As I watched the domestic workers in the movie get on and off their buses that were taking them 'across town' to the 'other side of the tracks,' I could not help but reflect on our weekly bus trips -- first on the old YMCA bus, then later, on our refurbished Greyhound bus.  But we didn't get on and off the bus as a segregated group.  Nor did our Black members ride on the 'back of the bus!'  We traveled together as an enthusiastic group of young people who were on a journey of falling in love with the Lord Jesus and with each other!  And most of those covenant interracial friendships exist to this very day and hour!

We musically invaded every venue that would open its doors to us from 'Maine to Miami!"  We traveled and ministered in all of the bastions of racial segregation from West Point, Mississippi…to Charleston…to Myrtle Beach…Lynchburg, Virginia.  We also penetrated the ghettos and inner cities of the North.  In most places we traveled and ministered, we were the very first integrated group to ever be in that town…church…school…prison…mall.  Frankly, it is a wonder that we did not get arrested or killed!   God was gracious beyond our comprehension -- even to this very day!

So as Patt and I watched 'The Help,' we did so with both pain and praise.  We still are pained by the lingering scars of those awful decades of prejudice and segregation.  In those earlier days, none of us fully realized just how radical and revolutionary we were!  We were definitely 'ahead of the times' we were living in.  As such, we often found ourselves out-of-step with parents, siblings, friends and church members -- Black and White.  But we were in-step with a great spiritual and cultural wave of the Holy Spirit!

So if you haven't seen 'The Help.' I hope you will do so.  And while the language is very raw at times, I would recommend that you take your teenage children to see it for their edification.  Sadly, their generation is almost totally ignorant of the horrible realities of that era in American history.  And as we often preached: "He who is not aware of his history is condemned to relive it."  Because millions of Americans today have still not honestly dealt with their racial prejudice, our nation still struggles with the legacy of latent racism -- always lurking just beneath the surface and ready to raise its ugly head of hate!  And it seems to especially do so during times of political activity leading toward congressional and presidential elections.

Finally, watching the movie only strengthened my desire and resolve to try and capture some of the history of our ministry.  It is not 'my story' -- but 'our story.'  Each of you wrote significant chapters through your months or years of involvement in the NDs.  So if you have not sent in your 'ND Memories,' please do so.  We have already received so many encouraging ones that have blessed our hearts.  And we want 'His Story' through 'your story' to be written down for others to read, be blessed by and learn from.

Thanksgiving Blessings to each of you for being on the 'cutting edge' of interracial reconciliation…JL & Patt