Heaven on Earth
What’s your vision of heaven on earth?
National Geographic wants to know.
In conjunction with Tuesday’s release of its new book “Visions of Paradise(National Geographic Books, $35),” National Geographic is inviting the general public to submit images that best represent their unique vision of heaven on Earth to the “Visions of Paradise Photography Contest” that continues through Dec. 21.
Each week 20 Editor’s Picks will be selected from qualified entries and posted on the Web site at www.nationalgeographic.com/myvision. Viewers will be able to vote for their favorites by going online to the site.
At the end of the submission process, Editor’s Picks also will be judged by an expert panel of photographers and art directors who will selected a final list of 20 official winners.
Winning photographs will be posted on the site and each winner will receive a customized copy of “Visions of Paradise” with their winning photograph as the cover image.
The book released this week features 155 images from 82 renowned National Geographic photographers, conveying their ideas of “heaven on Earth.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Catholic synod on Web
A new Web site, www.ScriptureSynod.com was recently launched to keep Roman Catholics informed about the Synod with Pope Benedict in Rome.
Pope Benedict and about 250 bishops from around the world are participating in the gathering, which has the theme “The Word of God in the Life of the Church.”
The new site features facts about the synod, expert commentary, podcasts and articles on aspects of Bible study. It promises to feature daily updates about on the synod.
Incidentally, according to the Web site, six bishops from America are attending the synod. They are:
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago
Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Az.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston, Texas
Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C.
Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia
Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Wash.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
God, you’ve been served …
OK, here’s another item to add to the weird news of the day list.
Religion News Service reports that a Nebraska legislator’s lawsuit against God has been dismissed … because the Lord can not be served notice of the litigation.
“Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant, this action will be dismissed with prejudice,” wrote Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk of Omaha, Neb., on Oct. 14.
RNS reports that the ruling was in response to a 2007 lawsuit filed by Nebraska State Sen. Ernie Chambers who sought a permanent injunction against God. According to the Associated Press, Chambers accused God of causing “widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants.”
RNS said Chambers has said he filed the suit to demonstrate that everyone — rich or poor — should have access to the court system.
Don’t know yet if Chambers is going to appeal the judge’s recent ruling.
He did, according to the Associated Press, take issue with the judge’s assertion that God can’t be served: “Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit” Chambers said.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Bible inspires winning Oklahoman
Ashley Phillips of Wagoner recently won the American Bible Society’s Share Your Story Now Flips Ahoy contest.
Phillips, 20, was selected at random among contest entrants and she won a new Flip Video Camcorder. Also a $1,000 donation was made in her name to The Light of the Amazon, the Bible Society of Brazil’s charity supported by the American Bible Society.
To participate in the contest, contestants had to log on to SYSN.org and upload an audio, video or written account of how he or she had experienced the Word of God.
Phillips wrote that her heavenly Father’s beautiful words in Song of Solomon erased the hurtful ones her earthly father spoke years ago when he deserted her family.
“I have not seen or heard from my Dad since I was two, and the last words he said to me were forever ringing in my head, ‘I’m leaving because you’re not good enough,’” she wrote.
“My earthly father’s words are not fully gone yet, but they are slowly being rewritten by God’s words from Song of Solomon 4:7 ‘All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.’ At that moment God just breathed restoration in my soul.”
Phillips told the American Bible Society that she plans to work as a missionary after completing college.
Abigal Tanori, the society’s Web community manager, said at the core of the society’s mission is the belief that God speaks to every generation through the Holy Scriptures.
“The goal of SYSN.org is to collect and communicate real stories about how people are experiencing the life-changing message of the Bible, as well as to encourage people to engage the Scriptures and facilitate the development of an online community of Bible advocates,” she said in a news release.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Oct. 19 Faith Bookshelf
This week’s Faith Bookshelf is a mixed bag — no certain theme, just several books that have been released recently:
1. “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Middle East Conflict” by Mitchell G. Bard, Ph.D ($19.95, released September 2008).
This updated guide provides readers with an intense look at current events and the ever-changing political and social landscape, as well as the history — ancient and modern — of this region.
2. “Being Christian: Exploring Where You, God and Life Connect,” by Stephen 
Arterburn and John Shore ($19.99, Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group, released September 2008).
