KEN WRIGHT PAVED THE WAY IN SPREADING "THE WORD"

I urge all friends and readers of Wrights Lane to seriously read the words of my father Ken Wright as they were published in the Chatham Daily News 71 years ago. Ken, a barber by trade and an active youth leader, was a frequent contributor to the Daily News, his work many times simply by-lined "Columnite".  I plan to reproduce extracts from some of his journalistic efforts in upcoming days because of their relevance to life today as we are experiencing it.

In the introduction to this particular column Ken talked about appreciation for the opportunity for he and others who "visit one another in our own homes through the medium of this Voice of the People," adding "I am sure from each and all we have been able to glean much that helps a little as we go about our daily routines." Sadly, yet appropriately coincidental, in the wake of the demise of community newspapers, today we have the innovation of on line communications and social media to fill the void and I carry on with the father and son tradition.  Here's what Ken had to say on this particular occasion:

Ken Wright (1899-1952)

I would like to quote from John 6:35 where "Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life."

This as you recall, tells about the children of Israel being fed from five loaves and two small fishes. Those fed included five thousand men, women and children; the lesson showing how God takes care of His people.

This same lesson is shown in Exodus 16:1-30. In this case the Israelites were fed manna in their desert, far from any source of food except for the hand of God.

Many remark "That sounds all well and good but that kind of thing just doesn't happen any more." One of our human faults is that we tend to forget too soon.

We do well to remember the experience of World War 1 American flying ace Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker and his air crew mates who crash landed in the mid-Pacific. All they were able to save was two life rafts.

After days afloat in the ocean with no food or water they became desperate. They decided to try prayer and promptly a sea gull landed on Capt. Eddie's shoulder. They subsequently cleaned and ate the wayward bird and used the intestines as fish bait.

They in turn caught fish -- and then the rain came enabling the men to catch fresh water in receptacles and rags from which they later squeezed out more water when the heavenly rain ceased to fall.

In direct answer to their prayers, rescue eventually came.

“I can say frankly that all of us were so anxious to get away from the [B-17] before she sank we didn’t pay much attention to our rations. We had no water when we went off and we had no food.” —Eddie Rickenbacker

It is apparent even today that God does look after his people. Nevertheless, we should not become complacent. To have that sense of spiritual well-being that all mankind hungers and thirsts for, one must embrace faith through Christianity in a serious personal way.

Food for the body to sustain life does not suffice. I strongly believe that to satiate the instinctive human longing for spiritual well being one must turn to Jesus who says "I am the bread of life."

After the depression of the 1930s, we entered this last war (WW2) with an abundance of wheat on hand. By the end of the war in 1945 we were scratching the bottom of the barrel, but God saw us through to victory.

It is not only when we have conflict between nations or serious crop failures that we should be concerned. If we get away from God and scoff at his commandments we are very apt to see unfortunate history repeating itself.

It is of vital importance how we as a nation carefully choose our course to insure that we are on God's side.

No one needs to tell the people of Canada what is right and what is wrong. We have entered the year 1949 well read and with our eyes wide open deliberately for or against the word of God and the teaching of Jesus Christ.

--30--

~~ from the mind, heart and fountain pen of Ken Wright, God bless is soul.