Encouragement

---

Sputnik Monroe took Memphis Tennessee by storm in the 1950's. He was originally a carnival wrestler, and would wrestle anybody or anything to draw a crowd. From bears to other pro wrestlers, Sputnik had all manner of opponents, and he had a following. He also had a sense of right and wrong on some issues, and took on society with his brash, combative way.

The local laws forbade white people to walk on Beale St, an attempt to segregate the races; Sputnik walked down Beale St, and defied the law. He became a hero to Memphis' black community. They were his fans, not just because of his stand, but his brash ways in the wrestling ring. In the days of wrestling in Memphis's Ellis Auditorium, the promoters wanted to keep the races apart. They had the ushers count and admit only so many Negroes, whom they sat in the balcony. Sputnik knew about this, and, before the match, was in the lobby paying the ushers not to count. He packed the balconies. Just as Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis thought nothing of putting elements of black music into theirs, Sputnik integrated the wrestling ring. He had the same level of fame in wrestling that they had in music.

Once, in Mobile Alabama, a white woman saw him driving down a street with a black man in his car. She called him all manner of names, and ended up calling him a Sputnik. Americans in that day hated the Russians getting a space ship, Sputnik, into space ahead of them. In her anger the woman named him something she hated, for his flaunting of social order. He liked the name and kept it, Sputnik Monroe.

It takes people willing to be tough and willing to do what is right; to bring about what is good for the Kingdom of God. There is a sense of Spirit empowered ability to stand up to wrong attitudes and rules. It takes someone who knows his or her calling, and place (See Esther). It's not a humanly empowered strength; just ask King David and Gideon.

Sometimes ya just gotta be a Sputnik!

Tell me what you think, I'm just thinkin out loud!

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE