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June 13, 2021 11:39 am
Bill & Odell. 2 totally different guys whose common ground is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This is Hans trial from the finishing will podcast on finishing well.
We help you make godly choices about Medicare long-term care in your money, your chosen Truth Network podcast starting in just seconds. Enjoy share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing the truth. Podcast network. This is the Truth Network's and say I say leave and I say I I am not down though they know this shows about a black guy like two friends will be friends a long time why the Democrat Republican and wanted things wanted to do is just share our experiences about friendship and finding common ground, and all those issues that come against that is talk about them. Do not talk about the old days will be something called watercooler and oh by the way folks have to guess which one is black and which one is what what they don't have the gas is which one level a minute both love God, he will love Jesus Christ the Lord purchasing their heavenly father just thank you for bringing Odell and I together for this time.
Thank you for the blessings you've given us this past week we asked for blessings in our family. Thank you for the common ground you brought us into. Thank you for all the trips you put us together on any experiences that you brought us together. God just thank you as we move forward. Many of us are leaders God we make decisions that affect so many people God continue to make sure that our decision-making is not just about us is about your people God as we know that you've put us in position of leadership. And you can remove us from a position of leadership. God, I continue to pray for my friend and his family just thanking you for all the different journeys we went to go down in Alabama and he saw some the things they are and all the tears that came in the self reflection that came week went on the trip. As friends we experience a lot of different things that made us question human behavior question human motive, but we came back his friends so that we thank you for that bond of friendship. We all know that is no friend like Jesus. So we thank you we praise you in Jesus name we pray and believe a man amen. How you doing doing good you know I'm sitting here thinking about when we went back in February, 20, 22, the Greensboro civil rights journey.
We always going someplace you went down the Alabama Georgia Atlanta Montgomery Selma Birmingham you know is just the whole idea and you going about 30 or 40 people and some I'm a Christian. Some of his Jewish sons black sums why some nonbelievers just love every body and you walking down there together and hearing the stories of what happened and how it happen and this is moving in some time is moving in a direction that you will frustrate as a black person frustrated on some of the stuff that happened to my ancestors and family because remember now civil rights journey was not far along I was born in 1960 and at the time. I still remember some of the stuff the segregation everything else that was something very new to me. I grew up in Ohio and in all that stuff was going on in the south so it was, like for so this gave me an opportunity to go down and see some places, like I don't know if you member the story when we went to Ebenezer church laser King's church, Ebenezer Baptist Church holy ground holy ground yet and we went to the Sunday service. They invite us to Sunday service member. We got there and we walked around in Dori my wife pointed out, she said, hey, big boy. Scott volunteer with the Boy Scouts.
She said a look at there's a bunch of Boy Scouts and uniform over there so I thought well maybe they're over there sound pop so I went to go find them and they are gone. And as we got ready to do the start the service when you see a service set Ebenezer church. The entrance is like a Mardi Gras parade there's bongo drums and there's people dressed up and it's really really emotional well was scout Sunday and it means scouts get dressed up and marching with the group. So I went up and found it found scouts and start talking leaders turn out.
I knew some of their folks in the land on vice versa and power sit near they said don't want you marching with us and I said wow that would be great honor to go in. Martin Luther King was a Boy Scout and his dad was a scoutmaster and so I thought would be great. That point they's you and Josh would be getting my wife receded, I will were sitting there thinking okay as Bill lost and that they had a spot for me next year and my wife gets nervous when I don't show up, you know, here we are done.
Ebenezer Baptist Church we have Rev. Senior Pastor Warnock. Now a lot of people know who him now as a senator but is like where is Bill where is Bill where is Bill and we look up and what do we see they see me marching in with all the Boy Scouts and Joshua tells my wife's is look at the screen there is. She got all my gosh how did he do that you might be for ever meet a stranger. We go we go all over and you never meet a stranger. It is like what you only we all down here trying to get acclimated with him to be together for three or four days. We talked about civil rights we talk about race.
Now listen you got this big old smile on your face and hey I'm in church.
I will give the black church writers. I'm in church and this the house of God saw him in with my people so you have resolutely right. My brother Jacob at an event now to sit down and turns out the person I'm sit next to us, someone like in Odell Cleveland that has a common ground with me and we just are talking. I've met more interesting people just by God. Just bring in a minute. One of them was Gen. Robert E Lee.
He was the head of the Normandy invasion air support lot and used eat with Churchill twice a month.
So latter Robert E Lee. Unlike Robbie Lee had known on it that when you know yeah okay it's Robert E. Taylor that's it Robbie Taylor.
