June 18, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Wondering about Michelangelo, Lewis and post-truth

By Mike Haynes

Just wondering …

                … whether you knew that before painting his famous Sistine Chapel ceiling in Rome from 1508 to 1512, Michelangelo primarily was a sculptor, having done the Pieta – Mary holding the body of Jesus – in 1498 and his David statue in 1501.

He had little experience with frescoes – paint on wet plaster – but he created some of the best of those in history on the chapel ceiling, lying on his back on a scaffold.

                That’s what Mark White told people attending a June 8 preview reception for “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition,” which began June 9 at Amarillo’s Arts in the Sunset and is open for 38 days through July 23. White is one of the organizers who helped bring the colorful, remarkable exhibit to Amarillo although it has visited mostly larger cities such as Dallas, Oklahoma City, New York and London.

                The display lets you see 34 separate images as close as you want to stand. If you were in the chapel at the Vatican in Rome, they would be 66 feet above you, and you would be crammed into the room with scores of other tourists.

                This way, you can study that short space between the famous fingers of Adam and God or the troubled face of the prophet Jeremiah from a foot away if you want.

                My wife, Kathy, and I have recommended the Amarillo exhibit to several people. I even suggested to a friend in Lubbock that it’s worth a drive from the Hub City. Anyone with an interest in art, history or religion should go to https://chapelsistine.com/exhibits/amarillo and reserve their tickets. Arts in the Sunset is at 3701 Plains Blvd.

* * *

Just wondering …

… how familiar Sam Heughan is with Christian writer C.S. Lewis.

                It seems that Lewis, who died in 1963 and whose best-known works probably are “Mere Christianity” and “The Chronicles of Narnia,” shows up everywhere, including in the 2022 book by “Outlander” actor Heughan called, “Waypoints: My Scottish Journey.”

                Heughan plays Scottish Highland fighter and lover Jamie Fraser in the immensely popular novels and TV series, “Outlander” (which will begin its Season 7 on Starz tonight). Apparently, he read the Narnia stories as a kid or just knows about Lewis from growing up in the United Kingdom, because I noticed three references to the British author in Heughan’s book.

                The actor intersperses elements of his life story with accounts of a recent 96-mile hike along the West Highland Way in Scotland. Twice, in describing the beauty of the Highland forests, lochs and mountains, he writes that it’s as if he had stepped out of a wardrobe into a marvelous new land – an obvious reference to Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

                Then Heughan reflects on how, during part of his multi-day hike, “I’ve been in such a hurry to get there that I’ve missed out on the pleasure of the journey.” And he includes a quote from “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”: “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?”

                The “Outlander” star ends his wilderness journey with the opinion that walking and noticing the details of nature – such as mushrooms – are preferable to driving a car or riding his motorcycle.

C.S. Lewis

                C.S. Lewis, known to walk for pleasure around Oxford, England, expressed the same sentiment about taking the slow route through the countryside.

                Heughan also includes a quote from “The Lord of the Rings,” by Lewis’ Christian friend, J.R.R. Tolkien. Heughan’s dad even named the actor’s brother Cirdan after a Tolkien elf. And Sam Heughan’s first name must have come from one of Tolkien’s hobbit characters, because he says his father sometimes called him “Samwise.”

* * *

Just wondering …

                … whether most people missed an astute comment that Icelandic entrepreneur Haraldur Thorleifsson made in a Twitter exchange with Elon Musk. The tweets were about Thorleifsson being let go from Twitter’s payroll without notification, but I’m more interested in this observation by the Icelander:

                “A lot of people on the left don’t seem to realize that the US is living in a post-truth, post-reason, post-ethics world. Reality doesn’t matter anymore, right and wrong don’t matter, facts are no longer a thing.

"It’s all gone. Act accordingly.”

                For Christians, the way to act is made clear in the God-inspired book known as the Bible.

 June 4, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Sistine Chapel exhibition gives a view like no other

By Mike Haynes

                I was 19 when I walked with a travel group into the Sistine Chapel, and I remember the shoulder-to-shoulder tourists almost as much as I remember the wondrous ceiling and walls, painted by Michelangelo and a few other Renaissance artists.

