Lessons from Hogwarts

Faith and the religious community has been part of the Harry Potter series since it became wildly popular about 10 years ago. Early on, many churches protested since it centers around a boy wizard. That uproar died down as folks started to examine it as a parable or fairy tale centered around the battle between good and evil, or pure love and selfishness.

As I watched the latest movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, some other subtle themes seemed to rise to the surface.

* Truth - The story is set around the conflict between Harry and others who believe the evil wizard Voldemort has returned and those who are still in denial. Despite some amount of physical and emotional pain because of his knowledge, Harry doesn't give up on the truth.

* Community - I love this particular story because it so parallels teenage development. Harry is now about 16 and like many teenagers, he is convinced the world revolves around him. And of course, no one else understands what he's going through. But he has to realize that he can't do it alone. Friends and mentors -- community -- are necessary to become the person he is supposed to be.

If you're looking for some other faith angles, try Beliefnet or the Dallas Morning News blogs.

I have a feeling the conclusion of the series, to be released in book form on Saturday, will have even more religious overtones. I'll let you know when I finish it...

Everyone's issue

Roxann Johnson, CEO of the YWCA, shared an alarming anecdote with me yesterday. On more than one occasion she has approached local pastors asking for support of the shelter for domestic violence victims operated by the organization. They have not exactly blown her off, but they have referred her to the church's women's ministry to get what she needs.

Excuse me? If men are the ones are beating their wives, isn't that a men's issue?

So she was thrilled to see about 100 people, many of them male pastors, attending a training session yesterday to teach faith based organizations about domestic violence and how they can help victims in their churches. And as one minister said, the abusers need prayer and ministry too. It's not a pleasant issue, but it does affect people from all segments of society.

Minister Charlie Davis, of Red Chute Church of Christ and organizer of the event, put it well: "That's what the church should be talking about -- things that aren't comfortable."

Local boy makes priest

A former Shreveporter and son of the former Times editor has been ordained a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Fort Worth. You can see a story about the Rev. Raymond McDaniel Jr. and his journey from First Baptist Church to St. Patrick's in Fort Worth's diocesan magazine.

'Go and do likewise'

After talking to friends and church members, I wish I had met Mr. Waller, who gave his life while trying to help a neighbor.

"He was always smiling, always happy, always waving," friend Terri Gilmer said. "He just taught you how to love no matter what."

Mr. Waller was a faithful church member, and I think he would be pleased if we read a little Scripture in his memory. In his honor, here's the story of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke:

(A lawyer) asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

In reply, Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper.

'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Public sin

The news about U.S. Sen. David Vitter and the "DC Madam" has brought up one of my favorite moral theology questions. When is a sin just a weakness and when is it hypocrisy?

Every religion agrees that people should strive for perfection but will ultimately fail. So does that make us all hypocrites or are we just weak -- and we all have our own weaknesses?

UPDATE: One of my favorite blogs, Get Religion, has looked at the question a little more in depth. Let me know what you think...

Mission time

Broadmoor Baptist just returned from its annual mission to Cordoba, Mexico, where they work with the Mexican-Indian Training Center. Part-time photographer and church member Chesley Roberts went and documented the trip in this photo gallery.

Please check it out. The church choir went, so the missionaries were able to serve people physically in a medical clinic and spiritually through some massive revival services. I hear it was absolutely tremendous.

New meaning to committment

My job leads me to some truly remarkable people. Robert and Thelma Tobin certainly rank up there with some of my favorites.

Next week they will celebrate their 76th wedding anniversary and I wrote about it for today's paper. Lots of people don't even live that long, but they are happy and healthy and look at each other probably the same way they did in 1931. Despite their trials, my guess is part of the reason they succeeded is because divorce just simply wasn't an option. They committed themselves to the relationship and that was that - no more discussion needed.

I also asked them about divorce rates today. Mr. Tobin agreed it was problem. "It leaves the community on shaky ground. When you have stout families, you have stout communities."

We can all learn something from their example.

A geranium in your hat

I'm not sure Barbara Johnson was ever a speaker in the Women of Faith tour when it came through Shreveport, but I'm sure her humor influenced the tour for years to come.

She died last week and the PR folks are just releasing her obituary. Here's a piece:

Award-winning Christian author and Women of Faith Speaker emeritus, Barbara Johnson died July 2nd, 2007, of cancer. Diagnosed with a brain tumor in early 2001, she valiantly fought central nervous system lymphoma for six years, as well as adult onset diabetes. During her final illness, she amazed the publishing world by adding four more titles to her long list of best sellers, including a poignantly humorous book about her cancer, Plant a Geranium in Your Cranium.

Known as the “Geranium Lady” after her book Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy, Barbara won the hearts of millions with her trademark wit and humor formed in the fire of adversity. One of Barbara’s favorite humorists to emulate was Erma Bombeck. She was also known in many literary circles as the “Christian Erma Bombeck.”

Faith and freedom, step 2

The other day I wrote about freedom of choice and how valuable that is when it comes to religion. So the next question becomes how do we handle that freedom when confronted with people who believe differently?

Most of us come for a religion with explicit commands to spread the word and bring others to the fold. That must be balanced with a respect for those who believe differently. After all, if God doesn't force us to love him, who are we to force others into our faith?

This Christian-Muslim relations class I've been taking has examined this very issue of interreligious dialogue and how to approach it with charity and without compromising your own religious integrity. Here are some of the guidelines we discussed, some of which come from the book "Meeting Other Believers" by Cardinal Francis Arinze:

* Belief in freedom of choice so that people may practice faith according to their own conscience.

* Be knowledgeable about your own faith. Nearly all of the arguments against religious dialogue (that it would cause people to question their beliefs or lead to relativism or syncretism) can be refuted if those participating in dialogue are strong and knowledgeable about their own belief.

* Maintain a clear religious identity. Sometimes the temptation might be to downplay those elements of religion that set you apart from those you're talking to. But be firm and proud of what you believe - anyone who wants to learn about your religion would expect that. Arinze puts it well: "Christians who... would like to hide their Christian identity or at least to de-emphasize it, seem to be saying, without words, that Christ is an obstacle or embarrassment to dialogue."

* At the same time, be prepared to look at your own faith critically. I don't mean to attack your beliefs, but acknowledge those teachings that might seem difficult or contradictory to those who do not share your faith. Also realize where your tradition as an institution has failed. As a Catholic, I have to admit that the Virgin birth of Jesus is hard to grasp and that the Inquisition was probably not the finest moment in church history. But we can talk about those things constructively.

* Knowledge of the other religion. It's impossible to have truly constructive dialogue without knowing something of the other religion. If you're unclear on the basics, look them up or make that known and ask the person you're talking to before jumping to conclusions.

* Finally, perhaps most importantly, bring with you an attitude of love and respect. My job has led me to conversations with all kinds of folks who believe differently than I do, and going into those conversations with a genuine respect and curiosity has made up for all kinds of stupid questions and unintentional, but possibly insulting, remarks.

What took so long?

Any "signficant" date these days seem to bring some prophecy about the Second Coming of Christ or the apocalypse. Now 7/7/07 has it's own prophecy here. I had never heard of these folks before, so I don't know what else to say...

He said that?

As I've watched churches grown and change in Shreveport, I have been fascinated and sometimes saddened by the lack of ethnic diversity in the vast majority of congregations.

