A few years ago, I met up with a friend who had just moved to Columbus because of a job opportunity, and part of that transition was finding a new place to worship (and more!). He had been a part of a non-denominational church, and that pastor gave him a list of several other churches, which he considered to be relatively similar to their respective ministry. As my friend checked them out, he didn’t necessarily agree. In his mind, they were all “fluff.” They were just “potatoes” with “no meat,” no substance. No small groups with theological connections with the Sunday message, like he was used to with the previous church. They were, instead, more like social hours, just to hang out.
Tomorrow (October 17) will be the 45th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Mother Teresa, who became synonymous with saint, to say the least, with her seemingly relentless dedication to those in impoverished conditions. And yet, as the years went by in her lifetime, a different story was being revealed about the one who was formally declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 2016. That, as much of a Resurrection faith she exuded for a whole worldwide audience at times, for as much joy and love and compassion and kindness and enthusiasm she shared with “the least of these,” there was something else going on in the depths of her soul.
This upcoming Monday, October 14, will be our neighbors’ to the north Thanksgiving. Although Canada’s version of the holiday doesn’t receive quite the full-blown attention as it does for many families in our country, evidently there’s been a tradition developing there over the years that encourages people to leave the comforts of home and go for a walk in nature. That isn’t to say some of us here try to walk off the turkey and stuffing and pie, but nevertheless, if Canadians in the western portion of their vast land want to go exploring beyond their living quarters, they may just be close enough to one of the earth’s most beautiful treasures: Banff National Park.
It was the first day of 7th grade French class, and Mrs. (Mme.) Smith wanted us to pick more of a French name for us to be called in that classroom. She had us open our textbook to a list to choose from, and one stood out for me: Dikembe. Sports viewing was a beloved time-consumer for me during those days, and it was always fascinating to grapple with how the best could dominate a game, especially at the professional level. And so it was with Dikembe Mutumbo, one of the greatest defensive forces of nature standing under any basketball hoop to ever play. After his National Basketball Association (NBA) career drew to a close (18 seasons in all), he recorded the second most blocked shots in the sport’s history, many of which would precede his famous finger-wag to indicate that the opposing team better try to score anywhere beyond so many feet of radius from his 7’2’’ towering frame.
Tomorrow (September 26) will mark the 18th anniversary of the death of Paul Newman, a treasured part of Cleveland’s history, being born and raised in the Cleveland/Shaker Heights end of things. But his impact continues to be felt all over the world.
Over the 20th century, many people came to know and adore the East Side’s treasured phenom through the then-Hollywood blockbusters of The Sting (1973), Cool Hand Luke (1967), and Butch Cassady and the Sundance Kid (1969). I was slightly late to his filmography dominance, and so my go-to is Road to Perdition (2002), but minor detail. Nevertheless, the even more important influence still emerges in your local grocery store of all places.
