Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1111480
MAY 1-7, 2019 UCW 19 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 5 6-9PM Open Mike JAM Session w/Bob Steele No Cover Charge MAY 3 • 8 PM Reflections II Band TOGA PARTY $5 Cover Charge 8 PM STONE CLOUD $5 Cover Charge Live Music sponsored by MAY 4 719 Starling St. | Fayetteville, NC 28303 | 910.779-2898 | www.paulsplacenc.com DAN DEBRULER, General Manager, WCLN. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. What we've abandoned by DAN DEBRULER Our culture lines up for programs promising a better future for children while granting legal access to murder of the very children who could have taken part in that future. Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash THE CROWN COMPLEX 1960 Coliseum Dr. • 910-438-4100 www.crowncomplexnc.com June 15 Ladies Night Out tour July 13 Glenn Miller Orchestra THE DRUNK HORSE PUB 106 S Eastern Blvd. • 910-835-8347 May 3 Brother Minor, Telltale May 17 Famous Last Words THE TAPHOUSE AT HUSKE 411 Hay St. • 910-426-5650 May 3 The Kevin Regan Band May 4 Dueling Pianos PAUL'S PLACE 719 Starling St. • 910-779-2898 www.paulsplacenc.com May 3 Reflections II Band May 4 Stone Cloud May 5 Bob Steele Jam Session LUIGI'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 528 N McPherson Church Rd. • 910-864-1810• www.luigisnc.com May 3 Pete Everette & The Total Package May 4 Young Joyner and Marie May 10 Marquis Trio MUSIC I never really understood the story of Rip Van Winkle — until recently, that is. It seems the more I look around, the less I recognize. It's not that progress or change bothers me. In fact, I'm a huge fan of many things new and emerging. But I've come to regret some of the things we choose to abandon — namely values. Back to Van Winkle. When he awak- ens on a mountain after a 20-year nap, he discovers shocking changes: his musket is rotting and rusty, his beard is a foot long, and his dog is nowhere to be found. He returns to his village, where he recognizes no one. He arrives just after an election, and people ask how he voted. Never having cast a ballot in his life, he proclaims himself a faithful subject of King George III, unaware that the American Revolution has taken place. He nearly gets himself into trouble with the townspeople until one elderly woman recognizes him as the long-lost Rip Van Winkle. When it comes to music, enter- tainment and even transportation, I'm completely on board with the changes. I like the new. I like the path we're taking, and I can still enjoy the fruits of a harvest gone by without bothering anyone else with my sense of melancholy. Technology? A little different, but I am usually quick to embrace the lat- est and keep my eyes peeled for what- ever is coming over the horizon. It's just that the devices we used before become more quickly obsolete. Then we come to values. I can't real- ly discuss values without mentioning how closely aligned they are with the morals I live by. Those morals come from the Bible. Love God. Love others more than you do yourself. Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly. These are not catch phrases to me. They are the basis for the moral code I feel we've begun to abandon. On a recent Sunday, I found myself having insults bounced off me while I was saluted with a single finger more than once by numerous passers-by. My offense? Holding a sign that sim- ply read, "Pray to end abortion." Four words. I didn't speak a word. I didn't confront anyone. I wasn't blocking an entrance or a roadway. I was just standing on the public right of way near a closed clinic at which abor- tions are offered. On one side of me was a couple who adopted a beautiful little girl from a young, unexpectedly pregnant mother who had previously consid- ered abortion. On my other side were a couple of young women who had had abortions and who hoped to dis- suade others from taking a similar path. They knew the heartache and regret it caused and wanted to inter- cede on other women's behalf. After a 20-year career standing in the gap for the defenseless as a sol- dier, standing in a similar way for the unborn is somewhat natural for me. It's how I pray. It's how I think. It's one way I place value on others more than myself. When I observe our leg- islators considering whether a child in the third trimester of gestation is worthy of drawing its first — or sec- ond — breath outside the womb, I am grieved at what we've abandoned. Our culture lines up for programs promising a better future for children while granting legal access to murder of the very children who could have taken part in that future. OPINION "Cumberland County's Community Newspaper" ROCK Independent free papers bring buyers and sellers together with more audited circulation than your daily. During these times, it is more important to make the right advertising choice. We're it. We can help your business. SOLID