Inspired By Dream While Staying In 'Holy' Place

When my husband and I moved across country to Arizona two years ago, we stayed with our friends, Bud and Betty Miller, at their guest cabin in the mountains near Prescott. During our nearly nine months there in the forest, I had a dream about this book, and woke up with the words in my mind. Although it's not the sort of book I would ordinarily "write," I decided to publish it as a tribute to Bible.com. I gave an artist directions on the images that would accompany the words.

As thanks to Bud and Betty for their support during a sometimes challenging transition, I am making it available at a discount to them to sell on their website, Bible.com. It is also on Amazon and will be on its own marketing website this week. My hope is that families and churches will find it a fun way to introduce children to prayer as an ongoing communication with God in their lives. It is a nondenominational, multicultural book that shows children praying in thanks and praise as they go to school, eat meals and even play.

Picture Book for Children Done, Finally

"How Do The Children Pray" is done.

After more than a year of working with the publisher, coming up with graphics ideas and working with an artist, correcting the art, adding a new page, approving the text and final pages, my picture book on prayer for young children is finally completed and ready for mass printing. It will be available on Amazon in a few days. The publisher sent the first copy to me, so now I'm getting excited! I'll be posting more soon.

Religious Symbols Hold Dual Meaning

It's been nearly four months since my last post, and I'm here in Poland, deciding that I can post again once a week, until my novel is completed. Maybe it's because I'm past the halfway mark and I feel a little less harried by the idea.

Last week I went to the Ikon Muzeum, where icon images of the saints, Jesus and Mary were displayed. Having an English-speaking tour guide made it an enjoyable experience as our small group was instructed on the strict requirements of how each figure is supposed to be painted, with hand gestures and colors specified, according to the official icon book of the Orthodox church.

Set behind a church in the monastery, we went through one space that was like a catacomb, another that was like a Cathedral hall, and galleries that captured the moods of the 14th to 19th centuries through the arts of religious medals, wood paintings and hammered metal portraits. The last room contained pieces of frescoes, the remnants of a cathedral that had once stood nearby, but had been blown up by the Germans during WW II. Every city has these stories, though many of the churches were spared because their bell towers were visual landmarks useful during bombing raids and attacks.

Today I spent a mostly sunny morning in Bialowezia, the big primeval forest on the southeast border of Poland, and the churchgoers filled the Orthodox and Catholic churches in the tiny town of Narewka, population 2,000, adjacent to the forest. I know this because I first went to the Orthodox (more specifically, Russian Orthodox) church right next to the Palace Park and stood in the back of the crowd for a few minutes before the 10 a.m. service. Several elderly women were lighting candles in front of the altar, behind which was a door leading to a holy room that only the priest could enter. It is reminiscent of the Jewish Holy of Holies in the Old Testament, where God's presence is said to reside.

I knew I would not stay in the Orthodox church because I'd been in one in the Bialystok city center and saw that there are no seats and you must stand for two to three hours for the service. Since I don't understand the language, I feel there's a limit to my patience in standing to see the service.

The Catholic church does have pews, and I did stop in to say prayer before the 10:30 service. Just as the main Cathedral in Bialystok, there was a Black Madonna painting, in addition to a Renaissance style portrait of Mary. The nearly life-size crucifix was surrounded by varnished branches, representing the forest, I presume. There were two other crosses in the back of the church that were hewn from branches.

Somehow all of these churches kept going even during a Communist reign in which religion was greatly frowned upon and the worship of the Atheistic political system was encouraged and rewarded. Despite that, it's obvious that faith is alive and strong in the churches, even in those that are less than a couple of miles from the Belorussian border. There are also active synagogues, though far fewer of those. All of them are a reminder of the importance of the freedom to believe in whatever you choose, in spite of government interference and ethnic strife.

Crime Plays Role of Red Herring In Illegals Debate

There's a talk going on tonight at the Prescott Library about the relationship between Arizona and Mexico, the similarities and the differences. I don't know if the idea was to foster understanding and enlighten Arizonans who are demonizing Mexicans as illegal aliens or if it was a long-planned cultural event, but I think it will be interesting to see what kind of turn-out it gets.

In the past few years as the economy has soured, there has been a tendency to place blame on any identifiable group for what's occurred. It's not so easy to point the finger at Wall Street firms, investment bankers, mortgage companies and our own government regulators -- the issues are complex and greed has guided both investors and investees. But hey, illegal immigrants are simple bad guys who make great targets.

