A Rockwell Moment
Posted on February 7, 2008
Filed Under Personal, Worldview |
I found myself in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting Tuesday night. He had the artistic gift of taking the common and making it something profound. Unfortunately, I am afraid that we often miss the profound in the commonality of life.
However, that didn’t happen Tuesday night. We all got it.
About a hundred of our neighbors gathered together to participate in the lowest level of grass-roots politics this country has to offer. It is called a “caucus”. I’ve had the privilege to participate in these election-year meetings for nearly 20 years. Most of it is fairly routine, but people get a chance to speak for their candidates, submit resolutions that can become planks in the party’s platform, and possibly get elected to participate in the higher conventions where those party platforms are fashioned and candidates are selected for placement on the ballot.
We meet in our local high school and normally have about 20 or 30 people show up. So, you can imagine our surprise at the large turnout this year…it sent us scrambling to confiscate chairs from every unlocked classroom we could find.
After we stacked the tables in the corner to get enough room to squeeze all the chairs in, we finally got the meeting started. I was privileged to open us in prayer and then we stood together to pledge our allegiance to this great republic. We then opened the floor for people to give their reasons for why they believed one or another presidential candidate should be supported and then we took a straw poll vote which was immediately phoned in to be tallied with the other caucus votes, and, I suppose, displayed on people’s television sets around the country.
We finally made our way to electing those delegates who would represent us at the various higher conventions. Each nominee stood to answer questions about their position on issues and why they should receive our vote. We don’t have a sophisticated voting system at these grass-roots meetings. We just write down the name of one our neighbors that we think would best represent us and put the little piece of paper in a hat or shoe box that we pass around. Then three “tellers”, which we had earlier elected, retire to another classroom to tally the votes.
It was during one of those lulls as we waited for the ballots to be counted that something remarkable happened. There was no motion on the floor, there was no issue that required discussion. But someone then stood, and after a pause, began to speak.
Norman Rockwell is one of my favorite artists. And one of my favorite paintings is his “Freedom of Speech”. I have often looked at that work and imagined what it would have been like to have been in that grass-roots meeting and to have heard this farmer as he stood to exercise his freedom of speech. I always imagined that it would have been a grand one. Not in the way we think of “grandness” today. Not polished or deeply eloquent, but simple and yet profound. It would have been the halting kind of speech that I remember characterized the farmers among whom I grew up…men I deeply respected for their humble and yet straight-up common sense.
I had the privilege Tuesday night of living inside that painting.
It wasn’t a farmer, though. It wasn’t the calloused hands of a tall rancher that grabbed the back of the pew as this American stood to speak. She was barely five-feet tall. But she stood. And we all turned to look. She introduced herself as a Vietnamese Refugee who had taken a long road to come to this country and to eventually become one of her citizens. This was her first caucus and she told us that she was happy that we began by asking our God to bless us in this meeting. She thanked us for allowing her the privilege to become an American. But she was now standing in order to tell us something. And with her heavy Vietnamese accent, she proceeded to give us a lesson in America 101. She wondered aloud if we really understood the greatness of this country. She wondered if we had bought the constant media picture that defied the reality that millions of people around the world long to come here. She wondered if we understood how much America remained a beacon of hope for the world. She wondered if we really understood what a blessing it was that we could openly express our opinions and yet not fear reprisal from the government or from one another. She then warned us of several dangers to our country and our freedoms and then she sat down. There was a pause as we all began to realize that there was something profound about what we had just heard. There was a sense of guilt, I think, as it struck us that what she had said was true and that it was so easy for us to take it all for granted. She showed us America through the eyes of someone who had paid a great price to become one of us. She expressed a love for this country that we all feel, but seldom state openly…maybe because we think that it is becoming too politically incorrect to do so. I was, quite frankly, both proud and ashamed at the same time.
And then, the silence turned to applause. It was the only speech that night that received an ovation.
It was a Rockwell moment.
I hope I never forget it.
