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January 30,1991—The Portland Observer-Page 3
• Portland Observer
by Mattie Ann Callier-Spears
RELIGION
SCRIPTURE OF THE
WEEK:
II CORINTHIANS 9:7-15
O Freedom!
[The War Within]
BY MATTIE ANN CALLIER-SPEARS
Engaging in combat is not consid­
ered fun fo r anyone. Not anyone sane-
that is. During the course o f an in d ivid ­
ual’s life, he or she is apt to face many
kinds o f wars-because, just to be alive
is a battle in itself.
In these trying times, the war in the
Persian G u lf is receiving a lot o f atten­
tion; and rightly so. But, there are so
many other wars running ramped, on a
local and intimate level, each and ev­
ery day.
“ Can’t you tell me what love is? I
have no place in this life because no
one loves me.” These are the words
that I had the opportunity to hear a
young person utter when she was asked,
“ W hy are you so down?” She went on
to say that there was a war going on
inside o f her. Her parents had divorced
and she fe lt that maybe-just maybe,
there was something that she could
have done in order to have kept her
parents together and their fa m ily in one
piece. In the meantime, she sits alone in
the midst o f a very unhappy occasion
looking like she is totally lost. Out o f
place. N ot there. She not only caused
many people to notice her but she, also,
refused to receive the assistance o f those
who were kind enough to offer help-for
whatever it was w orth. I sat beside her.
Placed my arm around her shoulders.
And-she began to cry. Sobbing deep,
wet tears o f anguish. W ith profound
composure, her crying ceased and she
began to speak o f her inner conflict.
This was her firs t step to freedom.
Another incident to be recalled-A
young man, w ith a perplexed expres­
sion on his face, stood w ith his back
placed firm ly against a w all, w ith one
foot up, anchoring his position, and
both his hands in his pockets. He was
nicely dressed. He seemed to have come
from a w ell-to-do fam ily. People were
passing him . Some pressed into his
space as they attempted to go around an
approaching pedestrian. Their presence
didn ’ t seem to sway him one way or an­
other. I was standing across the w ay­
watching and observing the action s o f
this person. Moments passed. I began
walking toward him . As I got closer to
him, he turned his head, as i f to look in
another direction and avoid contact with
my eyes. I said, “ H e llo !” M y greeting
was unanswered. “ I have been watch­
ing you” , I said to him w ith a smile. He
kept his face turned away from me-so,
I went around to the side that he was
facing. When I did this, he said, w ith a
g ru ff voice, “
W hat’ s your problem lady? Can’ t a
person be left alone without you bother­
ing them?” He glared at me, as i f to
frighten me and make me go away’ but,
I continued. “ From way over there, I
could feel your pain. What is the prob­
lem? Is there something that I can say or
do to help?” There was a b it o f silence.
Then he looked down at me and re­
sponded, “ No! There is nothing that no
one can do to help me. This is my
problem and I have to solve it a ll by
m yself. D o you understand?” His face
came closer to mine as he asked that last
question. I could see tears w elling up in
his eyes. I told him my name and invited
him to w alk to the other side o f the
walkw ay where we could sit and talk
uninterrupted. He was wringing his hands
as he sat on the bench, in the mall.
I w on’tdivulge the topic o f our con­
versation; but, before we parted com ­
pany, I had led him to the Lord and had
given him a way out just by sharing
C hrist w ith him. This was freedom.
I had gone to the Observer’s office,
one day, to turn in my copy. I peered out
the window and witnessed a young woman
out on the street. She was running up to
cars and trucks, stopping traffic and
literally jeopardizing her own life. A t
first I , like the other staff members, was
looking at the spectacle. It was like
watching a wide-screen television. Some
were laughing; w hile others remained
quiet. The entire staff, atone point, were
all up, out o f their seats, and watching. I
asked, "H o w long has this been going
on?” One o f my colleagues replied,
“ oh, she’s been out there a long time.
T hat’s a-shame!” Just then-the young
woman, clad in a red pull-over shirt,
which buttoned down to the chest, and
blue jeans, ran to the comer, pulled
down her jeans, to her knees, squatted
and made lewd jesters to the on-coming
traffic. She was running around frantic­
ally. From car to car, she ran. I f a vehicle
came to a stop, on the side street, she
would run up to the passenger side and
try to open the door. I shuddered, “ M y
L o rd l She is going to get hurt real bad.