It's especially obvious in neighborhoods that were once predominately white and are now predominately black, which led to the story in today's Times. The white churches will eventually sell to black churches -- often of the same denomination. And the black church will grow. So here, you've got folks with no theological difference but they can't seem to make it work.

In my reporting, the Rev. James Jenkins, Regional strategist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention (that's the Southern Baptists) said one of the most radical things I've ever heard on the subject of race, culture and church.

"There's no such thing as a multicultural church."

Say what? What about Word of Life Center or the Jehovah's Witness congregations or the Catholic parishes that have folks that come from different cultures? He clarified saying you can have multiethnic churches, meaning people who don't look like each other attend the same congregation. But "in any church there is one culture."

The more I thought about it, it makes sense. Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics have a culture of their own that can -- at least for an hour on Sunday -- transcend racial divisions. Other churches tend to adopt the culture of the members. If those members come from different places, Jenkins said one group always wins.

Or maybe they can find a third way. From what I know of Word of Life, members are drawn by the pastor and charismatic worship. It's a basic message of Jesus.

So what do y'all think? Do you agree with Jenkins? How do we bring folks together to worship? Or does it even matter?

Faith and freedom

Yesterday's official readings for Catholic churches around the world focused on freedom -- particularly meaningful in this country as we gear up to celebrate Independence Day. The Old Testament reading and the gospel passages both centered around stories of people and their freedom to choose (or not) to follow God's call. And the second reading, from Galatians, tied together the ideas of freedom, service and love.

"For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love." (Gal. 5:1, 13)

Freedom and service at their face seem some how opposed to each other. If we are in service, we submit our own will to the needs of others, which contradicts the idea of freedom, right? Not when the choice to serve is made willingly and out of love. Pope Benedict XVI put it better than I ever could in a weekly address (read here for the complete text):

Luke the Evangelist tells of how Jesus, 'When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.' (Lk 9:51). In the expression 'resolutely' we can glimpse the freedom of Christ. He knows, in fact, that in Jerusalem, death by the cross awaits him, but in obedience to the will of the Father he offers himself for love. It is in this, his obedience to the Father, that Jesus fulfills his own conscious choice motivated by love.

Who is more free than the One who is Omnipotent? But it was a freedom he didn't see as arbitrary or as one of dominion. It was one he viewed as service. In the process, he "restored" what freedom means, otherwise it would remain 'empty' opportunities of doing or not doing something. And so in the life of man, freedom brings with it a sense of love.

50 years in the same job

The whole concept seems foreign to me, and probably anyone of my generation. But Ronald Gray, music minister at Broadmoor Christian Church just celebrated that milestone.

He is a charter member of the church, founded in 1956 (when 6005 Youree Drive was no doubt in the middle of the sticks). According to the bio from the church, he fell into the job almost by accident. During the summer of 1957, he began as interim choir director. Shortly thereafter, the organist quit and Gray was promoted to Minister of Music and Choir Director.

He never left.

In another interesting tie to the church, Gray and his wife, Donna, were the first couple married in Broadmoor Christian Church.

When you think about all the changes in worship styles and theory in the last 50 years, it seems especially remarkable that he has remained in the position.

It did not go unnoticed by the regional authorities of the Disciples of Christ. They proclaimed June 16, 2007, as Ronnie Gray Day.

Trials of the Christian Single

As a Christian -- or devout member of any faith -- how hard is it to date people that share those same values? Rod Dreher, Dallas Morning News columnist and Crunchy Con blogger, took up the issue yesterday in this post. I found fairly spot on. Although, as one of the commenters noted it has the potential to be the "Depressingest. Thread. Ever."

What do y'all think?

Almighty pandering

Why can't movies with a religious theme be legitimately funny without feeling like their pandering to a predetermined audience?

I saw "Evan Almighty" yesterday, hoping the critics would be wrong. I mean, Steve Carell is a funny guy. And yes, God and the Bible can be funny too. But a lot of it was just flat. Carell gets hit in the crotch multiple times (almost never funny). And the long hair and robes gag is overdone and unnecessary. The movie had its subtle, funny moments playing off of religious aphorisms - in one scene Carell says something to God about having plans and God (Morgan Freeman) starts laughing.

The religious parts of it just seem forced. A conversation about prayer seemed awkward, as if the writer felt it had to be there for some sort of Christian credibility. And as our resident movie expert Alexandyr Kent noted, no one seems to die, despite the massive flood that sweeps through the Washington DC suburbs. That seems a little optimistic even for God.

It does have one rather insightful moment. Carell's wife, Joan (as in, of Arc) has taken the three kids and left Carell to his ark building. While in a diner, God appears to her as a waiter and says maybe God doesn't answer prayer as much as give opportunity. For instance, when you pray for patience, God gives the opportunity to be patient. Or if you pray for courage maybe he gives you the opportunity to be courageous.

At least there was something to think about in an otherwise disappointing film.

Happy Solstice

I almost forgot. Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, which is also a holiday for many Pagan or Earth-based religions. Pagan or not, Beliefnet offers some suggestions of how to celebrate the gift of light.

For your commute...

Life can't get much more everyday than your commute, and the Vatican has decided that can be a place for faith as well. Yesterday it released the "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrant and Itinerant People, which included a sort of 10 Commandments for the road.

At first, it seems kind of odd and a trivial thing for the church to worry about, but especially as Americans, think about how much time we spend in our cars. A quick glance at the police blotter will tell you driving is dangerous and should be approached with caution. Personally, I'm convinced that prayer is the only thing that's kept me alive so far.

I'm delinquent because I couldn't find a link to the actual document but here are the 10 commandments according to the Associated Press:

The Vatican's "Ten Commandments" for drivers:
1: You shall not kill.
2: The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3: Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4: Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5: Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6: Charitably convince the young and not-so-young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7: Support the families of accident victims.
8: Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9: On the road, protect the more-vulnerable party.
10: Feel responsible toward others.

Photo: John Andrew Prime/The Times

Answered prayers

If you wonder if God answers prayers, see Ethan Powell's website today. A couple of ladies in my office started crying at the news. Awesome -- or should I say awe-full -- stuff.

When pastors leave

Final newsletter columns are often sappy and filled with thank yous and maybe a cheesy anecdote. The Rev. John Deschner of North Highlands United Methodist Church broke that mold by posing three pretty deep questions to his congregation that form a spiritual inventory:

* Looking back over the last two years, has your faith grown? If it has not, what has stopped you?
* Looking back over the last two years, are there new Christians among us, or recovered Christians among us?
* Looking back over the last two years, have you become a better representative of Jesus Christ in the world? Have you been involved in the mission work of this congregation? Have you lived your private life in a way that attracted thanksgiving and admiration from non-believers?

A great example dies

Well, Mrs. Graham died a little while ago surrounded by family. From what little I've read of her, she seems to be a great example of what it means to be a wife and mother. I received a press release with a quote from Billy Graham that I thought I would share:

“Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team. No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support.

“I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last few years we’ve had in the mountains together. We’ve rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven.”

Sad news from the Graham family

Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham is near death according to their public relations firm. Here's what they just sent out...

This morning, her condition began to deteriorate, with episodes of dropping
blood pressure and irregular heartbeat as she has become less responsive to
family and care-givers.

At her request, Mrs. Graham is being treated at home, with minimal artificial support. Earlier this week she indicated she did not want to be given any more
food or fluids, though she is receiving medication to manage her pain.

She continues to have fluctuating levels of consciousness, but is resting comfortably, with her husband, Billy Graham, and their five children by her bedside.

