May 7, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Reflections on the coronation, King Charles and a seat of power

By Mike Haynes

                The coronation of King Charles III was scheduled for Saturday, May 6, in London’s Westminster Abbey. Assuming all went as planned, Charles was seated during part of the ceremony on the oak Coronation Chair, which King Edward I had ordered built around the year 1300 to hold the royal Stone of Scone. Edward had brought the 336-pound rock from Scotland to England.

Many monarchs had sat on the chair, or throne, as they were crowned,

and Charles was to rest on it with the historic, 336-pound stone just under the seat. One of the most sacred moments was to be when the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England, anointed Charles with oil to consecrate him and set him above his subjects.  

                At that point, a screen was to shield Charles from the view of everyone except a few clergy members. “When the screen which will surround the coronation chair is removed, the king is revealed to us all as someone who has taken on the responsibility of serving God and serving the people,” a church spokesperson told the Associated Press.

                The 700-year-old chair is called “one of the most precious and famous pieces of furniture in the world” on the Westminster Abbey website. I suspect not many other pieces of furniture are so revered that a toy soldier company produced a 3¼-inch model of it, complete with a tiny Stone of Scone.

Kathy and I were fortunate to see the real chair several years ago at Westminster Abbey. It didn’t look as grand as you might think would befit the Queen or King of England. And we got to pass by the stone last summer in the Scottish Crown Jewels room of Edinburgh Castle before it was moved to London temporarily for Charles’ coronation.

                A legend says the stone, which got its name from a long stay at the monastery of Scone in Scotland, has a biblical origin. Genesis 28:18 says, “Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.” (NIV) The tradition is that the sandstone that Charles was to sit on Saturday was the one Jacob used as a pillow at Bethel. It supposedly made a circuitous journey over centuries from the Holy Land through several countries, gained the nickname, “Stone of Destiny” and ended up in Scotland.

                In the past, the entirety of each coronation ceremony was considered a Christian worship service, and the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, described the 2023 version as such but added that it would “reflect contemporary society.” In addition to hymns and prayers being offered in the Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic languages as well as English, non-Christian religions were to be recognized.

                Like his mother in 1953, Charles was to be presented with sacred objects such as the royal orb and scepter. This year, with Charles’ blessing, members of the House of Lords with Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh religious backgrounds were to present the king with objects devoid of Christian symbolism.

                Of course, I would prefer that the ceremony remain completely Christian as it has for 1,000 years. But I understand Charles’ reasoning. The king represents all the United Kingdom’s subjects, and the latest census showed that less than half of the population call themselves Christian.

                Charles also is head of the Church of England, though. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, faithfully filled that role out of duty and also because of her strong personal faith in Jesus Christ. Charles has not indicated that he is as devout as his late, beloved parent. But the 2023 coronation’s theme was “Called to Serve,” based on a statement of Jesus in Matthew and Mark. Charles was scheduled to say, “In His name and after His example, I come not to be served but to serve.”

                Even as he juggles the duties of church and state, let’s hope the new king, like Elizabeth II, will build his new house on the Rock of Salvation.

April 23, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

'The Father' gives us reminder to have compassion amid confusion

By Mike Haynes

                It isn’t because I’m old enough for senior discounts myself. I’ve felt this way as long as I can remember.

                And I’ve been guilty of it, too. Frustration sometimes gets the better of a person.

                But it still bothers me.

Jenny Whisenhunt and Jeffrey Pickens starred in the Amarillo

Little Theatre production of "The Father." (Shaie Williams

photo for the Amarillo Globe-News)  

                With three family members, I was blessed to be in the audience of “The Father,” a dramatic play produced by the Amarillo Little Theatre that ends with a matinee at 2:30 p.m. today. Maybe I shouldn’t compare the performance of Jeffrey Pickens, who played 80-year-old Anthony, to that of illustrious actor Anthony Hopkins, who was brilliant in the role in the 2020 movie version. But Pickens’ spot-on portrayal of a man struggling with dementia left us with the same quiet sense of sadness that Hopkins’ depiction did.

                The play is effective because of its outstanding cast and staging but also because most of us have known family or friends plagued by some level of memory loss. At least some aspects of the story are familiar to us.