While the spiritual beliefs of the current political candidates are being heavily scrutinized, bestselling authors Arterburn and Shore bring an insightful, accessible, and comprehensive guide to the core truths of Christian faith. In an easy-to-use question-and-answer format, the authors address the most pressing questions and faith concerns for new and veteran believers as well as seekers and outside observers.
3. “Salvation on the Small Screen: 24 Hours of Christian Television” by Nadia Bolz-Weber ($17, Seabury Books, released September 2008).
From 5 a.m. Nov. 2 to 5 a.m. Nov. 3 2007, Bolz -Weber watched the Trinity Broadcasting Network for 24 consecutive hours to gain a theological perspective on Christian cable TV — plus to chronicle its star televangelists, prosperity gospel fare, use of the Bible, and product offerings. She invited 28 contributors, including biblical scholars, several Jews, her Evangelical parents, Lutheran pastors and her 9-year-old daughter, to drop in and comment. The result is a high-octane narrative.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Coming full circle …
There are days when you feel unappreciated, when your best effort doesn’t seem good enough and perhaps no one really cares what you do or say.
Well, I haven’t had one of those days — I’ve had one of those years.
That is until Sister Barbara Joseph Foley called me to say the family of Stephen Beachboard would be visiting Oklahoma City the next day.
Would I like to be a part of her first meeting with them?, she asked.
Of course!
I remembered the initial story I wrote about Sister Barbara and her determined efforts to hold a funeral service for the homeless man. That story chronicled her successful quest to see him buried at Resurrection Memorial Cemetery (thanks to the cemetery’s generosity).
Driving to Foley’s food pantry for the homeless, I had no idea how this new chapter of the story would impact my heart.
I was truly touched.
Like many reporters, I write a story then go on to the next one and the next one and the next one …
You write so many and they all impact you in one way or another. However, you go on and you write another one, and another one and another one and so on …
Listening as Sara Beachboard talked of Googling for information about her long lost brother-in-law, it suddenly occurred to me that she had found the story I had written about his death and subsequent burial on the Internet. I think Sister Barbara alluded to that during her phone call, but I didn’t understand what she had been saying.
I wept thinking about what finding that story initially must have been like for Sara Beachboard and her husband, Jim. Then I wept when I thought about all the stories that I didn’t get to share with readers that week of 2007 and how that one that made it into the newspaper had brought the Beachboard family some closure.
After their visit, Sister Barbara said she felt the Beachboards left Oklahoma City with a sense of peace. They got to meet the woman who had befriended their relative and learn that though he was homeless, he had many people who cared about him.
He resisted their efforts to get him off the streets, but he did open up to many of his Oklahoma friends, showing them his writings and acceping the coffee they brought him — only if it had six Irish creamers and six vanilla creamers to go in it.
As the Beachboards and Sister Barbara looked at old photographs of Stephen Beachboard and swapped stories about him, I had to put down my pen and my video camera more than once.
They were not the only ones who had come full circle.
Sometimes we may never know how what we do or say influences or touches others. When we do get to see how a kind word, a good deed or a story results in something worthwhile, I think it is a divine treat.
That day, as I came away from Sister B.J.’s pantry, I felt that someone knew exactly what I needed at that particular moment of my life.
And I also knew that Jim Beachboard’s words would remain with me long after he had come and gone.
“People have to understand that everyone out there has a story,” he said.
This I know to be true.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Coincidentially, I subscribe to Beliefnet’s Prayer of the Day e-letter and Friday’s prayer was a Prayer for the Homeless. This week my awareness of the needs and challenges of the homeless has been heightened. Maybe yours has too.
Read the prayer by clicking here: Prayer for the Homeless.
Midpoint rally for “40 Days for Life”
’40 Days for Life,” the anti-abortion campaign being conducted across the country, is at the midway point.
Individuals and churches in Oklahoma who are participating in the campaign are planning midpoint rallies in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
The Tulsa rally is set for 8 a.m. today at 6135 S 32 Place, the lot across from Reproductive Services. Among the guest speakers is Jane Brennan, the author of “Motherhood Interrupted, Stories of Hope and Healing After Abortion.”
The Oklahoma City metro area rally is set for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Victory Church, 4300 N MacArthur in Warr Acres. Guest speaker is State Rep. Sally Kern.
“40 Days for Life” began Sept. 24 and continues through Nov. 2. The campaign focuses on 40 days of prayer and fasting, 40 days of peace vigils at abortion clinics and 40 days of grassroots educational outreach.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
On TV: New Gospel Channel reality show
A new reality series called “Revolve: Rockin’ the Road” debuts tonight on the Gospel Music Channel.
