“Unbroken” is the Answer to Ferguson, MO, New York City and beyond!
Applying a life lesson from the movie, “Unbroken” to our broken world!
Please give me a chance to explain what I mean before the flame throwing begins! Since the rioting and protesting started taking place across our country, I’ve had good friends ask me to comment on the issues of “race” and “racism”. I’ve held off on doing so. I’ve held off because I wasn’t certain on how to address the issue, not because I’m afraid of it. My beliefs on “races” is very clear and has been for quite a while. I’ve done two DVD’s on the topic and even dealt with it pretty straight forwardly in my last book.
For those of you who are interested and may not have heard where I’m coming from, it’s very simple. There’s only one “race” of people, the human race! When God created man, He created one man and one woman from whom we ALL have descended. Regardless of what we may look like on the outside, every human that has ever lived, and ever will live, ultimately goes back to Adam and Eve. This means, no matter how much we may like it or not, we are all related to each other.
As you study the Bible you’ll find that it never uses the word “race” when talking about humans. It does talk about “tribes” and “nations”, but I say again, the Bible never uses the word “race” when talking about people. Yes, there are different cultures, there’s no way around that. But, the bottom line is that we are all human.
You may be thinking to yourself, “What’s a war movie about American POW’s in WW2 got to do with what’s going on in America today?” In my humble opinion, everything!
When you watch the movie you may focus on the obvious, and that is the depiction of Japanese soldiers abusing American, British and Australian soldiers in war camps. I would suggest that there is much more going on though. In my mind this movie clearly depicts what man apart from God is like. Let me explain.
At the very beginning of the movie we see Louis Zamperini as a troubled young man. He’s running from the law, drinking, smoking, fighting etc. He’s very clearly headed nowhere fast. He’s hated by many of the other youth because he’s Italian and his parents don’t speak English! So, we don’t just see Asians hating Caucasians. We see Caucasians hating Caucasians. In addition, if you study Capt. Zamperini’s POW circumstance deeper you will see that the Japanese antagonist, Sgt. Watanabe, was hated by many of his own men as well!
May I suggest to you that the real problem isn’t just between two people groups, it’s actually something that’s in every person on this planet? And that problem is called sin! Sin is ultimately the reason we see what happened to Captain Zamperini as well as what we see going on today.
There’s been a lot of discussion on “racism” in America. I’d say you have to define your terms if you’re really going to talk about it. As I was watching the news the other night I listened to Social Commentator Jasmyne Cannick define racism.
“It is for me not so much the shackles that we’re used to seeing, but more or less the injustices around our criminal justice system today, our educational system today. Racism within the way, you know, the way that we look at who gets hired in this country and who doesn’t get hired. It’s what keeps the wealth gap so big, it’s what so many African American’s and minorities the part of the 99%. That is “racism”!”
By that definition I’ve suffered from “racism”. Many don’t realize that when I left to start Reasons for Hope I actually tried to get back into Air Traffic Control. I only need 4 years until I could retire from the FAA and then not have to worry about finances. I knew that the Lord was moving me from where I was at the time, but I just wasn’t sure where He was leading. So, I put into the FAA to get rehired. To me it was a no-brainer. I have over 20 years of experience, 8.5 years of it at the world’s busiest airport at that time. There’s no doubt that I can do the job and they wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time training me. I thought for sure it was a done deal.
Later I was told by someone within the FAA that the reason I wasn’t rehired is because about the only way of getting hired today is if you “fill a quota!” Well, I don’t fill a quota! So, what do I do? File a lawsuit, hate the government because they’re doing me wrong? I don’t have enough time for that. It destroys your life to live with anger and hatred over past wrongs. I can see the Lord had a much better plan than I did.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary racism is:
the belief that some races of people are better than others
So, yes, “racism” is alive and well in the United States of America! Just as it’s alive in EVERY country and EVERY people group on this planet. Sin keeps blinders on men and keeps hatred and racism alive and well. No one can tell me that it’s rational to hate someone just because they have different hair texture, eye shape, speak a different language or have a different “skin color”. It’s just ridiculous. Many times we use those differences to justify our actions though.
