Now it's a week after Tragic Tuesday as I sit at my keyboard recalling how a priest told the congregation in NYC at one of first funerals "It's being called ground zero, but I'm calling it ground hero." He got a spontaneous applause in which we joined all over the nation. Maybe the site of those WTC towers can be made a national park with that name, GROUND HERO. It would recall the marvelous courage of those 300 firemen who were going up the stairwells to rescue any who couldn't escape while all the thousands were fleeing from an oncoming collapse. They're the first fallen soldiers in this new war. Just now TV shows that the Taliban has signed an agreement to hand over bin Laden. But we're told the Islamic clergy must vote to do so. LORD grant that we don't have to send troops into Afghanastan. Let sanity prevail world wide to stamp out terrorism we pray, and end this global jhad and make this counter crusade unnecessary.

When our Rotary president asked me last Friday morning to offer a prayer along with an observance of a moment of silence, I thought of words I'd heard a rabbi quote on TV about GOD's purpose: "For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." I found it in Lamentations 3:33 and just knew I had to read that in my prayer. So taking my old King James Version my father left me that has his name, the late John M. Hazlitt, printed in gold on it's cover, I identified the text from that triple trinity Scripture address (which was privately very symbolic for me). I checked the Hebrew and found lub as the word translated "willingly." Since it means heart, translators were showing that Jeremiah said GOD's heartfelt intention is never for human injury or hurt. Even here in the O.T. Yahweh is shown to be the loving Father later revealed in His son Jesus Christ. So that text pertains to the way both Jews and Christians see GOD. I'm wrestling in my mind as to where Islam fits into the picture. Now we're hearing Muslim imams and mullahs claim that Allah is never harsh nor cruel to mankind, though that sounds new to me. If it's truly the faith of Muslims as well as Christians and Jews, then that 3.33 of my prayer text has an even larger import than I thought at Rotary. Perhaps beyond the Holy Trinity, there is also a holy triad: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I wish that were so. Yet from my limited perspective, the second is a spirital fulfillment of the first while the third is religion for religion's sake. As last on the stage of history, it just has to outdo what's happened in the centuries before by picking a different holy day (Friday) and by imposing all Muhammed's five obligations on the "faithful." Taking off your shoes to go into a mosque and prostrating for recitations from the Koran may seem very devout. (Moses took his off at the burning bush and Jesus fell on His face to pray in Gethsemane) But submission to whatever happens as being from Allah (or fate) isn't Biblical faith at all. It appears to to me a very programmed religion which can produce such religious robots. Where is there any Islamic democracy? Maybe Egypt where there's always trouble staying close to the other Arab states. And with nothing to redeem man's carnal nature, there is no salvation from sin in Islam. no regeneration or new creature. Thus the posssbility exists for such vile, wicked, deceptive, treacherous, diabolic monsters to emerge as those 19 terrorists plus hundreds more in secret. I wonder if they were actually AI just packaged to look like men. If actually once human, they had sold themselvs to Satan in their fundamentalist Islam. They were hell bent and they polluted our beloved soil and skies with their slimy, sneaky, stealth and left their mark here as liars, thieves and murderers. If the Almighty could have prevented it, then some may think He caused it by not doing so. Not true says Christ. When those sons of thunder James and John wanted Him to call down fire on ones who rejected and finally crucified Him, Jesus said: "The son of man is come not to destroy men's lives but to save them." And even Lamentations 3:32,3 says of our GOD "Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." Thus these terrorists were His enemies; Satanists in fact, as well as terrorists. Even fellow Muslims are horrified at what they did. So let's not add any more hate by feeling anger toward Islam. Christ above all is the need of this perishing world and this is our opportunity to offer Him and His Kingdom instead of mere "Christianity."

