Life Lessons from the National Parks

July 12, 2010

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6, 7

The newest unit of the National Park Service—number 392—will be dedicated this Saturday, July 17. It’s a fitting date for the ceremony, coming 66 years to the day after the tragic incident the site memorializes.

The American Merchant Marine at War website and the Naval Historical Center tell the story best. The Navy received authorization to construct an ammunition depot on San Francisco Bay just two days after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Port Chicago had been used as a shipyard during World War I, and was served by several railroad lines. Most of the ammunition arrived by train, and was held in boxcars located between protective concrete barriers. When it needed to be loaded on to ships, the train moved to the pier for the transfer. Loading went on around the clock.

The ammo included bullets, depth charges, and bombs (some weighing up to 2,000 pounds), and was moved manually by hand trucks, carts and cargo netting. As you might imagine, the work was extremely dangerous.

The men assigned to this backbreaking labor were African American. The officers were all white, reflecting the racial segregation of the time. All had received some training in cargo handling, but not in loading munitions. Add to that fact the tight deadlines the Navy was under to get the material to the Pacific Theatre of operation, a sense of competition to see who could load the most tonnage in an 8-hour shift, and threats of punishment if the work went too slowly, and it’s little wonder safety standards were often given short shrift.

On July 17, 1944 two merchants ships were being loaded on the pier. One already held about 4,600 tons of munitions. A locomotive and 16 boxcars sat nearby, waiting for their 429 tons of cargo to be transferred to the waiting vessels. At 10:18 p.m. witnesses described a ripping explosion and brilliant white flash, followed by thick smoke, a massive fire, and several smaller explosions that looked like fireworks. Then the heavily loaded ship went off, and the shock wave was felt as far away as Nevada. Pilots flying in a plane at 9,000 feet reported seeing shards of white hot metal as big as houses shoot past them.

All 320 men on duty that night were killed instantly, 202 of them black enlisted men assigned to the dangerous duty. Three hundred and ninety people—military personnel and civilians—were injured, including 233 of the black soldiers.

Less than a month later, the black Naval ordnance battalions were ordered to begin loading munitions again, this time at nearby Mare Island. Two hundred and fifty-eight of them refused, citing continuing safety concerns. All were court-martialed; most “merely” forfeited pay and were given dishonorable discharges, while 50 were sentenced to 8 to 15 years at hard labor. In January 1946, the men received clemency, and in 1999, President Clinton pardoned Freddie Meeks, one of the few still-living members who had received the harshest punishment.

Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial honors the memory of those who gave their lives or were injured in the explosion, recognizes all who served there, and commemorates the role the facility played during World War II. The park also teaches about segregation and civil rights, about learning from past mistakes and making things right.

Clemency. Pardon. These words represent mercy. Those shell-shocked soldiers certainly deserved it. The words also mean freedom, a fresh start. I’m not so sure all the men got that. I can only imagine the mental images and perhaps lingering physical wounds they endured, not to mention the further discrimination they faced in civilian life. Justice is one more concept embodied by those two words. The kind these men achieved was incomplete at best; even a presidential pardon can’t fully erase years of hurt and pain.

I am of course speaking humanly. God’s pardon is much more comprehensive, an all-inclusive deal. He includes it all: mercy (Titus 3:5, 6), freedom (John 8:36), a clean slate (Psalm 103:12) and a fresh start (2 Corinthians 5:17).

And justice? Well, let’s just say that God doesn’t give us what we deserve—separation from Him because of all the wrong things we say and do and think (Romans 3:10-12, 23). About 2,000 years ago, He sent His Son Jesus to take care of that (1 Peter 3:18). And only God has the power to make up for the past (Joel 2:25, Romans 8:28).

If you’ve never experienced the deep peace a pardon from God brings, He invites you to seek Him out for one.

Much better to get one before all hell breaks loose—figuratively and literally…

Comments (2) Jul 12 2010

December 28, 2009

Thomas said to Him, “Lord…how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:5, 6

A shout out to my cousin Beth, who called my attention to an Utne Reader blog post by Keith Goetzman entitled “Don’t Be a National Parks Bagger.” This is what he has to say about the attempt by people to see all 58 national parks:

What’s wrong with visiting all the parks? Well, for starters, doing so would leave a massive carbon footprint…If we burned the auto and airplane fuel it would take to visit all the parks, many of which are in remote and hard-to-reach locations, we’d emit a huge amount of CO2 that ultimately would work against the very places we’re trying to preserve…For another thing, “park bagging,” as I’ve heard it called, is ultimately an elitist pursuit, a game that very few can play. Face it, only the wealthiest and luckiest among us has the vacation time, the money, and the means to have a chance at ticking off all 58 parks, and even announcing your achievement to the world can come perilously close to bragging about what an amazing fortunate life you lead—not the sort of message parks advocates should be sending.

Mr. Goetzman suggests that instead of a “collect ‘em all” mentality, national park lovers should instead adopt a “better, nobler impulse,” that is, to acquaint themselves with just a few parks very well rather than “attempt to superficially survey them all in baseball-card-collector fashion.”

Here’s part of what Kurt Repanshek of National Parks Traveler has to say in response:

Hopefully the folks who are members of the National Park Travelers Club don’t catch wind of his column. This group celebrates travelers who look at visiting as many of the 391 units of the National Park System not as something that’s elitist but rather something that’s both a challenge and a great way to celebrate and appreciate the national parks movement in the United States…
Indeed, if all you seek to attain is a National Park Passport stamp, then yes, “park bagging” is over-rated and denies those involved in such an endeavor a tremendous opportunity to see fantastic landscapes and get at least an introduction to different ways of life and cultures...Many people do fall in love with a small handful of parks, and visit them time and time and time again, which can be a wonderfully rewarding experience. But let’s not be so self-righteous as to ridicule those who want to see as many of these magnificent landscapes and soak up the rewards they offer.

All of this back and forth about carbon footprints and elitism is certainly thought provoking, and I tend to side with Mr. Repanshek’s more conciliatory position. The parks are enjoyable both as day trips, and as longer, more involved expeditions. Environmental impact is a consideration, but it’s really not for one person to say which is the “right” way to see our national parks.

Unfortunately, many people apply that same reasoning to faith. “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you’re sincere,” is the prevailing sentiment. “What’s true for you may not be true for me.” To believe Jesus’ claim In John 14:6, that there is one truth and one way, is seen these days as intolerant and elitist in the extreme.

I mentioned one response to this point of view in a previous post, so for now I’ll just look at it from the “exclusivity” angle. If we start with the concept that there is a God who is our Creator (and establishing that fact is a whole ‘nother discussion for a whole ‘nother day!), then He has the right to set the rules: “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’” (Isaiah 45:9).

Does that make God elitist? Hardly! Jesus makes it plain that He came for the whole world (John 3:16), that whoever seeks Him finds Him (Matthew 7:7-11, Revelation 3:20), whoever is thirsty for Him can be satisfied (Isaiah 55:1-3, Revelation 22:17), and whoever believes in Him receives forgiveness (Acts 10:43). Scripture is full of “whoever’s!”

What God does not have tolerance for are the religious “baggers” who are only interested in the “stamp” assuring them of heaven. He makes it clear in Revelation 3:15 and 16 that superficial, lukewarm faith just doesn’t cut it.

But for those who fully fall in love with the Lord, who acquaint themselves with Him, who “visit” Him time and time and time again, and celebrate and appreciate all He’s done for them, a rewarding experience awaits (Hebrews 11:6).

Yes, a life dedicated to God can be a challenge, but the benefits are more fantastic than even the most exquisite landscape, both now and for all eternity.

And no worries about the carbon footprint!

Comments (2) Dec 30 2009

June 5, 2009

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to Me; hear Me, that your soul may live.
Isaiah 55:1-3

Good news! You can get into any national park for free on three weekends this summer!

The parks already were anticipating a busy tourist season, due to the economic downturn. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s announcement this past Tuesday was made to hopefully “give a small shot in the arm to businesses” in the communities surrounding the national parks.

All 147 park service sites that charge entry fees will waive them the weekends of June 20 and 21, July 18 and 19, and August 15 and 16. The savings is not a lot—the fees normally range from $3 to $25—but if this encourages more people to come out to the parks, then I’m all for it!

I just read an article from the McClatchy-Tribune News Service (it’s an interesting piece, but unfortunately not on the web) about our reaction to free offers, specifically food. It seems we kind of go a little crazy when it comes to getting a meal on the house. In February, 2 million people waited up to an hour at Denny’s restaurants across the country to receive a free Grand Slam breakfast, an item that normally costs $6. The other day many Chicagoans saved around $3 when they stood in line 30 minutes or more to get a free slice of pizza. And when Oprah recently announced she’d pick up the tab for a complimentary grilled chicken meal from KFC—valued at less than $10–her website was swamped (the promotion is now over). One woman said it took her over three hours to print the coupon.

Trust me, I’m as thrifty as the next person. It’s the way I was raised (thanks, Mom!). I’m always looking for a deal. But even I know that sometimes a free offer is just not worth the time and effort.

There’s one offer, though, none of us can afford to reject: the gift of Jesus’ death as punishment for all the wrong things we’ve ever said, thought and done. This present is without cost to you and me. We can’t earn it. We don’t have to stand in line or download or wait for it. It’s already been bought:  “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). All that’s left for us to do is accept the package.

Everything I’ve ever spent money on, all the people and causes and activities I’ve poured myself into have never slaked my thirst for what I really need—significance, forgiveness and contentment. Taking God up on His offer has. I’m here to tell you it’s so worth the time and effort!

Maybe you won’t be able to get to the parks this summer to enjoy these fee-free weekends. But if you’ve never delighted in God’s priceless and rich fare, I pray you’ll help yourself.

Comments (1) Jun 05 2009