Faith

This past Sunday, more than 350 worshipers gathered at Jesus Sacred Heart Antiochene Syriac Catholic Church in North Hollywood to memorialize the 58 people who were killed Oct. 31 during a siege of Baghdad's Sayidat al-Nejat (Our Lady of Salvation), a Syriac Catholic church. According to news reports, the siege lasted several hours and has been linked to Al Qaeda gunmen. And after all was said and done, 58 people were dead, including two priests, 17 security officers and five gunmen.

Q. A recent posting on CNN's Belief Blog discusses how people can lose faith when faced with traumatic events. The article relates former First Lady Laura Bush's experience after being involved in a fatal car accident in 1963. Bush missed a stop sign and hit a car driven by a friend, killing him. In a 2010 interview with Larry King, Bush said she remembered saying, “Please, God, please, God, you know, let him be OK,” and told King, “And you know, it was like no one heard.” She says she lost her faith in God for many years after the accident.

Womengathering, the women's ministry at La Cañada Presbyterian Church, will continue its spring series "Listening to Your Life ? Seeing How the Pieces Fit," at two sessions on Feb. 28. Participants can attend the morning session from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the La Cañada Thursday Club, 4440 Woodleigh Lane, or the evening session from 7 to 9 p.m. in Harris Hall Congdon Room at the church. Three women in leadership within the congregation will share their stories of faith. Lois Harrison will focus on her journey during the last eight years; Christie Skinner will share how God brought her into the field of design; and Janine Sabin will examine the joy of an encircling community of faith when a person encounters major changes in their life.

How would you explain faith as a gift from God? What actions can people take to receive and/or increase faith? If you’ve ever tried to ‘get faith,’ and nothing happened, then you know that faith is a gift from God. In other words, we can’t just manufacture it ourselves. God’s initiative is half of a faith relationship, the half that’s beyond our control. And God has a choice, to show up — or not — for a meaningful spiritual encounter.

Part 1   Sgt. Wolfgraham was the son of a preacher man. His daddy ministered a church somewhere in the hills of Alabama. As a boy he spent hours sitting in hot, stuffy, churches listening as his father went about the business of saving souls, singing “Amazing Grace.” He grew up a God-fearing man, and would someday answer the calling of the Lord. However, that would have to wait. He had another calling, and he answered it. He joined the Marines, became a warrior, a squad leader, a sergeant, dedicating his very being to fight the faithless in Vietnam.

La Cañada Presbyterian Church begins a new preaching series on Sunday, May 6 with Fuller Theological Seminary professor Dr. Richard Peace's book "Holy Conversation." Everyone is invited to join the church-wide study based on Peace's book. Do you wish you felt more comfortable talking about your faith? This exciting study will help all participants to become better at telling stories about their faith journeys, build relationships with each other and with God, and learn to talk about their relationship with God in ways that are authentic and natural.

The Los Angeles Times ran a story Feb. 19 about an estranged Chicago couple and their fight with each other over what faith to raise their 3-year-old daughter in (the father is Catholic; the mother is Jewish). The mother recently filed a restraining order against the father, Joseph Reyes, after he baptized the girl Catholic, against a pledge he had taken to raise her Jewish. A judge then barred Reyes from exposing the girl to any faith other then Judaism — Reyes defied the order after taking his daughter to Mass.

Gary Dennis, La Canada Presbyterian Church There is no other story quite like Easter. It is a story of faith, doubt and sharing Christ’s love with others. As important as is faith and sharing Christ’s love with others, how can doubt have any value? As Matthew’s Gospel describes the events of that first Easter Sunday, we hear that after the women see and worship the risen Christ, he again reminds them to tell all of the disciples to meet him Galilee.

On Friday night friends, family and community members joined together at the Roger Barkley Community Center to celebrate Ramadan with the La Cañada Flintridge Islamic Congregation. From Sept. 13 to Oct. 12, Muslims of the Islamic faith recognize Ramadan by fasting from sunrise to sunset. It is a time of retrospect and life renewing for the faithful, a time to look inward to reevaluate how they are helping others. It is also a time to gather with friends and celebrate their faith.

Q. A recent posting on CNN's Belief Blog discusses how people can lose faith when faced with traumatic events. The article relates former First Lady Laura Bush's experience after being involved in a fatal car accident in 1963. Bush missed a stop sign and hit a car driven by a friend, killing him. In a 2010 interview with Larry King, Bush said she remembered saying, “Please, God, please, God, you know, let him be OK,” and told King, “And you know, it was like no one heard.” She says she lost her faith in God for many years after the accident.