If we want to effectively deal with this issue it will not come through the government creating new laws. We will have to move beyond the “exterior” and deal with the “interior”! Until we get resolved where we come from, and why we are here we’ll never deal correctly with why we should live our lives differently than the way many of us were raised. I can’t put it any more succinctly than what I heard NFL player Benjamin Watson say in an interview on CNN, “We don’t have a “skin” problem, we have a “sin” problem!” Amen! That “sin” problem was the primary message that came through to me in “Unbroken”!
Every one of us are sinners! Let me quickly add that I’m not chucking stones at you when I say this. I’m standing at the front of the line when it comes to being a sinner. Those who remember me from high school and the first 6 years of my career in the United States Air Force will be the first to tell you how big of an idiot I was. There’s no hiding that fact and I never try to do so. People talk about skeleton’s in the closet, mine sit on the couch next to me!! They aren’t hidden.
I also am not trying to glorify what my life was like before the Lord. It’s always a fine line to me when sharing the “before Christ” aspect of my life. I always encourage folks to share their story because there is no greater testimony than a changed life. I personally try and make sure that the focus is staying on Christ and His redemptive power and not me personally or my foolish past.
Louis Zamperini had every reason in the world to be angry at the Japanese. He had every possible excuse to want to exact revenge on those who had done him wrong. As long as he harbored that hatred in his heart he was unable to recover from the war experience. All he could do was drink his problems away. His life was falling apart as was his marriage, until in 1949 he went to a Billy Graham crusade and gave his life to Christ. Instantly, he says the burdens he was carrying were lifted from his shoulders. It was through his new found faith in Christ that he was able to clear his heart of all of the hatred and revenge. He was able to forgive his captors, the guards who tortured him, and even the “Bird”, who made his life so miserable throughout his captivity.
Christian, do you understand that we have the cure to the problem that has plagued our world for years. It is only found in Jesus Christ. By God’s grace and through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit we can make a difference in this issue. It starts in our homes by us training and teaching our children the truth about who we are and what we deserve. Children have to be taught to see the differences.
I’ll never forget the first mission trip where I took young men to Jamaica to serve in a camp. The children there were amazing. They wanted to braid our hair, sit in our laps and just be loved on. One day I was sitting and talking with a group of youth. One of the young men that had come with me from the United States was walking up a path holding the hand of a young Jamaican girl. Two other young ladies were sitting by me watching as they walked along the path. The one young girl said to the other, “Look at that.” pointing to the young man and little girl. “Do you think that boy is that girl’s brother?” The other little girl looked at her and said, “No man, can’t you see, he’s white, she’s black!”
The young man that was walking with the young lady was very light toned. He had red hair and freckles galore. The Jamaican girl was definitely much darker. But that wasn’t what that first young lady saw. What she saw was an act of kindness. A young man holding a young ladies hand and walking with her to get a snack. Oh Lord, let us see the world through the eyes of a child that hasn’t been tainted by the world’s “wisdom”. Change our hearts that we may truly reflect the love that you showed to us.
I am embarrassed to tell you that I’d never heard of Captain Louis Zamperini prior to the advertisements of “Unbroken”. This movie has caused me to get into the books and study. Most importantly it’s caused me to want to study THE Book even more to be able and live a life that is as impacting as this man’s was. I love the words at the end of the movie:
“Motivated by his faith, Louis came to see that the way forward was not revenge, but forgiveness.”
As long as people harbor hatred and revenge in their hearts, there will never be peace. The racial divide in our country will be greatly diminished when a generation of Americans arise that have the love of Christ in their hearts and are willing to forgive—even those who have done them harm. This is humanly impossible—and goes against every fiber of our flesh—but through Christ it becomes a reality. Louis Zamperini is a wonderful example.
