Fair ~ 68°F   River stage: 36.54 Falling Saturday, November 7, 2009

Religion A broader definition of sainthood (11/01/09) "Keep a good grip on it." That's one of my favorite lines from the 1966 film "A Man for All Seasons." Here's the prelude to that climactic phrase:Sir Thomas More: Why have I been summoned to this court? Lord High Judge: To answer to a charge of high treason... From one lower light to another: keep shining (10/18/09) Leaving Dexter, Mo., on Highway 25 the other day, our church's youth director, Dave Wiant, spotted a lighthouse. Given that there is no significant natural body of water in that Stoddard County city, the lighthouse's placement seemed odd. Further inspection revealed that the impressive tower is on the property of a church that uses "lighthouse" in its name: Lighthouse Christian Center... Living the simple life (10/04/09) A friend and parishioner of mine, Dr. Ada "Dottie" Cruce, once told me about a trip she made in 1984 to the USSR. She had gone there with a group of psychologists. She recalls going to the huge Soviet department store known as GUM. We Americans are familiar with so-called "big box" stores, but according to all accounts, we have nothing like the old GUM stores. ... Talking about faith (09/20/09) The five safest conversation topics seem to be the following (in no particular order): common friends, hobbies, what one does for a living, vacations and sports. It's hard to fall into a verbal minefield when these particular matters come up for discussion. Sports, however, have an extra cache. Not only are sports a safe topic for conversation, but they can ignite discussion between people who previously were total strangers...

Religion columnists Ellen Shuck Reflections >> Rob Hurtgen Commentary >> Jeff Long Commentary >>