Deacon Larry Oney - Amazed by Gods Grace: Overcoming Racial Divides by the Power of the Holy Spirit

AMAZED

by

GODS GRACE

OVERCOMING RACIAL DIVIDES BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

LARRY ONEY

AMAZED

by

GODS GRACE

OVERCOMING RACIAL DIVIDES BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

LARRY ONEY

Copyright 2018 by Larry Oney

All rights reserved.

Published by The Word Among Us Press

7115 Guilford Drive, Suite 100

Frederick, Maryland 21704

wau.org

22 21 20 19 181 2 3 4 5

ISBN: 978-1-59325-335-6

eISBN: 978-1-59325-510-7

Scripture quotations are from the New American Bible, revised edition, 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America, Second Edition, copyright 1997, United States Catholic Conference of Catholic BishopsLibreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission

Cover design by Suzanne Earl

Cover photo courtesy of Hope and Purpose Ministries

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author and publisher.

Made and printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017960701

Lovingly dedicated to Andi,

my most cherished friend.

CONTENTS

DEAR READER,

I set out to tell the story of the journey of my faith, hoping to lift up the name of the Lord and his amazing grace. I especially want to give my own perspective on the power of Gods love to overcome adversity, no matter what circumstances we currently face or have faced in the past. Gods amazing grace is so expansive that it is like a great tree with room under its branches for all of his children.

As a black man, I can speak from experience about the realities of injustice, poverty, and struggle, but I can also speak from experience about the power of Gods triumphant love and the amazing grace that he gives us throughout our lives as we journey to the house of the Father. Sometimes this outpouring of Gods grace is imperceptible, but nonetheless, the weight of his glory still presses in upon us.

Larry

CHAPTER ONE

LIFE ON THE PLANTATION

I was seven years old when my life changed forever. During the early 1960s, on a cool, bright morning, I stuffed my lanky frame onto the open windowsill of our tiny house and pulled one knee up to my chin. Holes in my pants exposed freshly scabbed knees, and one dirt-crusted bare foot dangled in the slight breeze. I perched quietly, studying my dadClifton Oneyand the white landowner standing in our yard.

I was rigid with curiosity because the landowner had actually gotten out of his truck. No landowner in the Louisiana Delta would make the effort to get out of his truck just to speak to a black sharecropper unless something serious or important was happening. They stood near the electric water pump that had been put in only days earlier, a replacement for the old hand pump. The dirt that had collected around the new installation was still fresh on the ground.

I watched the white man rest his hands on his hips. He appeared to be frustrated or annoyed about something. I saw his head tilt. He pushed his grey banded hat to one side. His clean white shirt reflected against the bright sun, making me squint. He was not talking ugly to my dad, but he was clearly letting him know what he expected and what he wanted.

Towering over the white landowner, my dad seemed to stand as tall as the sky. His powerful hands were impressive. I knew if he wanted to, he could snap a man in half. He had plenty of chances, though he never dared. One false move in front of a white man would have meant his life. Dad was tall, at least 64, but there was no question as to who was in charge and who held the power during this exchange.

My dad, known as Bubba, held a subservient, humble posture in front of the property owner. Despite the immense difference in their sizes, their mannerisms told the story without words. However, words were spoken. From my window seat, I heard them. Those words etched themselves into my brain and dramatically influenced the rest of my life.

The white man spoke sternly. Bubba, dont you let Bea take these boys away from here. Ive been good to yall. (Bea was my mother.) The white man heartlessly reminded my dad about some basic repairs done to the house to keep the wind from shooting through the bottom of the floor in the wintertimerepairs, like the new pump, meant to entice us to stay. It was clear that he did not want us boys taken off the land, since the eight of us were a significant source of labor.

The landowner knew that my mom wanted to move away from the plantation, but the landowner held the power, and he dictated to my dad not to let us leave. My dad could only say, Yes, sa. Dad didnt have the power to resist the demands of the landowner, though my mom had other ideas.

My father was a survivor, and he knew his place. He grew up on the dicey edge of brutality, when a white man could legally beat a black man down to the ground for little or no reason. I am sure my dads size caused him to know this misery firsthand. Being a large man made him a target of sorts. Any slight movement, or the smallest sign of defiance, could bring him harm or even death.

Looking back, I realize that race, and the power it allowed one group of people over another, swept forcefully into my awareness during that encounter in the yard. The fear, anxiety, and hatred that I came to know would only be washed away many years later, when Gods amazing grace would help me to overcome race. Not that any of us ever completely overcome the pain and the indignity of one race asserting itself over another race, but each of us can make a decision with Gods grace to forgive those who have hurt us in matters of race.

Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly. (John 7:24)

One of the things that helped me begin to change my thinking was the love and kindness, over time, of some of the people around me. The Letter to the Galatians, chapter five, lists love and kindness as fruits of the Spirit. We, as the body of Christ, need to exhibit these fruits in unspoken testimony to people who wont necessarily listen to a word from us. Instead, they will see our actions. Our loving kindness, our gentleness, and our self-control will be a very loud testimony to unbelievers, just as it was for me.