                Maybe the most disturbing scene in “The Father” is one in which a man is abusive to Anthony, accusing him of disrupting the lives of the man and of Anthony’s daughter, Anne. The man tells Anthony he is selfish for requiring Anne to take care of him – and shockingly, he repeatedly slaps “the father” in the face.

                I haven’t seen that in real life, but I do know that it is easy to forget patience when dealing with a person of any age whose physical limitations cause them to move too slow or whose mental deficiencies keep them from responding quickly enough or appropriately in a conversation. Often, family or caregivers get irritated too easily when a person doesn’t hear as well as they used to.

                “The Father” gives us an inside look at things from Anthony’s perspective. It shows incidents such as his daughter bringing home chicken from the store and his misplacing his watch in repeated scenes and out of order chronologically because events and people are all jumbled up in his mind. Of course, the play reminds us, his confusion is not intentional or even because he doesn’t care about people around him, but because he can’t help it.

                People live their own lives, and their parents aren’t always a high priority. In Anne’s case, she is concerned about her father’s welfare and goes out of her way to care for him. But in Anthony’s twisted perspective, she is trying to control his life. And he, too, complicates the situation by accusing her of not loving him while he cruelly tells her that his other daughter, who apparently has died years before, is his favorite.

                Despite failings on both sides of the equation, those of us who are not suffering from mental or physical limitations should take the lead in patience – and especially in the case of our parents or other elders. Sure, tough decisions about nursing homes and taking away car keys have to be made, but they can be made with compassion.

                The apostle Paul knew that in the first century. He wrote to the Christians at Corinth, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5, English Standard Version)

                In addition to the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and mother,” the Old Testament writers certainly gave guidance regarding our treatment of parents: “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” (Proverbs 23:22, ESV) and “He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach.” (Proverbs 19:26, ESV)

                When our frustration mounts, we would do well to remember Proverbs 14:29: “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” (ESV)

                Watching “The Father,” either the film version or at Amarillo Little Theatre, is confusing for the audience, reflecting the bewildering perception of a man who has lost much of his ability to interpret what he sees in front of him. We can be confused in life, too, not knowing how to handle difficult situations.

                No matter the age of people in our lives, though, one wise saying covers pretty much all circumstances: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, ESV)

 April 9, 2023 (Easter) column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Easter points to important aspects of the Christian faith

By Mike Haynes

                The seven last words of Jesus Christ on the cross are well known. Jim McKee, a longtime Bible class teacher at Hillside Christian Church, presented an in-depth study of them in the weeks leading up to Easter 2023, pointing out that the seven are “sentences, actually.”

                Those statements that Jesus uttered while in great pain on the barbaric Roman cross are recorded variously in the New Testament books of Matthew, Luke and John. They are:

List compiled by Jim McKee

                1. “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” 2. “This day you will be with me in Paradise. 3. “Woman, behold your son.” 4. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” 5. “I thirst.” 6. “It is finished.” and 7. “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

                Each of the seven “words” points to important aspects of the Christian faith, and McKee’s deep dig into their ramifications can be found at seedongoodsoil.com, where his audio lessons and accompanying slides for March 5 through April 2 are available along with other lessons back to 2005.

                The three words, “It is finished,” especially struck me. McKee pointed out that “finished” refers to more than one thing. Physically, Jesus’ suffering was over. His 33-year life as a man on Earth was ending. Earlier, Christ had said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17) The law, including ancient prophecies specific to his crucifixion, now was fulfilled.

                 And maybe most pertinent to people today, the redemption of man was complete.

                That redemption – and the offer of salvation – was “once for all,” and McKee reminded us that multiple Bible passages use that phrase. For example: “The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.” (Romans 8:10); “He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” (Hebrews 7:27); “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (I Peter 3:18)

                McKee stressed the completeness of redemption that Jesus accomplished by taking every sin onto himself and dying for us. He didn’t forgive our past sins and leave future offenses for us to take care of. “Nothing about our salvation has been left undone,” the teacher said. “Christ has completed our salvation. Nothing is left for us to ‘fill in.’” All we have to do is accept salvation by believing in Jesus.

                God does want us to confess any new sins, but it is to emphasize our reliance on him, not because any fresh wrongdoing will make our salvation incomplete, McKee said.

                Jesus also said, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” In light of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit), the question arises, “Did God abandon God?” No, McKee said, citing a foreshadowing of Christ’s death in Psalm 22:24: “For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.”

                Each of us, at the suffering or death of a loved one or in a time of desperation, probably has wondered why God has not fixed the problem. We may have wondered why we don’t hear from him. McKee quoted C.S. Lewis’ book, “A Grief Observed,” relating how Lewis felt when his beloved wife died: “…go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound bolting and double bolting on the inside.  After that, silence.”

                Maybe, in order for the God/man Jesus to experience such despair as we do, the Father had to withdraw briefly. McKee also quoted Philip Yancey’s book, “Disappointment with God”: “At Gethsemane and Calvary in some inexpressible way, God himself was forced to confront the hiddenness of God.”

                When Jesus voluntarily said, “Into your hands I commit my spirit,” and died physically, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple that symbolically separated God from man suddenly split from the top down. Jesus had provided a way for us to be with God forever, restoring the union that had been broken since Adam and Eve had sinned.

                McKee quoted Hebrews 10:19-20: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…”

                And so, the perfect Christ had defeated sin. Three days later, on the day we call Easter, he proved that he also had defeated death – not just for himself, but for all who believe.

                He rose.

 March 26, 2023, column in the Amarillo Globe-News:

Amarillo group Lewis Underground welcomes 'mere Christians' to explore works

By Mike Haynes

                Uncle Screwtape says God wants humans to pay most attention to two things: the present and eternity. The two things God doesn’t want us to spend time on, he says, are the past and the future.

                That’s some of the demonic wisdom the experienced devil gives to his nephew Wormwood as the novice demon works on luring a young man to eternal damnation. The advice is correct; it’s just given from the point of view of a spirit who worships “Our Father Below” and whose name for God is “the Enemy.”

        

        Reading “The Screwtape Letters,” published by C.S. Lewis during World War II, can be difficult if you forget to reverse the purpose of the advice. Whatever Screwtape says the goal of his guidance is, you should seek the opposite. But the letters to his nephew reveal enormous amounts of true wisdom and insight into human nature.

                Letter No. 15, which in less than five pages Lewis – through Screwtape – explains the differences and dangers of the past, present, future and eternity, will be the discussion topic at 5:30 p.m. this Monday, March 27, at a meeting of the Lewis Underground. The informal group has gathered every fourth Monday of the month for about half a decade in the public room of River Falls Apartments at 6040 Belpree Road in Amarillo – not to worship Lewis, the famous Oxford professor who wrote “The Chronicles of Narnia” children’s stories, “Mere Christianity” and many more best-selling books, but to continue in his footsteps by pointing people to Christ.

                The group, which also has presented speakers, musicians and artists at public events, is recovering from an attendance lull since the COVID pandemic started. A common theme for its monthly discussions and occasional large events has been to promote “a vital Christian presence” in academics, the arts and the general culture – something Lewis did so effectively.

  

              The Lewis Underground is loosely affiliated with the C.S. Lewis Foundation, based in  

Redlands, California. The foundation sponsors events such as the Summer Institute last July in Oxford, England, that featured people such as writer Philip Yancey, actor Max McLean, musician Amber Salladin and English poet Malcolm Guite. The next Summer Institute tentatively will be in Northern Ireland, where Lewis was born, in 2025.

                The foundation owns the Kilns, the longtime home of Lewis in Oxford, which is open for scholars and for arranged tours.

Amarillo leaders include Kirk Manton and Nan Rinella, both of whom have been foundation volunteers for many years. Manton directs technical operations at the Great Britain events, and Rinella organized several annual C.S. Lewis retreats at Camp Allen, near Navasota. The next Camp Allen retreat is scheduled for this Oct. 6-8, and more information will be available at Monday’s Amarillo meeting.

                Anyone of any age who has an interest in Lewis is welcome at the meetings, including Lewis readers, those who have intended to read Lewis, writers and “mere Christians.”

                Foundation President Steven Elmore wrote that the international organization is “a community of ‘Mere Christians’ inspired by the life and work of C.S. Lewis to seek out and cultivate faith, reason, and imagination in the company of friends. … Rather than idolize the man, however, we are inspired by him to do what he did – live a faithful life engaging creatively with the culture around us to love our neighbors and to share the gospel of Christ.”