Amen! Stay Bold!
Please give me a chance to explain what I mean before the flame throwing begins! Since the rioting and protesting started taking place across our country, I’ve had good friends ask me to comment on the issues of “race” and “racism”. I’ve held off on doing so. I’ve held off because I wasn’t certain on how to address the issue, not because I’m afraid of it. My beliefs on “races” is very clear and has been for quite a while. I’ve done two DVD’s on the topic and even dealt with it pretty straight forwardly in my last book.
For those of you who are interested and may not have heard where I’m coming from, it’s very simple. There’s only one “race” of people, the human race! When God created man, He created one man and one woman from whom we ALL have descended. Regardless of what we may look like on the outside, every human that has ever lived, and ever will live, ultimately goes back to Adam and Eve. This means, no matter how much we may like it or not, we are all related to each other.
As you study the Bible you’ll find that it never uses the word “race” when talking about humans. It does talk about “tribes” and “nations”, but I say again, the Bible never uses the word “race” when talking about people. Yes, there are different cultures, there’s no way around that. But, the bottom line is that we are all human.
You may be thinking to yourself, “What’s a war movie about American POW’s in WW2 got to do with what’s going on in America today?” In my humble opinion, everything!
When you watch the movie you may focus on the obvious, and that is the depiction of Japanese soldiers abusing American, British and Australian soldiers in war camps. I would suggest that there is much more going on though. In my mind this movie clearly depicts what man apart from God is like. Let me explain.
At the very beginning of the movie we see Louis Zamperini as a troubled young man. He’s running from the law, drinking, smoking, fighting etc. He’s very clearly headed nowhere fast. He’s hated by many of the other youth because he’s Italian and his parents don’t speak English! So, we don’t just see Asians hating Caucasians. We see Caucasians hating Caucasians. In addition, if you study Capt. Zamperini’s POW circumstance deeper you will see that the Japanese antagonist, Sgt. Watanabe, was hated by many of his own men as well!
May I suggest to you that the real problem isn’t just between two people groups, it’s actually something that’s in every person on this planet? And that problem is called sin! Sin is ultimately the reason we see what happened to Captain Zamperini as well as what we see going on today.
There’s been a lot of discussion on “racism” in America. I’d say you have to define your terms if you’re really going to talk about it. As I was watching the news the other night I listened to Social Commentator Jasmyne Cannick define racism.
“It is for me not so much the shackles that we’re used to seeing, but more or less the injustices around our criminal justice system today, our educational system today. Racism within the way, you know, the way that we look at who gets hired in this country and who doesn’t get hired. It’s what keeps the wealth gap so big, it’s what so many African American’s and minorities the part of the 99%. That is “racism”!”
By that definition I’ve suffered from “racism”. Many don’t realize that when I left to start Reasons for Hope I actually tried to get back into Air Traffic Control. I only need 4 years until I could retire from the FAA and then not have to worry about finances. I knew that the Lord was moving me from where I was at the time, but I just wasn’t sure where He was leading. So, I put into the FAA to get rehired. To me it was a no-brainer. I have over 20 years of experience, 8.5 years of it at the world’s busiest airport at that time. There’s no doubt that I can do the job and they wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time training me. I thought for sure it was a done deal.
Later I was told by someone within the FAA that the reason I wasn’t rehired is because about the only way of getting hired today is if you “fill a quota!” Well, I don’t fill a quota! So, what do I do? File a lawsuit, hate the government because they’re doing me wrong? I don’t have enough time for that. It destroys your life to live with anger and hatred over past wrongs. I can see the Lord had a much better plan than I did.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary racism is:
the belief that some races of people are better than others
So, yes, “racism” is alive and well in the United States of America! Just as it’s alive in EVERY country and EVERY people group on this planet. Sin keeps blinders on men and keeps hatred and racism alive and well. No one can tell me that it’s rational to hate someone just because they have different hair texture, eye shape, speak a different language or have a different “skin color”. It’s just ridiculous. Many times we use those differences to justify our actions though.