Confronting the "other"

So how do you talk to someone of another religion -- not just another Christian sect, but someone of a very different tradition -- without arguing or trying to convert each other? It's harder than it sounds, but about 25 people of varying traditions are trying to learn in a class offered through the Catholic Diocese, "Muslim-Christian Dialogue."

I decided to take the eight-week class and after the first night my brain is already churning. It's taught by Dr. Peter Huff, chairman of the religious studies department at Centenary, who teaches classes in comparative religions and has some expertise in this sort of dialogue.

Right after the introductions, we got to what are the two most difficult questions that any Christian has to wrestle with when dealing with Islam:

* What do you do with Muhammad? He claims to be a prophet after Jesus, and most Christian denominations reject that possibility.
* What do you do with the Quran as revelation that Muhammad says came from the God of Abraham through the angel Gabriel (the same angel from the annunciation)?

He said it's easy to come up with two obvious answers. One, Muhammad was right and Islam is the correct path. Or two, it's all false claims and evil. Well, Huff asked the class to think of a third way. What if you said some of what Islam teaches is true and therefore Christians could see the faith as partially inspired by God?

That's certainly not the final answer to the questions, but it's a good starting place as we explore relationships with people different from ourselves. Acknowledge the differences and the similarities and proceed forward in charity. That doesn't mean backing down from your beliefs but just being open to seeing truth dressed up in different ways.

Testing 1,2,3

Apparently, the new trend in starting churches is something akin to a "soft opening" of a store. They'll have a couple of worship services and gatherings - maybe once a month - until a grand opening.

The Simple Church is the newest one in town trying this format. It's being started by the Rev. Justin Haigler, who has been a minister at First Baptist Bossier for several years. Their philosophy is certainly a post-modern take on church: "the Simple Church exists for those who are tired of religion getting in the way of knowing who God is."

But they had one meeting June 10, and plan others for 9:30 a.m. July 15 and Aug. 12 at the movie theater at The Louisiana Boardwalk. Then they'll have the grand opening on Sept. 16 and meet on a regular basis after that. I guess the purpose is - like any business - to generate buzz and interest before actually welcoming the public in general. It's an interesting approach, and maybe it will work...

Welcome new pastors!

This time of year is prime moving time for a lot of folks particularly pastors. And United Methodists like to do it all at once, following their annual conference.

Sorry, I'm a little late getting this out, but 11 area Methodist churches are getting new leaders, the largest of which is Asbury United Methodist in Bossier City. Here's the list released by the conference of their new appointments:

Asbury United Methodist Church, Bossier City: Rev. Douglas de Graffenried
Wesley Chapel, Coushatta: the Rev. Jonathan King
Love Chapel, Haughton: the Rev. Mollie McGee
Longstreet, Logansport: the Rev. S. Kemper Smith
First United Methodist, Minden: the Rev. John Cannon
Ringgold: the Rev. John Dilworth
Lakeview, Shreveport: the Rev. Mark Strickland
North Highlands, Shreveport: the Rev. Burton Blair
Northpoint, Shreveport: the Rev. Steven Fowler
St. Luke’s, Shreveport: the Rev. Terry Love
Springhill: the Rev. Walter Parker

Welcome to all of you who are new to the area. I hope you find a thriving faith community.

Ministry of encouragement

In hopes of getting out while there was shade and maybe something resembling cool air, I got up earlyish yesterday to go for a run. I headed out to the riverfront trail and was getting into my groove when I crossed paths with a man, who was obviously in better shape than me. He shot me this big grin, clapped his hands like a trainer and said "good job!"

Isn't that nice, I thought. Only a half mile in, I was still feeling good and didn't think too much else of the man. Four miles later, when it was probably 10 degrees warmer, I was on my way back home, trying to stay motivated for the last little bit. Up ahead I saw the same man running toward me, and I was so thankful for his presence. He smiled again and clapped.

"Good job for both of us!"

"You too," was all I could muster.

He might not think of that as ministry, but it was to me. He encouraged me to find strength and to be thankful for this human community God gave us. So whoever you are, thanks and good job!

What you might not know about Witnesses

Best known for their door-to-door evangelism, Jehovah's Witnesses have come to town for an annual convention. Organizers say between 9,000 and 10,000 people are here for a weekend of worship and instruction.



I mentioned to the media contact that I know very little about the Witnesses and he was happy to fax me a fact sheet. I'm guessing that most of you know little about them outside of that kid in your elementary school class that couldn't participate in class holiday parties. So here's some of what they sent me about their beliefs, along with a little bit from Beliefnet.com:



* They view first century Christianity as their model.



* They see the Bible as infallible and inspired, but say that some pieces are symbolic.



* They believe Jesus is the son of God but not equal to God. They do not believe in the Trinity, which most Christians profess.



* While they don't physically separate themselves from society, they do avoid involvement in government, so service in the Military or saying the Pledge of Allegiance is considered wrong.



* They also try to avoid "being excessive" in worldly wealth or power.



* They see marriage as a lifelong commitment and only allow divorce in special circumstances. Re-marriage is only allowed in the case of adultery.



Plenty of folks have called the denomination a cult and set up websites to condemn it, but I thought I'd at least give you some of their own explanation of beliefs and you can decide for yourself what to make of it.

Restoring the whole person

Doctors are sometimes accused of just treating the physical, while ministers sometimes skew to the spiritual aspects of people.

The David Raines Community Health Center is trying to bring the two sides together. At a lunch today, local ministers heard about the numerous health services provided at the clinic in the MLK neighborhood. The presentation emphasized quality care that is open to anyone whether they have insurance or not. Those without insurance pay based on their income.

About a dozen ministers attended, and the staff from the clinic hoped they would spread the word to their parishioners.

"Churches are still the backbone of the community and you can help us," CEO Willie White said. "So many people don't have health care. They just wait and wait until they end up in the emergency room, where it costs us all."

The Rev. Robert Walton of St. Rest Baptist Church spoke to the group and encouraged them to make health a part of their church's ministries. He reminded them of Bible passages that talk about the value of good health and even good teeth.

I'm always encouraged to see churches stepping outside of their four walls. Maybe something creative can come out of this for churches whether its regular health screenings or a commitment to healthier fellowship dinners.

It can help the church on a spiritual and physical level.

From the mouths of babes

A family friend told me about babysitting her 5-year-old grandson over the weekend. In one of their travels she said Jacob made some comment and she said "trust me."

"I trust you Nana, but I trust God more," he replied.

Welcome to the project

A visiting priest from Massachusetts, Fr. John O'Brien, visited the young adult group I'm a part of last night and as part of the discussion we talked about how the church has evolved over the last 2,000 years. He said that in times of cultural distress (like today) people want to cling to absolutes and black and white but that's not how faith works.

While God may not change, our understanding of God is constantly developing, partly based on the culture/conflicts of the day, he said. Therefore, our human reaction to God (the "rules" of religion) also change. Then he came to the best part. Fr. John reminded us that we can be a part of that discussion. As we grow in faith and understanding and share it with others, we contribute to this "project" of developing theology.

I guess that's what I hoped this blog and my work in general can be about: stimulating and continuing that discussion. How do other people understand God? How does faith intersect with the world? What can we learn from all of that?

Welcome to this piece of the project.

May it be an uneventful season

June 1 marks the official beginning of hurricane season, even though we've technically already had one named storm. I searched for some preventing disastrous storm prayers and came up with these. The first is pretty generic and the second is very Catholic (and kind of scary).