                Since the local Lewis Underground began, the group has progressed slowly through three of Lewis’ books: “Surprised by Joy,” “Mere Christianity” and now “The Screwtape Letters.” Those attending this Monday don’t even have to read Letter 15 in advance; it’s short and will be read aloud at the meeting. And consistent with Lewis’ British heritage, the refreshments will be hot tea and scones.

                I hope to see you there. You don’t need to worry if you haven’t read any of the books (the past) and nothing will be expected of you (the future). As Screwtape wisely says in Letter 15, the present is where “all duty, all grace, all knowledge, and all pleasure dwell.”

 March 12, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Encouragement in magazine confirms region’s strong faith

By Mike Haynes

                The Texas Panhandle and the South Plains – anchored by Amarillo and Lubbock – are no strangers to the Bible. That’s evident in the number of active churches in cities and towns from Texline to Follett to Sundown to Spur and everywhere in between.

                Christian faith also shows up outside the walls of churches, just as that Bible recommends. This region’s culture is reflected strongly, for example, in a yearly magazine devoted not to religion, but to basketball.

                Basketball is second only to football in the top of Texas. The Nazareth Swiftettes won their 25^th UIL state championship eight days ago. The Lubbock Christian boys and girls both won state private school titles, as did Lubbock’s Trinity Christian boys. The girls of Gruver, Lubbock Cooper and All-Saints Episcopal in Lubbock all made it to their state title games.

                And as of this writing, the Randall, Childress, Jayton and New Home boys had made it to the state UIL tournament.

                For the past 12 years, my sister Sheri, brother David and I – with help from my wife, Kathy, and others – have published Panhandle-Plains Basketball, a tradition started 50 years ago by former Amarillo Globe-News publisher Garet von Netzer and former Plainview Herald editor Danny Andrews. High school groups sell ads in the magazine to businesses, booster clubs, parents and others, and the groups receive a large percentage of the sales funds.

                Many of those ad purchasers, mostly parents, include encouraging words from the Bible or statements mentioning God in their ads – with no prompting from the magazine publishers.

                An ad in the White Deer section reads, “Do you know that in a race all runners run, but only one receives the prize, so run that you may obtain it. – 1 Cor. 9:24.” One on a Shallowater page says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6.”

                With few exceptions, the ads are uplifting messages, not prayers for victory. More examples, listed with the schools the ads support, are:

Panhandle – “We are so proud of you! Go show God’s light.”

Panhandle – “Blessed by the Ettes”

McLean – “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalms 23:6”

                Olton – “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.’ – John 11:25”

Sundown – “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 5:20”

San Jacinto Christian – “Play to Glorify God”

Farwell – “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow”

Randall – “We are so proud of you! Keep putting in the hard work and keep God first!”

Randall – “Remember that your work ethic and faith in God will take you far!”

Vega – “2 Chronicles 15:7”

Stratford – “John 15:1”

Several churches also supported their teams, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes was well represented.

Lots of Gruver and Sudan fans seem to regard faith as highly as they do basketball, and that’s saying something. Gruver ads included:

“Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. – Proverbs 3:6;” “Let all that you do be done with love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14;” “Look to the Lord and His strength; See His face always. – 1 Chronicles 16:11;” plus “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. – Colossians 3:17.”

Sudan contributed these:

“2 Timothy 4:7;” “Go be great! – Joshua 1:9;” “For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. – Deuteronomy 20:4;” “Have fun, play hard & use the gifts God has given you!” and “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the task assigned to me by the Lord Jesus – to tell others about the wonderful grace of God. – Acts 20:24.”

 The amount of spiritual inspiration from our region isn’t surprising, but it’s heartening and a confirmation of our deep Christian roots.

I’m sure the same is true of fans in Dumas despite the cheer for their beloved teams: “Go Demons and Demonettes!”

 Feb. 26, 2023, column in the Amarillo Globe-News:

Is God moving in America? Asbury revival, other actions surface

By Mike Haynes

                “They say Aslan is on the move…”

                That’s what the character called Beaver tells four English children after they arrive in the magical land of Narnia in C.S. Lewis’ beloved book, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Aslan is a majestic, all-powerful lion, obviously the Christ figure in the children’s book series.

