A blessing for a marriage or the birth of a baby. Petitions for divine intervention. Most people picture the typical Southern Baptist church as being, first off, in the South, perhaps at the intersection of two roads named after trees in a quiet neighborhood of freshly mowed lawns and conservative Caucasians. I learn an acquaintance is making an unwise decision. How unwise remains to be seen.
Possibilities range from costly to self-destructive.
In Pope John Paul II's first Christmas sermon, he shared his dream of making a pilgrimage to Israel, Jordan and the painful patchwork of land in between. I wonder if it's true that a presidential candidate has to trash some religious figures to get elected in this nation. It's Oscar time, when the glitterati of Hollywood preen for a worldwide audience. Nominees cross their fingers hoping to win one of the gold-plated statuettes. Pope John Paul II is in the Holy Land this week, making a historic visit to, among other things, seek reconciliation between the Roman Catholic Church and Jews.