We asked questions about church we had unbelievable stories. While Churchill save more airmen than you know how to swim one night were having dinner with Churchill and his drinking to and smoking cigars and nieces yanks what could I do to help you. I said well are sending our planes over and when they come back. The fog is set in an empty circle around the English Channel. They run out of fuel and we lose the point. Sometimes we lose the parts we can get the pilots that's her biggest problem nieces I'll see what we can do is about two days later punch it. British engineers come over and said the Prime Minister sentence or fix your problem you guys going to remember what problem I talk about so I said yeah go ahead and fix our problems. They come back of today's music we fix your problem nieces I got asked Jesus what was my problem and he said he explained to me so yeah I remember is we going to do this is what we have a lot of natural gas sort of pipe all around the airfield put holes in it. When the fog comes and you like that and will lift the fog plus or marked airfield while they never lost another point while we went down to the Southern poverty Law Center and to the Rosa Parks Museum and just going therein. Rosa Parks, you know, took a seat so I could sit down. The people who you know the anti-students who sat down at the lots, so I can sit down on the bills. Much as I like to eat Dente that will need to lose a pound or two that you know I'm I'm I miss Florida but you and I have set them bread together what happened. What would God say if since I'm black and you're white. We can sit down together say grace and have a meal together. Talk about the goodness of Jesus because you can a black guy couldn't be in their sitting down God say about that. He made us both made us both you got hurt. I got heart.
If we look beyond that, because some people may have thought at the time that that was the right and just thing to do, that a black person could sit at that lunch, or black person need to go to the back of the bustle black person needs to eat to the side it though. Even though folks didn't allow black people to sit down everything else. Many people took black people's green dollars.
I learned so much like the green book. I do know that existed.
I've heard of the Underground Railroad in Greensboro. We have the Underground Railroad tree and result. Unbelievable.
We went and visited that the lynching Museum we went to 4000 lynchings in the last one that was in Greensboro was in Guilford County fellow who was lynched was Eugene Hairston and I pulled the article from August 25, 1887 while and it said 50 mast men mounted on horses and mules entered the city by way of High Point went to the jailer jailer when Letterman they broke into the jail young man. I understand had a mental issues. He was is handicapped and he was accused of doing something with a woman really was anything that he just made approach to work, and she went and made a claim that he approached her you were supposed approach white women and these people came after it says here they took him out of the jail. Greensboro took him to Jackson Street which is still down by UNCG and he took him down there and the reason they took him down. There was a black community. They wanted to hang him in his own community together 20 or less. And so it says he was given a few minutes to pray.
Which he did. Following morning they found his body riddled with bullets hanging from a tree. So is interesting. The good folks gave him an opportunity to pray before you go and meet your maker and I hope in his prayer that he prayed for them.
Also, because one the things that Jesus said Jesus prayed he said, forgive them, we don't have to yell each other or scream each other or say Bill all white people use AOL all black people. We, beyond that, as Christian brothers and this example, we want other people to say we can get beyond that, we could have decent spiritual mature conversations. If we keep the main thing the main thing the main thing is Jesus Christ and you know when you start go to Southern Southern poverty Law Center or even the equal Justice initiative legacy missing human lynching and people like why don't want to hear about that Odell Haskell had nothing to do with that. I agree they have nothing to do with it however did happen though. So help me with that bill where people who don't look like me. So don't have anything to do it. Adding only slaves I don't do this. I don't do that in a slight get upset when you even just talk about what happened as a black person I think I have the obligation to write to at least bring it up and out to my friends about it, but I don't want to run friends off, but at the same time something is a nonnegotiable. I'm not blaming anyone.
I'm not saying Bill you did this so you did that.
I'm just saying Bill, this is what happened and you know I think it's important to understand the history and to reflect on it and we walked over and went to someone walked over the bridge.
Edmund Pettis Bridge yeah Ashley that was that was just an experience going to those places and hearing the stories we heard about weaker one fellow talked to us that was actually there is an old man now another fellow that worked with Martin Luther King and Birmingham in Montgomery and so, but to understand because I never understood her all this and in so to be experience it to go on the trip to be with a brother like yourself I can remember, we didn't talk much about it during the trip and it was later on after the trip.
I started reflecting on and talking about the bill.
A lot of times though. I've met a lot of white Christians who feel that Odell but you trying to beat me over the head with it. You know it happened I get it, but don't try to beat me over the head with it and no one's beating anyone's overhead which is saying Jesus died on the cross. And that's the truth we deal with facts. Things happen. People got home like you stated earlier and for some of us we have family members that across the cross� Jesus Christ was buried in our yard by folks where not acquire role but a KKK rope so well understand those oral histories. The family and understood that if someone said that we did the wrong think they will either ran out of town or in some cases we were killed.
