portland, Oregon and Ruby
Deiz of Columbus, Ohio; tw o sons:
Eddie Butler Jr., o f Vancouver, W ash
ington and Robert Butler o f Portland,
Oregon; one daughter: Rose Anne Butler
of Portland, Oregon; daughter-in-laws
Sandra, Lam zella, and Mary Butler;
grandsons: Michael Butler, Walter Butler
Jr., Derrick Butler; granddaughters:
Michelle Butler, Danielle Butler, Port
land, Oregon, Suzette Butler and Michi
Butler Vancouver, W ashington; great
grandchildren: Dante Fogerty o f V an
couver Washington, Shaelia Branch and
Dominique Hill of Portland, Oregon,
Ashley Butler o f O hio, and Tashiona
Butler o f Texas.
NEW TESTAMENT
CHURCH
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ARANATHA
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R ev. W e n d e ll H . W a lla c e
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