Father, all the elements of nature obey your command.
Calm the storms and hurricanes that threaten us
and turn our fear of your power into praise of your goodness.
Amen.

********

O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity awaits us. Amen.

God, cops and criminals

Public figures regularly invoke the name of God or some higher power when they achieve some accomplishment or recognition. So I only half paid attention when the new police chief, Col. Henry Whitehorn, thanked God when he took the podium at the press conference last night. But then he came back to the almighty saying that God has a plan.

That caught my attention. He didn't immediately elaborate on the plan, and Channel 12 returned to CSI just after that, so I'm not sure if anything else came up. But I was struck that this is a man who sees himself working for a higher authority than himself, the mayor or even the citizens of Shreveport. I hope so. Because, quite frankly, I'm not sure that the police chief can prevent most crime.

The Rev. Bobby Joe Cooper paid me a visit this morning and without me asking he brought up the issue.

"Every week people are killing each other. The new police chief is not going to stop that. The only solution is Jesus Christ."

Cooper is on to something. He's been walking the streets, evangelizing in hopes of making a difference.

Maybe if we all leaned on some higher power (It doesn't have to be Jesus. All world religions condemn senseless violence, and secular humanists would see it as impractical.) then our city might be safer.

From storefront to national attention

Anita Palmer, of Many, called me today to brag on her pastor, the Rev. Andre Lewis. He leads a small storefront church, Act on Faith Ministries in the Caddo Heights neighborhood.

But they apparently have an awesome choir, Supreme Voices of Faith. The not-quite 20 member group (the church has about 50 members) recently made a trip to Atlanta to appear on a variety show broadcast on several regional TV stations. They were promoting their new CD "Another Chance." Lewis produced the album, and snippets are available from the record label website. It's got a jazzy, soulful, gospel sound that they compare to Kirk Franklin.

Lewis said his goal for the CD is in the title.

"God is a god of another chance," he said. Too often, he hears from people who are waiting to get their lives together before the come back to church.

"People don't come to church because they don't feel worthy," he said. "God has to be the one to reform us."

He said if you walked into his sanctuary on Sunday, you might smell a little Saturday night alcohol or notice someone with bloodshot eyes.

"These are the people we're supposed to be preaching to," he said.

Palmer had nothing but praise for him, and only a little bit had to do with her recent TV appearance with the choir. She said she has learned so much more about the Bible and God than she had at other churches.

"He taught me that God is always with me," she said.

Although she almost had second thoughts about calling, she said she just wanted to give her pastor a little public acknowledgement for what he's been doing for her and the rest of the church. And I'm always thrilled to hear people excited about their faith and their communities, so here it is. Congratulations to Act on Faith!

More nun stories

One more story about the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word appeared in my inbox today, even though the story about their 100th anniversary of working at Schumpert Hospital appeared on Sunday. I have loved reading every one of these stories. They're funny and touching and maybe it will inspire someone else to follow in these nun's footsteps.

Here's the last one from Bette Chiles Davis, a nurse and patient:

I entered the Schumpert School of Nursing in 1937, when I was 17 years old.

I am not Catholic and really did not know what to expect, but the Sisters were all very friendly and kind. They, also. made all of us as comfortable as they could.

The sisters taught us both in the classroom and when we cared for patients in the hospital setting. Their Christian influence was felt by each one of us and could be seen in our patient care.

The sisters are also very human. Being young and mischievous, several of the students decided to play a joke on the night supervisor. This was in the old red brick building. One sat in a wheel chair and pretended to be in labor and rang the night bell. One student ran down and was pushing the wheelchair toward the elevator, when a Sister came off the elevator and helped to get the "expecting patient" on the elevator. We were able to keep the "patient's face" hidden until we were taking her off the elevator. That was when we were exposed but Sister only laughed with us.

During the big snow in the mid-40's, some of us were sliding down the west front driveway on cardboard boxes. Two of the young sisters came out and we were throwing snow balls when they joined us. They wanted to slide down the drive way as well. A couple of us went to a near by store and purchased some boots for them to walk back up the hill where there was several inches of snow. We all were sliding down the hill and having a great time.

In 1940, I delivered my daughter, at Schumpert on the third floor of that same red brick building. As a patient I was priviledged to experience the thoughtful CHRISTIAN compassionate care offered by the sisters, docters, nurses, dietary, housekeeping and all other staff members.

I am now retired from Schumpert, and I can hardly believe that I have been associated with the Sisters off and on for 70 of the 100 years that are being celebrated.

Congratulations Msgr. LaCaze!

Allow me to send a personal congratulations today to my first pastor (at least the first one I remember), Msgr. Carson LaCaze, now the parochial vicar at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans.

Today, he celebrates the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. It's hard for many of us to imagine doing anything for 50 years, much less enjoying your job so much that you continue after your eligible for retirement. I talked to him a little bit about his career and what this anniversary means to him.

"I'm still pleased with the choice," LaCaze said. "I'd do it over again. I enjoy the work, working with the people of God."

Monsignor was born in 1930 in Natchitoches Parish. He started thinking about the priesthood in sixth grade, and by his junior year of high school he decided that was how he was to spend his life. So at 16 years old he enrolled in seminary at St. Joseph's in Covington. Yes, you read that right, 16.

It took him another 10 years to finish high school, college level philosophy and theology before ordination at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. His ordination class had 22 men, which he said was big even then, and by today's standards is huge. With the priest shortage continuing to worsen he encouraged young men to consider the vocation.

"It's a rewarding life," he said, and ever the pragmatist: "Like most professions, you get what you put into it."

He immediately began ministry in Cottonport. Since then he has served as pastor of Holy Rosary, Christ the King and St. Mary of the Pines. He helped found Mary, Queen of Peace, when it was a mission church.

Administering the sacraments -- baptism, Eucharist, marriage -- have always been the high points of his ministry, he said. His biggest surprise was when he received a letter in 1979 naming him a monsignor, which is a special given by the pope on the recommendation of the local bishop.

"I wasn't working for it and didn't expect it," he said.

I'm quite sure he earned it. I remember Monsignor from his days at St. Mary's when I would get dragged up to church to "help" with whatever my mom was doing. He kind of scared us as kids - he was a little gruff and had very high expectations of his parish. He was also the first priest I ever heard swear (although it was something very minor). As an adult, he always makes me laugh, and I can see why he is my dad's favorite priest, with his practical approach to faith. It's been a joy to be reacquainted with him.

In celebration of his jubilee, Monsignor will celebrate all of the Masses at the Cathedral this weekend, with a covered dish lunch following the 11 a.m. Mass. Then at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday he along with Msgr. Franz Graef and other priests ordained for the Diocese of Alexandria the same year will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Cathedral, 939 Jordan St.

May God continue to bless his ministry to the people of Shreveport-Bossier City.

Summer reading

School's almost out. The humidity is rising. And pool chairs are filling up faster than cash registers at a gas station.

For me, it's time to catch up on all the reading I have wanted to do but haven't while I've been taking my masters classes. I have several spiritual/religious books scattered around my apartment: Philip Yancey's "Prayer," Rob Bell's "Velvet Elvis," Pope John Paul II's "Crossing the Threshold of Hope," and I need to order Pope Benedict XVI's "Jesus of Nazareth."

Is there anything out there you recommend? Religious or even a secular book with some good spiritual themes?

