A Note from the Publisher
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr., Carma Henry
As we remember Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I’m mindful of the adage, “Teamwork makes the Dream Work,” and how we must all do our share to make his goal a reality. The following are excerpts from an address I delivered for the Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council, Inc. at the 19th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast in the early 2000s in Fayetteville, North Carolina. — Mr. Bobby R. Henry Sr.
You people are flawless, which reminds me of a middle-aged guy and his wife who both had heart attacks and were brought to the hospital at the same moment. They had near-death encounters while on the surgery table. When they saw God, they inquired, “If their time was up?” “No, sir, you have another 43 years, two months, and eight days to live, and you Miss will outlive him by ten years,” God said. Following their recuperation, they both chose to remain in the hospital and undergo cosmetic surgery, such as a facelift, liposuction in the hips and lips, tummy tucks, permanent eyebrows, nose jobs, and so on.
They reasoned that since they had so much more time to live, they might as well appear nice. They were discharged from the hospital after their final aesthetic procedures. They were both slain by an ambulance while crossing the street on their way home. They approached God and asked, “We thought you said we had another 40 years to live?” “How come you didn’t pull us out of the way of that ambulance?” “Because I didn’t even recognize either of you!!!” God responded. When we believe we are ALL OF THAT and a container of Doritos, bad things happen!
God can use anyone exactly as they are. Take a peek at my face. I was a high school dropout and a young parent who quit the army before my enlistment was up. Before earning my degree, I attended three separate HBCUs. I won’t bore you with the specifics that led me astray from the road of virtue because it might shock some of you fine God-fearing Christians and holier-than-thou individuals!! God utilizes what He creates regardless of the circumstances: Noah was a drunk, Abraham was too elderly, Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, Leah was ugly, Joseph was mistreated, Moses had a speech impairment, Gideon was terrified, and Samson had long hair and was a womanizer.
Rehab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David had an affair and was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah fled from God, Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt, Peter denied Christ, The disciples fell asleep while praying, Martha worried about everything, the Samaritan woman had been divorced more than once, Zacharias was too small, Paul was too religious, Timothy had an ulcer, and Lazarus I’m not going to question how many of you don’t match the descriptors I just gave because everyone might raise their hands!!
Not I, but Christ, should be honored, adored, and exalted; not I, but Christ, should be seen, known, and heard; not I, but Christ, in every glance and deed; not I, but Christ, in every thought and word. — Mrs. A. A. Whiddington wrote this 19th Century Hymn. For my minutes of contemplation here this morning, I’d like to tag and interpret this address through the lens of: RATS IN THE TEMPLE CAN KILL THE DREAM.
“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve,” said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. You do not need a college degree to serve. You are not required to get your topic and verb to consent to assist. All you need is a spirit filled of grace. “A soul born of love.” Langston Hughes questions, “What happens to a dream postponed?” Does it bake out in the heat like a raisin? Or will it grow like a wound and then run? Does it have the odor of rotting meat? Or a shell with sugar on top, like a sticky sweet? Perhaps it simply sags like a hefty burden. Or does it blow up?
As we begin to enjoy the hopes of a dream deferred, let us remember that we cannot appreciate the fulfilment of the dream until the sanctuary is free of RATS. A temple is a structure dedicated to religious or spiritual activities such as meditation and offering, as well as associated rituals. In Buddhism, Roman Temples represent a Buddha’s pure territory or environs. Traditional Buddhist temples are intended to promote both interior and outward calm.
Rats, whether black, brown, gray, or white, are aggressive, omnivorous creatures that favour human-populated places where they can easily find sustenance. They have acute senses and can jump, tunnel, climb, or gnaw their way into apparently inaccessible areas. They reproduce extremely rapidly (up to 150 offspring per year) and have a small number of anticipated murderers but a large number of detractors! Rats are infamous for transmitting a variety of human infections and have been known to wipe out entire grain stores.
Rats are believed to foresee the ruin of any house or ship they are living in, and will quit it before destruction; hence, the proverbial saying that ‘rats depart a falling ship’ low-down, unclean, filthy, Black plague bearing stinking rats.
Of course, I’m not talking exactly about rats and a temple; rather, I’m alluding to the temple as a group of people, which includes families, organizations, churches, and different conglomerations of individuals. While my use of RATS is an abbreviation for Resentment, Anger, Treachery, and Selfishness. These are powerful attitudes that will demolish a sanctuary quicker than white people move out of neighborhoods when Black people move in. They can’t now because bad times know no borders or skin color.
These rats’ resentment, animosity, treachery, and selfishness will cause financial devastation, annihilation of belongings, desolation, and the destruction of entire communities and nations.
RATS will harm our children by establishing distinct and unequal educational systems. Resentment, animosity, treachery, and self-interest will turn a blind eye to police violence and result in justifiable murder rulings. The presence of RATS in the sanctuary Resentment, animosity, treachery, and self-interest reduce life expectancy by causing inequalities in health care and depriving individuals or organisations of benefits, immunity, or legal rights, particularly the right to vote! When that fails, RATS will pass laws that they believe will “restore their country,” and then ask you and me to a TEA Party.
However, none of their efforts can bring to completion the onslaught of a travesty of unfairness that can ever match up to the HUMAN PSYCHOLOGICAL harm that RATS leave behind- They can destroy DREAMS!