So with all that it makes a difference and when he went down another moving part was 63 Baptist Church. We talk a lot Sunday morning, Sunday school, I think a lot of people can identify with Sunday morning, Sunday school Christians. Bobby socks, Pat, never shoes little girls with low frills dresses and the bomb went off in a kill those babies. How did you feel seeing the glass the broken glass. The bomb, the church is still there, and in spite of everything is still praising God in that church here that's the amazing thing. I read the story in the people in the church. Notice there is a group of men in the parking lot and they've been observing the church publication it out and there are the guys that bonded you know it's kind like what happened down in Charleston. Yeah, people started forgiving, started praising God.
When Obama went down there to visit. I think he was so emotionally moved over all he could do was start singing amazing Grace, you know, as a black person just saying that it just I just something just went right through me. Not a spirit of oil feeling of anger for the field of emotion because as a black person.
I remember when Pres. Obama was elected then in August we too than he did the great thing and he got out of the car and I'm sitting there yelling yelling at the TV, get back in the Konica kill you as I close that they can assassinate you and literally. I'm sitting there. Please get back in the beast get back in the car is like when did that come from. Is that something internal God is that something inside of me or call me.
God help me God because I'm dealing with.
Please don't let them kill this black man in the middle of the street shooting down like a dog is like those of my true feelings and cycles that they Odell was the day and I II remember him getting out and I was nervous to but I don't think I had the reaction that you had the thing that struck me was when he talked about the house he lived in the White House that was made by slaves know this trip we went on was just so rich from point to point to point, you know, we drove from Selma to Montgomery we drove on the road that they marched but I think what people don't understand. Bill two is that is a lot of white people. A lot of Jewish people actually did help when Martin Luther King Jr. rolled his famous letter from Birmingham Jail know the civil rights laws could not pass without the help of white Christians, Jewish individuals everybody else so is not beating someone overhead is like, what can we do, we try to do the right thing and I'm just thankful for everybody, white, black, anybody else who went out and said no this is not right.
We are going to support the man of God, willing to support God's word.
We go to support the Bible and Martin Luther King Jr. were articulated enough to demonstrate and invite Christians white black evangelicals who level to come and help him because sometime Bill, you know all you need to do is ask for help and pray is a godsend help you know what the common denominator was during this whole civil rights thing. Prayer church. It was the thing that they stuck with.
They stuck with thought they did nonviolent demonstrations and if you look at got on her that it was a fight, don't get me wrong, and it was a struggle didn't happen overnight. I I think the only way Martin Luther King and those people were able to maintain themselves was through God in prayer. Sold the fire hoses. Who knew right. That's where we were to square with the fire hoses happen, we are right there to square with the German shepherds the dogs cohabiting people abiding people and we talk to people who was there because again people, is there and we sat there as it as it as as as individuals into your point you want to kinda go off by yourself. When you went off by yourself nobody to experience it was.
It was a very emotional time visiting the actual spot and walking on the ground were people had sacrificed not been to your guest had been shot in 1960 I went to Democratic convention is 18-year-old high school kid I want to go see downtown Chicago first big trip and Josh curious as walk around checking everything while they said well tonight we have a free concert for free. It's got me though.
You are the walking around looking up at the builders of the skyscrapers say okay helping the college building from your y'all yeah my town might've been five stories took the train was a prior net and had a few dollars in my pocket so I get a hot dog and a soda and so I stayed that night when they had a concert free concert that was the night that they they were going to break us up and saw I members are 10 o'clock at night. They told us a get-together park it's closing some trying to figure out a get out the spark and all the sudden huge lights came on lit up the whole park. I look there is nothing but a ring of blue helmets all around except one area where they were going to driving at all the petty wagons and he started shooting. Assess the good news is I was in college I was long distance truck run. I run like the wind, and I tell you if you get your guest, and she even clasped her no, I never knew that about you like Fred that you know that's not even like you go like you and but that's like the fact that we all have a history we all have a story you know I remember years ago as as a young boy I was similar but not quite, but I was going to the store to get a soda. After playing on the park and I end up having to sign a picket sign in my hand. We were picketing the local red, white and soft on you had basely to use two grocery stores and trials you had Piggly Wiggly's probably heard that Moran and red and white so we picketing red and white because red light was an aftermarket community, but wouldn't allow African-Americans to work there. So I'm going to get a soda. Next thing I know some of the value of the product. Yeah me and my little buddies. We got signed with Margie and I get all that data. We picketed then eventually they did hire Solomon Coles. I remember that he was the first black person ever hired at the red and white man.