The chapel is almost the size of a typical small-town gym. Trying to appreciate what I was seeing during a three-week, whirlwind tour of Europe with a flock of Texas Panhandle high school and college students and our teacher sponsors, I exited the famous site at the Vatican in Rome after half an hour with one more check mark on my mental “been there” list.

                I certainly am grateful that I stood in that historic room, but now I have a chance to see Michelangelo’s work without having to risk a crick in my neck, without binoculars to view artistic details and with fascinating descriptions in my ear.

                As you read this column, “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” is being set up at Arts in the Sunset at 3701 Plains Blvd. in Amarillo. It will be open to the public for 38 days between this June 9 and July 23. 

                The celebrated ceiling art that Michelangelo painted from 1508 to 1512 and his dramatic “Last Judgment,” which he created from 1536 to 1541 on the chapel’s tall west wall, feature so many scenes and human figures that it’s no easy task to understand what you’re seeing.

                Books and websites are available that allow you to view the individual paintings and read about them. But what if you could stand just a few feet from those outstretched fingers of God and man that the great artist crafted to show “The Creation of Adam” – in the actual size that they exist on that 66-foot-high ceiling?

                You can with a ticket to the exhibit that will visit Amarillo, which features digitally reproduced images printed on canvas panels. A ticket includes an audio guide app for your smartphone.

                “Download the app, choose which language you want, type in the number of the panel, and there’s a narration that tells you exactly what you’re looking at,” said Beth Duke, executive director of Center City, which helped bring the Sistine Chapel to town.

                Center City oversees the Amarillo Cultural District, which includes downtown but also other areas, including Arts in the Sunset.

                Duke said Dean Frigo, a former assistant city manager, saw the exhibit in Albuquerque. Frigo returned and told Father Tony Neusch at St. Mary’s Cathedral about it, then called Duke and said, “We need to bring this to Amarillo.” Frigo and Father Tony both helped make that happen although the exhibit usually appears in larger cities.

                Duke, who has been to the Sistine Chapel in Rome twice, and her husband, Ralph Duke, checked out the exhibit in Oklahoma City to confirm that it’s up to Center City standards. “I wanted to be sure it was something I’d be proud to put our name on,” she said.

                “I believe the audiences are going to be faith-based, people who love art, people who love history and people who travel,” Duke said. “A lot of people have been to the Sistine Chapel; a lot of people have it on their bucket list; but this is a way to see it up close and personal, at your own pace, with a narrative.

                “Even if you are in the Sistine Chapel, you don’t see it like this.”

                Standard admission to the Amarillo exhibit, which includes an audio guide, costs $22.50 (much less than flying to Italy to see the original). Senior, child and group discounts are available as well as a souvenir package that includes a keepsake guidebook. Duke said she hopes people in Amarillo and the area will take advantage of the group rate. “I’m thinking Sunday school groups, book clubs, travel study groups,” she said.

                “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel” will be open from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sundays with last entry 1½ hours before closing. It will be closed on July 4.

                Tickets can be booked for specific times at https://chapelsistine.com/exhibits/amarillo.

                Duke said she estimates that most people will spend an hour to 90 minutes perusing the exhibit.

“When I saw it, one thing that stood out to me was realizing how many individual faces were in those huge panels. Each one is a portrait. In one panel is an unflattering depiction of the pope at that time. I feel sure Michelangelo had some fun with that.

“I found it very moving. I’m hopeful that people will take advantage of this. I don’t want people to say, ‘Oh, I wish I’d known it was here.’

In case you wonder, the chapel’s name stems from Pope Sixtus IV, who had an older chapel restored between 1477 and 1480, resulting in the current architecture. Later popes commissioned Michelangelo to create the frescoes – paintings on wet plaster – on the ceiling and west wall along with paintings on the side walls by Botticelli and other artists.

