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          HEALED AND WHOLE One day I dug a little hole And put my hurt inside I thought that I could just forget I'd put it there to hide. But that little hurt began to grow I covered it every day I couldn't leave it and go on It seemed the price I had to pay. My joy was gone, my heart was sad Pain was all I knew. My wounded soul enveloped me Loving seemed too hard to do. One day, while standing by my hole I cried to God above And said, "If...

Wiccan is new state prison chaplain Some a bit bothered by hiring of Rev. Witch By NAHAL TOOSI of the Journal Sentinel staff Last Updated: Dec. 5, 2001 The new chaplain at Waupun Correctional Institution is a Wiccan. And a Witch. The Rev. Jamyi Witch, who has voluntarily ministered to Wisconsin inmates for at least two years, began her new full-time position at the maximum security facility this week. She is believed to be the first Wiccan chaplain in Wisconsin and one of only a handful nationwide. Department of Corrections officials on Wednesday defended the hire, saying Witch met the ...

          Back to School! By Naval Support Activity Chapel Staff A child came home from his first day of school. His mother asked, “What did you learn today?” He said, “Not enough. I have to go back tomorrow.” Going back to school is always difficult for both teachers and students. It also means more traffic with school buses back on the road, probably the only ones delighted about schools reopening are the parents. Going back to school can be a milestone. Kindergarten, sixth grade, high school and college are all significant marks of progress and...

Dozens of Christian churches ranging from Catholic to Pentecostal in theology are rallying this weekend in Leesburg, My Stand" on the back. The two-mile event Klingenschmitt noted that there are court cases already going on in several locations over the use by a Christian chaplain of the use of the words, "in Jesus' name." "Now the American people are rising to defend chaplains who pray in Jesus name. The public outcry against the hospital was so great the CEO already had to resign," he said. Hospital officials also just announced the departure of president Louis Bremer, but said it was...

Behind the walls of federal prisons nationwide, chaplains have been quietly carrying out a systematic purge of religious books and materials that were once available to prisoners in chapel libraries. The chaplains were directed by the Bureau of Prisons to clear the shelves of any books, tapes, CDs and videos that are not on a list of approved resources. In some prisons, the chaplains have recently dismantled libraries that had thousands of texts collected over decades, bought by the prisons or donated by churches and religious groups. Some inmates are outraged. Two of them, a Christian and an Orthodox Jew,...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2007 – Six years ago, Army Chaplain (Col.) William Broome stared in disbelief as he ran toward a burning Pentagon from his Crystal City office to minister to those injured and the families of those who died. Army Chaplain (Col.) William Broome stands in the memorial chapel at the Pentagon. The chaplain helped minister to victims of the terrorist attacks there and is now the Pentagon Chaplain in charge of all religion support there. Defense dept. photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess, U.S. Navy  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Now, he has...

          How should I pray? Here are some thoughts on how we should pray. A story is told about George Washington and how he prayed. In the early days of our republic, a stranger once asked at Congress how he could distinguish President Washington. Kneeling is a sign of respect. It reminds us that there is someone bigger and greater than ourselves who cares for us. Psalm 95 tells us, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our maker; for he is our God and we are the people...

A Florida hospital chaplain says he was fired from his position for including the word 'Jesus' at the end of his prayers, according to report on MyFoxOrlando.com ............... Hospital officials deny any discrimination against Harvey and said that his departure was brought about because his services were not consistent with center's various faiths. ................ "I would approach a family and offer them the chance for me to pray for them, but they have the option to say no," Harvey told the Daily Commerical. "I have never imposed my beliefs on others."

          CONCRETE LOVE "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3 The story is told of a child psychologist who spent many hours constructing a new driveway at his home. Just after he smoothed the surface of the freshly poured concrete, his small children chased a ball across the driveway, leaving deep footprints. The man yelled after them with a torrent of angry words. His shocked wife said, "You're a psychologist who's supposed...

          CHARACTER A wise person once said, "You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing to him or for him." (author unknown) Columnist Ann Landers put it this way, "The best index of a person’s character is how he treats people who can do him absolutely no good." In the Christian Scriptures, the Apostle Paul talks about entertaining "angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:1) What these writers are talking about here is more than an act. It’s an attitude - about life, about people, and most importantly,...