Note about comments

I welcome and encourage your comments to the blog, so I thought I might clarify a few things to encourage the discussion.

* It's easy. You don't have to have your own blog, just click on comments and under "choose your identity" you can register as a guest or anonymous and then leave your thoughts.

* All comments are moderated by me. That means I get an e-mail when someone leaves a comment and then I choose whether or not to post it. So if your comment doesn't show up right away, it probably means I haven't checked my e-mail lately (this is more likely to be the case on the weekends).

* I'll publish just about anything as long as it's not truly vulgar or ridiculous.

* As far as I can tell, I cannot edit the comments, so check your spelling and grammar.

Thanks and comment away!

Notice some better looking homes?

In just a few hours, with enough volunteers a house can go from this:

To this...

to nearly brand new...

Nearly 70 homes have a new paint job this week after Saturday's annual Paint Your Heart Out Shreveport event. I joined my boyfriend's office at Barksdale and a group from Comcast cable to paint the home of an 85-year-old lady in Sunset Acres. She, like the other homeowners, couldn't do it herself and couldn't afford to pay someone, so the city provided the materials and churches, businesses and organizations throughout the city provided the labor (I have to say that BAFB was particularly well represented).

It was a good reminder that volunteer work doesn't have to be hard or even terribly time consuming. It was just a matter of putting on some work clothes and doing what needed to be done. Everyone walks away with a sense of appreciation and pride.

Door to door caution

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was hanging out in my apartment when someone knocked on the door. I wasn't expecting anyone, so I peered through the peephole. A nice-looking young man stood there, without any sort of identification.

My city-girl instincts kicked in and I thought went through the options: He could be an ax murderer. He could just be lost. Maybe he's trying to sell something, at which point I can call security because solicitations are not allowed in the complex. I could ignore him completely.

I decided to open the door just wide enough to say hi. He handed me a flier from his church.
"I'm just spreading the love of Jesus," he said.
"Thanks, have a nice day," I replied.
Door closed.

I fully appreciate people who are willing to go door to door spreading their faith. It shows conviction and guts and faith, since you never know what you're going to find when the door opens. And being a religion reporter, I'm naturally interested in other peoples beliefs.

But in today's world, where the news regularly warns us to lock our doors and be suspicious of who knocks, I was not about to engage this guy in further conversation. My mom is probably out there shaking her head at me for even answering the door.

It left me wondering whether churches have adjusted their witnessing strategies to make up for today's climate. I have a few suggestions. Send out two people -- preferably of the opposite sex. Maybe wear some sort of identifying clothing. Everyone recognizes the Mormons in their white shirts and ties. And don't be surprised if you get lots of terse responses in apartment complexes full of single women.

May God welcome him home

Shreveport has lost a beautiful example of Christian life with the death of Dr. Joe Holoubek Thursday. He was 91.

His contributions to the city's medical community are well documented: the founding of LSU's School of Medicine here and the care he and his late wife, Dr. Alice, gave to countless patients.

It was all done with a deep grounding in his Catholic faith. He constantly studied scripture and the teachings of the church through formal classes and a Bible study that met for 30 years. He and his wife were also known for their presentations on the medical explanation of the crucifixion.

When his book "Letters to Luke," was released in 2004, I visited Dr. Holoubek and was privileged to see the chapel he had added to their Broadmoor Terrace home. He said he spent about an hour a day in prayer there. I must have looked impressed because he added, "one out of 24 isn't bad."

His faith was also instrumental in his marriage. That was probably what impressed me the most about Dr. Holoubek -- his complete devotion to Dr. Alice. Even after more than 60 years together he looked at her as if their love was brand new. They attended daily Mass together for 50 years, and saw each other as full partners in life.

"I'm amazed at what's ordinary to us seems extraordinary to other people," he said. "That's just the way we live. Lots of people do."

May God bless them both and their family.

Memories?

I'm quite sure that most of you longtime Shreveport residents have some memory of the nuns at Schumpert Hospital. Either they helped you deliver a baby or gave you a hug or made sure the hospital room was spotlessly sanitary.

The first group of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word (why do orders have to pick such long names?) arrived in Shreveport 100 years ago. I'm putting together a story about them and I would love to have your stories to go with it. Please e-mail me at dhaag@gannett.com with any anecdotes.

Thanks!

Martial arts mixed with God?

Modern spirituality allows God to be combined with all sorts of seemingly ungodly lifestyles: bikers, hip hop, and heavy metal music. In fact, these stories have become a mainstay of my clipfile.

Today's Sports story by Roy Lang took the trend to a new level. He writes about a local youth minister who is also an amateur mixed-martial arts fighter. I don't really know anything about the sport -- although some of my friends from church are fans -- but the subject of the story had a great quote that highlighted the disconnect.

"The Bible says 'love everybody,' said (Joseph) Freid. "It doesn't say you can't beat on them at little."

So what do you think about this trend of mixing God with more secular trends?

Yolanda King collapses, dies

Another religious/political figure died unexpectedly yesterday. According to the AP, Yolanda King, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest child collapsed and died after making a speech. She was 51.

King spoke at Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church's annual Freedom Awards Banquet in 2004. She was dynamic, funny and obviously committed to her father's work of bringing love, unity and peace to all people.

"Too often we turn on each other instead of turning to each other," King said to the audience of about 400. She encouraged everyone to be active in their community instead of just standing by and watching.

"We need to get beyond our differences which will remain," she said. "We all come from the same source and the same creator."

Photo: King speaking at Greenwood Acres. Times photo/Shane Bevel

RIP Jerry Falwell

It's kind of strange to think that Jerry Falwell, noted fundamentlist and political activist has died. Many of us in the religion news world had tried to take his many outlandish statements with large grains of salt, but often he couldn't be ignored. That was probably his genius. He learned how to get his message out to huge numbers of people in hopes of changing the world for the better.

What do y'all think? Why did his ministry become so successful? How will he be remembered?

Living saints

Every time I write about foster parents, I am forced to ask myself: could I do that? I don't know, but I know these people are blessed with extra helpings of patience, compassion and love for children.

The story in today's paper came up more for political reasons. The Department of Social Services is asking the legislature for a monthly raise for its foster parents from $374 to $510 per child. But there's a lot of faith behind the families who are wiling to take these children in, children who have seen and experienced far more horror in their 5 or 10 years than I have in 28.

Foster parent Lori Gates of Bossier City put it well, "They’re taking on children that are not their own and have no connection to and they know the money is not going to cover it."

One thing she's trying to do with the Northwest Louisiana Foster and Adoptive Parent Association is raise money for foster children so they can go to camp this summer. If you want to help her, call 742-2718.

Prayers again

Y'all might remember the story I wrote about baby Ethan Powell a couple of months ago. He was diagnosed with particularly strong leukemia, and his dad launched a website and mobilized thousands of people in prayer. And as people of faith would expect, the leukemia cells disappeared from his body, although they remain at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis waiting for a bone marrow transplant.

Well, yesterday they got some tough news. The leukemia has returned to Ethan's body. While his parents are showing incredible faith, it's obvious from the website that they're in pain. See their website (www.ethanpowell.com) for more details, or just pray for them.

Photo: from Ethan's website

For anyone going to Charlotte...