One of the main reasons given for Arizona's passage of the Senate bill 1070 is an increase in crime along the border. There are absolutely no facts to back up this assertion. None. In fact, FBI statistics show that violent crime has steadily dropped over the past four years -- by an astounding 1,500 incidents. Property crimes posted from 2005-2008, the latest figures available, have also plummeted by 8,000. During the same period, the state population grew by 600,000 people.

Statistics on any crime committed by illegal immigrants is difficult to pinpoint, but judging from the stories I read in the newspapers, I'd say the vast majority of violent crimes in this state are committed by angry unemployed middle-aged white men with guns.

In addition to lower crime, there are far fewer people sneaking into the country. As a matter of fact, the peak year was in 2000 before 9/11 when 600,000 illegal border crossers were caught. In 2009, it was only 241,000.

So why did the bill get enough momentum to pass? It was the backlash to the death of a border rancher by a drug smuggler who shot him as he was heading back into Mexico. This is not an epidemic of crime. The state senator who introduced the bill, Russell Pearce, has been photographed chumming around with white Supremacists. The bill was written by a Republican functionary from Missouri. It's purely a political issue that's being used to whip up fear among conservatives, especially since John McCain may be in trouble for the first time in decades in his bid for re-election as a U.S. Senator. This is one issue that I think will backfire on both a state and national level as the federal government is forced to step in and create reasonable immigration laws for our neighbor in the South.

A lot of upset people are only too happy to say they support the law, even though it does nothing more than the law in Phoenix's Maricopa County already does -- police there have been questioning people apprehended in crimes about their citizenship for years. The difference now it that they have the full blessing of the state to do so and to put people in jail who may have been living here for years if they have a broken tail light on their car. Talk about an austere policy.

I could not imagine how this law would go over in New York. Certainly Long Island has had its own issues with illegal immigrants living 20 to a house in Farmingdale, for instance, or committing crimes against each other. I was on a grand jury once in Suffolk County and immunity had to be given to illegals to get them to testify about murders that occurred against their own people. That will become nearly impossible to achieve in this state with the kind of law that instantly criminalizes them, despite assurances to the contrary.

In New York, also, there are illegal immigrants from just about every country in the world. Some just overstay their visas, some fell in love but did not marry, some are working as long as the work lasts before heading home. Some shouldn't be here. Some blend right in. But as long as we live in a free society, not a police state, there will be some who do not follow legal procedure. If we are a compassionate country, we will do the right thing and make a judgment as to whether they should be deported or not, and try to keep an open door policy overall.

Economic Impact on Arizona Hardens Hearts

When Moses approached the Pharaoh and demanded that he "Let my people go," the Pharaoh turned away. Plagues and pestilence followed, and ultimately the death of all of the firstborn children of the Egyptians.

Arizona's new law, which does not take into account individual cases, the immigrants who have lived with their families here for decades or the possibilities of abuse by law officials, is patently cruel. In reaction to the law, the cities of Tucson and Flagstaff in Arizona are suing the state, the mayor of Phoenix has voiced his opposition, and even the Suns basketball team has spoken out against it by wearing jerseys inscribed with "Los Suns."

In addition, 15 cities and 12 organizations have decided to boycott the state for conventions or events. Arizona will suffer a tremendous economic blow from those who are angered by the new law. At least $10-$12 million in convention business in Phoenix alone has been lost, and far more will be lost if the law is not repealed. And the law will not go into effect until July.

There is a tremendous financial problem, too, in enforcing the law, since there are an estimated half a million illegal immigrants living in the state now. I saw firsthand as a reporter in Texas writing about a border detention center in Laredo that it's not as simple as a lot of proponents think it is. Families, including young children, were among those detained there -- babies in jail, in essence. Some Mexican adults there had worked legally in the country for years, then one year stayed instead of going back to Mexico after their seasonal work was over. Many blended in easily in border towns, where the majority of residents were Mexican. The vast majority were not criminals in any sense, other than they did not manage to get legal status in this country.

I saw firsthand what a lack of immigrants in a city can do -- St. Louis suffered from a lack of innovation and economic strength during the many years when immigrants were practically nonexistent there. Now that there has been several waves of new immigrants, the city is thriving. A recent New York Times story on the positive impact of immigration -- legal and not -- is convincing evidence that the overwhelming result is a good one.

