Last night I watched a preview of a movie called Amish Grace, based on the real-life tragedy of the 2006 shootings at the Amish schoolhouse in West Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania.
The movie debuts on the Lifetime Movie Network on March 28.
I was very familiar with the story, having read the book on which it was based, Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher (2007, Jossey-Bass).
I was not expecting to be so touched by this movie, which stars the woman who played the "daughter" in the two Father of the Bride movies (the 1990s Steve Martin ones, not the Spencer Tracy one from the 50s!).
This sounds weird to admit, but I got choked up at several points and downright cried at one particularly emotional moment. I can't remember the last time I cried at a movie except Sophie's Choice, and the recent When In Rome because it was so bad it was painful to sit through. But that's a whole different story.
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Amish Grace is not the world's greatest movie by any means but it captures the spirituality of the Amish and their depth of devotion to the Bible. How any group could be so forgiving when their children were slaughtered by an "outsider" is beyond human nature, it is possible only through God's Word and through his grace.
Knowing how the Amish of Nickel Mines responded to the tragedy, forgiving the killer and offering their help and consolation to the killer's widow, is overwhelming in many ways.
The movie captures the essence of this story, all factual, although it uses a fictional Amish family to give the story a very personal touch.

Sanctus Real's fifth studio album, "Pieces of a Real Heart," was released today by Sparrow Records.
It's a terrific disc and shows the continued artistic and personal growth of the Christian rock band from Toledo.
You can get a "Digital Deluxe" edition featuring the full slate of studio recordings plus five acoustic versions and a digital booklet, exclusively online.
Go to the band's website to check it out, then go ahead and order a copy. You'll love it.

The band's website also has a link to Sanctus Real's live webcast at 9 tonight EST and a link to the video of "Forgiven," their first hit single off the new disc.

This is not a lawsuit or anything directly affecting Father Robinson, but the Toledo police sergeant who arrested the priest for murder retired yesterday.
Sgt. Steve Forrester bid farewell to the department after 27 years on the force, including serving on and then heading the countys' cold-case squad.
Forrester said arresting Robinson was the low point of his career because he is a Catholic and it was so troubling for the church. But he did not let his personal feelings interfere with his job of enforcing the law.
I have the utmost respect for Sergeant Forrester and am sad to see him leave the police department. He seems way too young to retire. But he said he'll be working in the private sector. I'm curious what that will be.. do you think he may start working as an investigator for the Toledo Catholic Diocese?
Here is a link to an article published today about the sergeant's retirement.

I interviewed tobymac (aka Toby Mac, Tobymac, tobyMac, Toby McKeehan) the other day, who happens to be one of my favorite artist-musicians in the world, and he mentioned that he and Matt Hammitt of Sanctus Real recently wrote two songs together.
Toby said he's hoping to set up a fall tour with him and Sanctus. For those who don't know about Sanctus Real, this Christian rock band is from Toledo. They got their start in 1996 and still feature original members Matt Hammitt, Chris Rohman and Mark Graalman.
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Last night we were watching "American Idol" and Danny Gokey was the special guest. He's a music pastor in Wisconsin who was on the show last season. He has a great, soulful voice and I always thought he had the most distinctive and radio-friendly voice of all the contestants even though he didn't win.
Well Danny looked and sounded great last night and I was pleasantly surprised to see who was playing keyboards and singing background vocals in his band: Toledo's Brandon Fraley.
Brandon is a multi-talented musician and studio wizard who moved to Nashville to go to Belmont University and has done very well in Music City. His wife isn't too shabby, either -- she sings backing vocals with Carrie Underwood.
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Almost forgot -- one of the show's top female singers is from the Toledo area, Crystal Bowersox, the one who was in the hospital on Tuesday and forced AI's producers to shuffle the schedule and have the guys perform Tuesday instead of the girls.
Bowersox performed on Wednesday and looked OK, but they never did explain why she was hospitalized. Internet bloggers say it had something to do with diabetes.
She has a great voice but seems too rooted in the past to win a show like AI. She's more of a Janis Joplin folk-blues-rock singer, with tremendous pipes. Idol seems to pick winners who are more Hollywood looking and modern pop sounding. But there's no denying Bowersox's talent and she might land a contract outside of AI that will put her vocal skills to good use.
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I correctly predicted 2 of the 4 people voted off Idol last night -- Haeley Vaughan and John Park. I underestimated the teenybopper fan base of Tim Urban, which kept him in the running. And I thought Michelle Delamor had enough star power to stay on for a while. She is such a beautiful woman, even though her singing was mediocre at best. But Michelle got the boot and so did Jermaine Sellers.
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It seems a bit odd and uncomfortable that of the four contestants who were voted off last night, three were black and one was Asian. If it had been a judges' vote, allegations of discrimination would have been flying today. But the nation votes, and 27 million votes were cast, so there's nobody to blame but us.
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Jermaine's farewell was a bit awkward... He says he's a "church singer" and that God is in control. He tried to be a Christian witness last night and also after his lousy performance on Tuesday night, saying things like "I know God", to which Simon replied something like, "Then don't even bother giving out the phone number."
It's a fine line in deciding when it is appropriate to speak into the microphone about your faith and when to just smile and say thanks. It's like those interviews after a sporting event when the athlete thanks Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior. Most people watching the interview only want to hear about the winning pass or 3-point shot. Does a quick injection of Jesus have any impact whatsoever on non-Christians who are watching? I don't think so.
But I can understand Jermaine's thoughts. He'll never again get the chance to talk about Jesus in front of 30 million people. I'm sure it made his mom and church family very proud.
But it came across as hokey and maybe even a little bit pathethic to say "I know God" after a miserable vocal performance, implying that even if you did a lousy job, God will carry you through.
It would have been better for Jermaine to just tough it out and smile and be gracious and say he's looking forward to singing in church again. He could talk about his faith in a more suitable setting later, although not with 30 million people listening.

