HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: THE MOVIE "42"

Four of us went to see the story of Jackie Robinson, the "legend", last night (opening night in our big city) based on the true story. The theater was very nicely filled but not packed. And the audience did clap at the end -- a rare occurrence these days. I found the movie starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford most engaging and with minor exceptions excellently presented. As a lover of baseball, it made my understanding of how the game has evolved at key times and helped mold our society and the role certain men (and women) played in that. It helped me understand why the number "42" is revered in our Rogers (SkyDome) Centre in Toronto and why on certain days all players wear it across the league. As always, change towards good for many often comes at the expense of the suffering of a few -- and sometimes only one. Which takes me to the overtones of Christianity in this movie -- from the Methodist religion of Robinson and the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, to the comments about what Robinson has to suffer for others, and finally the closing song -- those of the Christian faith could easily identify the connections to what they believe.

I was surprised that the film did not tell us more about Robinson's life as a child and teenager except one passing reference that his father walked out on the family when he was six months old. We see or hear almost nothing of his mother(one friend reminded me that she is shown very briefly taking care of the baby when Jackie & Rachel were going away).  And no other members of the family are shown or referred to. I don't know what "baby" the director wanted to use in the film to portray the birth of Robinson's son, but in my opinion he certainly wasn't a "newborn" lying there in the hospital in his glass bassinet. Continuity was also questioned by this viewer when supposedly several weeks or months later, the mother is shown cuddling what appeared to be a much smaller bundle in her arms at one of Robinson's games.

If you can forgive those minor flaws as I did, you have a very meaningful and historical movie that is highly recommended and one that you can take the entire family too. There's much there for all of us and I hope there's an oscar or two there for the cast (Harrison Ford, Chadwick Boseman, and Nicole Beharie (who plays Mrs. Rachel Robinson) are so good in this movie.

At the end, we are told what actually happens (in real life) to the main characters. And needless to say, people get their just desserts -- the prime example being the coach of the Phillies at the time. He taunted Robinson the most. A year later he was fired and never rehired again by anyone. Others who couldn't accept the change kept getting sent to "Pittsburgh" and I wouldn't be surprised if "going to Pittsburgh" becomes a phrase which means being "sent to the worse place possible" once this movie gets seen by many.

Finally the friendship of Pee Wee Reese, a Christian, is shown clearly in the movie and Mr. Reese has a story of his own that is also most interesting and worth checking out on the internet. He died in 1984; Robinson in 1972. See the movie with your kids -- the best history lesson they'll get. In one scene, one young boy at the game is a real fan (with his dad) of Pee Wee Reese. Then he hears his dad calling out racial slurs at Robinson and booing him. The kid wants to be like his dad and joins in. Then there's this great scene with Pee Wee Reese and the child is caught in a dilemma -- his hero, Reese, has just embraced the black Robinson which his father abhors. If nothing else, it points out how our children and grandchildren model us.

See the movie. You won't regret it.


You can watch the trailer of the movie here.

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.  And while you’re here, why not check out some more of our recent blogs shown in the right hand column.  Ken.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Goal of Planned Parenthood Founder: 'To Stop the Multiplication of the Unfit'

When all else is smoke and mirrors go back to the autobiography of the movement's founder. You'll see how racist an organization I believe it really is.  Then go to the bathroom and throw up. Better still, sit down and write yourself a note: "I will never, never support anything that Planned Parenthood is involved in again."  Then remember that the current president of the U.S. is a big supporter.  Remember that when you are alone with your ballot next November.

Goal of Planned Parenthood Founder: 'To Stop the Multiplication of the Unfit' | NewsBusters.org

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Rise in the number of Black Prisoners in Canada

According to the linked article, blacks represent about 10% of the federal prison inmates while they only represent about 2.5% of the general population. And the ombudsman says he's concerned about that and the quick rise over the last decade.

I would be too, but I'm not sure that it may be for the same reason. There are several reasons a concern with this kind of statistic may be in order. Here are some.

1. The courts may be biased. Certainly North Carolina's governor seems to think so and that's why she kept in place a law that tries to address it.  (see my blog at "Oh, What a Mess, What a Mess in America's Judicial System. Explaining and dissecting the N.C. death-row racial bias bill.")

2. More blacks may be involved in crime than non-blacks proportionally.  That's possible, as politically incorrect as it may be.

3. There may be good reasons why blacks may be more into crime than non-blacks.  Has anyone tried to do a correlation between this statistic and unemployment or average wages or education levels or years in the country, etc., as it relates to blacks and non-blacks?   Therein one may find some very interesting data as well as some potential cause and effect relationships.

4.  The reason for fear may also be due to the potential this kind of situation has for strong reaction in the black community (think of what happens periodically in Canada with militant First Nations youth when they feel frustrated and unfairly treated), not to mention, the negative image more whites may assume about all blacks.  None of this is good or desirable.