It’s the cable channel’s first foray into dramatic reality programming as well as its first original series targeting teens.
The five-episode series follows four advance team members of The Revolve Tour, the new travelling tour for teen girls produced by the Women’s of Faith conference ministry. Many Oklahomans already know about the popular Women of Faith conference since it draws thousands of women to downtown Oklahoma City each year (this year’s conference is set for Nov. 14-15 at the Ford Center; click here for details : Women of Faith OKC)
The new show will be seen through the eyes of four professionals working with the tour this past summer. They are: Chad Eastham, Jenna Lucado, Sean Kelly and Courtney Clark.
The show will give viewers a glimpse into the four friends’ lives as they travel on the tour to nine different Christian music festivals across the country.
“With the success of unscripted drama reality shows like “The Hills” and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” it’s clear that television viewers connect with real life dramatic-in-nature programming,” Brad Siegel, Gospel Music Channel vice chairman, said in a news release.
“We wanted to create a show that was unique and aligned with our network’s vision of inspiring, uplifting and entertaining through music.”
A preview of the new show can be seen by clicking here: Rockin’ the Road preview.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
“Love Dare” on bestsellers list
As the faith-themed movie “Fireproof” continues to hold its own as one of the Top 10 feature films since its September premiere, a book that started out as a central plot device in the storyline has soared to the top of a bestsellers list.
“The Love Dare” hit No. 1 on the New York Times Paperback Advice Bestsellers. It was written by Stephen and Alex Kendrick as part of “Fireproof.” When they wrote the script for the film they knew they would have to expand the six days of the book seen in the film into a book covering all 40 days.
The book is a 40-day challenge to put unconditional love into action.
“The Love Dare” is in paperback, but a leather-bound edition is set to be released in January 2009.
To link to an Oct. 4 story and podcast with “The Love Dare” co-author Stephen Kendrick, click here: “Love Dare Q&A.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Faithful Five: Weekend Events
Here’s my “faithful five” — five events going on in the faith community this weekend, Oct. 17-19. If what you read below intrigues you, go check it out for yourself:
1. Cars for a cause. Del Baptist Temple is hosting its second annual Car Show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday,this time to benefit the family of 18-month-old Wyatt Beasley. Little Wyatt received a heart transplant several weeks ago in St. Louis, Mo. He is out of the hospital now and the church is hoping to raise money to help the family meet the assorted expenses that have resulted from the child’s illness. The show includes cars, of course, plus a moonwalk, horseshoe tourney, face painting, crafts and free hot dogs. For more information, call 670-2900.
2. Old time religion. Many Springs Baptist Church’s Old-Time Brush Arbor Revival continues tonight and Saturdayat the church located 5 miles south of Holdenville on Highway 48. The revival includes preaching, devotions and Creek/Seminole singing. The church wanted to honor pastors, their 
preaching and the hymns of the Creek/Seminole people. Services are 7 tonight and 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.on Saturday.
3. Happy Anniversary! Kellyville United Methodist Church will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday. The celebration will include special guest Bishop Robert Hayes Jr. of the Oklahoma United Methodist Conference, music, food, children’s games and fellowship time. For more information, call (918) 247-6994.
4. Let’s discuss ethics. A Medical Ethics Panel Discussion will be held at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Christ the King Catholic Church, 8005 Dorset Drive in Nichols Hills. The discussion will examine what the Catholic Church teaches about end-of-life issues. For more information, call 843-4766.
5. Silver bells.Channing Unitarian Universalist Church is celebrating its silver anniversary with several services and activities set for Sunday. The Edmond church will hold a 9:45 a.m. forum where the history of the church will be shared. At 11 a.m. the service will be led by the Rev. Scot Harvey. The highlight of the day will be an Open House beginning at 2:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the choir from Channing Unitarian Church will perform a song that was sung at the church’s first service 25 years ago. More celebratory events will be held at 3 p.m. at the church, 2800 W 15th Street.
Bonus: Black Baptist group meets in city. On Monday,the Oklahoma Baptist State Convention, the state’s largest black Baptist convention, will begin its annual convention at Fairview Baptist Church, 1020 NE 42. Services begin at 7 p.m. with a Welcome Program, followed by a pre-convention musical. Sessions will officially begin at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday. For more information, call 232-1621.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
