'God' Book Caters to Short Attention Spans

Perhaps it's been the beautiful weather. Or the hummingbirds zipping in and out from the feeder by the window of my home office. Or the many projects I've been working on. Whatever it is, my distraction level has been higher than usual and I've only been able to enjoy short stories in my leisure reading.

First, I picked up Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize-winning Interpreter of Maladies, which dissects moments in the emotional lives of a variety of Indian-Americans. (A book I highly recommend.) Then I moved on to Salman Rushdie's edition of The Best American Short Stories 2008, a mish-mash of internationally themed pieces that were very New Yorker-ish in terms of sophistication. I also savored the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2009, which seemed much more American than the international flavor of the afore-mentioned book, and which lives up to its namesake O. Henry in delivering a punch at the end of each story.

Now, I am reading a collection called God: Stories that culls the best of the best of stories by well-known American short story writers, selected for their themes on spirituality, religion, faith and/or the loss or lack of all three. You can't beat the variety of voices here -- from James Baldwin to Flannery O'Connor to Louise Erdrich to John Updike and even Philip Roth. Some are familiar stories, like O'Connor's "Parker's Back," which is included in most scholarly collections of short stories. Others are more obscure, but incredible gems that are unforgettable in their descriptive flair.

If you find yourself unable to wade through an epic novel, yet you aren't in the mood to devour a brainless thriller or supermarket bestseller, then this will cure what ails your spirit.

Star Trek Film Takes Inner Journey

It's been a month and a half since its release, but no summer film has yet to rival the masterpiece that is Star Trek, the 2009 reboot. What makes this such a remarkable film is that it takes the old franchise and completely rewrites it, while maintaining the integrity of the original characters, the sense of fun and the triumph, often, of human ingenuity over mere technology.

The film has a sort of Biblical beginning, starting with the birth of Captain Kirk and the death of his father in dramatic martyr-like fashion, the first of many actions that show these characters would give their own lives to save others. Without hesitation.

I have to admit here that I have seen the film three times. First, for the sheer pleasure of it, the second time to experience it with my son while in New York and the third time because my husband wanted to see it again, and there were aspects of the screenplay I was still mulling over. As in most action films, the faulty dialogue and holes in the plot don't really become apparent until the second or third viewing, but this film holds up rather well in spite of them.

Without giving away too much of the plot for those few who have yet to see the film, the relationship between Uhuru and Spock didn't work for me at all, no matter how many times I saw the film. I think, however, the filmmakers are probably setting up the story for the next film when Spock evolves into the monk-like character familiar to fans. It's one of the unsettling deviations from the old storylines.

In an interview in Script magazine, the screenwriters, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, admitted that Spock was the focal point of this film, and they were influenced by the themes in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in writing it. The villain Khan was avenging the death of his wife; the villain Nero in the new film is avenging the death of his wife and unborn child. They cited the theme of Spock's struggle between logic and emotion as pivotal in the storyline. To me, it's similar to how many protagonists in the Bible struggle between living according to God's law, as opposed to living according to ego, or id. Spock's inability to control his anger makes him practically homocidal -- potentially a Cain to Kirk's Abel -- until he is reined in literally by his father.

I happened to catch the end of Star Trek II the other night and was struck by the homage to that film in the new one. When Capt. Kirk explains how he defeated the Kobayashi Maru test by cheating, he does so cavalierly while eating an apple. In the new film, the young Capt. Kirk actually performs the described feat while eating an apple.

As pointed out on a screenwriting website I sometimes surf, a scene in the new film in which Capt. Kirk is jettisoned onto a planet and then accidentally stumbles onto the Spock of the future does seem a bit far-fetched. However, there's a sense of destiny in the story, of these characters having a divine purpose, that makes it possible to suspend disbelief and embrace the improbable.

Like a blend of the strange, wondrous and improbable in the Old Testament and the blend of the human and divine in the New Testament, this Star Trek burns away any of the sentimental dreck that remained in the old series and creates a shiny, new version with much to commend it.