5.  The fear may be an economic one.  For example, people may say if the number of blacks in prison were equal to their representative share of the population, there would be 1,050 fewer blacks in federal prisons and that would reduce costs considerably.

So, there are many reasons for the ombudsman to be a little worried.  Many of us are.  But the problem may not be with blacks at all.  It may be with our economic and social and covert racist systems that we all operate in.  To me, Christmastime, now that we've turned it over to big business and commercial endeavors, seems to bring out the social injustices in our society best.  Unless some of us work hard to overcome that.

Here's the original article, for your perusal and thoughtful consideration.

Canada News: Black prison population climbing, says ombudsman - thestar.com

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.  

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Joseph Collects All The Money Within Egypt and Canaan - Genesis 47:13-14

Now there was no food in the land, because the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.  And Joseph gathered all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

The great famine continued, but at least the family through which God would deliver His Covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was now relocated in the land of Rameses in Egypt, close to Joseph and to all the stored grain.  It is interesting to note that the famine itself could not be avoided – it was where they were before in the land of Canaan and it was also where they are now in the land of Egypt.

Sometimes it seems we change our surroundings to escape our problems, but somehow they never go away, they’re still there.  I am sure you have experienced that.  But here’s the bottom line – it is better to face our problems from the spot that God wants us to be and where He has moved us to, then to face them from where we wanted to remain.  Your God, Who tells you to go, also goes with you.  And that makes all the difference.

So bad was the famine, that all the money that both Canaanites and Egyptians had, had been gathered by Joseph in exchange for grain he had been giving them during its early years.  And the text says that Joseph took all the money to Pharaoh’s house.

As I read these verses today I am also conscious of the fact we are only two-weeks into this fast-spreading and now worldwide protest phenomenon known as ‘Occupy Wall Street’.  The 99% of the world’s poor is out to reclaim the riches of the world from the 1% who are at the top of the wealth ladder.  This in turn allowed me to realize how the scriptures are indeed writings for all times and that our understanding, or at least our perception of what we read and how it is to be applied to us, varies based on what is going on in our times and what we personally have experienced.  Looking at these verses which simply relate facts of what happened thousands of years ago, would ignite different feelings in a Black American slave before the American Civil War, in an Arab Spring rebel fighting in Egypt to overthrow the country’s dictatorship, in a Occupy Wall Street protester, and in me.  But that is the beauty of God’s “love letter” to us.  We can all relate to it and we can all learn from it throughout the ages.

I can understand how frustrated the ordinary man, woman, and child must have felt when they realized that they had no more money and the famine’s end seemed to be nowhere in sight.  That seems to be the plight of the common man/woman today around the globe as he/she watches the economy tank and as no efforts of the world’s leaders appear to be able to address it or stop the free-fall.  People’s resources are dwindling, there’s a fear of losing one’s job, and even registered retirement plans are subject to being attacked by the government in an effort to raise more revenues and thus being eroded in value.  What happens next?  What more can we give?  In Greece alone where the population has been faced with continuous deductions in what they thought were assured earnings, along with greatly increased taxes, the suicide rate has risen by 40%.

Back in Egypt, the people had no more money.  So, what else could they be asked to surrender to Pharaoh in exchange for their needed bread, simply to survive?  Have you ever felt as if you were in the same spot?  Are you there now?  What more can you surrender to survive?

Those of us who truly know God, not just for what He can provide for us, but for Who He is, realize He has not changed, and only the circumstances of life have changed.  Our God is still the great I AM.  And He will see us through this next stage of world history.   Just as we’ll see in our study of the text that lies ahead He was about to do for the Israelites whom He had led to Egypt as part of His eternal plan.   Will you trust Him, and Him alone, for just that?  I hope so.

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting. 

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

The U.S. Democrats Need a Strong "Black" Leader.

No, I'm not pulling the "race" card.  B.O. seems to be doing that quite well.  In the article I've linked to you will see why there's an elephant in the Democratic Party's room and it's a 'black' one.

Anyone who has been observing American politics for years, knows that when the current party leader is as bad as Mr. B.O. is (by members of his own party), then someone stands up and runs against him in the primaries before the next federal election.  This is especially true, says Eleanor Clift in the Daily Beast. if he is "A weakened president in an ailing economy...."  But yet, no one is doing so . . . yet.

And the reason may well be "race".   When minorities and/or liberals want equality they cry out that "color should not matter".  But when they get equality plus for themselves or for the 'color' they have  in mind, they seem to use 'color' as a sacred cow that can't be touched.   And that may well be the case for all the "anyone (or anything) but B.O." white Democrats, who for the most part remain in their closet on this issue.

