Britney Spears

I think that if I hear the name Britney Spears in the news one more time I'll fall completely off of my perch. I know, some have said that I've been leaning precipitously for some time now and that it may not take very much to send me the rest of the way off. But, I say that in order to introduce today's subject matter. That topic being individual ethics and character.

I suppose that the entertainment industry is just about as good as one can find to use as an illustration for this lesson. We are bombarded, almost on a daily basis, with the news of the nefarious activities and shenanigans of entertainers. About their lewd and lascivious conduct and lifestyles. Their unruly behavior and their unrestrained indulgences which includes drugs, alcohol and licentious partnerships.

So much so that we get the picture in our minds that all of them are this way. I suppose that is because of the media's bent for publicizing only the bad news because that's what "sells newspapers." Nobody is interested in the "good news." Then again, with the nature of that industry, maybe there isn't that much good news to be found.

But I think it's like a lot of things in life, the "bad ones" get all the press and air time, to the extent that we never hear about the "good ones." And this casts the shadow of wickedness over the whole industry. Sort of like we see in the realm of religion at times. All it takes is a few religious charlatans and religious leaders getting caught in sinful activities to cast aspersions over religion in general. We're all hypocrites and such like to a world that's looking for a reason to belittle religion.

Well, because there are a lot of seemingly unrestrained and uncontrolled people involved in the entertainment business doesn't mean all of them are of that ilk. Just because some religious figures are found to be wanting in virtue doesn't mean religion is all bad. We just get the picture of this sometimes and it's not a correct picture. It's all out of focus, so to speak.

The prophet Elijah sort of got a similar picture in his mind when he ran off and hid because he thought he was the last faithful-to-God person left alive and his enemies were trying to kill him. God taught him a great lesson in this regard (sort of bringing his picture back into focus) in the 19^th chapter of 1^st Kings. As an illustration of doing the same thing for us today, I'd like to tell you about an entertainer that will help us to realize that all of them are not wicked and evil. That not all of them are lacking in character and ethics. And, I'll admit to you that I love finding out about people like this entertainer I'm going to tell you about because it makes be feel better. To start with we'll just call her "Col. Maggie."

I'll start this little illustrative story at a point later on in her career. She was in Vietnam entertaining the troops when the helicopter in which she was being ferried picked up some dead and wounded soldiers from a battle near Pleiku. She had been out in the field entertaining some Special Forces units near there. As they were in route to the hospital at Pleiku, the pilot heard a woman's voice in the back start "taking charge" and giving orders regarding the wounded.

He turned to see who it was and saw our entertainer, wearing jungle fatigues and a Special Forces beret "taking charge." When they landed at the hospital they were met by an Air Force Captain who told her that, because of the many dead and wounded, there would not be any time for her show. She simply turned her collar over to reveal the "eagle" insignia pinned on it and said "I'm a 'full-bird' in the US Army Reserve and I'm a nurse with surgical speciality, now take me to your wounded." It's reported that she also "covered" a surgical shift while there.

But, her story goes clear back to WW2 where she began entertaining the troops in 1942 and continued all the way to Vietnam where she went for nine years, sometimes staying as long as six months at a time. All the while, she was a member of the Army Reserve and a nurse.

In 1993 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her lifetime service to America. She died in 1994 and a special exception to policy was made regarding her burial arrangements. Because she served her beloved military for 50 years, wearing the uniform in the mud and on stage, Martha Raye, "Colonel Maggie," is the only woman buried in the Special Forces Cemetery at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

See, not all entertainers are self-centered, spoiled, egotistical brats (regardless of age) even though we get to thinking that's the case much of the time. It's just that the "good ones" don't get the publicity.

Christians are not "hypocrites" even though some get notarized as such in the media. Just like all of the entertainment industry gets soiled by the activities of some of its members, the Church gets painted with the same brush when a person who purports to be a Christian publicly acts otherwise.

Christians are admonished to control our desires and passions. To not be unrestrained in our lifestyle. To be of the highest character possible. To be ethical people in a mostly unethical world. By doing so, we won't be the ones receiving the bad publicity, thereby bringing shame and disgrace to the One who's name we wear.

Ron Covey