(November 2021 Newsletter)

I love stories of people who held their ground, who did what they thought was right regardless of the outcome, who couldn’t be bought. I want to be one of these.

MOTHER TERESA

Several businessmen were walking down the street in Calcutta, India when they stopped to watch an old lady cleansing the sores of a leper who was laying on the sidewalk. One of the businessmen said as he watched her swab the blood and pus off of the leper’s face, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars!”

The kind lady paused, looked up at him and said, “I wouldn’t either.” It was Mother Theresa !

She couldn’t be bought.

E.V. HILL

Rev. Hill was invited to have the prayer at the inauguration of President Richard Nixon. He was honored and excited and was telling his family, his church and his friends about this great honor. Then he was informed that he was not to invoke the name of Jesus in his prayer. “Why not?” he asked. “It’s offensive,”  was the reply. E.V. Hill said that would be like putting a letter in the mail with no address.

 Here is what he told the government official:

“I have never had such a great honor: to be asked to pray at the inauguration of the President of the United States! My children will tell their children that grandpa was asked to pray for the President of the United States of America. My grandchildren will tell their children that their great-grandfather was asked to pray at the inauguration of the President of the United States! Then they will say that grandpa didn’t accept the invitation because he refused to dishonor his Savior.”

NOTE: E.V. Hill prayed at Nixon’s inaugeration. In the name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

He held his ground.

JOHN WOODEN

Bill Walton was player of the year as a sophomore on the UCLA undefeated National Championship basketball team in 1972. Coach John Wooden had strict rules about how his players dressed and wore their hair. When practice started again in October, Bill showed up with long hair.

Coach Wooden: “What’s this, Bill?!”

Bill Walton: “Coach, you have no right to tell me how to wear my hair!”

Coach Wooden: “You’re right, Bill. I don’t have that right. But, I have the right to determine who is going to play, and we are really going to miss you this year.”

Bill Walton ran out of the gym, hopped on his bicycle and sped down to the barbershop. He jumped in the barber chair in front of other customers and yelled, “CUT IT OFF! QUICK!”

He made it back to practice and went on to earn 2 more Player Of The Year awards, and an NBA career.

Coach Wooden held his ground.

JERRY REED

Nashville’s best musicians just could not get the guitar licks at an Elvis Presley recording session for the song “Guitar Man,” so they called the man who wrote it, Jerry Reed. He sat in and in a couple hours the song was recorded. Elvis was elated! His musicians were happy, his producer was happy… And just as Jerry was going out the door, he was presented with papers to sign. “What papers?” “It’s Col. Tom Parker’s rule. You sign half of your publishing rights away.”

Jerry Reed said, “That’s not going to work, brothers!”

“Well, that’s Tom Parker’s rule. You sign or the song does not get released.”

“Look,” said Jerry, “it was a high honor to be in an Elvis session. I’ll never forget it, but you’ve been trying to record this song all day, I came in and now it’s recorded. Elvis is happy. He’s elated! So you can just go over there right now and tell him that this song will not be released. See ya!”

The song was released. It became a country and pop hit. Jerry is the ONLY one who ever got all of his rights to a song that Elvis recorded. Nashville still loves it that Reed got one over on Col. Tom Parker.

He held his ground.