Well, there's a simple solution to that -- let a strong Black Democrat come out and challenge B.O.   Of course, that would be potential political suicide under most occasions, but certain under the B.O. regime.   And yes, I understand, that's all the GOP needs to hear.  They'd capitalize on it big time.

Eleanor Clift has some other very interesting perspectives you will enjoy and appreciate.  Bottom line is that you can't be a hero taking down a hero when he's the first and historic Black POTUS, no matter how bad he is.

Obama's Reelection Helped By the Left's Primary Vacuum - The Daily Beast

Thanks for dropping by.  Sign up to receive free updates.  We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources.  Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar.  And please share this blog with your friends.   Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

As B.O.'s Support Among Blacks and Hispanics Decreases, Can White Support Be Far Behind The Exodus?

The Los Angeles Times reports the worse news for B.O. since he said he was running again in 2012. Take a look.

Obama's support among blacks slips unexpectedly, Hispanics too | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

'If Blacks Can Live Anywhere in the U.S., Jews Can Live Anywhere In Jerusalem' Jew Tells Obama

An incredible two minute video clip on the fact that only outsiders believe there is an "East Jerusalem" and that no U.S. president will tell Jews where they can and can't live. Fascinating part of an interview.

'How can a US President tell a Jew where to live?'

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Abortion and Blacks and Liberals and Freedom and Us

I am indeed ticked again.    Let me give you the background.  An association buys, as part of a national campaign, billboard space.  The billboard agency approves the advertisement which basically says, "the most danger place for an African American is in the womb."   The connection is obvious.  It points to the very high incidence of abortion among Blacks in America and is part of an anti-abortion campaign.  One of these billboards is in New York City.  Now, let's see what takes place next.

It so happens the New York billboard is on a building where there's a restaurant.  The staff complain they are being harassed by patrons who are against the billboard's message.   Really?  Why would a server be harassed because of a paid advertisement on their building?   I thought America was a free country.  Wrong again.

In addition, the agency hears there's going to be a protest by those against the message in the ad.  (That was scheduled for today.)  Well, yesterday they decide that both these situations raise concerns about "public safety" and down comes the ad.   Wait a minute.  Somebody paid for that advertisement.  It's perfectly legal and they had a deal.   If there's some public safety issues, that's why we have thousands of NYC police officers.  But no, the billboard ad comes down.

Before you go to the link below (and I recommend you do and watch the short video therein too), let me ask you one question:  Suppose for a moment that the ad was a legitimate legal advertisement for the gay and lesbian lifestyle or about "free information on, and discount rates for, abortion".   And this time the conservatives threaten to protest and bugged the servers in the restaurant about the ad.  Suppose that and then answer this question:  Would the ad come down?  No.   Would police be called on to control the protesters?  Yes.

So, what's wrong with this picture, folks?   Are you angry yet?  I hope so.  Because this is the new America.    And now it's my turn to start attaching some blame.  I blame ourselves -- the conservatists, and in particular the conservative Christians that can't get our act together to peacefully but in total unity get together and say "enough is enough".  Instead, we pick on each other and unless someone believes in exactly everything we believe in, we refuse to join hands with them and stand up for what is moral, what is right, what is godly.

So, there you have it.  I said.  I feel better.  But it doesn't change anything.  Denominational leaders you need to get your people off their butts, stop worrying about your ability to give out charitable tax receipts, and bring people together for the Truth and what is Moral.   You'll have a lot to answer for one day if you don't.

Please pass this blog on to others who may feel the same way. 

Billboard focused on African-American abortions was taken down - CNN.com

-- Thanks for dropping by.   Sign up to receive updates.  --  Ken B. Godevenos, Church and Mgmt. Consultant, bringing you relevant information from all sorts of sources.  Subscribe free to Epistoli or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar.  And don’t forget to “share” this blog with your friends by clicking the “Share” link on your Navigation Bar.

 

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

We Used Busing to Integrate Black Students; Now We May Use It to Segregate Poor Kids

This story is about ten days old.  But somehow I cannot get it out of my mind.  Let me give you the background.  The Niagara District School Board in Ontario is planning to open a school for low-income students whose parents don't have a college or university education because they argue "poor students often struggle in school and have a higher dropout rate."   It would have about 150 grade 6 and 7 students to begin with, growing by 75 students a year peaking at 575 students when the grade 6'ers get to grade 12.  And the board is not open to canceling it, but will listen to other suggestions.  Very nice.

What will the school do differently?  Well, it will spend extra time with students on developing learning skills and building self-confidence; it will do this during an extended school day.  Some local politicians are upset.  The Ontario Minister of Education is watching the situation carefully but not yet prepared to ban it.  The big issue is will the children be stigmatized as a result of attending this school?