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29 Responses to “A Rockwell Moment”
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Dr. Del Tackett is president of the Focus on the Family Institute and Senior Vice President to Focus on the Family. He is also the architect and chief spokesperson for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project--a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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Del,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I too experienced a similar feeling during a recent citizen gathering concerning a zoning issue in my township.
Your point about our lack of appreciation is very true. We tend to get comfortable and forget that few in the world today are as blessed as we are blessed by living in this country. Not to get political here, but if we think about it, what is it really that motivates the immigrant (legal or illegal) to give up their homeland to come here? Our blessings and the ability to pursue our dreams are their motivation to come here! We must faithfully remember from whom these blessings emanate! Let us direct our thankfulness to the true Source of our freedoms and blessings!
May God continue to bless America!
Dan…
Thank you! Especially during election time - it becomes very hard to remember the reasons behind the actions.
When I was involved in leading the Truth Project at our church, the section on the US history and government was profound to me and I came away wishing for one thing - I wish our founding fathers had written a Bill of Responsibilities to accompany the Bill of Rights. This woman reminded us that the Freedom of Speech comes not only with the freedom to use that speech for criticism (which is the easiest use) but also the responsibility to use that speech for encouragement/hope and sometimes refraining to speak because there is a responsibility to protect (i.e. “Loose lips sink ships”). I think our founding fathers assumed everyone would automatically infer those responsibilities. How I wish that were true.
On a personal note - my grandfather always had things displayed in his home in two categories 1) Norman Rockwell (be it paintings or plates) and 2) copies of items of significance to our U.S. History (copy of the Declaration of Independence, painting of the signing, words to the Star Spangled Banner). They are a central part of who I am.
I have a similiar feeling when I hear the reports of missionaries who serve in places where freedom is not present.We are very fortunate and blessed in this nation!
Del, I also remember a time 27 yrs ago in high school, when a girl in our history class felt compelled to stand and point out to us who we were as a country.
She was from Israel as best as I can remember. She pointed out several things that made us different from the rest of the world.
We did not have tanks roaming the streets, the army was not on every street corner, the women did not have an automatic obligation to the army, or the men either for that matter.
We could express our opinions and disagreements with the goverment without fear of a death sentence.
I believe that she was a exchange student, she expressed a longing for her country to be like ours. She encouraged us to not lose sight of what we had, and as a history class, to learn just what we were really about.
I have tried to remember to do that ever since that day,even though at the time I could not really appreciate what she said, but I do today and especially since becoming a Christian. Thank you Del for your ministry, it is a blessing! Bonnie
Del,
I am 23 years old and have had a Christian family all of my life here in Morgantown, WV. My Dad has been a preacher before I could walk and still to this day one of the best speakers I’ve heard.
Even though I grew up around many Christian examples I never did believe in God. I could find every way possible to explain away his presence in my life. He was nothing more to me than hinge that kept my family together. So, I played the game. Everyone knew me as the preacher’s kid that could do no wrong, and how I used that to my advantage to get away with despicable actions.
It wasn’t until the age of 21 or there later where I could no longer ignore God. He was more evident than ever. It got to the point where I could no longer hide behind drugs or alcohol. He was a constant ring in my ears that became too annoying for the sins of my life to bare. So, I gave him a chance and began to seek him quietly without anyone knowing. It wasn’t long until he opened so many other doors for me to grow closer to him. I began to fellowship with other Christians, which I now truly believe is more intense and endorphin-releasing than any drug I have encountered.
A few months ago I received a post card in the mail from a couple in my church. It was an invitation to the Truth Project bible study. At this time in my life I was in a tug-of-war with my personal life involving unsaved friends and God. So, I got my mom to attend the first meeting with me. We are now approaching the last chapter in the Truth Project this Tuesday 2/12/08.
I sat here forever trying to find words to explain what the Truth Project has done for me and I can’t. I thought of thanking you, but then I realized that you were not the one to thank. However, I do want to thank God for giving you the ability to accept His calling for you and the talent to convey a Project that has saved my life. Through this bible study I met two men that were involved in a prison ministry called Kairos. I am now a part of this team and I just got home from a weekend at Huttonsville Correctional Center, WV. 40 prisoners attended this weekend and all 40 left accepting Jesus as their Lord and savior. They all might not stay on the straight and narrow but now I know they have felt the presence of God. I pray that His presence will be overwhelming for them, just like it was for me.