A "buy Arizona" campaign is being launched on May 29 to rally those who support the law to bring business and tourism to the state. Obviously they don't think the economic impact will be that severe, and that the state will weather it OK.

A report on CBS 5 News in Phoenix tonight mentioned that the new law is attracting neo-Nazis and other hate groups to the state who approve of the law. It's just one more sign that the law is wrong.

I wonder what it will take for Arizona's legislature to see the truth that the law will not only fail to stop the border problems, but will create even greater ones. Economic disaster? Broken families? Hate crimes? Only time will tell. I hope that the state eventually lets SB 1070 go.

Arizona as Egypt in the Illegal Immigration Debate

Fiction writing has absorbed my attention over the past few months, especially since I'm working on a children's chapter book that I plan to finish a first draft of by September. So I have considered writing on many topics in my blog, ranging from Mother Teresa, hedge fund managers and Jihad to the joys of Spring, the oil spill in the Gulf and the role of Christians in caring for the earth. But I let the feeling pass on all of those topics.

However, this week there was a topic I could no longer ignore. My thoughts crystallized yesterday as I was reading about the Old Testament "Law" for my Education for Ministry class. The rather comprehensive lesson broke down the structure and background of the laws and put them in context. Hospitality toward foreigners or strangers is mentioned several times. One law required Israelites to leave crops in the corners of their fields as charity for the poor, widows, orphans and travellers. As the lesson puts it, "because of Israel's experience as sojourners in Egypt, even resident foreigners were considered as covered by the covenant."

The obvious Hebrew examples involve Abraham traveling to Egypt when he and his clan were in need of water and food; then the tribes working for the Egyptians, and eventually becoming enslaved by them, because of their need for work, until Moses led them away. Parallel to that, the illegal immigrants in this country were often lured here for work, and effectively "enslaved" by low wages with no benefits as they sent money home to their families or tried to save enough to bring them here without endangering their lives. Many died in the desert carrying fliers inviting them to work on farms and ranches along the border.

Logically speaking, the Arizona law technically does nothing to stem illegal immigration as it is written. Everyone from Mexico knows that what they are doing is illegal, but they do it anyway. This is not a new issue, nor is it an issue that is unique to Arizona as a border state. The difference is that Mexicans have become a scapegoat in a down economy for the ills of the state -- which are many right now. Border towns have crime, but most of it is caused by drug smugglers, who will not be intimidated by this law.

The law, which goes into effect in July, has already had the impact of making Latinos who live in the state or elsewhere -- or anyone who plans to visit from another country -- feel unwelcome in Arizona. Even those who are legal are fearful of its law enforcement officers. Perception is reality, and the perception of a large number of people from across the United States and the world is that Arizona does not welcome anyone who looks like he or she might be an illegal immigrant. As a consequence, Arizona is a pariah state right now.

I have many more thoughts on the subject, which I will address in another blog entry.

Recovering with a Dose of Honey

I'm sitting in bed today with my laptop, sick with a fever and flu with a respiratory component that prompted the doctor to prescribe the same inhaler used for swine flu. So it's not a pretty picture. The one positive aspect is having Honey cuddled up next to me. She's the puppy we rescued on the Saturday before Easter. (Actually, I had wanted to name her Easter, but my husband Andy and son J.D. vetoed the name -- even though Sheryl Crow used it in a song.)

We weren't sure what kind of dog she was when J.D. brought her home from the streets of Phoenix, where he found her hiding by a busy road, injured, sick and dirty. The Phoenix animal control wouldn't take the dog that day -- and the Humane Society here was closed on Easter Sunday. I decided to house train Honey, in case we decided to keep her. Even if we didn't, it would have made her a much more appealing dog for adoption. The training took five days. After a week of checking newspaper listings and Craigslist for lost dogs, it appeared no one was looking for her.

When I took Honey for her shots and exam, Dr. Tammy Pauletto took one look at her and said, "She's got angel wings!" I hadn't noticed really, but the white markings on her back behind her front legs do resemble wings. That clinched it for me -- how could I send her away? Honey is an Australian Cattle Dog or Heeler, possibly mixed with a yellow Labrador Retriever. Unlike most Heelers, she's neither red nor blue, but completely golden yellow. She especially looks like a little angel when she's sleeping and staying out of trouble.