Mark Davis, the "Bald Eagle Legal Eagle" (as you'll remember from the TV commercials), filed an appeal yesterday with the Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals for Survivor Doe, whose case was dismissed in Lucas County Common Pleas Court for statutes of limitations reasons.

Survivor Doe again is saying that the statutes didn't start ticking until she saw Robinson on TV after his arrest for murder in 2004, and recognized him as the man who abused her in satanic rituals when she was a child.
The diocese and Robinson contend that the statutes expired long before she filed her suit in 2005.

Davis is also arguing that he was denied access to important documents he had requested to bolster his case, while the diocese was granted access to Doe's entire life including medical records and personal journals.

There are some other interesting aspects of this filing that I don't have time for at the moment but will discuss soon. Stay tuned.

I wrote an article about the filing, published today. Here is a link.

I have been watching the AI season from the start this year, usually Tivo'ing it and then watching when I have time ... and skipping the commercials. Gotta love TiVo.
The competition is getting serious but I only see a few people who have what it takes to win this season.

Siobhan Magus, 19 years old

This week, I would have to say Siobhan Magnus blew everyone away with her powerhouse rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Think."
Aretha, in my opinion, is the greatest female vocalist ever in pop/rock/soul (not counting opera or classical). Tackling one of her signature songs was a bold move but Siobhan nailed it, and when she hit that high power note, it was just, wow.
Casey James, Crystal Bowersox, Lee Dewyze, and Lilly Scott are the other top contestants, in my humble opinion.
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There are a few others who have the vocal talent but seem kind of lost or not quite ready for prime time -- Alex Lambert, Katelyn Epperly and Andrew Garcia.
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Who's going home tonight? My guess is: Haeley Vaughn and Paige Miles for the girls, and John Park and Tim Urban for the boys. We shall see.

More proof to the old maxim that if you "keep it zipped," you won't get in trouble...

MONTESANO, Wash. (AP) — Authorities believe a Washington man was killed by accidentally urinating on a downed power line after a car crash.
Grays Harbor County sheriff’s Deputy Dave Pimentel (PIM’-en-tel) said Monday 50-year-old Roy Messenger was not seriously hurt after he collided with a power pole Friday and called a relative to pull his car from a ditch.
However, family members found Messenger electrocuted when they arrived.
Pimentel says Messenger apparently urinated into a roadside ditch but didn’t see the live wire. The urine stream likely served as a conductor, allowing the electricity to reach his body.
Pimentel says there will be an autopsy but burn marks indicated the way the electricity traveled through Messenger’s body.

Thanks, Vince, for spotting this news item.

A girl we know who goes to our church and who was Cara's boss when she worked for a while at Yankee Candle got married on Saturday. She also had a baby on Saturday.
Talk about timing!

Jamie and Mark Phillips were married in the afternoon and during the reception, her water broke. The Blade's Claudia Boyd-Barrett wrote a great article about the blessed events (read it here).

Jamie and Mark wanted to do the right thing and get married. They thought they had a week to spare, based on the baby's given due date. But little Tova had other ideas.

As one of my editors commented last night, at least the baby was not born out of wedlock.