Your Brother in Christ,
Justin
Dr. Tackett, I agree 100% that we take our freedoms in this great country way too much for granted and appreciated your reminder. On a much lighter note, I just have to tell you what I saw on a home improvement program this weekend. I thought of you immediately. Someone with way too much time on their hands has invented a remote-controlled device to clean out gutters! I thought of you immediately when I saw it–while it worked wonders on the dry, loose leaves the host sprinkled in the “test gutter”, I have my doubts about leaves and stuff that normally accumulate in gutters and gets pretty sticky with all the water, etc. I’m sticking with my gutter guards, but just thought you might appreciate the fact that we’re not the only ones who don’t like to clean the gutters by hand.
Amen!!!!
God Bless America
Land of the free
Because of the Brave!!
Del,
My brother died in Viet Nam a week before his 21st birthday. I have often wondered at his sacrifice, and those of his fallen comrades, as to what purpose they served. Hearing about this woman who has become an American was some how, comforting. My brother joined the army because, He loved his country. I hope in a small way
His death helped this lady and others like her to come to a land of freedom for all.
Thank You, Samuel
Del and team,
I have just finished leading The Truth Project for the second time. Last night we discussed the impact that The Truth Project has made in people’s lives. I was humbled and thrilled to see the responses. Seeing the impact on people’s jobs as they were refreshed in their awareness that work is a wonderful gift and opportunity to create. Hearing the resounding amen at the awesomeness of creation and the evidence of God’s hand so mightily at play in the most microscopic areas of our lives was awesome. Hearing how people are renewed in their willingness to be aware and involved in the political process as a result of the teaching on government also moved me deeply. It has been a privelege to lead the discussions. We have dug into the word in amazing ways as a spring board from what we have learned.
Thank you from all of us involved - we appreciate the message, the messenger and God the author of the truth received. Thanks to the team at The Truth Project.
Blessings
Denise
Thanks for a poignant and needed story! My dad, grandfather and great-grandfather were three men that fit the mold of the man you envisioned described in the Rockwell painting. With all my education and opportunities, I learned more from them and especially from my Dad’s quiet, patient and wise example than all the others put together.
Thanks and God bless in Christ!
I love this entry. I love Rockwell paintings. Simple and majestic. I am having trouble with these electral nominations. To try and pick the best… What I feel in my heart. The disapopointment if it doesnt go that way. I try and keep up on their views and read through the media. You cant use their religon as a byass. Their views on war, on abortion? It is complicated. It is great to see someone out there, outside my circle of familiarity see’s simplicity. It is simple that we should feel honored to be American’s. Many have it worse than ourselves.
Dr. Tackett,
Thank you for sharing this moment in our history. I will take this with me as I prepare myself to travel to Namibia. I will be leaving in mid-April. I hope that I can keep that new American’s understanding of this country in my heart as I go to represent our country to the people of Arandis, Namibia. God is working His wonders in me lately, and removing all the superfluous and refining my attitude. Keeping the image of your caucus fresh in my mind, I will try to be the best representative of our culture that I can be. Thank you again.
Del
Thanks for this great story. We take far to many things for granted in life, especially when we become too familiar with them. What I am getting at is our freedom in Christ. And what He paid for it.The Truth Project pointed that out loud and clear. Becoming to familiar blinds us to the living God. And as you said gazing upon His face.
God bless you.
Dear Dr. Tackett. Thank you for a profound blog. I was especially touched by the comment left by Keehly Kohl about a bill of responsibilities. In Canada we have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms that has eroded our Rights and Freedoms in favour of special interest groups antithical to Christianity. I pray that we would have a Charter of Responsibilites too. Thank you for your truth project. I have learned so much.
Thank you for this story. How often I have seen that those new to this country are so often the ones that stand up for what is right the strongest. Praise God that they do.