                 The exhibit includes only Michelangelo’s contributions – certainly 34 images by the genius are enough – and when I go, I’ll see them in much more detail than I did when I was a teenager. I’ll appreciate them more than I did then, too – for their art and historical value as well as their spiritual messages.

                Rumor has it that the artist included at least one self-portrait in his Sistine Chapel frescoes. I’ll be looking for him, and I hope you will, too.

May 21, 2023, column in the Amarillo Globe-News:

Giving thanks for Chesterton, Shelburne, blessings

By Mike Haynes

                G.K. Chesterton is one of those writers I’ve been vaguely aware of for decades, but I still have not read one of his books. Sometimes he’s mentioned in the same breath as C.S. Lewis, who is much more familiar to me.

                Chesterton (1874-1936) was a British social and literary critic and a Christian writer. He also is well known as the author of the Father Brown detective stories.

                I attend a monthly meeting where fans of Lewis read and discuss short portions of his books, and some of the more well-read members of the group occasionally throw Chesterton into the discussion. I’ve intended to read some of the renowned English intellectual’s Christian writing, but my serious introduction to him keeps being put off by more immediate interests.

                I did finally get around to a more recent book that’s been on my shelf for eight years and that I heartily recommend: “The Key Place,” by fellow Faith section columnist Gene Shelburne. It’s about a family home place in Coke County, Texas, where Shelburne and his three fellow preacher brothers still return to read, study, rest and fix up the old house.

                Shelburne skillfully uses items from his past – such as the gates on the property – to illustrate biblical truths. “The Key Place” and other books by one of Amarillo’s treasures were available on Amazon when I looked this week.

                While enjoying West Texas wisdom from possibly the region’s most talented writer, I also came across a snippet of Chesterton’s insights that Shelburne quoted:

You say grace before meals.

All right.

But I say grace before the play and the opera,

And grace before the concert and the pantomime,

And grace before I open a book,

And grace before sketching, painting,

Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing;

And grace before I dip the pen in the ink.

                First, that little passage told me, “I really need to read one of Chesterton’s books.” And second, as I equate saying grace to thanks, it echoed recent thoughts of my own that everything we enjoy in this world – unless God clearly tells us to stay away from it – is from above. We should thank the Creator for every good thing as both the Old Testament psalmist and the New Testament apostle Paul encouraged us to do.

                I have many more significant blessings to thank God for, but following Chesterton’s pattern above, I give thanks for Amarillo Little Theatre and the 2022 “Elvis” movie (I’m not an opera fan.); for the 2014 Paul McCartney concert in Lubbock and “The Andy Griffith Show”; for John Burke’s book, “Imagine Heaven”; for the chances I have had to take travel photos, to edit family photos with Photoshop, to swim, to play tennis, to attend hometown basketball games, to walk on a treadmill, to play Catch Phrase with family and to dance to Jackson Haney’s oldies band at a class reunion.

                I thank God for the opportunity to use my keyboard to write about things I notice as I advance through life – using those observations to present Christianity in a positive light.

I’m still no Chesterton scholar or even a Chesterton reader. I can Google with the best of them, though, and I love this guy’s thoughts on thanks:

                “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”

                “When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”

                And I’ll bet you’ve heard this one. I had but didn’t remember who said it. It’s attributed to Chesterton:

                “The worst moment for an atheist is when he feels a profound sense of gratitude and has no one to thank.”

Thank you, G.K. Chesterton. Thank you, Gene Shelburne. And for everything, thanks to God.

 May 7, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Reflections on the coronation, King Charles and a seat of power

By Mike Haynes

                The coronation of King Charles III was scheduled for Saturday, May 6, in London’s Westminster Abbey. Assuming all went as planned, Charles was seated during part of the ceremony on the oak Coronation Chair, which King Edward I had ordered built around the year 1300 to hold the royal Stone of Scone. Edward had brought the 336-pound rock from Scotland to England.

Many monarchs had sat on the chair, or throne, as they were crowned,

and Charles was to rest on it with the historic, 336-pound stone just under the seat. One of the most sacred moments was to be when the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England, anointed Charles with oil to consecrate him and set him above his subjects.  