If we want to effectively deal with this issue it will not come through the government creating new laws. We will have to move beyond the “exterior” and deal with the “interior”! Until we get resolved where we come from, and why we are here we’ll never deal correctly with why we should live our lives differently than the way many of us were raised. I can’t put it any more succinctly than what I heard NFL player Benjamin Watson say in an interview on CNN, “We don’t have a “skin” problem, we have a “sin” problem!” Amen! That “sin” problem was the primary message that came through to me in “Unbroken”!
Every one of us are sinners! Let me quickly add that I’m not chucking stones at you when I say this. I’m standing at the front of the line when it comes to being a sinner. Those who remember me from high school and the first 6 years of my career in the United States Air Force will be the first to tell you how big of an idiot I was. There’s no hiding that fact and I never try to do so. People talk about skeleton’s in the closet, mine sit on the couch next to me!! They aren’t hidden.
I also am not trying to glorify what my life was like before the Lord. It’s always a fine line to me when sharing the “before Christ” aspect of my life. I always encourage folks to share their story because there is no greater testimony than a changed life. I personally try and make sure that the focus is staying on Christ and His redemptive power and not me personally or my foolish past.
Louis Zamperini had every reason in the world to be angry at the Japanese. He had every possible excuse to want to exact revenge on those who had done him wrong. As long as he harbored that hatred in his heart he was unable to recover from the war experience. All he could do was drink his problems away. His life was falling apart as was his marriage, until in 1949 he went to a Billy Graham crusade and gave his life to Christ. Instantly, he says the burdens he was carrying were lifted from his shoulders. It was through his new found faith in Christ that he was able to clear his heart of all of the hatred and revenge. He was able to forgive his captors, the guards who tortured him, and even the “Bird”, who made his life so miserable throughout his captivity.
Christian, do you understand that we have the cure to the problem that has plagued our world for years. It is only found in Jesus Christ. By God’s grace and through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit we can make a difference in this issue. It starts in our homes by us training and teaching our children the truth about who we are and what we deserve. Children have to be taught to see the differences.
I’ll never forget the first mission trip where I took young men to Jamaica to serve in a camp. The children there were amazing. They wanted to braid our hair, sit in our laps and just be loved on. One day I was sitting and talking with a group of youth. One of the young men that had come with me from the United States was walking up a path holding the hand of a young Jamaican girl. Two other young ladies were sitting by me watching as they walked along the path. The one young girl said to the other, “Look at that.” pointing to the young man and little girl. “Do you think that boy is that girl’s brother?” The other little girl looked at her and said, “No man, can’t you see, he’s white, she’s black!”
The young man that was walking with the young lady was very light toned. He had red hair and freckles galore. The Jamaican girl was definitely much darker. But that wasn’t what that first young lady saw. What she saw was an act of kindness. A young man holding a young ladies hand and walking with her to get a snack. Oh Lord, let us see the world through the eyes of a child that hasn’t been tainted by the world’s “wisdom”. Change our hearts that we may truly reflect the love that you showed to us.
I am embarrassed to tell you that I’d never heard of Captain Louis Zamperini prior to the advertisements of “Unbroken”. This movie has caused me to get into the books and study. Most importantly it’s caused me to want to study THE Book even more to be able and live a life that is as impacting as this man’s was. I love the words at the end of the movie:
“Motivated by his faith, Louis came to see that the way forward was not revenge, but forgiveness.”
As long as people harbor hatred and revenge in their hearts, there will never be peace. The racial divide in our country will be greatly diminished when a generation of Americans arise that have the love of Christ in their hearts and are willing to forgive—even those who have done them harm. This is humanly impossible—and goes against every fiber of our flesh—but through Christ it becomes a reality. Louis Zamperini is a wonderful example.
Amen! Stay Bold!
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