The Billy Graham Library will open June 5 after a celebrity-studded dedication May 31. A shiny, packed-with-info press kit arrived in the mail the other day touting the opening of the museum, which sounds very impressive:

40,000 square feet
a 40-foot tall glass window/door in the shape of a cross
6 exhibits
350 photographs
60 years of history

My first thought was "isn't this a little excessive?" Then I thought about the preacher, who has reached more than 210 million people, some in countries no one thought possible (the Soviet Union, for example). He also reshaped the way we think about modern multi-media ministry with his radio and TV appearances. And I'm sure he would say its not a monument to his accomplishments but to the work of God.

Sometime in the next couple of years, I hope to get out to North Carolina and then I'll take a detour to see it for myself. But if any of you get there first, I'd love to hear what you think!

Postcards from God part 2

We left the desert for another big change: the forests and farmland of California. The majesty of the mountains and trees made me feel so small and the rolling farmland brings a sense of gratitude for what the land can produce.

So here's some shots and scripture from Sequoia National Park and into San Francisco. Again, if you want to make them bigger, click on them.

"(Man) searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light. But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?" (Job 29:11-12)









"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Is. 55:9)










"He brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers." (Psalm 78:16)











"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)


And this is one is a quote from Ben Franklin at one of the Napa wineries, just because it made me laugh...


"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy."

Postcards from God part 1

The greatest thing about travel is seeing new places that make you think a little harder about how the world works. So I thought I'd share some pictures from my trip with y'all accompanied by some scripture verses. I admit I stole the idea from the Dallas Morning News, who did a really print version once.

These are from Death Valley National Park, which some might call truly God-forsaken, but I don't think so. Oh, and if you click on the pictures, they'll blow up much bigger.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from?"

Psalms 121:1

Salt flats in what used to be an ocean.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Matt. 5:13)

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture." (Luke 8:5-6)

"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands." (Deut. 8:2)

Morning prayers

While out for my morning run, I passed a Muslim woman walking a little girl to the bus stop. Along the way she was speaking rapid Arabic, which I assumed were her morning prayers, based on the tone of voice. The little girl smiled, ready for the day.

I wondered how much those prayers helped her be in the right mindset, and how cool it was that her mom(?) set that example of daily morning prayer. How much would that help other children if their parents did the same thing?

Vacation musings

It's good to be home. My weeklong vacation started in Las Vegas and took us on a driving tour through California up to San Francisco. Going from Vegas where the scenery looks like this:

to Death Valley where everything looks more like this:

was quite the shift physically, mentally and emotionally. Vegas is all glitz and glamour and surface level excitement and fun. But the desert makes you think. It looks barren and desolate and almost simple on the surface. Underneath, however, it's constantly moving and changing and evolving.

Being there made it easy to see realize why Jesus and many of the other prophets went into the desert when they wanted to be closer to God. The only way to survive there is by the grace of God.

Hopefully, my time communing with nature will give me the strength to deal with the baggage claim people at the airlines...

Vacation is good for the soul

Even God rested for a day. So I'm heading out for a week to see some friends and family out west and enjoy the mountains and the ocean. If I get a chance I'll post some pictures, but I may decide I don't want to work at all, and I'll bore you with vacation details upon my return.

Take care.

Amazing forgiveness

Not only did Bill Ebarb forgive the man who shot his brother, but he wants to see him released from prison.

I heard Ebarb's story Wednesday at a program for National Crime Victims Week at David Wade Correctional Center, and it's one of those that forces you to think. His journey wasn't an easy one, but still, would I have the courage to do that if it were my brother?

We spoke after the presentation and he said something I always love to hear - "you probably won't print this." Then he continued saying he wishes the pardon board would consider the changes in a man when they look at commuting a sentence. The man who killed his brother has shown great remorse and become a solid Christian man, Ebarb said. But all the pardon application asks for is a prison record and the basic details of the crime and initial sentence.

"I think a lot of guys shouldn't spend the rest of their life here," Ebarb said.

Pretty amazing turnaround from a guy who planned to kill his brother's killer. But I have to admit, I sometimes wonder the same thing when I've visited David Wade for various stories. I've had the pleasure of meeting the men who have changed their lives and attitudes, usually through religion of some kind. One man in particular, Henry Alford exemplifies the rehabilitation that I think is one goal of the prison system.

He's in for life and has served 40 years between Angola and David Wade. He even escaped from Angola, but somewhere he found God. He knows he did a terrible thing.

Although he can't correct what he did, he has devoted his time in prison to other people. Now, he's almost serene in his approach to prison life. He regularly works with the younger men trying to set them straight so they don't come back to prison once released. He is president of the Lifer's Association which has raised money for various charities on the "outside."

"I ask God to bless them, and I ask God to bless my soul," he said. "It's hard knowing you've torn someone's life apart."

Did you know?

Catechisms began in the Protestant church. I had no idea until I received Barksdale Baptist's newsletter this week.

The word comes from a Greek word meaning "to teach," and the books use a question and answer format to explain the faith. According to my church history class, Catholic catechisms developed to counter those written by reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin. But somehow the term catechism became synonymous with Catholic religious education. That probably came from the famous Baltimore Catechism, which all Catholics of a certain age can still quote reflexively.

So back to Barksdale Baptist - the pastor there has dug up a catechism written by Benjamin Keach, a 17th century English Baptist pastor, and he's using that in his Wednesday night prayer meetings. It's certainly an old-school format, but it's probably full of great information in a fairly easy to digest format. I would be interested to see what his members think...

And as part of my quest to find similarities in denominations here's a couple of excerpts:

From Keach's Catechism:
Q: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. (1 Cor. 10:31, Psalm 73:25-26)

From the Baltimore Catechism section titled "End of Man":
Q. Why did God make you?
A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.

Celebrating life

From the thrilling to the somber, my weekend revolved around extremes.

Saturday, I and 100,000 other people had our spirits lifted by the power and dedication on display at Barksdale's annual air show. Watching the jets come screaming by and maneuvering in seemingly unnatural ways inspires a sense of awe and pride - in the intelligence of men, in our country and in the commitment of the men and women of the military. In a way, it's a spiritual thing that brings you outside and above yourself and reminds you why its good to be alive.

Sunday, many of us from The Times and the rest of the community said good-bye to our friend and co-worker Tim Greening. The service was poignant and sometimes funny (thanks Teddy) - a combination Tim always manged to handle well in his columns. It was a celebration of his life and the life he brought to the people around him in his 38 years.

Both events reminded me to cherish this time we have here on Earth and the people who share it with us.

Photo: The Thunderbird's performance on Saturday. Val Horvath/The Times

More Va. Tech thoughts

In many of the reports and discussions about the tragedy at Virginia Tech, people have talked about how 32 students were killed, leaving out the 33rd - the gunman. The Rev. Ken Irby, pastor of Broadmoor United Methodist Church (and a very good writer), addressed that possibly touchy subject in his pastor's column this week. He referred to a memorial where a bell tolled only 32 times:

But does someone need to ring 33? Maybe a church somewhere. Anger toward this man is understandable.

It is incomprehensible, what he did and why he would do it. All the wasted life makes me sad and mad and very confused. But somewhere, is there a bell for his wasted life? A life lost to what — mental illness, depression, rage, antisocial behavior?

Many labels will be offered. None, in the end, will fully explain. But in the midst of all this loss, his was another wasted life.

If somebody doesn’t ring 33 bells, I’m afraid it will be one more way we ignore the need around us. If somebody doesn’t ring 33 bells, it sends the message that not all human life is sacred, which must be some of the thinking that would lead someone to so easily kill. If somebody doesn’t ring 33 bells, can we ever fully grieve the other 32?

