The Saga of Lee Harvey Oswald

He was a madman, a nut job, or a patsy. Those are the three most popular explanations on why Lee Harvey Oswald shot (or attempted to shoot according to conspiracy theorists) President John F. Kennedy. Indeed, Oswald's behavior indicated some degree of mental instability, but why? What was it that drove him to attempt to assassinate General Walker, and then to assassinate John F. Kennedy?

And, just to clarify my position, I believe Oswald acted alone, more on that some other time.

Lee Harvey Oswald's issues likely began in early childhood as he was being raised by a single mother who was devastated after the death of his father. (Oswald's father died before he was born.) In an interview with PBS, Oswald's brother, Robert Oswald, said that their mother felt that she had been dealt a bad hand, and that the world owed her a living. He said some of this attitude was passed down to Lee. Robert went on to say that Oswald had a vivid imagination, and believed he could do anything he wanted. He was also a loner. Robert said Lee "planned by himself, executed by himself, and failed by himself." He also dreamed of being a writer, and writing about his experiences of serving in the Marine Corp., defecting to Russia, and then returning to America.

In a New York Times column, Paul Gregory (to whom Marina Oswald taught Russian,) said that Lee felt under-estimated by the world, and longed for a celebrity status, which he sort of enjoyed while living in Russia.

That side of Oswald was depicted in two episodes of the TV show "Quantum Leap" and in Stephen King's 11.22.63. Oswald was depicted as a frustrated individual, who wanted to make a huge impact in the world. He wanted to be a celebrity, a leader, a revolutionary, a philosopher, or a champion. He felt he was awesome, and couldn't understand why the rest of the world didn't see it. Given my recent research, I believe those depictions were accurate.

What you have in Lee Harvey Oswald is the tragedy of self-worship. He felt he was God's gift to anyone with whom he came into contact. He thought he was helping the Russians by defecting, and was shocked when they denied him university admission, relegating him to a common-man's job. He was surprised that he got no media attention when he returned home. He was dejected after a failed attempt to defect to Cuba. He looked for, and failed to find, any way to be significant. Even his failed assassination attempt on General Edwin Walker went virtually unnoticed. This self-worship and lack of self-actualization consumed Oswald, until it culminated in the tragic events of November 22, 1963. When things built to a head, and then blew, the whole world felt it.

It's easy to think "conspiracy theory." It's easy to dismiss Oswald as a patsy. It's easy to imagine that the real gunman was a sophisticated marksman who fired from any one of the other 100 prime locations to pull off the shot that killed Kennedy. Imagining a CIA plot, or a Russian plot, or a mob hit, is easier to deal with psychologically than to come to grips that one man's demons can create such devastation. The truth is, pride and self worship are just that destructive.

Throughout the history of the world, 99 percent of man's problems have been caused by pride and self-worship. It was pride and self-worship that led Adam and Eve to sin in the Garden of Eden. They believed they could throw off God's authority and be gods to themselves by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The result has been a sin curse on man from that time forward.

You see pride and self-worship in all the kings and emperors who went on world conquests. Those qualities were present with the Roman Caesars (who actually regarded themselves as sons of the gods), Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler. Pride and self-worship has killed millions, and destroyed nations. But that's all ancient history, so it's not to be worried about, Right? Wrong!

Pride and self-worship are seeds planted in one's heart, that, if allowed to grow, can develop such destructive behavior that any individual is capable of imploding. Oswald's pride cost him his life. If that pride and self-worship can grow to that level of destruction in him, how far can it grow in us? That is a frightening question. That's why we'd rather believe that Kennedy's death was the result of a vast, sophisticated conspiracy rather than the result of one man's personal implosion. We don't want to think that we could ever find ourselves in a sixth-floor window. And, in 99.9 percent of cases, we won't. However, that does not mean that pride doesn't cause destruction.

The Bible says "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)" Pride and self-worship will destroy you, whether it makes the news or not. So, don't be destroyed. The Bible also says "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:10)."

The best way to avoid the pride and self-worship that destroys is to keep your focus on the Lord, and worship directed toward God. This means to spend time in God's word, in prayer, and to seek God's will in your life. It means to put yourself second, to put God first, and to be aware of the plight of others as well as yourself. If you live a God-focused life, you will not live a self-centered life. That recipe will prevent a self-inflicted implosion that will destroy your life.

