AND MORE of the Movies, Times 5

If you have free time during the summer, how do you like to spend it? Everyone is different, of course, and we all have our personal favorite activities, passions, likes, and dislikes, but for me, I really enjoy watching a good movie. I don’t think I’m the only one – there’s a reason why movie theaters were one of the first categories of businesses to feature air conditioning for the comfort of their customers.

Here are a couple of movie categories we haven’t talked about before, and some of my favorites of each. Just a reminder – I’m not saying these are necessarily the BEST of these, but that these are some that I have enjoyed and can recommend for you.

Favorite Musicals – Hollywood doesn’t make very many musicals anymore, and I agree that having characters burst out in song at various moments is at least a little strange. But, oh man, sometimes the songs are so amazingly wonderful, and here are some favorites.

5. White Christmas (1954). The story and title song are reruns from Holiday Inn, but our family really loves this movie. My favorite is “Count Your Blessings” with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen also star, and don’t miss Dean Jagger and Mary Wickes in strong supporting roles.

4. Stormy Weather (1947). This movie features an all-black cast and was marketed back in the days of segregation, but I think it’s as entertaining as it can be. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Cab Calloway, Dooley Wilson, and Lena Horne head an all-star cast. And don’t miss the Nicholas Brothers doing their unbelievable dance number up and down the stairs.

3. The Wizard of Oz (1939). My mom once told me that when she went to the theater as a young girl in the early 1940s to see this picture, there were audible gasps from the audience when Dorothy opens the door to discover that she is in “Munchkin-land.” And remember, there’s no place like home.

2. The Sound of Music (1965). Loosely based on a true story. When I was in the fifth grade, we took a field trip to the theater to see this movie. It has so many really memorable songs it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I always enjoyed the puppet-show song, “The Lonely Goatherd.” And of course, “Edelweiss.” Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer star.

1. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). Another movie with a really strong cast. Leon Ames, Mary Astor, and Harry Davenport are all great, but Judy Garland just shines under the direction of her future husband Vincente Minnelli. And of course, there are several great songs, but when Judy sings, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to her on-screen little sister Margaret O’Brien, it’s a moment of heartwarming charm and grace.

Tom Hanks in an image from Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard.

Favorite Tom Hanks Movies – Okay, I have to break one of my own rules. When I consider movies for inclusion here, they generally need to be pre-1990, but for this guy, I’ll make some allowances. Tom Hanks has been called the “Jimmy Stewart” of his generation because of his ability to play any part, make it believable and win over the audience. I don’t disagree.

5. The Green Mile (1999). Tom Hanks as the guard captain of a penitentiary’s Death Row – then he meets a very large and very strange inmate (Michael Clark Duncan, RIP) with an unusual gift. With David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, James Cromwell, and Patricia Clarkson. Caution for language and thematic material.

4. Forrest Gump (1994). A wonderful story about a mentally challenged man whose decency and simple kindness enable him to overcome numerous challenges. Sally Field, Gary Sinise, Robin Wright, and Haley Joel Osment co-star. Some cautions for thematic content.

3. A League of Their Own (1992). Co-starring Geena Davis, Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna, and Garry Marshall, and directed by Penny Marshall. Tom plays a washed-up, alcoholic ex-baseball player who is forced into managing a team of women ballplayers while the men are away at World War II. There’s no crying in baseball.

2. Saving Private Ryan (1998). Also with Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, and many more, and directed by Steven Spielberg. Tom plays Captain Miller, a schoolteacher forced into a leadership role in World War II, as his unit makes the Normandy landing on D-Day and is then assigned to rescue a paratrooper far behind enemy lines. STRONG caution for graphic battle sequences and language.

1. Apollo 13 (1995). Directed by Ron Howard, and co-starring Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan. “Houston, we have a problem.” This is the true story of the April 1970 moon mission that suffered a catastrophic failure in space, and the efforts to get the crew safely home. This movie manages to be gut-wrenching and suspenseful even if you know how the mission ended, and the character and resourcefulness shown here are truly inspiring. Just remember, “Failure is not an option.”

Here’s hoping to see you at the movies!

Reflections on the Fruit of the Spirit

One of my favorite things about summer is the amazing variety of sweet and delicious fruit that becomes readily available during these long hot days. Cantaloupes and watermelons, peaches, plums – even cherries and fresh summer apples – they’re so refreshing and delectable, and such a wonderful treat. A very special memory from when I was a child was stopping at a roadside fruit stand on a family vacation and eating a peach as big as a softball, with the wonderful, sweet, sticky juice running down my arm. What a delight!