Dr. Tackett, My wife and I also attended our first caucus in wash. state.It was a bit confusing,and I couldn’t help but wonder how this could make a difference.After being there a while we began to kind of figure out what to do,although we couldn’t hear who was speaking most of the time.We began to talk amongst us and got acquainted with several folks around us.We do have a wonderful country,and many wonderful people all around us.We just need to get back to talking to each other(get to know our neighbors).We can make a difference with love and mutual respect of each other.I didn’t think of it as a Rockwell experience then…I do now
Thank you, Del, for sharing this American moment with us.
I wonder, though, at the city officials in Berkeley, CA, who are now openly opposing Marine recruiters in their city, calling them “unwanted intruders,” as they encourage “both passive and active resistance” against their efforts.
I am baffled by representatives in Washington, D.C., who have no apparent understanding of the cost of the freedom we now enjoy, and seek to undercut the funding of our brave soldiers in Iraq, Afghanastan, and around the world.
And I am mystified by those who kill children as a matter of convenience, claiming that it is a choice they are entitled to make.
This is not the American way. These are not the principles this country was founded on, and these are not rights that our Founding Fathers envisioned as the Constitution was drafted.
To be an American doesn’t require one to be born here, but it DOES necessitate a core belief in the fundamental principles of the sanctity of life, respect for all mankind, and the preeminence of God in all things. Only a radical rewriting of history could lead anyone to believe that our nation was not founded on Christian beliefs and principles, and only an intentional misstatement of agendas could convince an attentive listener to believe that one who opposes these principles holds God as the preeminent force in their life.
As we prepare to cast our ballots — which is both an honor and a responsibility as Americans — we must be diligent to seek the truth about the candidates who seek our votes. Look beyond their claims to their records. Look past the packaging to what’s in the package. The next president will be nominating as many as 3-4 Supreme Court justices. He (or she) will be passing (or vetoing) funding for our troops, fighting for (or against) the rights of millions of unborn Americans, and setting the agenda for our nation for years to come.
No, America is not a “Christian Nation,” but we, as Christians, are responsible for doing everything we can to make it the best nation we can. That includes not only voting, but working toward the election of the candidate we believe will truly honor God in service to our country.
So pray for our country. Pray for our leaders. And be proactive; this is a critical time in America’s history. We can make a difference, but only if we stop complaining and DO something. Stand up for your community, your country, and your God!
Brother Del: Thank you for this glimpse back to my youth when everyone I knew was proud to be American, and our spines tingled at the sight of Old Glory as we sang God Bless America and our National anthem.
I am very grateful for Focus on the Family, Truth Project and America. I am grateful for Christ in my life. Thank you for all you do, I am grateful for all the response that come, many believers speaking up, praying for us. God is good, God is great. I am touched. Thank you for the blessings and amen.
Joan
Del,Thank you for that touching story.I had a customer in my office just yesterday that was parroting that conspiracy theory that our country had plotted to blow up the World Trade Center bldgs,it infuriates me.Having served my country during Vietnam and seeing first hand how other people in the world survive,we have been fed lies that our country is an evil oppressive government,they have no idea!I wish more people could get out into the world and really see what life is like for others, maybe then they would appreciate what we have here like that lady does.Freedom is not free, neither is it an entitlement.
Del, Thank you for sharing what happened at your caucus. I have voted in every presidential election since 1978, and I’m a firm believer that it’s not just our right, but our responsibility to vote. My husband and I have grown children now, but we still insist that they, too, must vote. It’s too important to not let our voices be heard. I’ve always thought it shameful to those of us born in the U.S. that many immigrants recognize better than we do the awesome priviledge we have. God Bless the USA.
I too was encouraged to see the unimaginable response at our caucus. The problem is that simple involvement isn’t enough. It must be involvement for the better. I think Benjamin Rush (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) said it well,
“We profess to be republicans, and yet we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government, that is, the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by the means of the Bible. For this Divine Book, above all others, favors that equality among mankind, that respect for just laws, and those sober and frugal virtues, which constitute the soul of republicanism.”