Q. Many successful sports, showbiz and business people credit faith in God for their success. But a recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses winners at this year’s Grammy awards and their belief that it’s not just faith that’s driven them to the top of their profession — God actually chose them to be successful over other musicians. As Christina Aguilera’s mother says, “We thought there must be some divine intervention. Early on, I realized…God has plans for her.” The article’s author, Neil Strauss, calls this “competitive theism” and says, “As I compiled and analyzed these interviews for my new book, I reached a surprising conclusion: Believing that God wants you to be famous actually improves your chances of being famous.

A wet and windy December capped with bone-chilling cold on New Year's Eve was all but a memory by the time festivities got underway Saturday morning for La Cañada Flintridge contingent of Rose Parade royalty, volunteer float builders and their boosters on the bleachers. Clouds parted and the sun shone brilliantly in the sky above Pasadena just in time for the 8:03 a.m. commencement of the 122nd annual Tournament of Roses Parade — a fast-paced kaleidoscope of artistry and showmanship complete with 47 dazzlingly colorful floats, 22 marching bands and several equestrian teams that all whizzed by in about two hours behind celebrity chef and parade Grand Marshal Paula Deen.

This past Sunday, more than 350 worshipers gathered at Jesus Sacred Heart Antiochene Syriac Catholic Church in North Hollywood to memorialize the 58 people who were killed Oct. 31 during a siege of Baghdad's Sayidat al-Nejat (Our Lady of Salvation), a Syriac Catholic church. According to news reports, the siege lasted several hours and has been linked to Al Qaeda gunmen. And after all was said and done, 58 people were dead, including two priests, 17 security officers and five gunmen.

While TV pundits are still tripping over their tongues to make sense of Tuesday's vote, the La Cañada Presbyterian Church is taking a longer look at the influence of religion on American political life from Revolutionary times to the present. Lincoln biographer and Huntington Library Fellow Ronald C. White will on Friday lead a forum at the church titled "God in America: How Religion Unites and Divides Us," a discussion White describes as part history lesson and part call for a calmer approach to a stormy subject.

As the sun slipped below the horizon on Friday, more than 100 Muslims gathered, filling the back patio at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge. Assembled in neat rows, they raised their hands to their ears. "Allah Akbar," they intoned — "God is great" — before prostrating themselves, touching foreheads to the ground. The attendees were there to share prayers and sustenance during the fourth annual Ramadan Interfaith Potluck Dinner, hosted by the Islamic Congregation of La Cañada Flintridge (ICLCF)

A recent op-ed piece published in the New York Times states that American clergy are burning out as they try to meet their congregations' demands for more lighthearted messages. Is it possible for the clergy to tailor their sermons to congregations hungry for a comforting, entertaining message, or is there no room to do so without sacrificing the tenets of their faith? Do you find such challenges as you preach to your flock every Sunday?   So far, combining the serious religious stuff with the humorous has not been a problem for me. However, I must admit that when I decided to go into the ministry at age 60, a college friend had a hard time believing I was sincere!

Micheline "Micha" Abounassar, 29, has in the last 24 years received a lot of attention for her artwork. Her paintings have been shown to cardinals and priests, sheriffs, mayors, politicians and even the pope. Her art has traveled from Jerusalem to Rome. But Abounassar has yet to exhibit her work in Los Angeles. Her reasoning behind that is simple, she said: She has not been led in that direction. A graduate of Glendale Community College and Otis College of Design, Abounassar's paintings consist mostly of religious icons, most notably, Jesus and Mary.

The fourth annual La Cañada Interfaith Baccalaureate Service, a religious service for all graduating seniors in the La Cañada Flintridge area, will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Bede the Venerable Church in La Cañada Flintridge. Sponsored annually by the La Cañada Flintridge Ecumenical Ministerial Assn., the service provides a contemporary and religious forum that supplements the high school graduation ceremonies. Following the American motto "E pluribus unum," Latin for "Out of many, one," which was incorporated in the seal of the United States in 1776, our community's baccalaureate offers a great way to celebrate the many great civic and religious values that represent American pluralism.

I t's Black Monday, Penelope's is closed. But the kids at Starbucks have created such an appeal that I have no hesitation spending an hour or two or three there crafting this week's write. Robin, the manager, and her assistant Barb have created a great place to visit friends or ponder ideas. I've burned enough brain cells attempting to rationalize why once again I must write this week's column on Memorial Day. I even received e-mail from a reader asking, "Dr. Joe, why not write something different on Memorial Day?"