My faith tells me that at least one place, 33 bells were rung. Surely God grieves the loss of every one of God’s children.

Still no answers

God isn't making much sense this week.

The massacre at Virginia Tech left enough loss and unanswered questions. Then, yesterday, sadness hit here in the newsroom when we learned of the death of our friend and co-worker Tim Greening.

People in the community often asked me what it was like to work with Tim. I think they expected me to say he was one of those loud, class clown types. But he wasn't. He was very quiet and understated -- until something struck him as funny. Then he'd make some comment just to the people around him or send an e-mail that would have everyone else laughing instantly.

Frankly, it just wasn't supposed to be this way. I'm of that age, where I'm beyond thinking of myself and people my age as invincible, but they aren't expected to just collapse. And now I'm left with the same questions I had earlier this week. Why?

Why?

As more details surface about the massacre at Virginia Tech Monday, it makes less and less sense. Who was this man? Why would he do this?

From a religious perspective, the questions increase exponentially. I start to think about the problems of evil, because no other explanation for such horror makes sense. What is evil? Where does it come from? How does God fit into that picture? How do we pray about this?

Theologians have always and probably will always wrestle with these questions. But I'll open it up to you. How do you make sense of this actions when looking through eyes of faith (any faith)?

UPDATE: College students at Centenary found the verse I was looking for earlier today and used it in their Memorial service today: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Rom. 8:26)

Dòminus vobìscum

Five minutes before Mass yesterday, I squeezed into a seat behind a pole at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans for the first Latin Mass said there in years. Then the ushers started coming in with chairs packing people in wherever they could. Still, folks were standing in the vestibule just to listen to the nearly extinct language. And no, they weren't all old. Families and young adults were as well represented as they would have been at any other service.

I'm not sure why everyone was there. My guess is sheer curiosity had something to do with it. Maybe a sense of grasping onto a tradition and heritage that has been lost. For the older worshippers, it was probably a chance to experience the Mass as they learned it.

For the first time, it was a little awkward. It helped that this is the Mass as we know it, so it was easy to follow the format. And of course the readings and sermon were in English. But I spent time going back and forth to the missal so I didn't miss a response. Many of the responses are chanted so a lot of us were just guessing at the tune. As well, it was obvious many of us were fudging our way through the pronunciations (and hoping we weren't saying something blasphemous in the process). Others, however, recalled the prayers from an earlier life and went full speed ahead.

In general though, it was a beautiful experience. But I found myself paying a lot more attention to the words than I normally do at Mass. And the foreign language heightened the already complex mystery of the Eucharist. I also have to say congratulations to the Gregorian chant choir - they sounded great and gave the Mass that extra bit of something special.

With that sort of response, I'm guessing that the Latin Mass will return sooner rather than later.

Photo: Cathedral of St. John Berchmans choir loft. Shane Bevel/The Times

Red-clay Jesus?

The folks at KTBS/Channel 3 have a story about a Plain Dealing woman who said the face of Jesus appeared in the dirt beneath some pine trees across from her home. I can see the face -though I'm not sure about the Jesus part. Regardless, it's going on my wall of "apparitions."

What do you think?

Local authors

I'm always amazed at the paths that people take because of their faith. I first met Dr. Bruce Hennigan for a story about the creation debate and his involvement with the group Reasons to Believe.

In the midst of the Easter/Passover onslaught, I received a book that I almost over looked, The 13th Demon. Books show up on my desk all the time, but I looked again and said, Hey I know the author. It's a spiritual warfare themed novel, set in Louisiana, and sounds like it could be a pretty good read, especially if you're into that stuff.

I'm planning to write something for the paper, but I wanted to give y'all a heads up. The website is pretty cool as well. It even includes a video clip of a scene from the book.

When I actually get a chance to sit down and read it, I'll let you know what I think.

Big time preaching

In my four years of this job, I've come to appreciate good preaching, and I heard some of the best last night at Peaceful Rest Baptist Church in Shreveport. Dr. Stephen Thurston, president of the 3.5 million member National Baptist Convention of America, is the featured speaker at Peaceful Rest's two-day revival this week.

Like all visiting preachers, he covered a wide variety of topics, but they all tied back to his text from the gospel of Matthew about the money changers in the temple.

Thurston talked about how changing our practices is necessary to becoming better Christians, "Our salvation is authenticated by a change. If you never got changed, you really have nothing more than a tinkling cymbal."

In the passage, he said, Jesus wasn't condeming the act of selling goods in the church (I'm sure all the ladies' auxilliaries and youth groups were glad to hear that), but theivery, which he saw in the vendors. A similar sort of thievery he said can been seen in the church today when people come expecting great things from God without wanting to give anything.

"Even right here at the Peaceful Rest Baptist Church, some thievery is going on. Some of you came not to give God anything but to rob God of something," he said. "That’s one of the problems I have with some of what we’re hearing in the pulpits now – that which relates to prosperity."

He continued by reminding them that God doesn't owe anyone anything.

"You’re not doing God a favor by showing up here. You’re not adding anything to God," he said. "You didn’t get up this morning because you were so good or so holy. You are here by the grace of God."

If you want to hear more from Thurston, he'll preach again tonight at 7 p.m. at the church, 8200 St. Vincent Ave., Shreveport. And as a side note, their choir is awesome - I would have been happy to listen to them for two hours, but it wouldn't have left me much to write about.

Happy retirement Fr. Paul

As I asked people last week about the Rev. Kenneth Paul retiring, many of them kind of chuckled and said something like "We'll never be able to replace him."

I'm not sure why they laughed. It's absolutely true. Fr. Paul is one of those unique individuals you never forget, from his British accent (I assume acquired in his time at Oxford) to his stories about his father to his love of liturgy and his endless compassion for the poor and the outcast.

One thing I didn't really get to explore in the stories is the fact that with Fr. Paul Shreveport-Bossier is also losing its most prominent voice for liberal theology. I could always count on Fr. Paul to provide an eloquent defense of the left side of any controversial issue. He never worried that his might be the minority opinion. He just stuck to his convictions, as any person of faith should.

Here's a few of his observations from my interview about his retirement that didn't make it to the paper:

One of his guiding principles: "All God's creation is sacred - humanity, the environment, everything."

Challenges to ministry that he has seen, "people who think that God is static, who believe that one person is better than another because of socioeconomic status or sexual preference."

"Morality has to do with all of life. It has to do with the way we handle the things of life: sex, money the environment."

"(The religious community) needs to do two things: stop talking so much about God as if he was speaking to us directly all the time. And in that silence adore the silent one who speaks to us as a community of faith. The community is a covenant community called into being by God. We hear him most clearly in the life of the community."

Photo: Greg Pearson/The Times

Good work!

Thanks so much to Alexandyr Kent and Greg Pearson for all their help with Friday's Way of the Cross! They put together an audio slideshow that gives a great feel for what happened as 375 people walked through downtown Shreveport in prayer Friday in ways that I certainly couldn't in print.

Happy Easter!

We made it through the Lenten fast, and I hope you all enjoyed beautiful services and big feasts on Sunday! Now. we return to a question that the Rev. Benedict Songy of St. Matthias asked more than 40 days ago.

"Are we better people on Easter than we were on Ash Wednesday?"

Good Friday reflections from Dr. Holoubek

Why did Jesus die? I think it's the question all Christians have to confront at one time or another, especially on this day, Good Friday.