When churches become infested with RATS, Resentment, Animosity, Treachery, and Selfishness, people go to battle for selfish gain, and the results are disastrous. “Why do you fight and argue with each other?” says James 4:1-3. Isn’t it because you have selfish impulses that struggle for power over your body? You want something you don’t have and will go to any length to obtain it. You’ll even murder! But you still won’t get what you want if you battle and argue about it. You should ask God for it. Even when you do pray, your prayers are not heard because you only plead for yourself.”
“A divided house cannot stand.” We sometimes encourage the RATS Resentment, Animosity, Treachery, and Selfishness to come and reside in our temples in our selfish pursuits, with no regard for how our actions may impact the other members of our temple. Death is unavoidable with RATS!!
We must begin the process of removing rodents from our sanctuaries and then decontaminate them to avoid an incursion of such a debilitating infestation of scourges as rodents Resentment, Animosity, Treachery, and Selfishness.
We must arm ourselves with the appropriate tools and have the discernment to use them effectively.
Allow your light to shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and praise your heavenly Father. 5:16 Matthew
Do not believe that you are restricted. Because of what you can’t do, consider instead of all you have—the skills God has given you. —D. De Haan
Spiritual talents are intended to be used rather than praised. But, before the sanctuaries are exterminated, the exterminators must go through a cleansing procedure, which we will refer to as LIFE: Introspection, forgiveness, and endurance are all qualities that I admire. Because we have problems, God must first change us before He can use us. If King David was present, you could question him, but if you need a more vivid illustration, read about Saul and his journey on the road to Damascus. Job’s pain and Jonah’s selfishness are both instances of how God changes His exterminators from ordinary to exceptional. In fact, once changed, God’s exterminators’ tool of choice is LOVE.
If we don’t already know, we should know that LOVE conquers all because God is LOVE. To continue cleaning the sanctuary, there must be some INTROSPECTION that causes you to go from who you are to who you need to be, and while you’re heading in the correct way, gather up some FORGIVENESS because it’s difficult to clean while you’re still carrying garbage in your soul. It never fails that just when you thought it was almost over, you realize you’ve only just started, and at this time you realize you’ll need some ENDURANCE; fear not, for LIFE — Love, Introspection, Forgiveness, and Endurance will see you through it.
The exterminators benefited from a modest demeanor. Rather than wanting to be recognized, they did everything in accordance with God’s will. “He must increase, but I must decrease,” states John 3:30. To keep the ideal alive, we must reinsert a new changed LIFE (Love Introspection Faith and Endurance) into the battle before allowing the RATS (Resentment, Animosity, Treachery, and Selfishness) into the sanctuary to destroy it.
As I assume my place,
I’m reminded of the unfortunate rodent who no one wanted to assist despite spending his entire existence among them. A mouse peered through the wall crevice to see the farmer and his wife opening a gift. What kind of cuisine could this be? The rodent was taken aback when he discovered it was a mousetrap. As the mouse returned to the farmyard, he issued a warning: There is a mousetrap in the home! In the home, there is a mousetrap! ‘Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a major worry for you, but it is of no concern to me,’ the chicken clucked and rubbed, raising her head and saying.
I’m not troubled by it.’ ‘There is a mousetrap in the home!’ said the mouse to the pig. ‘There’s a mousetrap in here!’ The pig expressed sympathy, but added, “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it except pray.” ‘Please know that you are in my thoughts and wishes.’ The frightened mouse rushed to the goat, screaming, ‘There’s a mouse trap in the house!’ I’m sorry, rodent, but there’s nothing I can do.
‘There is a mousetrap in the home!’ said the mouse to the bovine. ‘There’s a mousetrap in here!’ ‘Mooooo, Mr. Mouse,’ the bovine said. I’m sad for your loss, but it’s not my fault.’So the mouse retreated home, head down and defeated, to confront the farmer’s mousetrap on his own. That night, a sound was heard throughout the home, similar to a mousetrap catching its victim. The farmer’s wife hurried over to see what had been captured. In the dim light, she didn’t notice the venomous snake whose tail the snare had captured.
The farmer’s wife was bitten by the serpent. She was taken to the hospital by the farmer and returned home with a temperature. Everyone knows that fresh poultry broth can cure a fever, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard to gather the soup’s primary component. But his wife’s illness persisted, so neighbors and friends flocked to her side around the clock. The farmer killed the pig to serve them. The farmer’s wife did not recover and perished. Because so many people came to her burial, including people from the island, the farmer killed the cow and made curry goat to feed everyone.
The mouse, from his crack in the wall, gazed on all of this with sorrow. WHEN A DREAM AS IMPRESSIVE AS Dr. King’s for freedom, justice, and equity for all becomes a horror, what do we do to wake up?
When our existence becomes vulnerable due to the annihilation of our roots, the dismantling of families pitting Black man against Black woman, while our communities are turned into graveyards of terrors by RATS; Resentments, Animosity, Treason, and Selfishness- and we sit back and do nothing, we are no better than the disease-infected rats that come to destroy the spiritual man, which leads to the death of us as a people.
“If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in Letters from the Birmingham Jail. I beseech God to pardon me if I have said anything that minimizes the truth or shows that I have the fortitude to accept anything less than brotherhood.”
The sanctuary cannot be united if it is full with RATS, Resentments, Animosity, Treachery, and Selfishness.
RATS can and will destroy the ideal if we allow them to!!
Thank you very much, and God bless you!