tHe end Of tHe WORld

FAITH TA k ES US TO THE EDGE OF LIFE AS WE k NOW IT

“In fourteen-ninety two Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Those words still inspire spirits that won’t be stilled.

Alas, though, Columbus Day has lost its cultural cache. It’s gone the way of Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays. We once paused as a nation to remember the explorer who set the stage for Pilgrims and pioneers, who braved the unknown and made a land we could sing about as America the Beautiful.

I know; it’s true: Native Americans were here first, and the land didn’t need our improvements to make it song-worthy. Columbus and those who followed him brought European diseases that infected the hearty hunters and gatherers who weren’t dreaming of new neighbors who would settle their land and kill off their culture. We’re rightly chastened over the brutal and blatant disregard for North America’s indigenous population during those years (and even now).

Children have a way, though, of harshly criticizing their parents before they have their own children with whom to make their own mistakes. Enlightened generations always seem bent on portraying their forebears in a bad light. One hopes we have progressed beyond our bloodthirstiness.

But have we really? I mean, how different is Wall Street greediness from Conquistador goldlustiness? The point of pointing out the sins of our fathers should be that we more clearly see our own bent toward sin and avoid it, rather than judging ourselves morally superior while concealing our own foibles.

Losing a Columbus consciousness deprives us of the adventurism that ignites imagination and incites innovation. People who cultivate a Columbus mindset set out to discover new worlds. They don’t settle for “what is” when “what might be” awaits exploring.

Columbus faith doesn’t reject the received wisdom of the past; it makes it fresh by testing and trying it.

The great Italian dreamer didn’t question that Go d created the world, but he wanted to see what was at its farthest reach. The sea monsters cartographers drew at the edges of the known world didn’t dissuade him. He feared not going there more than he feared going there, because faith made him courageous and curi- ous instead of safe and sound.

Was Columbus motivated by gold and glory? Maybe so, but godly ambition is seldom undiluted. He was also animated by a faith that wouldn’t settle for settled flat-world thinking. His faith moved him to question and quest.

Faith is a departure port, not a dry dock. Ships are meant to sail the open seas, not remain moored in the harbor. Likewise, when all we do is repeat formulas of faith without ever testing them against the winds of time, we never know whether they will be sails to propel us somewhere thrilling or anchors that will drag us and hold us back.

To say that the Bible is our authority doesn’t mean we only do what prophets and apostles did in their day; it means we do likewise in our day what is called for by our faith now. We take up the role of prophets and apostles ourselves, drawing upon their courage and candor to bring the ways and means of God to bear in our times.

Prophets interpreted Moses and apostles Jesus. They kept one eye on the past and one on the future, but what was coming to pass was always more to them than what had passed. Faith tilts toward the future. It pushes forward. Fear does the opposite: It grips the past as if salvation is found by going backward. Faith, someone has said, is walking to the edge of all the light you have and taking one more step.

In the spirit of Columbus, faith is sailing to the edge of all the maps that guide you and steering amidships, full-steam ahead. It’s trusting that God is waiting for us in the new world ahead more than in the old world behind.

Business

RANDOM, a home and gift boutique, has leased a space at the Hillside Village Shopping Center at Mockingbird and Abrams. The store sells jewelry, stationary and knickknacks.

BONNIE RUTH’S café and catering has closed its storefront in the Casa Linda Shopping Center.

LAKEWOOD CLEANING SERVICES recently was launched by Lakewood resident Jay Forrester. The one-man business specializes in small office jobs. No job is too small. No middle men here. Reach him directly at 469.867.7302.

Community

JOHNSLATE, local historian and author, will present a program on the history of Dallas parks at 10 a.m. Oct. 4 at the Community Life Center of Casa Linda United Methodist Church, 1800 Barnes Bridge Road. The event is part of the Casa Linda AARP Chapter 3880 meeting. For details, call 214.321.1705.

LALECHELEAGUE will meet at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at Greenland Hills United Methodist Church, 5835 Penrose. The nonprofit organization provides education and support for women who want to breastfeed. For details, call 214.342.2355.

THEWRITER’SGARRET AT PAPERBACKS PLUS, 6115 La Vista, will host several discussion groups this month. The Poetry and Prose Group’s “Vort Ting” includes sessions on Oct. 4, 18, 11 and 25. “The Elements of Screenwriting” runs Mondays through Oct. 18. The 12-week “Elements of Creative Writing” class runs Thursdays through Dec. 16. “Special Topics in Fiction” is Sept. 30, Oct. 14 and 28. “Elements of Poetry” begins Oct. 13. “The Art of Nonfiction” runs Oct. 19-Nov. 30. Visit writersgarret.org. for registration details.

MS. PATTI’S DANCE CLASSES are relocating from the Ridgewood Belcher Recreation Center, where Lake Highlands resident Patti Steinke has held them for the past 30 years, to St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 3204 Skillman Street in the Lakewood area. Patti Steinke has resided in Lake Highlands since 1990. For class information please contact mspattisdance.com or call 214.341.1023.

PHI DELTA will meet Monday, Oct. 11 at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 3204 Skillman, at 7 p.m. The month’s lesson is titled “Exercise is Good for the Heart”. The Phi Delta Chapter of ESA offers members leadership training and support geared toward enhancing their philanthropic work. For more information, call Patti Steinke, 214.341.1023.

THELAKEWOOD AREA “Konversational Experts” are forming a new chapter to discuss events affecting neighbors’ lives. For details call Ernest Brandt, 214.361.6294.

Education

WOODROWWILSON HIGHSCHOOL met the federal “Adequate Yearly Progress” standard for the first time since 2007. The school previously missed the standard because of low graduation rates, math and reading scores.

THEWOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION has received a grant from the Roy and Christine Sturgis Charitable and Educational Trust that will be used to cover participation and licensing fees to the International Baccalaureate Organization. Woodrow has been selected as Dallas ISD’s first International Baccalaureate (IB) school, a program hailed as an outstanding means to promote greater rigor in the classroom, more academic challenges for students of all income levels, and an opportunity to burnish the educational reputation of the neighborhood’s 80-yearold landmark institution. The Dallas-based Roy and Christine Sturgis Charitable and Educational Trust was created under the will of Christine Sturgis to support charitable organizations in Arkansas and Texas. The Woodrow Wilson High School Community Foundation was created in mid-2009 to support the community in establishing an exemplary public education system in East Dallas, extending from the seven elementary schools through J.L. Long Middle School and Woodrow Wilson High School. For information about the foundation, contact Richard Vitale at 214.209.0334.

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Junius Heights

Junius Heights

4th Annual Historic Home Tour

4th Annual Historic Home Tour

Volunteers Needed www.juniusheights.org

Volunteers Needed www.juniusheights.org

ILLUSTRATIONBY: SUZY MORITZ FINE ART

(Corner of Live Oak & Adair Street)

$10 Donation and 1 Bottle of Wine per person

1.) Get Dressed Up. 2.) Donate $10 to the 501c3 Friends of Exall Park.

3.) Bring a bottle of wine, place on table & share.

4.) Sample Food From Local Restaurants

WhITE ROck cLEANUp

Dallas resident s arah Fulk takes a break during a massive cleanup effort at White Rock Creek Sept. 5.