The "Why" of My Blog"

   "...Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done." Psalms 78:4

     The "why" of my blog...well first of all, I think I've finally been dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st century. It has been my firm conviction, for a long time, that I should write everything down for my children and grandchildren.  (See the scripture verse above.)  I feel obligated to let them know where I came from and how I've failed in some areas and succeeded in others and what I learned on my journey. Aside from that, I love to write and now I have time to write. On that subject, friends and family, you shouldn't expect brilliance. I'll be happy if when you get through reading my writing you say something like..."sounds just like her".

Swindoll's Book

      This is my introduction to my blog and because of that, I'm going to be borrowing from Chuck Swindoll's introduction to his book, Strengthening Your Grip.  In that introduction he condenses in a few paragraphs, the six decades, from the '30s to the '80s. Since they were also the "times of my life", I identified with his synopsis. I only wish he could have spoken about the '90s and 2000s. But the book was written in the '80s so I guess I'll have to do that on my own. I will be both quoting and condensing what he said. I'll try to credit him with quotes when I can, so I won't be stealing his words and claiming them as my own.
     Chuck Swindoll...."Every decade possesses a  particular characteristic.  It comes into focus without announcement or awareness as the years unfold..  Not suddenly, but quietly.  Almost imperceptibly.  Like random pieces of a puzzle...each a different shape and size...the events and people and ideas of a decade begin to come together in a meaningful form.  First a corner, then a side, finally the entire border falls into place.  But the scene is not immediately clear.
    Years must pass. As they do more sections fit together, and meaningfulness starts to emerge.  By the end of the decade, the seasoned picture is obvious, including the shading, harmony of colors, and even our feelings about the finished product.  Every decade puts a frame around its own particular scene.
     I was born in 1934". (That was Chuck. I was born in 1938.) "The '30s bring the distinct impression that it was a decade of idealism.  Renewed hope clawed its way from beneath the devastation of the Great Depression.  Optimism and diligence joined hands with determination, giving our country a needed boost out of the ominous shadows of the late '20s."
     I grew up as a youngster in the '40s...a decade of patriotism.  Chuck said of this time... "Nationalistic zeal reached its zenith as "our boys" slugged it out in Europe and the Far East.   ...gasoline and food rationing, plus an unconditional commitment to win, gave us a feeling of pride and partnership as we rallied around the flag.  Nobody questioned authority...babies born in the forties learned the pledge of allegiance as early as they learned the alphabet."

Me at 15, in 1953

Ted Gehrke in 1956

     By the '50s, I was a teenager. My high school years in New Mexico could have been the perfect place to film "Happy Days." My education continued with Business college in Lubbock Texas, cut short by marriage to a handsome Airman in the USAF.   Kids came quickly after that, then I proceeded to follow him around the world for the next 21 years.  Chuck says, and I agree, that "the '50s were a decade of materialism, a time of dreaming, learning, earning, and succeeding.  "The good life" seemed attainable to all who would work longer hours and reach for the top.  War was behind us, everyone was going to college, jogging, self improving. What we overlooked was the growing number of children who got caught in the backwash of our materialistic greed. The fuse burned shorter each year ....only a matter of time before the powder keg would blow."

Children hidding in a swamp in Viet Nam

     Then came the '60s. Who could ever forget the anger, the riots, the frenzy of the sixties?  A decade of rebellion.  (This is where Chuck inserts Rock and Roll.  Actually for me, by then I had pretty much out grown Rock and Roll.  I was a fan of R and R in the '50s.) Chuck goes on to say..."The foundations of our new frontiers came unglued.  Campus riots, civil rights marches, political assassinations, the growing addiction to T.V., domestic runaways, sit-ins, drug abuse.  My kids were very young at the time, but I remember being scared for them growing up in such a time.  On top of all that,  Chuck goes on to describe, "a weird war in Southeast Asia...the black eye on Uncle Sam's face, the no-win wound that refused to heal.  Nothing was quiet on the Western Front in the '60s."
      He said that this era led us, "Limping and licking our wounds, into the '70s.  Depressing folk songs and the strumming of a guitar had now become our national emblem ...increased passivity characterized our leadership...confusion replaced confidence, ushering us into a decade of disillusionment."  Everything was questioned...the integrity of our Oval Office, the proper role of women, the need for national defense, capitol punishment, ...abortion,...the media,...the home..the school.,... the church,..the establishment,... nuclear energy, ..ecology, ....marriage... I could go on and you could add your own list.  We lost purpose, direction and hope.  We lost our grip on absolutes in the '70s

President Ronald Reagan

     If we went "limping and licking our wounds" into the '70s, we wandered "aimlessly" into the '80s  Swindoll said,  "The grim-faced, tight-lipped, double-fisted fight of the '60s had turned into a lazy yawn twenty years later.  The brave slogans of the '40s---'60s, "Remember Pearl Harbor" and "We Shall Overcome", had turned into "Don't mistake me for someone who cares!"  We isolated ourselves with computers, TV., games.  The tide of apathy had risen and our sandcastles were washed out to sea." This of course was the national perspective.  On the personal front it was a joyous time of family weddings, grandchildren, and the bright spot of Reagan's presidency.  We, as Americans, were fighting for our nationalistic identity with the progressives.  Capitalism was under attack and the welfare state on the rise.
     The '90s were characterized by this battle  Our public schools and colleges had been under the influence of "Humanism" for decades and it was beginning to rule all of our educational institutions.  As it gained supremacy so did global warming, abortion, the anti-war sentiment, socialism and amoral attitudes. By then, Bill Clinton was our president and the country watched in horror as he desecrated the Oval Office and answered the growing threat of terrorism by lobbing rockets over to the middle east to bomb "aspirin factories". On a personal note it was the decade when my life was changed forever by the loss of my faithful husband, Ted Gehrke. Chuck didn't name it but I would call the '90s, the age of decadence and disappointment.

The World Trade Center, 2001

    Now we find ourselves in the 2000s and the picture of this decade is just being painted. It started out with a bang as we watched the twin towers fall to the feet of a false god by the hands of terrorists in hijacked planes. This was followed quickly by wars in the middle east and the deaths of thousands of people, ours and theirs.  It's been very sad so far as our nation reels and rocks like a drunk...the future uncertain in foreign affairs and in one domestic battle after another, as we fight for the supremacy of  ideas and values.  Chuck Swindoll summed it up this way after his synopsis of the '80s.  "We cannot drift on the ship of aimless indifference very long without encountering disaster". (That was prophetic.) "God's eternal and essential principles must be firmly grasped and communicated afresh if we hope to survive.  None of them are new.  But for too long, too many of them have been buried under the debris of tired cliches and predictable talk of yesteryear.   Most people are not interested in religious bromides that come across in a dated and dull fashion.  We need biblical fixed points to hang onto...firm, solid handles that will help us steer our lives .  What we really want is something to grab...believable, reliable truth that makes sense for today's generation.essential principles for our chaotic world."
     Finally, Swindoll concludes, "the Lord is "the same yesterday and today, yes and forever" (Heb. 13::8).  The puzzle of every new decade rests firmly in His hands.  He is still in charge.  In spite of how things may appear, our times are still in His hands"  That is the message I want to convey in this blog.  This is the message that I have believed and that has sustained me throughout the decades of my life  Hopefully it will encourage someone to continue their journey with their eyes fixed on the only fixed position...the Lord Jesus Christ.

(c)copyright2014lauragehrke