Having a puppy has kept me running for the past three weeks. It's like having a toddler in the house who tries to get into everything and will eat anything. We have a routine finally, and she's starting to get easier to handle. Although we never officially said "she's staying," once I had a tag made for her collar with her name and our address and phone number, it became clear that I had no intention of giving her up. Andy is still set on getting a Golden Retriever, but we did plan to have two dogs -- it's just that one landed in our lives unexpectedly, like a little gift with angel wings, watching over us as we watch over her.

Listening to God Brings a Lost Sheep Home

Nadia Bloom, an 11-year-old girl lost in the swamps of Winter Springs, Florida for four days, was found by a volunteer from her family's church early on Tuesday morning when he prayed for help from God and heard a voice that told him where to go to find her.

In the 911 call that he made to tell officials that he'd found Nadia, he broke down in tears when he said that God had led him to her.

Nadia's rescuer, James King, explained how the voice told him to head toward the rising sun -- east -- when he gave an interview on the Today Show. His story is a lesson to the world on the power of prayer. As a man who has a relationship with God, and who prays often, he was prepared to listen for His voice -- something many people don't do even when they pray. Sometimes God speaks to the faithful, and sometimes He does not, but the most important thing to know as a Christian is that you must ask for His guidance in order to receive it.

Nadia, who has a mild form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, was barefoot and confused when she got lost in the densely wooded swamps near her home. Raised a Christian, and being familiar with scripture, she said she prayed in the swamps: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Her rescuer, too, said that he had prayed the same thing as he brought Nadia out of the swamp. Both of their prayers were answered.

Now I pray thanks to God for both of them, for their safety and for their testimony to the world of His grace and love.

Critical Thinking With Love Brings Scripture Alive

"Your sorrow shall be turned into joy." -- John 16:20

Last night I went to a house concert in my neighborhood, held by neighbors who hail from Minnesota, and who import the musicians, Bill and Kate Isles, to play folk music for the neighborhood. It was a pleasure to listen with friends in such an intimate setting, taking in beautiful music that was partly spiritual in its pure tones, partly in its lyrics, drawn from specific heartfelt life experiences.

Though I was late, I made it in time to hear the song "Take It As It Comes," about embracing life even when it hands you lemons, or sour apples, as the case may be.

It reminded me of the scripture we had studied in a class earlier in the evening in the Education for Ministry women's program at St. Luke's church in Prescott. The curriculum developed by the Sewanee School of Theology of the University of the South involves critical study of the Bible, as well as an exercise called "Theological Reflection," in which we take a problem and break it down according to tradition, experience, culture and our positions. Last night we did the process using a scripture. It's often a challenging process, but it helps lead us to implications and strategies for actually living our beliefs.

The song was a philosophical reflection, but the scripture is something we long discussed in how it is meaningful for every person of faith. From the point of view of tradition, we discussed similar scriptures that advise us to keep faith in spite of troubling days in our lives. For instance, the Beatitudes promise that in spite of all of the suffering in this life, we will be rewarded in the future, as well as in heaven. At the end of the book of Revelation, God promises to wipe away every tear in the End Times. In other scriptures, we are promised that the last will be first and the first in this life on earth will be last in heaven, as well as many other statements that ensure that our faith will be rewarded -- and that Jesus' suffering, too, was not in vain.

From a cultural perspective, we discussed the clash between chaos and order, the struggle between barbarism and civilization and the way people of faith act in order to achieve the balance through volunteerism, non-profit groups and the charity that restores human belief in the goodness of God.

I won't discuss our examination of our own experiences, since those are confidential, but I will say that from my own experience, I've discovered that only by the bad times can we appreciate the good. We examined several experiences in retrospect, and realized that they've led us to the path that we are on now. As one of our group put it, we are like the butterfly in that we much suffer through our life as caterpillars before we create the cocoon and emerge as the creatures we were meant to be. No one can avoid that struggle if they want to grow in faith.

So, we concluded that one of the implications of the scripture is that we should not try to avoid the chaos that is inevitable -- we must embrace it in faith. Another implication is that we can't always fix other people's problems, but the best counsel we can give them is to put their trust in God. We can tell them that with faith they can replace their sorrow with the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). In addition, we have to model our own faith and beliefs to others -- walk the talk -- if we want to have a positive impact on the world and to reduce suffering.

Based on the discussion, as a group we composed a Collect or prayer that distills all of these ideas. It is our song on the subject, and though it may not be as lyrical or elegant as Bill and Kate Isles' songs, it is a practical poetry.

