Today's entertainment headlines off the CNN Portuguese website (translated by yours truly):

* Michael Jackson causes debate with revelations about his life

* Beatles producer is freed after paying bail of 1 million dollars

* Courtney Love is detained on deplaning in London.

This is entertainment? You call this entertainment?

With such entertaining news, you think I clicked on the "More" button?

From the Somers Avenue congregation in North Little Rock, Linetta told me this bit,

"Steve Mosley, the brother who led our closing prayer yesterday, mentioned the lost astronauts and reminded us all that, 'They were just 16 minutes from home, Father, and none of us knows whether we are 16 seconds, minutes, days, or years from death. Help us live our lives in such a manner that we will always be ready to be called home to meet you.' Amen!"

by Randal Matheny

Their quiet arc of light in trails of fire
Illume the skies and pepper Texas' earth,
While families line the runway to admire
With pride a flawless shuttle mission worth
The heady risk -- unspoken fears flash true.
No landing follows; silent stares belie
Their darkest dread for old Columbia's crew.
A dream explodes, rejoicing pales, the cry
Of disbelief dies in the throat as high
Reunion hopes are scattered in the trees
And NASA's steady calls raise no reply.
The stars are fallen, and we upon our knees.
In yards and woods lie only scorched debris,
But eyes are fixed on heaven's canopy.

Copyright © 2003, Randal Matheny

Received a card today from an elderly couple with whom Vicki went to church as a kid. The wife had seen my article in the Magnolia Messenger and sent a copy, along with our wedding invitation she found recently while doing some cleaning. What a surprise! Was a very nice gesture and card.

The article, "X-treme Thrills," was published in the Nov/Dec, 2002 edition of the MM (a paper for Mississippi churches with tens of thousands of subscribers). I should have thought to request that the editor add a link to Forthright Magazine, since he was kind enough to include my photo, snail mail, email address, and part of my letter to him.

"There is no failure in life other than not trying. If you want something badly enough, make an attempt. If you want to paint, get a brush and do it. If you want to sing, sing. A lot of people get scared. They're afraid to fail. Take that word out of your vocabulary. You don't 'fail.' You've 'tried your best.'" --Jane Seymour, Actress