You can tell us nothing. We had a black person with a job and all of a sudden you had 87% of the black people going to the store but I think it's out it was no teargas anything like that your tyrannical go. This is to say just a young kid who just happened to be somewhere someone says don't you know don't you want to do this adult yes you are yeah sure, and that's what God gives us grace and mercy because sometime God's grace and mercy will protect us, even against ourselves. What would have happened if you would've got hurt or killed in Grant Park.
What you doing in Grant Park. As I will also was Muslim believe in doing their own L got shot are protesting was old L even doing their bill. So sometimes as Christians we know the enemy is trying to destroy us and we understand that the enemy doesn't want you and I to sit here and talk to each other about race because Bill a lot of times we went on his journey to Georgia and Alabama. I could be, get angry at white people because what happened but the Holy Spirit will arrest me like, but that's not what I have you to do to get angry. I have you to be the bridge. The bridge you have to be the bridge we have enough people.
He was angry and upset and mad and pointing fingers, but Bill, you and I had a bridge in hot agreement to be a great final God did. God did it, it wouldn't. It's interesting if you would've gotten you been in my life five years ago 10 years ago this would happen. God is like. I wouldn't know Bill, I wasn't ready for. While while I was ready for God is put me on this journey with you. And that's how I got were met when I first met you, you would just always so nice and so opening so build the good little black I was an experiment through Jesus Christ. When you first met me I was no catch and release.
I wasn't doing any catch and release you know that means yeah okay then and release, and I'm not going to keep you the parenting one story, but I took this thing called other voices and we did three days of racial life and we heard a lot of different things but one thing that really stuck with me was the underground railroad tree and so we had a fellow take us to it.
It's it's near Guilford College. We walked over and on the way he started talking about the history of it and so week we started walking through the woods and it's it's still there. It's a huge huge tree and in I asked him I said she was telling the story so would be a good book to read about this site.
I want to learn about and he said the road to Cana history the underground railroad. So I bought that and I read it and it was interesting because it gave you the historical reason why the tree was so significant and why the Quakers and greens were also significant and why the underground railroad was so significant. Turns out the main road from it from Maryland to Atlanta where they would sell the slaves ran right through new garden in Greensboro and and so the Quakers would stop they would stop the they would change these fellows up and by the next legs and arms and marching down be so these fellows being black slaves slaves CI ancestor. Yes got you many times their families were found because they were kidnapped sometimes.
So the Quakers would sit down and feed him and feed the slave drivers in, they would ask questions you tell us your story and it would also teach them how to find the underground railroad and they would tell him you go at night trouble only at night and assuring the Norstar following Norstar know when you come to a fork in the road. How would you know which way to go. They said we put nails on trees to spill around with the nails and that's the direction you go women would put quilts out which give you some hints but when you sleep during the day.
Get at least as far away from the road as you can because will be dogs and people on in this underground railroad tree was about a mile off the road so every night.
Quakers would go to this tree, and there would be's runaways and they would take him and there was a free black community and your target over were highest light enters about 600 black families there and it would hide him there after gift because the African culture and then it would hide him.
Also, these guys had like 1700 acres so they put them out working in the fields. So while we're there.
The fellow who took us sang a song and the song was the song the slaves saying as they were being marched in work in a play that for you right now all you will all do we get ready to have relationships with each other. I prayed to God would bring someone in my life that would help me understand the relationship race relations a different culture, a different viewpoint and he not only brought you in my life.
But he brought us going civil rights trip school in Israel, and it all happen over Christmas trees and I'm sitting thinking. When did this transformation happen for me when I was willing to step out there and embrace a white Christian brother and trust God in that relationship because this what to step out in faith because a lot of the lessons we learn on Grandma's porch. However, sometimes grandma had her grandfather had his own opinion on race we learned so much about race and race relations on Grandma's porch I learned from my family different. What I have and I thank God for change both of our hearts that is easy but is likely thank God for you and I thank God that I met you when the time is right, because I would hate lost this beautiful friendship because it was the right time is something about God. Thanks for listening, grant is made possible. Focus CFO accelerating to talk to Lily for small business. More of Dylan Odell, along with the common ground podcast is available on all program whether you're a big, medium, or small business managing and growing. The bottom line is important focus, CFO brings the experience and financial acumen of the Fortune 100, chief financial officer to your company at a fraction of the cost help internal reporting processes or any business transitions or event CFO will help you and your team have a CFO in your company's back pocket. Focus CFO. Learn more focus CFO.com. This is the Truth Network