Jesus Didn't Kill Muhammad, But Obama Gave Hope

As riots sweep through Iran this week over perceived fraudulent presidential election results, I feel that the Middle East is poised for real change. A confluence of events going on now could lead to a lasting peace, but not without some upheaval in the meantime.

President Obama's recent speech encouraged many Muslims that the West does not condemn them for their religion -- it instead respects them in spite of religious differences, but will not accept intolerance toward Jews and Christians by terrorists and extremists.

In the weeks following Obama's speech, Israel has announced that it is moving toward recognizing a Palestinian state and Iranians are voicing their opinions about what appears to be a corrupt election that reinstated Ahmadinejad as president. Through news reports and now the Internet, their protests are being heard around the world. It was inspiring to see people speaking fearlessly on camera about the election, without masks and without fear.

Contrast these heartening developments with the dark days in Iraq when Christian evangelical elements of our military were taunting Muslims by booming on loudspeakers that "Jesus Killed Mohammed." This, and other efforts to convert Muslims -- not our mission in Iraq -- were enough to stir anger against our country from both Sunnis and Shias. A report in Harper's Magazine about the ongoing incidents makes it clear that no one was reprimanded for this behavior -- in fact officers de facto encouraged it by not banning it.

Since the Commander-in-Chief has set an example of tolerance, we can only hope that things will change on this front as well.

It's instructive to look at how Jesus handled people of different faiths and tribes. He told his disciples that if people did not want to receive their message to shake the dust off their sandals and move on. He didn't mock or taunt or push. People had to come to his message of their own free will. His clear message? Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you; love others -- especially if they don't agree with you.

Church Job Fair Blesses Community

When a Kansas City, Missouri church planned a job fair recently, the turn-out was even better than anticipated, with 400 people seeking jobs and information on how to land them. The church put its money where it could do the most good for a great many by taking on all of the costs of the event, so that both the unemployed and the 45 companies seeking employees would not be burdened with fees.

They even provided a free lunch. Sometimes a free lunch really is free.

Northland Cathedral Church sponsored the Job Fair and Career Expo because it saw the need of the large number of people in the community hurt by downsizing and lay-offs. It had a large facility in which to hold the event, so the costs were principally in printing materials, electricity and clean-up, since volunteers handled organizing and setting up the event. People started showing up at 9 a.m. for the 10 a.m. event.

Along with seminars to teach various skills on how to land a job, the church emphasized volunteerism for those out of work, so that they can help themselves by helping others. Also, to help people network, they started a job club to assist and mentor people on the search for jobs.

This event was a real blessing for the people who attended and for those who set it up. At registration, attendees were asked if they had specific prayer requests. It was a chance to remind people to love their neighbors as they love themselves -- and to help themselves at the same time.

I read about the May 28th event on Breaking Christian News, which sends out a positive message on what's happening in the world to churches via the Internet. It's an example of how one church can make a real difference for its community.

Danny Gans Death Sparks God Debate

Back in the mid-'90s during a Ramada convention in Puerto Rico (during my hotel industry editor days), I had the chance to see Comedian/Impressionist Danny Gans up close as he riffed on various people in the audience, including the president of the company. Not since I saw Don Rickles do the same to the Holiday Inn executives did I laugh so hard.

In any case, I remembered Danny Gans, and was floored to see that he had his own show at The Mirage casino in Las Vegas some years later. He expanded his entertaining to singing and dancing, as well. He was an extremely funny, talented guy.

Gans, known to be a family man, died suddenly on May 1 from an unknown cause. I searched today to see if there was any update on what caused his early death at age 52, because it often takes at least a month for toxicology reports to be completed. Instead of getting any clarification, I discovered a debate on God raging on an entertainment blog.

Apparently Gans was a born-again Christian who made his beliefs part of his act, something truly unique in a place like Las Vegas. The blog debates were with tinged a mixture of grief and anger, as well as contempt toward the religious who mentioned this fact. What I found interesting was the lack of an open mind on the part of the anti-religious. Certainly that's the easiest position to take, since faith is required of the other, but I wonder why it's so threatening to someone in this context, and why at least one poster thinks that belief is simply "fire insurance" for Hell. They are missing out on the bigger picture.