When the bridesmaid told the minister, the Rev. Chad Gilligan, that the bride's water just broke, Pastor Chad replied, "Boil some water and get some towels!" The bridesmaid took a step back and said, "Oh... okay."
The minister quickly told her he was just joking...
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I hung out backstage at the Styx/REO Speedwagon concert Sunday night at the Lucas County Arena. Opening the show was 38 Special.
I enjoyed Styx but was not impressed with the other two bands. I also didn't like the management guys for REO, they acted as if the band were U2 or the Stones. The rest of the crew were very cool.
I interviewed lead singer Kevin Cronin of REO and keyboard player Larence Gowan of Styx for articles to preview the show. Both were very nice and down to earth. Cronin had just had dental implants and had to push back the interview, but he was gracious when we finally connected. Gowan is the "new guy" in Styx although he's played 1,200 shows in 10 years with the band.
I stood by the side of the stage and watched a lot of the show and also was entertained by the crowd. It's amazing to watch the faces on the people leaning on the barrier in front of the stage. Almost all of them were women who were goo-goo eyed at the rock stars looming high above them.
The power of the spotlight is amazing to me. These guys are really just normal human beings but when you put them on the stage they become superhuman, at least in the eyes of some fans. It looks a little ridiculous to me when 50-something rockers strut and prance around the stage like teenage prima donnas. I am just there for the music but I realize the showmanship is one thing that sets the stars apart from the average entertainer.
I don't know why Mick Jagger and Bono and some others can pull it off at their age and still make it seem natural, yet for so many other aging rockers it just looks pretentious and pathetic.
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I was a little shocked to learn that 38 Special got paid $25,000 to open the Toledo concert. Not bad for 40 minutes of work ;-)

I'll post some photos of the show soon....

Three professors from Boston face execution by electric chair.
The first one is strapped in and asked if he has any last words. He says, "I am from the Harvard School of Divinity and I believe God intervenes on behalf of the innocent."

They throw the switch and nothing happens. They figure God must not want this guy to die, so they let him go.

The second one is strapped in and says, "I am from the Harvard School of Law and I believe justice intervenes on behalf of the innocent."

They throw the switch and, again, nothing happens. They figure the law is on the guy's side so they let him go, too.

The last one is strapped in and says, "I'm from MIT and I'll tell you right now, you won't electrocute anyone if you don't connect those two wires!"
-- from Click & Clack's Car Talk 2010 desk calendar

Tomorrow is the grand finale, the U.S.-Canada hockey game promises to be a highlight of the games. I am looking forward to the closing ceremonies as well, although I doubt any games in the future will match the China ceremonies in terms of sheer size and awe-inspiring performances. Who could ever forget those drummers?
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I worked on a few interesting stories this week. One involved a workshop led by Dan Rogers, a minister and head of Cherry Street Mission Ministries, which helps the homeless and poor. I mentioned it in my blog yesterday.
I tried to sum up what Dan Rogers said in the 3 hour workshoip in a relatively short article that was published today.
You can read it here.

I also wrote an article about Brian McLaren's new book. He is a visionary thinker and a former pastor who is pushing for Christianity to adapt to the 21st century. He has a heart for the church but thinks it's getting out of sync with society.
McLaren believes the church can and should change, without compromising the Gospel. Again, like Dan Rogers goal of preventing homelessness, it's a tall order but with God's help nothing is impossible.
Here's a link to that article.
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Nick Vujicic, a 27-year-old Australian man born without arms or legs, will be speaking in our area next Thursday night. His ministry is truly amazing. I don't know how he manages to be upbeat and to inspire others but that's what he does, God bless him.
Here is a link to the short item I put in the religion section today and here is a link to Nick's website.

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We got even more snow yesterday.... Enough, already!
It's piled up higher than I've seen it in years. But today, it is beginning to melt as the temperatures range in the mid-30s.
I went to a men's retreat, called the "men's advance," at church last night and today. It's great to get 60 or more men of all ages together for an event. There were guys from all age groups there and we basically listened to two sermons by an Ohio evangelist named Cornell Jordan, and played some games like volleyball, cornhole to euchre. I mostly just talked to people during the game time.
I'm usually not into preachers who shout in your face, but I respect Cornell's ministry and his style. He is a good man and he reaches people even if his preaching is not my particular cup of tea.
There are all kinds of preachers, just as there are all kinds of foods and desserts and books and shoes. You don't have to like all of them, but that doesn't mean they aren't great, or just perfect for someone else.
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I am working the soundboard at church tomorrow -- way too early, by the way -- and then going to the Styx and REO Speewagon concert downtown to see my friend, John Nittolo, the concert promoter. John and I met about 15 years ago and he lives in New Jersey and comes to town for his concerts. It's always a blast to see John and hang out with him for a while.