                At that point, a screen was to shield Charles from the view of everyone except a few clergy members. “When the screen which will surround the coronation chair is removed, the king is revealed to us all as someone who has taken on the responsibility of serving God and serving the people,” a church spokesperson told the Associated Press.

                The 700-year-old chair is called “one of the most precious and famous pieces of furniture in the world” on the Westminster Abbey website. I suspect not many other pieces of furniture are so revered that a toy soldier company produced a 3¼-inch model of it, complete with a tiny Stone of Scone.

Kathy and I were fortunate to see the real chair several years ago at Westminster Abbey. It didn’t look as grand as you might think would befit the Queen or King of England. And we got to pass by the stone last summer in the Scottish Crown Jewels room of Edinburgh Castle before it was moved to London temporarily for Charles’ coronation.

                A legend says the stone, which got its name from a long stay at the monastery of Scone in Scotland, has a biblical origin. Genesis 28:18 says, “Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.” (NIV) The tradition is that the sandstone that Charles was to sit on Saturday was the one Jacob used as a pillow at Bethel. It supposedly made a circuitous journey over centuries from the Holy Land through several countries, gained the nickname, “Stone of Destiny” and ended up in Scotland.

                In the past, the entirety of each coronation ceremony was considered a Christian worship service, and the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, described the 2023 version as such but added that it would “reflect contemporary society.” In addition to hymns and prayers being offered in the Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic languages as well as English, non-Christian religions were to be recognized.

                Like his mother in 1953, Charles was to be presented with sacred objects such as the royal orb and scepter. This year, with Charles’ blessing, members of the House of Lords with Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh religious backgrounds were to present the king with objects devoid of Christian symbolism.

                Of course, I would prefer that the ceremony remain completely Christian as it has for 1,000 years. But I understand Charles’ reasoning. The king represents all the United Kingdom’s subjects, and the latest census showed that less than half of the population call themselves Christian.

                Charles also is head of the Church of England, though. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, faithfully filled that role out of duty and also because of her strong personal faith in Jesus Christ. Charles has not indicated that he is as devout as his late, beloved parent. But the 2023 coronation’s theme was “Called to Serve,” based on a statement of Jesus in Matthew and Mark. Charles was scheduled to say, “In His name and after His example, I come not to be served but to serve.”

                Even as he juggles the duties of church and state, let’s hope the new king, like Elizabeth II, will build his new house on the Rock of Salvation.

April 23, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

'The Father' gives us reminder to have compassion amid confusion

By Mike Haynes

                It isn’t because I’m old enough for senior discounts myself. I’ve felt this way as long as I can remember.

                And I’ve been guilty of it, too. Frustration sometimes gets the better of a person.

                But it still bothers me.

Jenny Whisenhunt and Jeffrey Pickens starred in the Amarillo

Little Theatre production of "The Father." (Shaie Williams

photo for the Amarillo Globe-News)  

                With three family members, I was blessed to be in the audience of “The Father,” a dramatic play produced by the Amarillo Little Theatre that ends with a matinee at 2:30 p.m. today. Maybe I shouldn’t compare the performance of Jeffrey Pickens, who played 80-year-old Anthony, to that of illustrious actor Anthony Hopkins, who was brilliant in the role in the 2020 movie version. But Pickens’ spot-on portrayal of a man struggling with dementia left us with the same quiet sense of sadness that Hopkins’ depiction did.

                The play is effective because of its outstanding cast and staging but also because most of us have known family or friends plagued by some level of memory loss. At least some aspects of the story are familiar to us.

                Maybe the most disturbing scene in “The Father” is one in which a man is abusive to Anthony, accusing him of disrupting the lives of the man and of Anthony’s daughter, Anne. The man tells Anthony he is selfish for requiring Anne to take care of him – and shockingly, he repeatedly slaps “the father” in the face.