Trust the Lord, and obey Him. The answer is really that simple. May God bless you as you follow Him.

Irreplaceable

Did anyone notice the slap in the face the Philadelphia Eagles handed their longtime starting quarterback Donovan McNabb? The slap didn't come in the form of being traded, the slap came in the form of to whom McNabb was traded. What in the world am I talking about? Let's go back a couple of years.

February 2008, Brett Favre announces his retirement from the NFL and the Green Bay Packers. However, by July 2008, Farve decides that he wants to go back into the NFL. The Packers told Favre that they would not guarantee him the starting QB position, at which point Favre demanded to be traded.

Favre's desire was to play at Minnesota. The Offensive Coordinator for the Vikings was a coach that Favre loved and desired to play under. However, Green Bay, who still owned Favre's contract, refused to release him from the contract and allow him to play at Minnesota. Why? Because the Packers realized that while Farve might not be good enough to be their starter anymore, he was still good enough to start in the NFL, and could possibly do some damage to his opponents.

Green Bay was not willing to release their former star quarterback to a division rival, Minnesota, and have to play against him twice per year. They didn't want to be on the receiving end of his offensive prowess. So a deal was worked out that sent Favre to the New York Jets, where he played one season before retiring again. He was later released from the Jets, and then came out of retirement yet another time, and being a free agent, was finally allowed to sign with the Vikings.

Contrast this with the saga of Donovan McNabb. McNabb, 34, six years younger than Farve, was considered by many to be past his prime in Philadelphia. Sure he had better days with the Eagles, made good plays, and even led the Eagles to a SuperBowl appearance, but the past couple of seasons, Philly fans booed him instead of cheering him on.

Though he was once the face of the franchise, he was now being regarded as the man who was holding the franchise back (this from a team that signed Michael Vick). During the offseason of 2010, McNabb lost his starting position with the Eagles to Kevin Kolb. McNabb, like Farve, had seen great days with his team, but was no longer considered good enough to start. Unlike Favre, however, the Eagles placed very little confidence in McNabb's ability to compete in the NFL. Why else would they agree to trade him to longtime NFC East rival Washington?

In the NFL, you never send good players to division rivals. (1) You have to play against them twice per regular season, and possibly a third time in the playoffs. (2) If they succeed against you, you'll hear it from ownership, media and fans about how stupid you were to let them go to your rival. (3) You never want to give a division rival the ability to outperform you. It's bad enough to lose in the playoffs and miss the Superbowl. Even worse is to lose while your rival excels, mostly because you handed them your ace.

So when the Eagles traded McNabb to the Redskins, they basically said, "This guy is totally expendable. He's a bum, and has no potential in the NFL." Once the face for the franchise, now the garbage to be hauled away.

There's a lesson to be learned here. Many are the church members and preachers who think that the sun doesn't rise until they awake in the morning. Many are the church members who think if they leave, the church will have to close its doors. Many are the preachers who think that if they leave, the church will not be able to find another pastor as qualified as himself. Friend, you are a fool to believe such folly.

The churches of the Lord are preserved, prospered and built by the Lord Himself. Sure, He uses the labor of those willing and obedient to accomplish His will, but He doesn't NEED us. He allows us to serve by His grace.

Consider Ephesians 4:7 "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."

Christ gives us a gift, the gift of a position of service. That gift is given by His grace (the undeserved favor he extends toward us.) So your position of service and leadership is not given to you because of your credentials and the fact you've earned it, it's given to you by God's grace, which means you don't have credentials and you haven't earned it.

Now if this does not convince you that the Lord's churches will not survive without you, consider 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

God's word is the treasure, we are the earthen vessels. Earthen vessels (clay pots) are not pretty, but are easily breakable, and easily replaceable.

So, the next time you think you are high and mighty, just remember that you are nothing more than a sinner saved by God's grace, put in a special place by His grace, all because He loves you.

I don't write this to berate you, nor to discourage you, but that we can all keep things in perspective as we serve the Savior.

One final thought, Old Time Farmer wisdom teaches us that when we think we are a person of great influence, we should try to boss another man's dog around.

God bless you, everyone.