Good News for March 22 (posted by Mary Beth)

Was Jesus a Universalist?

"In this discussion, I’d like to dispute the common notion that Jesus was a universalist. Once again, I openly admit that many Universalist Unitarians and I have disagreements about the inspiration of the Bible as well as whether the current 66 books of the Bible should be the primary basis for establishing one’s theology. Nevertheless, I endeavor to answer this question by referring to the recorded words of Jesus."

Click here for more of this commentary.


Devilish and Divine: The man who is the voice of God and the incarnation of Screwtape

"Several times a week, Max McLean does something that most would want to avoid—forever.

He goes to hell. On purpose. And he has a devil of a good time doing it.

McLean, you see, is the eponymous star of The Screwtape Letters, a stage adaptation of C. S. Lewis's classic that has played to sold-out audiences over the last year and wowed critics in New York, Washington, D.C., and, most recently, Chicago."

Click here to read more on McLean's "transformation" into Lewis's Screwtape.


Michael Jordan Cries Over Basketball Victory

"Michael Jordan celebrated another Chicago basketball championship - his son's.

Marcus Jordan, son of the Bulls' six-time champion, scored a game-high 19 points to lead Chicago Whitney Young to a 69-66 victory over Waukegan in the Illinois Class 4A championship Saturday."

For more on Michael Jordan's parental pride, click here.


Looking beyond grades and scores: Students' stories move admissions panels

"The admissions team at Tufts University embraced the Yahtzee enthusiast and budding engineer who built a wooden catapult in his backyard and the straight-A teenager who described herself as a 'wise old owl' whom her friends turn to for advice.

Amherst College eagerly admitted the son of a New York City cab driver, a Bangladeshi immigrant who had flunked gym class but founded a newspaper dedicated to economics. The school's admissions committee also delighted at the math wiz from Queens who loses sleep when he's stumped by a problem and lives for bowling nights in his mother's league."

Click here for more on the secrets of getting admitted into college.


Employers get creative to reduce staff stress

"Taking the helm of troubled Lowell Co-operative Bank after a shake-up, Rich Bolton turned his recent first meeting with employees into a rollicking game show, handing out cash prizes to give staff a needed lift in difficult economic times.

After rolling out cost-cutting measures to weather falling sales, Woburn travel agency executive Karen Hanssen helped turn an old storage space at work into a comfy, low-budget 'oasis room' for relaxed meetings - and a bit of minigolf."

For more on how employers are coping with stressed out employees, click here.


George Rodrigue Blue Dog Painting Fetches $170,500

"Now that's a lot of kibble.

The folks at Rodrigue Studio report an unexpectedly high price paid at auction for a George Rodrigue blue dog painting."

Click here for more on this colorful story.


Killing bugs for Christ: Missionaries work odd jobs

"Randall Adams’ exhibit looked similar to many others at last summer’s Global Missions Conference. A laminated map pointed to where he and his family hope to live — northern Italy. A hand-drawn thermometer showed how much of their financial goal they had raised — a humble 20 percent.

But next to a Bible opened to Romans was an industrial sprayer. And Adams’ shirt didn’t bear a ministry logo or a cross. It said 'Rid-a-Pest, servizio disinfestazione.' That’s Italian for 'extermination service.'”

More on missionaries and their goals awaits you here.