January 20, 1965
Jocie Brooke here reporting from downtown Hollyhill, Kentucky. Exciting news today. Dad got contacted by somebody to do an interview. It’s usually Dad interviewing other folks for a piece in the Banner, but this time the tables were turned and somebody interviewed him all about what went on last fall here in Hollyhill. You remember, don’t you? Well maybe if you don’t, you should read those Heart of Hollyhill books. You can find out a lot about Hollyhill and all of us in those books.
Dad was interviewed about the book Orchard of Hope. It’s a good thing that writer person wrote all that down, else we might have forgotten it. Not yet, but someday. Like in fifty years or so. Dad says he thinks someday people won’t pay attention to the color of a person’s skin. He thinks that anybody will be able to go anywhere and do whatever they want as long as it’s legal. If that person wants to eat at the lunch counter instead of in the back booth, that will be fine and there won’t have to be sit-ins and Freedom Trains and so much trouble.
I guess because Dad can see how things should be instead of how they are is why Miss Lamb decided to ask him about what he believes. One thing for sure, Dad doesn’t mind talking about that. He says that every Christian should be that way and ready to share what the Lord has done for them. He studies the Bible to try to get answers out of God’s Word. He talks about some of those answers over with Ms. Lamb.
Here’s one of the questions Dad answered.
(Her Question) Orchard of Hope is about hope in the midst of a turbulent
era in the South. I’d love to hear what you think about what was going
on around you at that time. Do you believe that the tensions that caused
such strife could have been handled in a different manner?
(Dad’s answer) Things have been wrong in the South for a long time before now, 1964.
A man should never be judged by the color of his skin or his religion.
The Lord loves us all and in our great country, we claim to believe all
men are created equal. If we truly believe that, we should live that
truth. So things did need to change, but change can be difficult and as
you say, turbulent. Sometimes it’s easier to not stir up trouble, to
just let things drift along the way they always have been. But the Lord
can poke our consciences to open our eyes and see that changes need to
be made however hard that is to do. He empowers a man
like Martin Luther King Jr. with a gift of words to find a peaceful way
to make people see that all men have the right to equal opportunities.
I’m a peaceful man, as is Martin Luther King Jr., but there are times
when a man has to stand up for what is right no matter the consequences. Sadly, I think the strife was bound to happen because there are so
many people who cling to the old prejudices. That’s sad but too true. Being human is a messy condition. We are not
puppets on a string. The Lord gives us freedom of choice even when those
choices lead to sorrowful and sinful decisions and outcomes.
Now doesn’t that sound just like Dad? Wise and thoughtful, I guess that’s why the Lord called him to preach. So he could share some of that. You can read more of what Dad thinks at Fay Lamb’s Inner Source.
Don’t ask me exactly what that is. I think I must have stepped forward into the future. Funny, huh. I mean funny odd. Not funny ha ha. Anyway if you leave a comment on Dad’s interview and on that author’s interview on Wednesday and her guest post on Friday, you’ll have a chance to win a copy
of Orchard of Hope. If you already have the book, I hope you enjoy the story. But if you win a new copy, you can always give it to someone as a gift or maybe donate it to your church library.
Pretty soon that last book will be back out. You know, the one where Dad is getting all mushy over Leigh in Summer of Joy. I caught them kissing out of the porch last week. Leigh turned red as a tomato, but Dad just laughed. He laughs a lot since he started seeing Leigh. I wish I had a picture of him to show you. Maybe I’ll hunt one up.
Anyway, right now there’s not much summer. Winter grabs hold and hangs on with more cold and snow coming. If we keep missing school, we won’t get more than a week’s worth of summer vacation. But that doesn’t matter. I’m not going to be gloomy. I don’t care if it is January. Good things can happen in January, can’t they?