The small town of Hampden is in all respects a typical Maine town, friendly and safe, with few worries about violent crime.  That is why the recent disappearance and death of a young Hampden Academy student sent shockwaves through the community and the surrounding area. 

Upon entering the temple grounds Jesus’ first encounter was with the Court of the Gentiles.  This was the area of the temple grounds where Gentiles could come to shop, to pay homage to the God of Israel, or satisfy their curiosity, but they were allowed to go no farther without obedience to all of the ceremonial law.

In the Court of the Gentiles the Jews had set up a marketplace, a mall of sorts, where all manner of sacrificial animals and offerings could be purchased.  Matthew records the event in chapter 21:10-14

A column by Mike Heath recently published in the Bangor Daily News has brought welcome expressions of support for the work of Mike Heath and the Maine Family Policy Council.  Conservatives and Christian praised the column in strong terms, and opposition by gay rights activists was more temperate than usual, a sign that pro-family forces are gaining the upper hand in the debate over marriage.

Some readers noticed that the positive content of the column received a negative-sounding title by the time it reached the Bangor Daily News. The piece, which upholds the traditional definition of marriage, and was originally called "Marriage Endures," was renamed by the paper "Move to Reject Gay Marriage Seeks Allies."

One reader was surprised to see the column in the paper at all, and wrote:

"What is this opinion piece doing here? The BDN is supposed to be pro-Gay!"

Once again, the media are reporting on a politician, Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina, who has ruined his political career with a sex scandal.  And once again, the media, by picking and choosing which sex scandals are worth reporting, are guilty of an enormous double standard.  

Many good-hearted Mainers are still alive who remember the one-room schoolhouse, with a portrait of Washington and Lincoln on the wall, and the Bible placed within handy reach. Our lives are much more complicated now. Many communities boast of Taj Mahals of learning, with shining gymnasiums, roomy auditoriums, and heated swimming pools. Yet statistics show that our students rank last among the students of the industrialized world; and violent crime and alcohol and drug abuse are growing problems in our schools.