With that in mind, it’s probably not surprising to learn that one of my favorite Bible passages is Galatians 5:22-23, where the Apostle Paul lists the nine qualities that he describes as the “Fruit of the Spirit.” Now, there is no shortage of devotional material on this text, but in my opinion, much of it misses the main point.

Throughout Galatians, Paul has been listing the large number of contrasts believers must face: works vs. faith; law vs. grace; children of Hagar vs. children of Sarah; human divisiveness vs. the oneness of God; slavery vs. freedom. The contrast he makes most frequently – and most eloquently – is flesh vs. Spirit. By the time he gets to chapter five, he is talking about the acts of the flesh – uncleanness of all sorts – versus the Fruit of the Spirit.

Specifically, he says, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-21) Please read that list again. “Hatred – discord – jealousy – fits of rage – selfish ambition.” Sounds like it was taken from today’s national news.

But then please notice the organic nature of growing fruit contrasted against the ceaseless striving of works; the produce of God’s Spirit, vs. the products of our own efforts; the life-giving and life-affirming qualities that bless others, compared to the selfish and destructive practices of a me-centered existence.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22-23) The apostle makes it clear that if we are Jesus-followers, if God’s Holy Spirit is living and working within us, then these nine qualities will be evident in our lives. These must be the things that others see in us.

Note that it’s the WORKS – plural – of the flesh versus the FRUIT – singular – of the Spirit. There is only one fruit. We should not speak of the “fruits” of the Spirit. There is one fruit, and it manifests itself in various ways, depending on the specific needs and situation. Sometimes the Holy Spirit reveals Himself through patience, sometimes though kindness, always through love.

Another thing: This is not a buffet! We mustn’t think we can say, “Well, I’ll have some love and joy, but I don’t want any gentleness or self-control.” If the Spirit is present in our lives – if God is moving within us – then HE will be growing ALL these things within us at the same time. Certainly, our spirits can and should cooperate with His Spirit, and we must be intentional about looking for ways to demonstrate these characteristics, but we don’t become more loving, or more patient, or whatever, simply by trying to counterfeit that quality.

One last thing to notice is that every aspect of this fruit is seen in terms of our relationships with God and one another. It’s how we treat other people – our relationships with one another – that reveal the true nature of our relationship with God. Our faith is not lived out in a vacuum.

May the Spirit produce in us that which is pleasing in His sight.

Remembering Brother Ronnie

In my days at Dallas Christian College, back in the 1970s, I was blessed to have a number of excellent professors. Some were great thinkers. Some were excellent students of the word. But I never knew a better man of God than Ronnie Hanna.

Brother Ronnie, as we called him, served 18 years at DCC, sometimes as a professor, sometimes also as an administrator. But his real talent was as a man who loved people. He had one of the most amazing memories I have ever seen for remembering names and faces. On more than one occasion, I saw him – without any notes – go around a room of a hundred people or more, from all across Texas, and introduce every one of them, telling something interesting about each person. He genuinely loved people, and more than that, he genuinely loved the Lord’s church. In his time at DCC, he toured extensively throughout Texas and the Southwest on behalf of the college, and I think once he met someone, he never forgot.

And he told the corniest, goofiest dad jokes you have ever heard.

During my four years there, I was blessed to get to travel with him a lot, visiting different churches, so I heard all those jokes many, MANY times. Driving down the road, he would point to a field of fresh-cut grass and say, “Hay!” If there was a period of silence in the van, he would say, “Look! What’s that up there in the road — a head?” He would pull up to a railroad crossing and announce, “I believe a train was just by here.” When some gullible freshman would ask, “How can you tell?”, he would say, “It left behind its tracks.”

Ronnie & Janet Hanna

Sometimes he would say, “Don’t be bitter – reconsider!” I never knew exactly what that meant, but he said it a lot.

By his own admission, Ronnie was sometimes, shall we say, directionally challenged. He generally knew – approximately – in what part of town a given church building was located, and he would get in the right area, but then he’d have to drive around a while to find the exact location. Once we got there, he would just chuckle in his good-natured way, and say that he had known where he was all along, and that he was taking us to our destination via a “scenic tour.”

Brother Ronnie taught “Life of Christ,” which was a freshman-level class. One of the first things he covered was to define for us, exactly what Jesus was talking about when he described the Kingdom of Heaven / Kingdom of God – “The reign and rule of God in the hearts and lives of men and women.” To this day, I’ve never heard a better explanation, and I’ve used it, without exception, every time I have ever taught on the Kingdom. It’s not a place, it’s not just something in the future – God’s Kingdom is here and now, and it’s made up of all those who humble themselves before the living God to let Him rule in their hearts.

