Margaret Luttrell - Lutheran History in Action!

Margaret Luttrell stopped by this afternoon to check out our History Hallway. (More details in later posts.) The 1925 Dallas newspaper photo caught her eye BECAUSE SHE WAS IN IT!

There she is at age 8, meeting for Saturday Bible story time. She shared her memories of early activity in the church and early Dallas life. Welcome, Margaret! Come back and see us again!

Russell Times 2 -- Russell Vardell, Russell Brand 5/19/2010

Russell Brand (not really much like me -- have you seen a guy with thinner legs?) was on David Letterman tonight. He claimed his long, uncontrolled hair restricted him to trying out for acting roles of either a homeless man or Jesus. Dave asked if he had tried out often for Jesus. Russell's curious response -- his whole life has been a try-out for Jesus. Interesting faith comment from an odd, but talented actor. As a Lutheran, I might want to tell him that all the trying will end in frustration, then I would invite him to trust in God's love for him.
But as a Christian looking for faith affirmations in the public square, I will say "Thanks, Russell, for the plug for Jesus!"

Babies!

A new movie -- Babies -- is opening this Mothers' Day weekend. It seems like such a joy from the trailers I have been seeing for months at the Angelika Theater here in Dallas. I hope to get to see it; I hope it lives up to the trailer!
This is a pensive reflection on the movie trailer at this point, as I have been reflecting on life and death this week since I have been visiting my mother-in-law in the Intensive Care Unit at a Dallas Hospital after she suffered complications from abdominal surgery. So, even the Babies movie for all its joyousness reminded me of a life-and-death experience in Zimbabwe in Southern Africa 20+ years ago. Our family arrived and settled into a spacious house. My new son, Alex, looked much like the blue-eyed "Hattie" of the movie poster; our gardener, Bernard, had a new child as well, not quite as tribally-attired as Ponjiao, but just as cute. I was talking with Bernard about being a parent one day. He reflected on the joy they bring. He also shared that another child had been born previously but died days afterward. When I asked him about the cause of death. He said he did not know. The child just died.
In the joy of the Babies movie and its revelation of baby-raising similarities, I hope we can also realize the need to extend health care, clean water, adequate food, and health education across this globe -- on behalf of Babies, on behalf of the parents who love them.