The school is associated with the education program of a nearby university, the YMCA, and the elementary teacher's union.  That's a good start.  According to the article below, the program is aimed at reducing the board’s high school dropout rate, which at 10.6 per cent is above the provincial average of 9 per cent.

That's the background.  Now let's think about this a little realistically for a moment.

First, I'm not sure what the education of one's parents has to do with it?   My mom and dad never went beyond grade 6, and although neither of my parents could help me with my studies in Canada from the time I was five until I finished my three degrees, I can assure you their role models in reading (the newspapers for my dad -- with his very broken English --  and the Bible for both of them) made a big differences to what I pursued.  Discussion also played a big role.  We didn't talk about television, sports, car, and beer.  We talked about history, faith, politics, and what's right and wrong.

And who says that being educated is a guarantee for being wealthy enough to provide all that young children need to compete these days?  How soon we forget the days when nearly every taxi driver in New York had a Ph.D. (granted from outside the country) but still.  Education is no guarantee as to being a good parent or role model or even providing for your children's educational needs.

Second,  being poor is not something that children notice when they are in grade six or 11 years old -- they notice it way before that.  They know in grade two if not earlier whether they are rich or not compared to their school friends.  They know that when they can't go away to Europe each summer or go to Florida each winter break or even go skiing on the weekends.   They know it when they can't get to see the same shows that local children's theatre puts on.  They know it when they get second-hand clothes -- sometimes from the older siblings of their very own friends.  They know it when they don't have their own computer or their own cell phone and their car is a van rather than an SUV with a Lexus or M.B. symbol on it.  They know when they get one gift at Christmas and their fiends get way more than they can use.   And they know it when some children won't even come to their birthday parties or worse still, they dont' have a birthday party.  And so much more.

The proponents of this plan suggest that since poverty is already a stigma, a separate school like this is not about "where they're coming from" but "where they can go".  Try telling that to a little girl who doesn't have a new dress for the Christmas (or any other) program these days.  [As an aside: Yes, I know we don't have Christmas programs any more.  Maybe that's part of the whole problem.  We forget to teach kids that others have needs and to share not only our things, but our sincere love and our care.  And of course, you can do it outside Christianity -- many religions do, but since we're still primarily Christian, maybe we should have thought a little more carefully about caving in to the liberal left and throwing God out of the classroom altogether.  Let's save this for another blog.]

Third, one supporter cites  a 12-year-old pupil who was exhausted one recent morning after caring for a sick brother all night because their parents work as overnight office cleaners.  But this school won't change that.  The girl will still need to stay up all night taking care of her sick sibling.   You can keep encouraging these kids, but do you need to do it in a segregated school.   Instead of equalizing what students are allowed in schools, the Ontario government, led by its Liberal Premier, was recently encouraging kids to bring cell phones to school to help them in their education -- complete with links to the Internet.  Now, there's brainpower to spare.

What we need is not segregated schools for the poor.  Instead we need to provide optional programs for parents to attend to get the skills they need for helping their children succeed.  We're not just talking learning a language.  We're also talking about helping them recognize and identify what the issues are that impede their children's education -- the issues they can impact with some help.  We need to offer these programs during the days and evenings to cover all parents.  We need to be working together with other agencies to make this happen.  We need to offer some parents that need it "day or night care" in order to attend these classes.   None of these people addressing this issue, for or against, know anything about poverty.  You can address it at the child's level and soon fail or you can find the parents that want to make a difference and help them.  [As a person involved in a Canadian Mission that works from our four year-round ministry centres and camps across Canada with children whose families would well qualify under the criteria suggested for this school, I can assure you -- children will change very quickly when they are shown love and caring and consistency and fairness.  But all is almost always lost when they return home.  Who will be with these Niagara children on the weekends?  Who will be with them on breaks and especially during the long hot months of summer?  For my tax money, take action that will get closer to the cause rather than the symptoms.


So, how do I really feel about this whole thing?  I really don't know.  I guess to be fair I should ask myself whether or not I would send my children to such a school if our family "qualified"?  Okay, self-examination time.  And the answer is:  "No, I would not."   I would do all I could to sacrifice whatever I needed to sacrifice -- time, purchases, sleep, cigarettes, beer, entertainment to give my kids the best chance at an education they could have.   And to bolster that up, I would spend a lot of time with them helping them understand that in God's economy, being poor is not a sin.

But what's more important is what you think.  Tell us.

Debate heats up over Niagara school for poor kids - thestar.com

 

-- Thanks for dropping by.   Sign up to receive updates.  --  Ken B. Godevenos, Church & Mgmt. Consultant, bringing you relevant information from all sorts of sources.  Subscribe free to Epistoli or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar.  And don’t forget to “share” this blog with your friends by clicking the “Share” link on your Navigation Bar.

 

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.