                 Narnia has been in a state of eternal winter under the control of the White Witch. I won’t go further into the plot, but Aslan is the key to turning things around.

                In many ways, our 2023 world looks like winter. People are split in countless ways with war in Ukraine, nuclear-armed nations repositioning themselves, cultural disagreements, racial unrest and conflicts on abortion, for starters.   

                We need hope more than ever, and happily, there are some rays of sunshine.

                On Feb. 8, students at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, attended a regular Christian service in Hughes Auditorium. At the normal time for it to end, they didn’t leave. They stayed – singing, talking about Christ in their lives and worshiping God. Students from other schools and people of all ages came to Wilmore to take part in the spiritual happening. It made national news as the “Asbury Revival.”

                Alison Perfater, the Asbury student body president, told Fox News a theme has been Habakkuk 1:5: “Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”

                Perfater said, “There’s a young army of believers who are rising to claim Christianity as their own as a young generation and a free generation.” She said people have arrived from Brazil, Indonesia and most of the U.S. states.

                Nick Hall, a student ministry leader from Minnesota, said he knew the revival had spread last week to the University of Georgia, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, Iowa State, North Dakota State – and Texas Tech.

                It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened at Asbury. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, similar unplanned events had happened there in 1905, 1950, 1958 and 1970.

                On Feb. 18, Asbury President Kevin Brown announced that, with multitudes of visitors causing traffic and parking problems and the police worried about safety, the revival would revert to a scheduled public worship service for the next few days.

                “We believe that the continued flourishing of such a movement invites us to commission our Asbury community, visiting students and other campus guests from across the world to neighbor-serving, God-honoring work,” Brown wrote.

                Those who remember the 1970 revival believe it had long-lasting effects. I’m not sure if there’s a connection, but many pastors in our part of Texas received their Christian education at Asbury Theological Seminary, a separate institution adjacent to the university.

                Mark, a friend in Florida who is active in ministry to the deaf and other Christian activities, told me he sees several signs of God moving in America, including at Asbury.

   

             As polls show that Christianity is on the downswing in this country, we have the first regular series about the life of Jesus – “The Chosen” – drawing millions of streaming views and placing in the box office top 10 when shown in movie theaters.

                Commercials from the “He Gets Us” advertising campaign were featured during Super Bowl 57. The ads promote messages such as “Jesus loved the people we hate,” and “Jesus invited everyone to sit at his table.”

                As Jesus predicted, the messages received pushback. A certain New York member of Congress tweeted, “Something tells me Jesus would *not* spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads to make fascism look benign.”

                “He Gets Us” spokesman Jason Vanderground replied, “The goal is that the two commercials will not only inspire those who may be skeptical of Christianity to ask questions and learn more about Jesus, but also encourage Christians to live out their faith even better and exhibit the same confounding love and forgiveness Jesus modeled.”

       

         Mark also mentioned a movie that started this week, “Jesus Revolution,” that tells the true story of evangelist Greg Laurie, then a young man, who met a charismatic “hippie” street preacher and a traditional pastor in the 1970s who linked arms to help start a Jesus counterculture movement. Not a low-budget Christian film, “Jesus Revolution” stars Kelsey Grammer, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Jonathan Roumie, Jim Gaffigan and Joel Courtney.

                And could even the ongoing split of the United Methodist Church be a movement of God? Although church splits mean people are disagreeing with each other, I see a silver lining – especially for those on the side of sticking with and respecting the traditional, biblical beliefs of the church. While those remaining in the UMC can proceed with the updates to the faith that they believe are necessary, those leaving now can practice freely the teachings of Jesus as orthodox Christians have for centuries. Maybe the split is unleashing a movement.

                Rowan Williams, the former archbishop of Canterbury, has been credited with the advice to “see what God is doing and join in.” It seems that, even in this dark world, the Lord is providing plenty of places to do that.               

 Feb. 12, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

NFL player consoling teammate speaks volumes

By Mike Haynes

                Nobody ever would accuse me of being a University of Texas fan, or even a Cincinnati Bengals fan, but two weeks ago I became a Joseph Ossai supporter.

                Ossai is the Cincinnati defensive end whose name I heard called several times for outstanding play during the Bengals’ 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League’s American Conference championship game two weeks ago.  