                I haven’t seen that in real life, but I do know that it is easy to forget patience when dealing with a person of any age whose physical limitations cause them to move too slow or whose mental deficiencies keep them from responding quickly enough or appropriately in a conversation. Often, family or caregivers get irritated too easily when a person doesn’t hear as well as they used to.

                “The Father” gives us an inside look at things from Anthony’s perspective. It shows incidents such as his daughter bringing home chicken from the store and his misplacing his watch in repeated scenes and out of order chronologically because events and people are all jumbled up in his mind. Of course, the play reminds us, his confusion is not intentional or even because he doesn’t care about people around him, but because he can’t help it.

                People live their own lives, and their parents aren’t always a high priority. In Anne’s case, she is concerned about her father’s welfare and goes out of her way to care for him. But in Anthony’s twisted perspective, she is trying to control his life. And he, too, complicates the situation by accusing her of not loving him while he cruelly tells her that his other daughter, who apparently has died years before, is his favorite.

                Despite failings on both sides of the equation, those of us who are not suffering from mental or physical limitations should take the lead in patience – and especially in the case of our parents or other elders. Sure, tough decisions about nursing homes and taking away car keys have to be made, but they can be made with compassion.

                The apostle Paul knew that in the first century. He wrote to the Christians at Corinth, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5, English Standard Version)

                In addition to the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and mother,” the Old Testament writers certainly gave guidance regarding our treatment of parents: “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” (Proverbs 23:22, ESV) and “He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach.” (Proverbs 19:26, ESV)

                When our frustration mounts, we would do well to remember Proverbs 14:29: “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” (ESV)

                Watching “The Father,” either the film version or at Amarillo Little Theatre, is confusing for the audience, reflecting the bewildering perception of a man who has lost much of his ability to interpret what he sees in front of him. We can be confused in life, too, not knowing how to handle difficult situations.

                No matter the age of people in our lives, though, one wise saying covers pretty much all circumstances: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, ESV)

 April 9, 2023 (Easter) column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Easter points to important aspects of the Christian faith

By Mike Haynes

                The seven last words of Jesus Christ on the cross are well known. Jim McKee, a longtime Bible class teacher at Hillside Christian Church, presented an in-depth study of them in the weeks leading up to Easter 2023, pointing out that the seven are “sentences, actually.”

                Those statements that Jesus uttered while in great pain on the barbaric Roman cross are recorded variously in the New Testament books of Matthew, Luke and John. They are:

List compiled by Jim McKee

                1. “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” 2. “This day you will be with me in Paradise. 3. “Woman, behold your son.” 4. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” 5. “I thirst.” 6. “It is finished.” and 7. “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

                Each of the seven “words” points to important aspects of the Christian faith, and McKee’s deep dig into their ramifications can be found at seedongoodsoil.com, where his audio lessons and accompanying slides for March 5 through April 2 are available along with other lessons back to 2005.

                The three words, “It is finished,” especially struck me. McKee pointed out that “finished” refers to more than one thing. Physically, Jesus’ suffering was over. His 33-year life as a man on Earth was ending. Earlier, Christ had said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17) The law, including ancient prophecies specific to his crucifixion, now was fulfilled.

                 And maybe most pertinent to people today, the redemption of man was complete.

                That redemption – and the offer of salvation – was “once for all,” and McKee reminded us that multiple Bible passages use that phrase. For example: “The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.” (Romans 8:10); “He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” (Hebrews 7:27); “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (I Peter 3:18)

                McKee stressed the completeness of redemption that Jesus accomplished by taking every sin onto himself and dying for us. He didn’t forgive our past sins and leave future offenses for us to take care of. “Nothing about our salvation has been left undone,” the teacher said. “Christ has completed our salvation. Nothing is left for us to ‘fill in.’” All we have to do is accept salvation by believing in Jesus.

                God does want us to confess any new sins, but it is to emphasize our reliance on him, not because any fresh wrongdoing will make our salvation incomplete, McKee said.

                Jesus also said, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” In light of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit), the question arises, “Did God abandon God?” No, McKee said, citing a foreshadowing of Christ’s death in Psalm 22:24: “For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.”

