Peace and truth

Saturday, our family went to Davenport. It was the first time in a long time we’d been able to go out and actually sit in a restaurant and enjoy a meal. We had intended to go to the Whale City Bakery but they only offered take-out. Instead, we went a few doors down to the Roadside Restaurant. Both offer great food but being able to dine-in was more appealing. It was a pleasant afternoon seeing the great Pacific Ocean and simply enjoying our day. It was very peaceful.

Sunday, I woke to the sound of two ravens in the branches overhanging our house. I did not mention them earlier but they also come around every morning because I put food scraps out for them. They are magnificent birds and I enjoy watching them glide and maneuver through the trees. Typically they announce their arrival around 7 a.m., causing me to lumber out of bed and tend to them and their friends. 

Sunday was no different. Even if I may have wanted to sleep in, I needed to be up early if I was going to make it to Bible study at church. It’s an hour before worship service. I’m glad I made it on time. I learned new things from our study in the book of Acts and the worship time afterwards was uplifting. As I headed home, I felt at peace.

Contrast everything above to what I see or hear any time I tune in to the radio, check social media or scroll through my email. The worst is to turn on the TV and watch the news. The last few months, everything has been about COVID-19. I thought I couldn’t take another day and wished for something else to be in the news ... anything.

They say, “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!” COVID-19 is still mentioned but the major headlines now are all about the protests — turned to looting, turned to rioting — in whatever city happens to be the latest target. As though that were not enough, the game has been stepped up and we see historical statues being torn down and in Seattle, Washington, part of the city declared a “no-go zone.”

Peaceful? No, not at all.

Supposedly, all the recent protests, looting, rioting, the statues — the takeover of Seattle — are connected to the unjust murder of George Floyd. I have to wonder, how many people who are protesting, how many who are looting, rioting and destroying property, how many who are involved in the takeover of six city blocks in Seattle, know who George Floyd was, know about the officer who killed him, or know anything about the three other officers who stood by and are now accused accomplices? Many display signs reading, “Black Lives Matter.” I wonder how many know who is behind BLM, what they stand for or who funds them?

Shortly after Vietnam fell to the communists, Hines Pham was put into prison for having helped  American missionaries as an interpreter. Through his work, he’d become a Christian. Once in prison, however, he was forced to listen to communist propaganda every day. He began to question his faith and what the missionaries had taught him. One night, he determined to quit praying and meditating on the scriptures he’d memorized.

The next morning, he found himself assigned to latrine duty. Cleaning one of the metal cans, he noticed a piece of paper with words written in English on it. He grabbed it, cleaned it and hid it in his clothing. That night, he took it out. It was a page from the Bible.

After finding the one page, Hien asked to be given latrine duty regularly. He knew one of the prison officials was using the Bible for toilet paper. If there was one page, there would be more. He was willing to do whatever was necessary to retrieve them. He wanted to have the truth in his life to overcome the propaganda he was being force fed. 

In Hines Pham’s story, there is a lesson. I hope we all see it and understand.

A former member of the San Carlos City Council and mayor, Matt Grocott has been involved in political policy on the Peninsula for 17 years. He can be reached by email at mattgrocott@comcast.net.