                He was born in Nigeria and came to the United States with his family when he was 10 years old. Ossai played football for Conroe Oak Ridge High School in the Houston area. After an All-America college career with the Texas Longhorns, he was a third-round 2021 NFL draft pick by the Bengals.

                The 6-4, 263-pound rusher had five tackles in an impressive effort against Kansas City – the team I was rooting for primarily because its quarterback is Patrick Mahomes, who played collegiately at Texas Tech, my alma mater.

                But in the eyes of many, especially Bengal fans, Ossai is more infamous than famous because of one play near the end of that game with the Chiefs.

                The score was tied at 20, and Kansas City was at the Cincinnati 47-yard line with just a few seconds left. Mahomes scrambled to his right for five yards. Ossai gave him a shove to – the defensive end thought – push him out of bounds. But Mahomes already was out of bounds, and a yellow flag came flying.

                The 15-yard penalty put the Chiefs at the Bengal 27-yard line, plenty close for Harrison Butker to kick a field goal as time ran out to win the game, 23-20. So Kansas City will play Philadelphia in the Super Bowl today, and the Bengals have to say, “Wait ’til next year.”

                Why am I an Ossai supporter? After all, I didn’t want my favorite NFL player, Patrick Mahomes, to be hit, period, considering he was playing on an injured right ankle. But Ossai immediately was made the scapegoat for Cincinnati’s loss. He sat on the bench as the game ended with his head down and resting on his gloved hands, apparently crying with the thought that his penalty had given the game to Kansas City.

                And for a long few minutes, Ossai was alone on that white bench. The perception was that his teammates wanted nothing to do with him.

                Two days later, my wife, Kathy, shared a post with me that cemented our empathy for Ossai and brought the incident into correct perspective. It included a photo of just one Bengal, Devin Asiasi, leaning over in front of Ossai to comfort him at the end of the game. The bench around Ossai was empty.

                I couldn’t confirm the origin of the post, but it showed that it was sent from the Jason Foundation, an organization for the prevention and awareness of youth suicide, and was attributed to former NFL star Terrell Owens.

                “He made a costly mistake,” the post read. “Thousands (if not millions) of people saw it, got (mad) and walked away from him, including his teammates. The fans left him. … his teammates went to the locker room, coaches left him … hurting. They left him on the battlefield alone. …

“But there was one … one person that refused to leave his brother no matter what happened. He picked him up. Never forget who that one person is. They are worth more than gold. That’s leadership, that’s a friend, that’s a brother.”
                With further checking, I saw that other teammates and coaches did lend support to the distraught player, Sports Illustrated reported that lineman B.J. Hill stayed near Ossai during locker room interviews and told reporters he would “shut it down” if they asked any “dumb questions.”

Pointing out that plays earlier in the game also could have changed the outcome, Hill said, “That’s my brother. I’ve been in that situation before, too. I had a chance to make a game-winning sack (against Dallas). I just missed a sack. I’ve been there. Trying to blame it on one person, I’m not going to have that."

Ossai has said he and his family are Christians. Of course, scripture repeatedly stresses the need for believers to help each other.

“Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing,” Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

I suspect that in the long run, Ossai will hold on to passages like that, which often are proven true among athletic teammates. That photo of the talented player hunched over on the bench with one teammate consoling him is an unforgettable image.

Football players normally don’t have to literally risk their lives for their teammates, but the photo and the words in someone’s post certainly bring to mind the exhortation of Jesus in John 15:12-13: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

  * * *

Mike Haynes taught journalism at Amarillo College from 1991 to 2016 and has written for the Faith section since 1997. He can be reached at haynescolumn@gmail.com. Go to www.haynescolumn.blogspot.com for other recent columns.

 

 Jan. 29, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Reflecting on Elvis' birthday celebration, Lisa Marie's service at Graceland

By Mike Haynes

                A week ago today, Jason Clark and the Tennessee Mass Choir ended a memorial service by singing – while slowly swaying left and right – “The Lord our God is mighty, the Lord our God is omnipotent, the Lord our God, He is wonderful.”