Well, Dr. Joe Holoubek wrote an article looking at it from a medical perspective because people who were crucified usually took more than 24 hours to die. Jesus died in three hours. Here's pieces of the article:

Jesus died when He willed it.

For decades (my wife) Dr. Alice and I gave presentations on the sufferings of Christ at Calvary. We also researched and published scholarly articles on the subject.

I discovered, for instance, that there are 78 documented cases of hematidrosis or bloody sweat in medical literature. Other people, under severe stress, have sweat blood through unbroken skin.

In our more than 300 public meditations on the death of Jesus, Dr. Alice would show images of the Shroud of Turin, an ancient burial cloth of a man who was crucified, and discuss what the stains tell us about the wounds and battered condition of the body. But she refused to pin down a medical cause for Christ’s early death. Jesus died, she would say, when He wished to die....

There’s no doubt Christ was weak. He’d had no sleep for at least 30 hours, having walked to Jerusalem from Ephraim. He’d had nothing to eat or drink for about 20 hours—since the Passover meal. At the house of Annas and later, He took several heavy blows to the face and head. Then He was scourged and crowned with thorns. And yet Jesus was able to walk to the home of Pontius Pilate, to the palace of Herod and back.

He had to carry a 90-pound crosspiece on the path to Calvary. It surely was a stumbling procession, even with the help of Simon the Cyrene. And yet Jesus was able to talk clearly with the women on the scene.

His was a routine and professional crucifixion. Nails were driven through His hands and feet with excruciating pain but a minimum of bleeding.

Jesus probably coughed continuously from congestion of the lung. But He received enough blood to the brain to forgive his enemies, entrust his mother to John the apostle, and speak to the thieves crucified alongside him.

No one in a state of shock could have said all of this, especially from an upright position. Blood pressure would be too low or completely absent.

Then the dying Jesus let out a final cry. It is consummated. Or, in another translation, It is finished.

What was consummated? What was finished? It has to be that Jesus had completed the work his Father had sent Him to do.

Lent is over, sort of

Tonight's Holy Thursday services officially mark the end of Lent. But don't get out your chocolate quite yet. Christians now enter a period of greater reflection and fasting as we remember the death and burial of Jesus on Good Friday.

I attended Mass at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, where as always we heard from the gospel of John about Jesus washing his disciples' feet. Then the priest called up 12 members of the congregation to wash their feet as a re-enactment. But the Rev. Peter Mangum, pastor at the Cathedral, told those of us still in the pews not to imagine ourselves in the place of those receiving the foot washing, but in his place as the servant.

"What would happen," he asked "if in Israel, Jews and Palestinians would washing each other's feet? If in Northern Ireland, Catholics and Protestants would wash each other's feet? If in our own country, people of different races, would wash each other's feet?"

Do you have a grip?

Newly-elected state Rep. Patrick Williams says he does. He's referring to the new church/movement led by Roosevelt "Brother Ro" Wright, called The GRIP. It was hosting a series of services this week and I attended last night for a future story.

Several politicians also decided it was the place to be. Councilwoman Joyce Bowman was there introducing herself and saying "I love the Lord!" She promised she would be back. Williams said he was hesitant to visit churches during his campaign, which ended Saturday.

"I do not play with God," he said. "It's only because of him I'm here today."

Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover was expected, but he hadn't arrived by the time I left (about an hour into the service).

Photo: Patrick Williams

Childhood memories

The scads of church-sponsored Easter egg hunts this weekend kept me here late last night. Many are being held on Holy Saturday (which, personally, I find enormously liturgically incorrect - but I suppose that's a matter of debate), with kids chasing after the brightly colored balls filled with treats.

I couldn't find any good explanation for the history of Easter Egg Hunts, but I do remember some childhood distress. Not being a terribly competitive person, I was always the kid who only got two eggs when my younger brother would have a basket full. So Mom would say share with your inept sister - or something like that.

Looking back, the whole game is more about real world skills, think fast, act faster and in the end, it's just a plastic egg. Easter is about a lot more than that.

Photo: Times file photo from a hunt last year

Faith and politics

In an effort to hear from all facets of the community, U.S. Sen. David Vitter met with about 10 local pastors this morning for breakfast at Shreveport-Bossier Community Renewal. The meeting and place was requested by Vitter.

SBCR spokesman David Westerfield said the conversation ranged from international conflicts such as Iraq, Israel and Darfuf to more local trends like keeping young adults here in Shreveport. In talking about hurricane recovery, the pastors reminded Vitter that the churches opened their doors and got involved before government showed up. Westerfield said Vitter mostly just listened and then encouraged the pastors to challenge their members to get involved in the community and do something about the concerns they see.

Those attending the hour-long meeting included many of the elite clergy from a pretty good mix of congregations: The Rev. Fred Lowery of First Baptist - Bossier, Bishop Larry Brandon of Praise Temple Full Gospel Baptist Cathedral, the Rev. Ken Irby of Broadmoor United Methodist, the Rev. M.L. Agnew of St. Mark's Cathedral and others. Westerfield said the men were pretty quiet at first, and I'm guessing that's because a lot of these guys rarely sit in the same room.

"Part of the idea (of Community Renewal) is to bring people together," Westerfield said.

More thoughts on Holy Week

One of the best reflections on Holy Week that I've seen recently comes from the Rev. Greg Hunt at First Baptist - Shreveport. This is an excerpt from the church's weekly bulletin.

Sunday, April 1 to Sunday, April 8 is Holy Week. Everything about our faith gets compressed into these 8 incredible days. Holy Week shows humanity at its worst
It shows God at his best. It points in dramatic fashion to the problems that ail us. It points in dramatic fashion to the remedy that is Christ.

In the history of our faith, these are the days of Jesus’ fateful confrontation with authorities. On Sunday he rides into Jerusalem to the adulation of an adoring crowd. By the end of the week he is listening to their jeers and standing condemned as a blasphemer and an insurrectionist.

In the daylight hours of Holy Week Jesus carries on a grinding public life characterized by conflict with religious leaders. In the evenings he retreats to more private places and draws strength from friends. During a Passover meal on Thursday night he gives new meaning to the bread and the wine, instituting what we now know as the Lord’s Supper. Then he loses his freedom, and finally his life.

Easter’s glory only makes sense against the backdrop of this rollercoaster of highs and lows. The brightness of its joy gains its luster from the darkness of Good Friday. Christ takes all that death can give and gets back up again, glorified and triumphant.

Holy Week for everyone

Sorry about the blog slacking at the end of last week. As a priest I talked to put it, Holy Week is not the hard one, it's the week of preparation before that's tough.

Due to a rare convergence of events, this week will feature a veritable smorgasbord of religious events regardless of your persuasion. Holy Week began yesterday (Palm Sunday) for both Eastern and Western Christians, which marks the days leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection. Passover, the Jewish holiday of liberation from Egypt begins tonight.

This means there are services nearly every day if you're interested. The Eastern Orthodox are having two services a day, most days. Seder meals for the Jewish community will be today and tomorrow (though I think all of those required reservations). Several black churches are having revivals the first part of the week. Other Christian services kick into high gear on Thursday. Churches are getting pretty creative this year. As I typed up the religion bulletins, I saw several featuring living last suppers on Maundy Thursday and a couple of silent breakfasts on Friday.

Whatever your beliefs, may it be a blessed week!