I think this quote sums up what the Truth Project does. By sharing what we have learned in the Truth Project we can influence our country more than we know. When people’s values line up with God’s values we get more godly leaders. We each only have one vote, but we can multiply that vote by sharing God’s values.
I don’t mean to seem ungrateful, because I’m not.
Let me explain. I was born and raised in this country. My dad served for 32 years in the Air Force and was a veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. I graduated from the Air Force Academy and served on an air crew for six years. I lived overseas for three years as a youth. I understand some of the price paid to gain and maintain the freedom we all enjoy. My extensive travels overseas (including Nicaragua, Tajikistan and India) also give me a small appreciation of other peoples’ circumstances.
But my appreciation for what I have in America is dimmed by a much greater appreciation. To speak the truth, I am first a citizen of heaven. The claims on me of the duties of a citizen of the USA are second to God’s claims on me as a citizen of heaven. The heavenly citizenship came at a much higher price. The benefits of that heavenly citizenship are far greater than this earthly one. They are equally underappreciated and taken for granted. And the lost long even more for the benefits that they do not enjoy - peace that passes understanding, true joy, a security that no earthly military can equal, and an inheritance that is out of this world.
May we all use our gratitude for what God has blessed us with here in America to remind us of that much greater blessing. Let us never replace that first debt of allegiance to Him with any earthly allegiance. Let us all hold most dear our membership in God’s kingdom and, while being grateful for our freedoms here and the sacrifices made to purchase them, render to God and God alone our highest loyalty.
This earth and all it contains will pass away, but God’s kingdom is forever. And that’s the truth! Praise the Lord!
Bob & Dory,
Hope you are both doing well.
Miss you,
Dale D.
Del,
Thank You so much for this touching story, and Thanks to all who have posted comments pertaining to it. Reading through this chain of comments speaks UNITY about us, take away UNITY and COMMUNITY and OPPORTUNITY become meaningless.
God Bless You All, HOPE has been divinely emmitted here!
Sincerely,
Tom S
Del, as I watched the preview trailers on your website I have to say I was encouraged and yet only moderately hopeful. There are two major verses that come to my mind in this worldview fight- Romans 12:2 and Hebrews 5:11-14. I agree that people’s worldviews need to be changed- however- I want to submit that we as Christians have been fighting that battle in the wrong way for years. We try to develop better sermons, develop better teachers, develop better seminaries. The key- in my experience and as I read about people like the Queen of Sheba- is not being told about what the right worldview is supposed to be- its about engrossing ourselves with God’s Word- “Solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Milk, by definition, is any second hand information/truth. From a Christian book, a sermon, a video– meat is where we dig into God’s Word for ourselves. In this struggle, this slow and exhuasting struggle- there is where Worldview will be discovered and shaped by Christ- this will be lasting- this will be “passonable” to the next generation- this will create lifechange. I weep and pray that God will somehow change our paradigm from giving better teaching- to forcing/exhorting/encouraging Christians everywhere to read the Bible for themselves- to “constantly” use it- to train themselves with it. ONLY then when “truth” has been discovered personally rather than taught from a pulpit will true change be experienced and passed on to the next generation- respectfully- Joseph
Thanks, Dr. Tackett,for sharing this story. It is a story of truly seeing what God has blessed us with in this country. We could be such a dynamo for spreading the gospel, but too often we are seduced by the voices of selfishness. In many ways, we have become a spoiled nation. This lady reminded us of how grateful we should be, and how THAT gratitude should stir us to courage and righteousness!
Del -
How are you? I keep waiting for another post and understand that you are busy, but honestly my concern is more for you and the healing process after your Father went to be with the Lord. I guess I am asking, how is your heart.
You and you family are daily in my prayers.
For Him!
Mike Waters
So blessed, how then will we bless others? At what cost come these “blessings?” Can the whole world be so blessed at the same time? Let us not tell our brothers and sisters “be warm and well fed,” yet do nothing to aid them.
I do not believe in fortune. And I don’t believe all good things are merely blessings. I believe that if you have worldly possessions and see your brother in need, but do not stop to help him, the love of God is not in you.