A man met a lad weeping. 'What do you weep for?' he asked.
'I am weeping for my sins,' said the lad.
'You must have little to do,' said the man.
The next day, they met again. Once more the lad was weeping.
'Why do you weep now?' asked the man.
'I am weeping because I have nothing to eat,' said the lad.
'I thought it would come to that,' said the man.
Many have quarreled about religion that never practiced it.
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for November travelers |
St. Louis Film Festival
St. Louis, Missouri
Held at the St. Louis Art Museum and several other sites.
6th annual event, and this year features a tribute to attending performer Tony Curtis.
information: Call 314-726-6779
Rocky Mountain Book Festival.
Denver, Colorado.
Currigan Exhibition Hall in Denver
5th annual event. Participating authors include N. Scott Momadayis, who in 1968 won the
Pulitzer Prize for his House Made of Dawn. His new book is The Man Made of Words.
Among dozens of other authors (and there's a huge gathering of romance writers for you
romance lovers) is lawyer Gerry Spence, who did How to Argue and Win Every Time.
He'll have his latest book on the trial of (can you guess?) O.J. Simpson, titled O. J. The Last
Word. Ah, a work of fiction. Go and enjoy the festival anyway.
More information: 303-839-8321.
Boston Jewish Film Festival
Boston, Massachusetts.
At the Museum of Fine Arts (and other locations).
The riches of Jewish heritage and cultural talent will be celebrated in the medium of film. My
information on this one is a bit sketchy, but it sounded like fun, so I included it anyway.
To get more details you can try calling: 781-899-3830.
Hawaii International Film Festival
in Honolulu, Hawaii for November 7-14, and November 14-20 on 5 other islands.
The people of the Pacific Rim began to come together this way in 1981. Some 65,000 people
are expected to attend 80-100 films.
Information: In you call from the United States use 1-800-752-8193. Internationally use:
1-808-528-3456
Belfast Festival at Queen's
Held at Waterfront Concert Hall in Belfast.
The festival is in its 35th year. There is a new artistic director and the plan is to knock your socks
off (though I'm sure they'd put it much more elegantly) with premier performances in classical
music, drama, jazz, and comedy
Want more details? Call: 01232 667687
Sawdust - A Festival By The Sea Winter Fantasy
Held at 935 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California.
Only in my (greatly beloved) California would people live to avoid snow and then have snow
brought in daily for a winter festival. They'll have a snow playground, artists and craftspeople,
shopping, Santa Claus' workshop, strolling carolers.
Let them give you more detailed information at:714-494-3030.
Festival of Lights
Niagara Falls, New York.
Held in downtown Niagara Falls and surrounding area.
Lots and lots of lights at those beautiful falls, holiday displays and scenes, plus horse and buggy
rides, entertainment, caroling. The Wintergardens have more lights and poinsettias everywhere.
Information: 716-2858484.
Christmas Across The Land
Gettysburg, Pennslyvania.
Held at the Land of Little Horses, 125 Glenwood Drive, in Gettysburg.
A showing of lights, holiday villages, animated lighted figures, and tram rides. They also present a
show with the miniature horses and a live nativity scene.
Further Information: 717-334-7259
SPECIAL REVIEW
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On Being Thankful
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To some people the idea of being thankful means that we sit with vacuous grins, clasping our hands in endless praise and raising our eyes to some imaginary spot from whence we think The Giver threw us a few (undeserved) crumbs of manna. Worse yet, thankfulness is relegated to that one day a year in America where we gather with relatives (some we don't even enjoy) around a table overloaded with food to exchange witty barbs and eat until we vow never to eat again. This being the case, no wonder folks who claim to be staunch atheists look at us with disdain and pronounce us to be without reason and around the sentimental bend. And they're absolutely right to do so, if that's all there is to it. |
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Is being thankful just an emotion, something we feel toward our Maker once in awhile, convenienly dragged out when we have an idle moment to reflect, then dropped behind us in our everyday paths, where we think someone will see it lying and recognize it as love? |
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Imagine a scene in the country of Zaire, where rebel factions and military forces have clashed again and again, until even the land itself is beginning to show the wear and tear of war. Children who had been housed in an orphanage lost even that place to live as men came and took it over to use as a base camp for their movements. Everywhere you turn there is bloodshed, death, terror, anger, dust, pain and despair. |
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Now, shift your view just a bit, in the exact same place, and you have entered another dimension (Twilight Zone music goes here) in Zaire. You see individuals, human beings, performing simple (though not easy) acts of bravery, service and love. They are taking care of the children, consoling the families of those killed, feeding and clothing the homeless while shelter is built, and cleaning up the bloody mess with what few resources they can manage in such a time. |
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Did anything really change? It's still a place full of destruction and suffering. But an amazing paradox is taking shape in this place. Acts of thanksgiving are gracing this war-torn territory, a place some would say proves that no loving God could exist and allow. |
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I'm not picking on Zaire. I don't live there, and I don't know exactly what long-term internal struggles brought the people there to this moment. |
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I read about these incidents in a newsletter I receive from a group of people who are at work in this place, and in other places, to restore dignity and life to people who have been affected by natural disaster and by war. (This group happens to be ADRA - Adventist Development and Relief Agency), but there are other organizations and individuals doing the same kind of work. |
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You may have seen the work of these people during live broadcasts of the aftermath of floods and earthquakes in even your own area. |
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They are not people sitting with their hands clasped in praise to that Ethereal Entity some think of as God. They are active, working individuals who believe that we were made in God's own image, and that the best way to live is to live in His image, doing what He does - reaching out without demanding in return. |
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People who make fun of those who believe in a creative God can probably win many arguments that are based on mathematical reasoning (age of the earth, whether or not there was a world-wide flood, etc.), but it's pretty tough to refute an argument that rolls up its sleeves and works from the kind of love God represents. |
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If we want to be called Christians (or theists, or any one of several other labels) we can argue with the people who want to argue, or we can help people who need help. In my experience, there is neither time nor energy in this life to devote to both. |
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I can't change lives just by talking. I have to be a walking image of God's love. |
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So, just this once, this Thanksgiving holiday time, can we put down the proof texts and the scientific statistics for a little while? We can at least agree on what a warm blanket, or a bowl of rice, or a rescued pet is all about. |
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You know what they say - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. |
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