"God is our hope, in charge, ever faithful. He is our rock. He knows us. We pray for faith, patience, trust, strength, tolerance, courage and wisdom, so that we can see the joy and not avoid the trials we must endure. So that we can see God's hands at work and be good witnesses. So that we can grow into the people of faith that God wants us to be. Amen."

Animals in the Bible Have Much to Teach

Written by a former veterinarian assistant and zoo keeper, "All God's Creatures: Spiritual Lessons From The Animals of the Bible," is a book that recently taught me not only a great deal about animals in general, but also gave me insight about many scriptures. From the lion, wolf and sheep to the bear, camel and eagle, certain passages that just sailed over my head in the past are now clear because I have the context and knowledge to grasp them.

The scripture that I used to name my blog, for instance, has a deeper meaning than what I'd assumed, based on what author Gary Richmond learned about snakes during his years at the Los Angeles Zoo, the fifth largest zoo in the world. Richmond wrote that he never quite understood the teaching from Jesus until he thought about it for several years, so I don't feel quite so ignorant.

The quote from the RSV Bible that he used goes as follows: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Matthew, 10:16. (My quotation says "shrewd" as snakes, which fits their profile better. The photo is of a gopher snake.)

As Richmond put it, snakes are creatures that people tend to fear and even hate because of their great difference from us. Also, they aren't very smart. Snakes are born with instincts to survive, and are taught nothing from birth to death. So the passage didn't make sense to Richmond until one day he realized that Jesus was likely referring to the snake's inherent "watchfulness." Snake eyes are covered by a scale that is lubricated on the inside, which enables them not to need an eyelid, or to blink. Because snakes cannot close their eyes, they are always keeping watch, even when they sleep. If they are asleep and a leaf falls from a tree, it doesn't waken them. But if their eyes view images of predators, they instinctively awaken and evade them.

"The Jews considered watchfulness one of the main characteristics of wisdom," Richmond wrote. "To be watchful is to be on guard, aware, careful. If you watch what you're doing, you make fewer mistakes. If you keep watch, you are ready for your enemy. If you are watchful, you live longer and better. These things show wisdom."

Richmond explains that snakes are better equipped to survive than many other animals, and tries to show that they get a bad rap overall by pointing out their better qualities. For instance:

1. Snakes are clean animals. Despite moving on the ground, they do not pick up dirt because at the base of each scale is a tiny oil gland that secretes and coats the scale in front of it. The oil dries and hardens and nothing sticks to it. (Contrast that with sheep wool, which has an oil in it that keeps them cool or warm, but is a magnet for dirt.)

2. Snakes are sensitive, "feeling" oriented animals that can detect heat. Sidewinder missiles were designed to mimmick the heat-sensing capability of the viper.

3. Snakes are well-equipped to find food through sensing molecules of scent by flicking their tongues.

4. Snakes are incredibly patient and capable of enduring much -- such as long periods of thirst, hunger and being trapped in tiny spaces.

5. Snakes are at their best when they are in the light for awhile. (When their bodies are warm, they are better hunters.) They seek light over dark.

Unfortunately for the reputation of the snake, they are often used as a symbol of how God punishes people for their wickedness, which doesn't exactly warm people to their image. Asps, vipers and venom are cited as appropriate payback in several books of the Old Testament. Thanks to Jesus, however, snakes have at least one good quality that's cited and embraced -- watchfulness. Even snakes are redeemed to some degree by Christ.

Why I Love the Irish

My father was a wonderful storyteller, a gift I did not inherit in verbal form, but I do my best with the written word. He was best at telling stories about fishing trips, the people he worked with and about his own foibles. I remember waking up to him getting louder and louder at the kitchen table as he drew near the punchline of some tale, then the explosive laughter from his friend or friends who were having breakfast after an early morning fishing trip or arrival from an overnight work stint on the railroad.

My mother was always gracious about these unexpected visits, serving coffee, eggs and bacon as she yawned her way to wakefulness. I would often throw on my clothes and join them at the table, because I enjoyed the spirit of fun they exuded. They weren't educated men, but they had heart, common sense and humor. They were telling redneck jokes about themselves before it became an industry for a new generation of comics.

My father was at least a quarter Irish, I've been told, so I inherited some small amount of that magic with words, I think.

