"Cardinal asks dialogue partners if an ecumenical catechism might work" - Catholic News Service, 2/8/10:

The churches may hold those positions officially, but if their members do not hold firmly to the basics of Christian faith, the dialogue cannot move forward, the cardinal said.

The Catholic Church does believe "there are deficits in the other churches," he said. "Yet on another level there are deficits, or rather wounds stemming from division and wounds deriving from sin, also in the Catholic Church."

Notice of the prayer event came through Facebook. With all the other cancellations announced yesterday, I expected this one to be canceled also. Nope. So I went and arrived a few minutes late. Music was already audible from the parking lot as I parked my car. The lot was rather full. I didn't expect that many people on a Friday night with a blizzard warning in effect.

I slipped into the amphitheater-style sanctuary from a side door and a few heads turned 'round to see who I was. Nobody recognized me. I sat in the back row with some foreigners from India. Their children kept me entertained, bouncing around on the cushioned pews.

Being late, then, I missed the first song. The second song was All Because Of Jesus by Casting Crowns. Then the pastor got up and greeted us and told us the reason for the prayer meeting. It seems that a missionary family was supposed to speak at a Sunday service a few weeks ago but the facility had a water main break and the service was cancelled. The missionaries told the pastor, "Don't sweat it, this sort of thing happens to us all the time." But the pastor was determined to not let Satan have the upper hand. So, we were to pray for the missionaries during our time together last night. No money was collected however which, I would think, the family would really be after.

Then the music resumed with a favorite of mine, "Come Thou Fount", but a cantor was babbling gibberish throughout the song, kinda spoiling it. He was good at other times with different songs, but not with this classic hymn. The next song was "From the Inside Out" and then "Came to my Rescue," both by Hillsong.

Then another pastor stood up and asked us to be seated. I already was. We were to bow our heads and close our eyes and listen to some Scripture, Acts 1:8 and Mk. 4:35. This isn't an "Open your Bibles and turn to ..." kind of service. Having head bowed and eyes closed eliminates the temptation to follow along in the book.

There was another set of missionaries to pray for, this time in Mexico. If I remember right, they are building guest accommodations so that when teams go down there on mission trips, they have some place to stay. It made me think of Haiti and all the relief workers there needing places to stay too. And then, speaking of Haiti, we also prayed for a group from CAMA Services, the relief arm of the C&MA denomination, who'll be going to Haiti soon.

Back to singing, then, with a song I really like the chorus of: "Revelation Song". I remember that was sung at the church plant preview service, equally well. I think the cantor read aloud Matthew 16:28 -

"I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

And hearing that verse sidetracked me because the Precepts lesson this week is about the kind of death Adam and Eve experienced, either just spiritual death (as some Christians supposedly teach) or both physical and spiritual death. I wondered why just physical death wasn't a choice because that's what I think Genesis 3 is on about.

The music resumed with another Hillsong song, Hosanna". Maybe this was Hillsong in concert, would I even know?! Then the pastor came up again and pointed out some latticework fencing on either side of the platform. Congregants were invited to treat it as the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and place folded paper with their prayers into a spot in the fence. I didn't but many did. People were also invited to come forward and kneel at the front of the platform and the prayer team would pray with them if they wanted. I probably could have knelt in place without too much scrutiny but I didn't out of concern that the young family next to me might want to exit. The first hour of the service went by just so quickly. And Pastor Boyd paraphrased Deut. 4 for us and Mk. 2 when the paralytic's friends raised the roof to get him to Jesus. Boyd kinda said that if we have physical ailments, we ought to first recognize and confess our sins.

Back to the music, again, with "In Christ Alone", and then "How Great is our God" and the cantor just kept saying, "Sing with me!"

There was very little time for Josh to come up for his part about receiving physical healing. I think the guy had five minutes but he took fifteen which was still pretty quick. He talked about the great miracle of raising Lazarus and that Jesus' resurrection was also a great miracle of the Father. He read from Ps. 6:2 - "Have mercy on me ... for I am weak" (NKJV) and he quoted a contemporary song, "You hold my every moment; you calm my raging seas."

He said he had oils up front there and I got to thinking about those retreats so long ago, well maybe five years ago, when we had holy anointing. And how good it was. And how the team could cover a roomful in a matter of minutes and still spend quality time with each one. These guys weren't as efficient; they don't scale.

The last song was "Hallelujah, Our God Reigns" and it turned into such a cacophony, I thought of what St. Paul said about ordered worship. It was getting a little out of control.

Anyway, I spent my time there praying for my sister-in-law. That was my purpose in going.

The pastor announced a repeat of last year's Ash Wednesday service in a week and a half because everyone liked it so well.

The snow hadn't started yet when I left. My side seat got me into the parking lot pretty quick but I was prudent enough to hold the door for another couple and let them go out first. Plainsboro on a Friday night, *shudder*. I listened to Tell Me More on NPR and Michel Martin had on Ted Haggert's wife. Gayle lost some credibility with me when she said that her husband preached compassion towards homosexuals so the treatment they received from the church shocked them. Yes, the treatment was shocking but you make your bed and you sleep in it. Well, figuratively-speaking, of course. Maybe that's too much nuance.

As I turned 'round the jughandle to pick up the Hightstown bypass from CR-571, I saw a huge snow plow with its parking lights on, just sitting in an empty lot waiting for the snow to start. He had probably been there since 5pm just waiting. It had started before I got home but maybe it's just that I drove into it.

I have a sore throat this morning.

This clip is as much about how technology has changed in the past quarter century as anything. In fact, the video isn't very detailed because of the distance.

New video of Challenger crash - CNN.

Actually, I had never watched video of the Challenger's destruction until seeing this clip.

"Haiti earthquake suffering resonates with twinned U.S. parishes" - Catholic News Serivce, 2/4/10:

"Our relationship with the parish of Notre Dame in Petite-Goave is long. We've been twinned for over 30 years and that bond has not been broken. We will proceed with the trip when the time is right," St. Stephen pastor Father Pat Kibby wrote in a message to parishioners after the quake.

"We will still be there when everyone has walked away."

We twin with a place in Uganda.

"Despite collapsed buildings, Haitian parish aids quake victims" - Catholic News Service, 2/3/10:

Father Thomas said 200 people died in the school, which bears scorch marks from fires that recovery workers set to mask the smell of the decaying bodies.

Before the earthquake, the parish had 10,000 members. The three Redemptorists assigned to the parish celebrated five Masses every Sunday. At Mass Jan. 31 in the parish courtyard, a little more than 300 people worshipped.

Father Thomas, 36, is in his first assignment as a pastor; he came to St. Gerard six months ago.

If the best the parish can do is help coordinate the distribution of cards and food under the auspices of the United Nations, Father Thomas is willing to help.

The stunt on Friday has prompted the PM to cut off all new adoptions of Haitian orphans.

"Talk of the Nation", NPR, 2/2/10.

Not a good thing getting arrested in a country without a functioning judicial system.

The reason to like this song? Gilmour's guitar, of course.