                Each of us, at the suffering or death of a loved one or in a time of desperation, probably has wondered why God has not fixed the problem. We may have wondered why we don’t hear from him. McKee quoted C.S. Lewis’ book, “A Grief Observed,” relating how Lewis felt when his beloved wife died: “…go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound bolting and double bolting on the inside.  After that, silence.”

                Maybe, in order for the God/man Jesus to experience such despair as we do, the Father had to withdraw briefly. McKee also quoted Philip Yancey’s book, “Disappointment with God”: “At Gethsemane and Calvary in some inexpressible way, God himself was forced to confront the hiddenness of God.”

                When Jesus voluntarily said, “Into your hands I commit my spirit,” and died physically, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple that symbolically separated God from man suddenly split from the top down. Jesus had provided a way for us to be with God forever, restoring the union that had been broken since Adam and Eve had sinned.

                McKee quoted Hebrews 10:19-20: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…”

                And so, the perfect Christ had defeated sin. Three days later, on the day we call Easter, he proved that he also had defeated death – not just for himself, but for all who believe.

                He rose.

 March 26, 2023, column in the Amarillo Globe-News:

Amarillo group Lewis Underground welcomes 'mere Christians' to explore works

By Mike Haynes

                Uncle Screwtape says God wants humans to pay most attention to two things: the present and eternity. The two things God doesn’t want us to spend time on, he says, are the past and the future.

                That’s some of the demonic wisdom the experienced devil gives to his nephew Wormwood as the novice demon works on luring a young man to eternal damnation. The advice is correct; it’s just given from the point of view of a spirit who worships “Our Father Below” and whose name for God is “the Enemy.”

        

        Reading “The Screwtape Letters,” published by C.S. Lewis during World War II, can be difficult if you forget to reverse the purpose of the advice. Whatever Screwtape says the goal of his guidance is, you should seek the opposite. But the letters to his nephew reveal enormous amounts of true wisdom and insight into human nature.

                Letter No. 15, which in less than five pages Lewis – through Screwtape – explains the differences and dangers of the past, present, future and eternity, will be the discussion topic at 5:30 p.m. this Monday, March 27, at a meeting of the Lewis Underground. The informal group has gathered every fourth Monday of the month for about half a decade in the public room of River Falls Apartments at 6040 Belpree Road in Amarillo – not to worship Lewis, the famous Oxford professor who wrote “The Chronicles of Narnia” children’s stories, “Mere Christianity” and many more best-selling books, but to continue in his footsteps by pointing people to Christ.

                The group, which also has presented speakers, musicians and artists at public events, is recovering from an attendance lull since the COVID pandemic started. A common theme for its monthly discussions and occasional large events has been to promote “a vital Christian presence” in academics, the arts and the general culture – something Lewis did so effectively.

  

              The Lewis Underground is loosely affiliated with the C.S. Lewis Foundation, based in  

Redlands, California. The foundation sponsors events such as the Summer Institute last July in Oxford, England, that featured people such as writer Philip Yancey, actor Max McLean, musician Amber Salladin and English poet Malcolm Guite. The next Summer Institute tentatively will be in Northern Ireland, where Lewis was born, in 2025.

                The foundation owns the Kilns, the longtime home of Lewis in Oxford, which is open for scholars and for arranged tours.

Amarillo leaders include Kirk Manton and Nan Rinella, both of whom have been foundation volunteers for many years. Manton directs technical operations at the Great Britain events, and Rinella organized several annual C.S. Lewis retreats at Camp Allen, near Navasota. The next Camp Allen retreat is scheduled for this Oct. 6-8, and more information will be available at Monday’s Amarillo meeting.

                Anyone of any age who has an interest in Lewis is welcome at the meetings, including Lewis readers, those who have intended to read Lewis, writers and “mere Christians.”