ANGELFIRE extra

PINKHOUSE PAGE restart 3-27-00 This is just a sort of diary that I plan to supplement now and then for the few, if any, who should care to read it. My daughter, Cheryl, sent me an empty book several years ago to begin writing my memoirs. Well it didn't start, so maybe this will be something of that nature. I had several months on this page as a beginning of the millennium, but they were erased somehow. So this is just a restart that I'll update from time to time. 3-31-00 Another month gone like a streak of light. I recall some words from my youthful awareness of time, "days fly past; life goes with them." Then there was a song: "Only one life, twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." A very nice talking fellow called yesterday from the local funeral home wanting to come talk with me about "final arrangements." Wish that I had told him that mine were made above, but he was so courteous that I said he could call back later. When you expect to live until the Lord returns, you find it hard to bargain about a grave site or tombstone. Besides that, there's a line from the "Vision of Sir Laughnfall" that's stuck in my head all these years after high school, "Earth has earth's price for what earth gives. The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in. The priest hath his fee who comes to shrive us. We bargain for the graves that we lie in." Of course I know that's the way it is down here, like it or not. Just hate to see funds spent to lay away this old body that's to be transformed into a new glorified one anyhow. I think we've backed off fromd cremation all these centuries because it looks too much like hell. But those spiritual flames never consume; they only burn eternally the bodies of those who suffer the "second death." Cremation, on the other hand, is less costly, safer for the living, and takes up less ground space. It's also common already in so much of earth's polpulation. It could also remind of the Holocaust and how much the Jews suffered last century. Yet look at the "resurrection" out of ashes given to them in the state of Israel as home for world Jewery. The new meaning of cremation could become resurrection in this age just as Israel's where we specifically expect our Lord's return. Our Gospel isn't linked to the physical body today, though it was in the New Testament with rising from the dead as a final exclamation point. However, even Jesus's body was new and glorified so that He could pass through material barriers such as closed doors and even transcend distances. His final appearance is in both Galilee and Jerusalelm, which is compatible with a glorified body. And so with Him, we will go clear across the universe in a single step as time and space no longer hinder nor limit us. The famous Catholic anthropologist, Tielhard de Chardin, said that human consciousness was evolving toward an "Omega point" where it would all finally merge. He saw that as the Second Coming. I might try to fit the Internet into such a vision if it wasn't for all the porn, prostitution and gambling which are being promoted on it. Thank GOD, there's a lot of healthy spiritual stuff on there too which might become that Omega point some day. Shalom for now. 4-7-00 I typed in "mama" to locate that giant search engine this morning and it came up "Jesus Christ" instead. I enjoyed what I read but couldn't figure out how that happened. Going back and repeating the process yielded the search engine, but left me wondering if the Holy Spirit works even within the Internet. Was I being told the REAL source to search? Now that's such an exciting possibility. Christ online could exorcise so much of the wickedness being offered by serving up the good instead. Lord, let it happen again and again for others as You have for me. I even spelled mamma wrong, but it brought me some Good News nevertheless. Praise the LORD! Couldn't understand just why felt so down at Rotary. The program on girl's basketball was ok, though not my cup of tea. But I left without speaking to hardly any of the others. Then I recalled my feeling about the news of that child to be handed over to Castro. I had even failed to recite the last half of our pledge of allegiance to the flag because of such disappointment. I stopped with "and to the republic for which it stands" and couldn't say "one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all" because I felt that we had wimped out. We want better relations with Cuba so bad (for business reasons of course) that we are willing to sacrifice a six year old boy. No wonder I couldn't enjoy the program. 4-20-00 The editor was kind to me yesterday. He let my column have more than just the right edge of the "Opinion" page. Since it was my Holy Week column, I guess his heart just softened a bit. Since my articles have been reduced to one a week, and that not to be very long, I've ceased including local stuff and focused on national or international issues. If I ever get the Sunday space again, it will be for local items. But one weekly paper down at Davis is considering the use of my Tuesday morning production. And of course they wouldn't want local stuff from up here. Maybe I can pick up a number of weeklys at places where I've served as pastor. At least it's worth a try since I feel called to say things in the name of the living GOD as times seems to be running out for the whole world. Whoever reads this and knows Christ Jesus, I ask for your prayers to Him in my behalf. Shalom Good Friday I went to the ecumenical Communion service at PV's 1st UMC last night and was pleased to see such a good attendance. Looked almost like our regular morning worship congregation, though lots of folks I didn't recognize. Besides the Presbyterians and First Christians, a bell choir from First Baptist was there also. I wondered if they would take the sacrament and finaly they did after all the rest had come. My own attitude was a struggle and I came away thinking it had been an "attitude adjustment" for me, because I didn't expect those youth to partake. It brought back memories to me of that "Key '73" rally in Tulsa that I had worked so hard to coordinate under the theme of "Come Together." We were so pleased that even the Baptist youth took part, but then they took over the rally when it was their turn to perform and I was getting pressured by fellow Methodists to interrupt them. But I waited and there was still time for our speaker from Nashville. Yet I had to take the heat because I was the one who recruited that biggest youth group in Tulsa to participate. Some of those feelings were still with me after all the years and Communion helped me get rid of them. What a wicked thing it is for followers of Christ to be jealous of each other. I see how Peter felt when Jesus invited young John to sit beside Him at the Last Supper, when everyone knew that Peter was leader. So he went to the very foot of the table in protest without realizing that place would make him "foot washer" if no servant was present. Since he failed to perform, the Lord Jesus finally did it and Peter saw how arrogant he'd been. When the Lord got down to him at the end of the others, Peter protested "You will never wash my feet!" But when Jesus told him it was necessary, then Peter said "Not only my feet, but all of me." And Jesus used that to refer to the uncleanness that was present in their midst, "You are not all clean," meaning Judas. I'm so thankful my attitude was washed last night as I continue to await His glorious return. It was like that Communion so long ago at Perkins School of Theology when I was inwardly critical of my classmates. Suddenly I realzed that I was as much a sinner as all of them. So Communion meant "We all need you Lord, even me.l" 4-26-00 As I woke up this morning, the name Elian was on my mind. It's one that I don't ever recall hearing until all the story about that little Cuban rescued at sea a month or so ago. Now it's probably the best known name on earth. As always, I tried to consider the meaning of that name, which I presume to be Spanish. Then it came to me that "El" is Hebrew for God in the Bible's O.T. and "ian" is Greek in the N.T. for a little copy of the big reality, as in the name Christ-ian. So Elian draws from both testaments to mean "a little replica of the great GOD." I just add that in with all the signs and wonders that those Catholic Cubans in Miami have associated with the six year old now become a divine figure. Now they are praying for a second rescue for him from Castro just as he was rescued from the sea. And I join them if the father can be rescued too. I simply can't see why my own denomination if financing that lawyer, Gregory Craig, who wants them sent back to Cuba; nor the National Council of Churches working for the same goal. But I hear this morning that the Miami Cubans believe all this publicity is doing some good by exposing Castro to the world for the tyrant that he is. PAGE 12 TO 11