Today The New York Times ran an excerpt from a book that was published a few years ago about "How the Irish Saved Civilization," by Thomas Cahill, following the fall of the Roman Empire. I'd read about the book before, but still enjoyed the retelling of how the books that were brought to the Emerald Isle prior to and during the Dark Ages by good old St. Patrick -- a Roman teen living in Britain who was kidnapped by Irish slave traders -- and later returned on his own to convert the unwashed masses there as a priest. He taught the heathens English and Christianity, and his converts later preserved, embraced and then cherished the books he brought to them. Other Roman Catholic priests who followed his example ingrained a love of the language and the written word. The Irish, God bless 'em, eventually became among the greatest proponents of the Western literature, which otherwise would have been lost to us due to the burning of the libraries in Rome.

Ireland has been home to great writers and poets ever since, from Joyce and Yeats to Nuala O'Faolain and Iris Murdoch. Even today some of its best poetry is written by songwriters, like Bono of the band U2 and Siobhan Fahey of the defunct pop girl group Bananarama.

And, of course, the storytelling tradition continues. I presume it's best experienced in a pub on a day like today.

Two Films with Heart: One Crazy, One Blind

Despite the fact that the film Precious has yet to play in Prescott -- I guess if it were in 3D we'd be in business -- I've managed to see several of the 10 Best Picture Oscar contenders. The last two films deserved their ranking, despite what some critics have said.

I'm referring to The Blind Side here as one of the less favored contenders, possibly because several critics called the story "predictable," and were not impressed by the script's straightforward structure. They, of course, miss the point completely. The story is about the power of love to transform and to lift up a human life, and there's nothing more dramatic than that, even without shocking moments, directorial risks and special effects.

My gut tells me that the fact that the story is also about what happens when people follow their Christian beliefs put off some of the cynical critics who don't like religious themes in their films. As a Christian, I was moved by the scene when the main character studies the words on the archway entry into the school, a quote from the Bible that says, "With God all things are possible." He, in fact, looks at the words twice in the film, once in a moment of confusion and once in a moment of grace.

Based on a true story, The Blind Side is about Michael Oher, a black teen from the Memphis ghetto who gains the opportunity to learn at a private Christian school by a football coach who sees his potential and urges the board to do their "Christian" duty. Eventually homeless, he is taken in by the Tuohys, a wealthy white family that helps him bridge the gaps in his education so that he can play football.

Despite a gentle nature that is a liability as a linebacker on the high school football team, he is coached and encouraged by the Tuohys, and becomes a phenomenal player, and ultimately a professional. Told with great compassion, truth and humor, the story pulls at the heartstrings as he struggles to believe in himself and overcome his past as the son of a drug addicted mother who rejected him.

In the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy, Sandra Bullock absolutely earned the nomination for best actress as the spunky mother whose energy and iron will enables her to break down Michael's barriers to love and to be loved. Then when he needs to find a reason to defend the quarterback on the field, she coaches him that he must treat the quarterback like his own family, and keep him from harm. In the end, the Tuohys gain as much as Michael does as he strengthens their faith and teaches them that helping others can bring meaning and unexpected joy to their lives.

Crazy Heart, the other contender, stars Jeff Bridges in his best role since The Fabulous Baker Boys, with Maggie Gyllenhaal as his love interest. Nominated for Oscars for best actor and best supporting actress, they bring powerhouse performances to a quiet story about the redemption of Bridges' character Bad Blake. Bridges becomes the character by singing onstage as believably as any country singer out there. Though I'm not a fan of country music, I loved the bluesy guitar licks and the lyrics of the songs, and am still humming them days after seeing the film.

A down-on-his-luck alcoholic songwriter, Blake meets a woman who pulls him back from the brink and gives him inspiration and a reason to change. I'd be surprised if Bridges doesn't win best actor for his portrayal of a man who finds a savior in more ways than one.

Groundhog Day Beats New Year's For Hope

"Well, it's Groundhog Day. Again."

In the immortal words of Bill Murray's character in the eponymous film, this day is NEVER going to end. OK, it will at midnight, but what changes in his character and ultimately makes time move forward again is his view of the world, not the world itself, after months or even years of the same mistakes and the same perspectives.

This is one of my favorite films for a number of reasons, but mostly because it serves as an annual reminder of how faith, love and joy are always able to redeem our lives, even if we've lived selfishly or dishonestly or without a relationship with God in the past.

Also, it shows that if we embrace the good things we tend to take for granted, and have real love and appreciation for them, it changes us for the better.

God gives us a second, third, fifth and seventy-seven times seven chance to know Him. It's a wonderful day to be a Christian.