                On the same stage in front of the Graceland mansion, the Blackwood Brothers Quartet had vocalized “How Great Thou Art” to piano accompaniment, much the same as their predecessors had done at many sold-out concerts in the 1970s – but of course, this time without the stirring voice of Elvis Presley.

                That spiritual music was just part of the event at the longtime Memphis, Tennessee, home of “the King of Rock ’n’ Roll” that honored his only child, Lisa Marie Presley. Lisa Marie had died of a heart attack at age 54 on Jan. 12 – four days after her last visit to Graceland to attend the annual birthday celebration for her father, who had died in 1977.

                My wife, Kathy, and I were on our first visit to Graceland during that birthday week, inspired by the 2022 hit movie, “Elvis.” We showed up at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 8 with 800 to 1,000 other fans to see the five-foot birthday cake and Lisa Marie, who had been almost a recluse at her home in Los Angeles since the death of her 27-year-old son, Ben Keough, in 2020.

                In Lisa Marie’s brief comments under a tent on the Graceland front lawn two weeks ago, she thanked the devoted fans who braved the cold weather. “I keep saying you’re the only people who can bring me out of my house,” she told them. “I’m not kidding.”

                Then she spent an hour or so slowly walking down a line of fans, roped off from the tent, signing autographs and posing for pictures with people, almost 100 percent of whom were wearing Elvis shirts or other paraphernalia.

                So with our friend Leslie, we watched Lisa Marie’s service online last week. It took place a few yards from where her dad’s birthday cake had been.

                I know little about Lisa Marie’s beliefs. I do know she sang a beautiful duet, along with her father’s voice from many years ago, called “Where No One Stands Alone.” The lyrics include, “Oh, Lord, don’t hide your face from me,” and “Take my hand, let me stand where no one stands alone.”

 

               Elvis’ faith is well known. Despite the celebrity life he lived, he made his love of God clear. His stepbrother, Billy Stanley, published a book last year called, “The Faith of Elvis,” in which Stanley offers example after example of the megastar’s generosity and his trust in the Bible. The much younger brother says Elvis often urged him to read scripture. According to Stanley’s book, “EP” once told him:

                “Remember, Billy, the mind is the devil’s playground. Everybody knows the master of confusion is the devil. The mind believes it is the strongest organ. But the heart is God’s playground. The heart is what keeps you going.”

                That recollection rings true to the place where Elvis’ Christian walk began: a small Assembly of God church in Tupelo, Mississippi, where he lived until his family moved to Memphis when he was 13.

Kathy and I took a bus tour from Memphis to Tupelo a couple of days before Elvis’ birthday celebration and sat for a presentation in that church. Surrounded by three video screens, we saw a 15-minute recreation of a 1943 worship service with impassioned prayer and preaching plus a gospel quartet doing “I’ll Fly Away” and the congregation singing “Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb?” followed by shouts and clapping.

Plus, the video showed a young boy portraying an 8-year-old Elvis singing his first public solo: “Jesus Loves Me.” The future star probably stood next to the original, simple pulpit that remains in the small, white church.

It’s easy to see why Elvis Presley had a life-long love of gospel music. His first goal was to sing in a gospel quartet like those of his youth. He released several gospel albums and in the 1970s included songs such as “Swing Down, Sweet Chariot” and yes, “How Great Thou Art,” in his concerts. He and his buddy musicians often jammed in the studio or after performances to tunes such as “Bosom of Abraham” and “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.”

The presence of Lisa Marie’s father couldn’t be overlooked at her service last Sunday, not with the Blackwoods’ harmony, recollections by Elvis’ “Memphis Mafia” member Jerry Schilling and one of the most iconic houses in the world serving as the backdrop.

But touches of her own life included songs by Alanis Morissette, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins and Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses plus tender words by her mother, Priscilla Presley; her daughter, Riley Keough; former Memphis Mayor A C Wharton; Pastor Dwayne Hunt; and her friend, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. A new friend of Lisa Marie and Priscilla, “Elvis” movie star Austin Butler, was in attendance.

In a moving talk, Wharton said he and others who knew Lisa Marie “won’t connect in this same place in the same way ever again.” But I pray that Billy Blackwood’s introduction to “Sweet, Sweet Spirit,” which Elvis included in his later shows, will come true for the family and for everyone:

“May this song be the ushering in of God’s peace and presence in your life.”