Has anyone gone out there to talk to her
and find out why she is doing what she
is doing?” The response was a unani­
mous, ‘ ‘Are you crazy? We have called
the police and reported her being out
there but they are just taking their time. ’ ’
Right about then, she started running
across the street, because she saw a
truck coming, she pulled out one breast
from her blouse. W ith her bust in hand,
she ran after the truck and jum ped onto
the running board. This frightened me to
death. I couldn’t stand and watch this
any longer. The police were taking too
long to respond. “ I ’ ve got to go out
there before she k ills herself. And w e’re
all in here watching. This is a w fu l.” As
I began to leave the b uilding , several
voices called out, “ M attie Ann! Come
back here! D on’tg o o u t there. You don’ t
know what she is going to do. Just wait
for the police.” I turned and said, “ I ’ ve
waited too long already. Somebody needs
to stop her before she gets hurt. And
anyway-as Christians, these are the ones
we need to reach out to .”
It did not take long fo r me to reach
her. She was now on the same side o f the
street as the o ffice building. “ Come
away from there!” I yelled.’ ’ Y ou are
going to get yourself k ille d . ’ ’ She turned
quickly and asked, “ W ho the hell are
you?” Her speech was slurred. Her eyes
were at h a lf mask She reeked o f liquor
and cocaine. I could see that she was
young. I asked her why was she out
there. Her response was being hurled at
me in vulgar dialogue. I cut her o f f and
National Black Evangelical
Association Kick-off Breakfast
before I knew it, I was scolding her.
“ D on ’t you know that this is crazy and
you are going to get hurt real bad or
k ille d -if you should fa ll from one o f
those trucks or get run over by a car. I
want you to cut his out rig ht this m in ­
ute! What is it that you need so bad that
would cause you to do a thing like
this?” She looked at me. In a quiet
voice, she said, “ A ll I need is ten
dollars. Ineed to get a ro ck.” I stood
there and talked to her. She told me her
name. She told me her m other’ s name
and the church she attends. She told me
her pastor’s name and the address o f
the place where she needed to go to get
this rock.
I explained to her that the only
“ rock” she needed was Jesus. I wanted
to know i f her pastor knew o f her prob­
lem and what was being done about it.
She said, “ Nobody cares about what I
do.” I asked her, “ W hat about your
mother? What would she say i f she
knew that you were out here on Union
Avenue (M L K Blvd) pulling u.»wn your
pants and exposing yourself to the public
like this? D on’ t you know that this is a
disgrace?” She said, “ Yes, but you
don’t understand. I ’ ve got to have a
rock. I need i t ” [To be continued]
Jesus Loves You/
Psalm 3 4 :3
4236 NE Eighth Avenue
(c o m « of 8th & Skidmore)
Portland, Oregon 97211
’’Before You Must"
(503) 287-0261
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Cox Funeral Home, Inc.
24 Hr. Service
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Pictured from left to right are: Bishop A.A. Wells, Dr. George McKinney
and Rev. Aaron Hamlin
MT OLIVET BAPTIST
CHURCH
Photo by Veronica green
The N B E A w ill sponsor a k ic k -o ff
breakfast on Saturday, February 2,1991
from 9 A M - 12 Noon at the Sheraton
Inn at the Portland A irp o rt
The guest speaker w ill be the Na­
tional President, D r. George M c K in ­
ney. The public is co rd ia lly invited to
WE ARE MOVING
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TO
Stone Tower Church,
N.E. Sandy Blvd. & 30th
Worship Services 8:00 A.M. & 11:00 A.M.
Church School 9:30 A.M. to 10:30 A.M.
Bible Study, Wednesdays, 116 N.E.Schuyler
10:30 A.M. and 6:30 P.M.
attend ‘ Free W ill’ donations w ill be
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Come out! L e t’s have a good show
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NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST
1237 N.E. FAILING
PORTLAND.OREGON
PASTOR - ELDER LEON BREWER, JR.
with
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Maranatha
Church
Radio Ministry each Sunday, 8:00 A.M.-KBMS
A P e n te c o s ta l E xplosion and H ealing R evival.
He Is a 2 0 th C e n tu ry Evangelist w ith a to ta lly
un iq u e a nd a n o in te d m in is try g ive n by C od!
4222 N.E. 12th Avenue, Portland, Oregon
A Teaching Church With A Reaching Ministry
Dr. James E. Martin, Senior Pastor
Sunday Services
Sunday School
9:00 A.M.
Church Office 116 N.E. Schuyler,
ST. JOHN 7:38: "He that believelh on me, as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall (low rivers of living water."
Morning Worship
10:30 A.M.
Evening Worship
Ch i idr^n’S
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COME AND RECEIVE YOUR MIRACLE.
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“ Marantha L iv e ” Radio Program /Talk Show KPDQ 9.37 Fm 800 Am
11:00 P.M. to 12:00 m idnight (Each Sunday)
8101 N. Fiske Avenue
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Church Phone: 289-0147
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