                Foundation President Steven Elmore wrote that the international organization is “a community of ‘Mere Christians’ inspired by the life and work of C.S. Lewis to seek out and cultivate faith, reason, and imagination in the company of friends. … Rather than idolize the man, however, we are inspired by him to do what he did – live a faithful life engaging creatively with the culture around us to love our neighbors and to share the gospel of Christ.”

                Since the local Lewis Underground began, the group has progressed slowly through three of Lewis’ books: “Surprised by Joy,” “Mere Christianity” and now “The Screwtape Letters.” Those attending this Monday don’t even have to read Letter 15 in advance; it’s short and will be read aloud at the meeting. And consistent with Lewis’ British heritage, the refreshments will be hot tea and scones.

                I hope to see you there. You don’t need to worry if you haven’t read any of the books (the past) and nothing will be expected of you (the future). As Screwtape wisely says in Letter 15, the present is where “all duty, all grace, all knowledge, and all pleasure dwell.”

 March 12, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Encouragement in magazine confirms region’s strong faith

By Mike Haynes

                The Texas Panhandle and the South Plains – anchored by Amarillo and Lubbock – are no strangers to the Bible. That’s evident in the number of active churches in cities and towns from Texline to Follett to Sundown to Spur and everywhere in between.

                Christian faith also shows up outside the walls of churches, just as that Bible recommends. This region’s culture is reflected strongly, for example, in a yearly magazine devoted not to religion, but to basketball.

                Basketball is second only to football in the top of Texas. The Nazareth Swiftettes won their 25^th UIL state championship eight days ago. The Lubbock Christian boys and girls both won state private school titles, as did Lubbock’s Trinity Christian boys. The girls of Gruver, Lubbock Cooper and All-Saints Episcopal in Lubbock all made it to their state title games.

                And as of this writing, the Randall, Childress, Jayton and New Home boys had made it to the state UIL tournament.

                For the past 12 years, my sister Sheri, brother David and I – with help from my wife, Kathy, and others – have published Panhandle-Plains Basketball, a tradition started 50 years ago by former Amarillo Globe-News publisher Garet von Netzer and former Plainview Herald editor Danny Andrews. High school groups sell ads in the magazine to businesses, booster clubs, parents and others, and the groups receive a large percentage of the sales funds.

                Many of those ad purchasers, mostly parents, include encouraging words from the Bible or statements mentioning God in their ads – with no prompting from the magazine publishers.

                An ad in the White Deer section reads, “Do you know that in a race all runners run, but only one receives the prize, so run that you may obtain it. – 1 Cor. 9:24.” One on a Shallowater page says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6.”

                With few exceptions, the ads are uplifting messages, not prayers for victory. More examples, listed with the schools the ads support, are:

Panhandle – “We are so proud of you! Go show God’s light.”

Panhandle – “Blessed by the Ettes”

McLean – “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalms 23:6”

                Olton – “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.’ – John 11:25”

Sundown – “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 5:20”

San Jacinto Christian – “Play to Glorify God”

Farwell – “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow”

Randall – “We are so proud of you! Keep putting in the hard work and keep God first!”

Randall – “Remember that your work ethic and faith in God will take you far!”

Vega – “2 Chronicles 15:7”

Stratford – “John 15:1”

Several churches also supported their teams, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes was well represented.

Lots of Gruver and Sudan fans seem to regard faith as highly as they do basketball, and that’s saying something. Gruver ads included:

“Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. – Proverbs 3:6;” “Let all that you do be done with love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14;” “Look to the Lord and His strength; See His face always. – 1 Chronicles 16:11;” plus “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. – Colossians 3:17.”

Sudan contributed these:

“2 Timothy 4:7;” “Go be great! – Joshua 1:9;” “For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. – Deuteronomy 20:4;” “Have fun, play hard & use the gifts God has given you!” and “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the task assigned to me by the Lord Jesus – to tell others about the wonderful grace of God. – Acts 20:24.”

 The amount of spiritual inspiration from our region isn’t surprising, but it’s heartening and a confirmation of our deep Christian roots.

I’m sure the same is true of fans in Dumas despite the cheer for their beloved teams: “Go Demons and Demonettes!”