The other thing I remember about his Life of Christ class was that he had us read “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, with its famous quotation, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Great stuff, life-changing stuff.

I had Ronnie for other classes, and he taught me other things, but if for only those two things, I will always be grateful to have been his student.

After he left Dallas, Ronnie and his beloved wife Janet moved to Colorado, where he ministered for many years. They moved back to the Dallas-area after his retirement. He passed away about ten years ago. But I remember him with genuine fondness and respect. He was a decent, good and gentle man, who loved his God and loved his family. And he loved the Lord’s church and spent his life ministering before the Lord and training others who would do the same.

Thanks for everything, Brother Ronnie. It was an honor to know you. And I bet you didn’t take a “scenic tour” on your way to heaven!

The USS Haskell – A Little-Known Story of World War II

It has been said that there are numerous acts of heroism, bravery, and service during a war that are seldom remembered or celebrated as they should be. In my opinion, one such story is that of the USS Haskell, and the Haskell County sailor who served on her.

USS Haskell, APA 117, was the lead ship of a class of vessels known as “attack transports,” one of 119 ships of that designation, built and launched in 1944 and 45. Designed to carry troops into battle, most of these ships were named for counties across the U.S.

The Haskell was named for counties in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. She was 455 feet long and 62 feet wide, with a maximum speed of 17 knots (about 20 miles per hour). Her crew consisted of 56 officers and 480 enlisted men. Besides being able to carry over 1500 combat troops and their equipment, the ship had 29 landing craft for deploying them on the beach. She was also armed with numerous anti-aircraft weapons and had a complete hospital on board.

The USS Haskell, APA 117, docked at San Francisco Bay, 1945.

The Haskell was launched June 13, 1944, and commissioned September 11. She arrived in San Francisco on October 18 and began loading troops and supplies. She crossed the equator and the International Date Line before participating in the New Guinea offensive.

Throughout 1945, she repeatedly carried troops and supplies to assault enemy-held beaches. She was attacked three times by enemy submarines and survived their torpedo attacks, and came under fire in numerous air attacks. She shot down her first enemy aircraft on January 11. She participated in two hostile landings in the Philippines and another at Okinawa, where she also served as a hospital ship. During her combat, the Haskell suffered one fatality and 28 wounded.

The Haskell was in friendly waters in Seattle on August 12, when “V-J Day” was announced, but her service was not over. The ship began ferrying replacement personnel and occupation forces across the Pacific and bringing home demobilized troops. During one of these missions, the Haskell had to ride out a violent typhoon, with winds of 185 mph. She also brought over 1,400 released Allied POWs to Manila for further medical care before returning to the U.S. The ship made two more trips across the Pacific as part of “Operation Magic Carpet” before being ordered to sail for Norfolk, Virginia, via the Panama Canal. She arrived in Virginia and was decommissioned on May 22, 1946. She became part of the Reserve Fleet but was eventually scrapped on July 30, 1973. During her service, the Haskell sailed over 120,000 miles, crossed the equator four times and the International Date Line ten times. She visited more than 15 foreign countries and transported and/or landed over 14,000 allied military personnel on enemy beaches.

Serving on the Haskell during her entire tenure was a young man from Rochester, Leroy Wreyford, the son of Lawrence and Hattie Mae (Hester) Wreyford. The Wreyfords had a laundry just east of town on the Weinert Highway and were the parents of three sons and a daughter – Alton, Leroy, Donald, and Georgia – and all of the boys served in the war. Lee was born May 7, 1926.

He graduated from Rochester High in 1943 and joined the Navy. Of his service he would later say, “I boarded the USS Haskell, 10 September 1944, as a member of the landing craft crews. I was assigned as one of six to the Beach Control Boat Crew, always landing in the first wave. I remained on the Haskell the entire time she was a commissioned Naval vessel. She covered a lot of miles and did a magnificent job in her short service to her country.”

Seaman 1c Leroy Wreyford, USNR, of Rochester.

For his service on the ship, Seaman First Class Wreyford earned the World War II Victory Medal and the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon with Bronze Star, given for “outstanding heroism in action against the enemy.” He also earned the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars, and the Philippines Liberation Medal with Bronze Star. He died on December 26, 2020.

So that’s the story of the USS Haskell, her service to our country, and the Rochester man who served aboard her. Many thanks to all those who helped me research and bring it to you, including Johnny & Teresa Scoggins, Billy Wayne Hester, Linda Short, Jane Short, Susan Turner, John & Mary Rike, and of course, the wonderful ladies at the Haskell County Library.

“…Lest we forget.”