If you live in the Northeast or Midwest, though, it's too bad, because Punxsatawney Phil saw his shadow this morning...

State of the Union with God

Every year about the time the President -- whoever it is -- delivers the state of the union, I pause to think about what it means. He spouts goals, lofty ideals and sometimes pointed ideological statements, directed at other nations and the world. There is rarely a spiritual challenge, but I think this year should have had one.

In the past, the wars were the emphasis, evil empires and triads of evil, as well as directives that seemed to be an attempt to create an image, rather than to address actual problems. Much was glossed over that was important. Instead of real solutions, ideas of what could be done were brought up one year and dropped the next.

Now that the country's deep economic flaws and divides are highlighted, one party has turned to stone and the other is working hard to bridge these problems. There must be a healing medium. God is it -- in spite of what people from the ACLU will say. And I'm not just talking about lip service and pandering, I mean a real spiritual transformation, one that we probably won't see until 2012. I'm hoping President Obama will become a part of that.

I am reminded constantly in my own life that living without purpose is not life, it's just going through the motions. When a job is lost or a house is taken or health issues arise, it becomes clear that those aspects of life will only take you so far. The rest is reliant on the spirit. The Bible is chock-full of wisdom on this subject, but I will not quote it here. Instead, I will note an obituary in The New York Times.

Along with the stories on the State of the Union speech, the pullback of Toyota from car production, the Apple iPad introduction, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner defending AIG's bailout, and an Afghan tribe vowing to fight the Taliban to get U.S. aid, buried inside was an obituary of Andrew Lange, one of the foremost astrophysicists of our times, who killed himself at age 52. Lange's experiments helped prove the Big Bang caused an expanding universe that is accelerating in its expansion. The only explanation given of his suicide was that he suffered from depression. What is almost always left unsaid is that a dearth of spiritual knowledge and practice leads to depression, as much as any physical cause. A bright mind was extinguished by a poor spirit.

Dan Brown, who I wouldn't call a great author (some flat characters, an excess of unbelievable action) but definitely occasionally an entertaining one, writes in his new book "The Lost Symbol" about the convergence of science and faith, and the central role of the Masons and Christianity in the founding, and presumably, the success of this nation because of the founders' deep beliefs in God. While separation of church and state is necessary in executing the law, it is not a prerequisite for governing the country, nor has it ever been. Examination of our moral precepts in our own lives and in government are a necessary aspect of setting the agenda of the nation. If our representatives are believers (and most claim to be), then it should be clear to them that they have an obligation to follow their conscience and the teachings of their religion, and not to blindly follow party directives.

When President Obama called for "responsibility to govern," he touched on this concept. If the GOP becomes the Grand Opposing Party, then its members are acting only in their own interests, and not those of the country.

Several years ago, I never would have come to this conclusion, but sometimes God is the only answer. In the times we live in, all I can say is God bless America.

'Avatar' Wins Globe; Some Critics Scoff

Get ready for the "Avatar" backlash.

The film won a Golden Globe for best movie of 2009, which officially makes it open season for attack, along with the fact that it has earned over a billion dollars since its release. Critics are sharpening their knives.

Ironically, one of the first to come forward was the Vatican, which declared it emotionally unengaging and an attempt to replace God with nature, according to a New York Times story, which goes on to say: "The A.P. Vatican Radio said the movie 'cleverly winks at all those pseudo-doctrines that turn ecology into the religion of the millennium,' adding: 'Nature is no longer a creation to defend, but a divinity to worship.' "

Also, Times columnist David Brooks had a field day bashing the movie as a standard example of the "White Messiah" fable in which a man from somewhere else comes and saves the natives in a Godlike manner. He cited "A Man Called Horse," "At Play in the Fields of the Lords," "Dances with Wolves," and "The Last Samurai" as other examples. The kiddie version is "Pocahontas," he writes.

Another Times writer quotes his daughter's name for the film as "The Blue Kitty Movie."

There's no arguing that "Avatar" is a visually arresting film, and it does bring you into a fantasy world. As long as viewers don't confuse fantasy with reality, I don't see the harm. In fact, I think its plot far surpassed James Cameron's other mega hit, "Titanic," which I think the Vatican could have objected to on moral grounds.

As long as the viewer doesn't sink into the fantasy world and ignore the real one as people in Haiti and other parts of the world suffer for lack of attention, then no harm done by the blue kitties.