Mardi Gras comes to church on the Uptown parade route

"It's Parade Sunday at Christ Church Cathedral, the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, situated along the St. Charles Avenue parade route.

And at morning Eucharist that means the annual reappearance of the Rev. David duPlantier's Mardi Gras vestments."

Click here for more on this interface between the church and society.

Witty Witnessing: Humor as a Conversion Tool

"When it comes to religion, Eric Metaxas has a knack of meeting people on their own ground. He lives in New York City—a highly secular town, after all. But through his talks and his books, Eric speaks to his New York neighbors in a language they understand: the language of humor."

To meet this witty witness, click here.

Mississippi senators vote to cut their salaries 10 percent for 2011

"The Mississippi Legislature won’t be shrinking anytime soon, but lawmakers might collect smaller paychecks for a single year.

Senators passed a bill Wednesday that would trim lawmakers’ salaries by 10 percent for 2011 only — a move designed to show solidarity with other government workers who are worried about their job security amid shrinking state revenues."

Click here to read more on the Mississippi Senate's actions.

Bridge collapse widow adopts Haitian twins

Betsy Sathers wears the glow of a new mother as she perches on the couch in her family room, smiling and chatting with visitors while still managing to keep an eye on the 2-year-old twins burbling and cavorting at her feet.

Sathers — whose husband was killed when a Minneapolis freeway bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River in 2007 — is realizing her dreams of being a mother with the adoption of Ross and Alyse from Haiti.

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

What Holiness Is, and Why It Matters

"Our grandfather clock, which tells us not only the hours, minutes and seconds but also the days of the week, the months of the year, and the phases of the moon, is something of a veteran.

Scratched on one of its lead weights is the date 1789—the year of the French Revolution and George Washington’s first term as President. Our clock was going before the great Christian theologian John Wesley stopped going, if I may put it so."

Click here for a look at why holiness matters.

Tebow Super Bowl Ad Leads Viewers to 'God Story'

The so-called controversial Tebow Super Bowl ad was not what people expected. There was no overt anti-abortion message, but only the demonstration of a loving and humorous mother-son relationship.

In the ad, Pam Tebow against a plain white background holds a baby photo of her now 22-year-old son, Tim, and calls him her “miracle baby.”

Click here to read the rest of this Good News story.

Goodnight, John Boy: Why 'The Waltons' Are Still Worth Watching

“'Could switching to Geico really save you 15 percent or more on car insurance?' wonders a serious-looking man. He thinks about this for a moment, then asks: 'Did the Waltons take way too long to say goodnight?'

And then we see that famous, shabby white house with the big front porch, accompanied by those familiar voices: 'Goodnight John Boy, goodnight Mary Ellen, goodnight Mama, goodnight Erin, goodnight Ben, goodnight Jim-Bob...'”

Click here for the rest of Anne Morse's thoughtful commentary.