Direct Lines!

The City of Walls –A Parable Larry D. Kettle  Once upon a time there was a group of people who lived in a city.  They had been through many struggles and had endured much pain and the city became a city of walls. Each time a citizen was offended or misunderstood another brick was added to the wall.  As time passed the walls became thick and high. Over time the residents began to notice a different atmosphere in their community; they began to feel lonelier and more isolated.  Everyone seemed to be so busy with their own lives that they had little time or interest in the lives of others.  It had many caring places but didn’t seem to have a lot of places of caring                 In time the city became a fortress of granite with an intricate system of walls.  Within the walls there were limited access points and outsiders were not allowed entrance.  The city had learned from its history that outsiders and strangers were not to be trusted.  The city’s inhabitants were aware of what gro

  Black and White Larry D. Kettle, September 10, 2011 “Where were you when you got the news that John F. Kennedy was assassinated?”   That was a question that caused deep reflection for the great generation of boomers that were involved in a decade of dreams for a moonwalk and a decade of disillusionment with walking on earth! That question was right up there with “Do you believe that Nixon is a crook?”   The world was black and white at the time; televisions were in black and white, men wore suits that were black and white and people kept track of each other according to whether or not people were black or white.   There were stark contrasts that made the world predictable even in the midst of its confusion and chaos.   The Soviet Union, China, Cuba were lined up against the United States and Europe.   The cold war gave us clearly defined boundaries for identifying friend and foe.   The culture war gave us poignant pictures of generational differences that made an indelible impr

“The Wounded Identity” Larry D. Kettle I have spent a lifetime grappling with a “wounded identity”.   I know what it means to be victimized and I know what it means to “be the victim”.   I was wounded by a sense of abandonment from my mother.   I was seven when my father passed away and it left me with a sense of loneliness and insecurity.   I was wounded by ridicule and humiliation from students on the school grounds. The physical abuse that I endured when I was eight and nine years old further solidified my wounded psyche. At ten and eleven I was tasked with raising my younger sister while my mother escaped to her job.   (I know that is not what she meant to do it is how I felt about it.) In my early teens I was sexually abused by someone close to me and ended up lonely, confused, angry and isolated. Furthermore, I was emotionally trapped by guilt.   Anger was a sin, forgiveness was an absolute, and I could not be forgiven and be angry according to “my perception”. Hypocrisy

Pay Day Pastor Larry D. Kettle Have you ever wondered why people drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?   There have been many “Geniuses” who have produced brainchildren and bright ideas. (Most of them now work for the government) Labor day is a bright idea.   Honoring the American Worker is worthwhile.   We owe a lot to our hard working laborers both union and non-union.   Labor Day is actually the brainchild of Labor Unions.   The practice of setting aside a day to honor workers began in 1882 in New York City. In 1894 Congress made Labor Day a Federal Holiday. I do find it ironic that Labor Unions now oppose states having right to work laws.   It goes to show that man can take a bright idea and put a dimmer switch on it! The title of this Holiday always intrigued me as a child.   “I asked my mother once why they called it “Labor Day” if everybody just took off from work?”   She offered me the chance to work if I wanted to; I wisely declined.   Really, the day should be call