A government plan to use members of the clergy to quell dissent and objections to government orders during a time of national emergency has been revealed by a Shreveport, La., television station. The story by reporter Jeff Ferrell on television station KSLA says such "Clergy Response Teams" already have been used – following the hit on New Orleans by hurricane Katrina. The station's video is available on a link on its website, and also available on YouTube. It asks if martial law ever could become reality in the United States, following a nuclear, biological or chemical attack. "KSLA News 12...

Honoring Those Who Sacrificed Life and Limb By Mike Baird Sunday, August 12, 2007 Twenty-two Purple Heart recipients shared wartime stories and thanked one another for their sacrifices as 100 family members and supporters at Sherrill Park sweltered in the Saturday morning sun. Retired Navy chaplain Capt. Alston Kirk talked about a Vietnam soldier he remembered who died using his body to protect a wounded Marine. "Take this story and multiply it by thousands of corpsman, combat medics and grunts who looked after each other," he said. "Those people without legs, in wheelchairs, still suffering from wars, paid for our...

          THERE ARE NEEDS, AND THEN, THERE ARE NEEDS "The bird does not sing because he has an answer; he sings because he has a song." Old Chinese Proverb Peppermint Patty, of Peanuts cartoon fame, can be impatient at times. You Peanuts fans may recall one of those times. School was about to begin, and Peppermint Patty went shopping. She entered the store, and proceeded directly to the counter, and said, "Sir, I need some school supplies some pencils, some paper, a loose-leaf binder, and some answers. I need a lot of answers." Most of...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army and Air Force are considering disciplinary action against seven officers -- including four generals -- who violated ethics rules by assisting a Christian group in the production of a fundraising video. The Pentagon inspector general found the officers were interviewed in uniform and ''in official and often identifiable Pentagon locations,'' according to a 45-page report. They made comments that ''conferred approval of and support'' to the evangelical group, Christian Embassy, ''and the remarks of some officers implied they spoke for a group of senior military leaders rather than just for themselves,'' the report stated. None...

          WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET The poet wrote, "Two men looked out through prison bars: one saw mud; the other saw stars." Commenting on this, Father John Powell once wrote: "In the pursuit of the fullness of human life, everything depends on this frame of reference, this habitual outlook, this basic vision which I have of myself, others, life, the world, and God. What we see is what we get." Don't you find that to be true? There's a lot about our world that isn't the way we would want it to...

We rolled into Forward Operating Base, Rivera, the center of operations for 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment in the town of Saqlawiyah.  The Civil Affairs Group and the 2/7 chaplain were transporting me so that I could make Catholic Sacramental and Pastoral visits to all their Battle Positions.There is no separate space to set apart for Mass or a religious service, so I set up in the area where they eat and recreate which is also used as the triage area for the wounded. Foot patrols were returning after an eight hour shift through the night and others were departing...

Church members in one city in the east got a bit of a surprise Sunday morning. Their church was literally given a piece of history. Sunday morning at the Protestant Chapel aboard Camp Lejeune, a historic copy of the Ten Commandments was donated to the base. It survived the holocaust; it also survived the past 200 years.

          TRANSITIONS It's a "red letter" day at our household today. (And maybe a time for some "red eyes as well.) A time of real adjustment. So much so that my daughter asked to stay home from school. And my wife has been dreading the inevitable battle with emotions, ... one which she will probably lose. There were phone calls from family and friends, and parties over the weekend. Old scrapbooks were dusted off and passed around. Memories of other times and events were recalled and relived. There was some good-natured "ribbing" and some nervous...

Three Removed From Senate During Hindu Prayer By Nathan Burchfiel CNSNews.com Staff Writer July 12, 2007 Washington (CNSNews.com) -- Three Christian protestors were removed from the U.S. Senate chamber's observation gallery Thursday when they disrupted the morning prayer -- being delivered for the first time in history by a Hindu chaplain. The three unidentified protestors began praying loudly when Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain from Nevada, started praying. The demonstrators prayed for forgiveness from Jesus Christ for "betraying" the Christian tradition. Senate security officers quickly removed the demonstrators, and Zed continued with his prayer for peace. "May our study be...

Three protesters were arrested in the public gallery of the Senate and charged with unlawful conduct yesterday for shouting down the opening prayer, which for the first time ever was being conducted by a Hindu. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), who was presiding in the chair, had to call on the sergeant at arms repeatedly to restore order as the protesters denounced the presence of Rajan Zed, who was standing on the dais wearing saffron robes.