Portsmouth prayer memories

My first pastorate was in Portsmouth, Ohio from 1991-1993. I was still in seminary and only commuted there for services on the weekends (crossing the Ohio River via the bridge linking Kentucky to the Buckeye State), although I was in town pretty much full time during the summer months. I remember working alongside several other area church leaders to coordinate community prayer events and pro-life rallies. This story, picked up by the Chicago Tribune from the local Portsmouth paper (the reporter's name is vaguely familiar), brought back some wonderful memories.

The power of prayer prevailed Thursday at the National Day of Prayer observance at the Scioto County Courthouse.

For 20 years, local pastors, ministers and residence of Scioto County have a Bible-reading marathon each year on the first Thursday in May. The ceremony began Monday, when participants read the Bible for four days, until the National Day of Prayer in the courthouse lobby.

It is a non-denominational effort in which churches from different Christian denominations participate. The event concluded at 3 p.m. Thursday when three designated ministers offered prayer for the local, state and federal government.

"This is the 20th year that Scioto County residents have participated in this," said Connie Weaver, who has helped with the coordination of the scripture readings and prayer gatherings since its inception. "The New Boston Ministerial Association is the group that started this, and I work with them."

"Our leaders need the prayers to help make the decisions that affect our community to be in compliance with God's Word," Weaver said. "Some judges are making decisions, high-level judges, that are not consistent with God's word. And we absolutely have to pray for them, that they will have guidance, that they can make the right decisions.

Anytime there is an opportunity to get the word out, Weaver said, even to help one person, it's worth the effort.

The "sorry people," then and now

Recently, while watching an episode of the classic western Bonanza, I was reminded of just how far our society has not come since the innocent days of early television. For both its genre and its era, Bonanza was about as socially progressive as a program could be. That does not mean, however, that it would get high marks from today's political and cultural elites. This particular episode was a case in point. Hoss, the physically imposing but bighearted middle brother of the Carwright clan, helps a diminutive ne'er-do-well named Jock get a job as an assistant tax assessor. Thrilled at the prospect of making a decent living for the first time in his life, Jock dives into his new job with gusto, wildly over-assessing local properties, beginning with the Cartwrights' beloved Pondersosa ranch. 

As might be expected, the over-zealous taxman's activities send the townsfolk into a rage. Things come to a head when the women of Virginia City chase Jock back to his run-down home and are dissuaded from lynching him only out of sympathy for his pregnant wife.

Seeking to prevent any further damage, the Cartwrights hold a family conference. Since he feels the whole situation is his fault, Hoss offers to handle it himself. Ben, the wise patriarch, discourages this and says the family should work things out together. "The trouble with Jock is, he's one of the sorry people," Ben observes. That, of course, is a line which could never pass muster in today's hyper-sensitive media culture. 

The "sorry people," as Ben explains, are people who are content to be shiftless and idle. "The main trouble with the sorry people, though," Ben continues, "is if someone throws a little prosperity their way or a little authority . . . they become obnoxious."

Ultimately, the Cartwrights outsmart this pitiful soul by exploiting his weakness for gambling. They trick him into betting "two years' salary" on a horse they know will lose but Jock is convinced will win. After the inevitable happens, Ben tells Jock that since "two years' salary" was a non-specific amount, Jock will owe him nothing if he quits his job and returns home to his wife and newborn baby.

The problem this episode would pose for today's political and cultural elites, most notably the current occupant of the White House, is that it would hit too close to home. Who are today's "sorry people" if not those who have accomplished next to nothing but believe they are entitled to everything? It is not altogether cynical to say that these are sorry times for our nation because the "sorry people" have been given authority and have, characteristically, become quite obnoxious.

They don't make movies like this anymore

It's been a long time since Hollywood had any real Hope (Bob, that is).