It’s hot. Outsiders who take their long weekend to come to New Orleans to help gut out and rebuilt homes are our heroes.<\/p>\n
Saturday’s “above the fold” front page headline was “New doctors follow their hearts to N.O.” With Tenet Healthcare putting four of their New Orleans hospitals on the market–the Lindy Boggs and Memorial (Baptist) centers have never reopened since Katrina–doctors who have lived here for decades are departing for greener pastures. But, wonder of wonders, other doctors are coming to town and filling the void. Nicole Giambrone, an LSU resident in pediatrics, says, “It’s an adventure. How many people can say they were here when the city was rebuilt? How many people can say they helped rebuild the health system infrastructure?” Good for you, Dr. Giambrone!<\/p>\n
Something similar is happening, I’m confident, with our seminary students. Some are not returning because they have no investment in this city and no reason to want to live in an island of green surrounded by miles of deadness and vacancy. But others are taking the challenge, recognizing that this is the place where God is at work, He never said it would be easy, and by spending two or three years of their seminary training here, nothing about their future ministry will ever be the same. To those churches and parents watching their “children” move to New Orleans to begin their ministerial preparation, we say: encourage them; brag on them; pray for them; support them.<\/p>\n
Visitors to our city driving on Interstate 10 in East New Orleans notice off to the South a massive amusement park. Six Flags New Orleans has been lying there vacant and unrepaired since Katrina drowned it in 12 feet of floodwater, creating a big question mark about its future. Saturday, the owners have announced plans to shut it down permanently, in spite of their 75 year lease with the city.<\/p>\n
\nOriginally, this site was known as Jazzland Theme Park. Two years into its life, it still had not turned a profit and the owners filed for bankruptcy. Then Six Flags rode to the rescue and city leaders rejoiced. The company took over the ownership for a song and built new rides, then put on a huge publicity campaign. Even then, according to the company, the local community never took to the park in a big enough way and it continued hemmorrhaging cash. The hurricane might have been a blessing to them, as it gave the company a way out.<\/p>\n
Six Flags Inc. is proposing to pay $10 million to the city, donate the adjacent 66 acres of land to the city, and give New Orleans 20% of everything it gets from insurance above $75 million. They say since the park was not turning a profit when New Orleans was populated, it makes no sense to reopen the place when only a fraction of the residents of that part of the city are back. Hard to argue with that.<\/p>\n
Ignoring the calls of frightened restauranteurs, Governor Blanco signed into law the prohibition against smoking in dining facilities throughout the state.<\/p>\n
Locals are watching with unusual interest the launching of the Space Shuttle Discovery this weekend. The huge liquid fuel tanks that get the shuttle into space are built just east of New Orleans in the NASA Michoud plant. Thirty employees from the plant are at Canaveral this weekend to observe the launch. A major concern is the foam which sometimes falls away from the fuel tanks during liftoff. When they strike the underside of the shuttle, they damage its heat shield and jeopardize re-entry. NASA has spent over a billion dollars and several years to find ways to prevent the foam from breaking off. Making a lot of people antsy is that not all of NASA’s leaders agree that the shuttle is as safe as it could be made. Lots of local prayers will be going up this weekend and until the crew’s safe return.<\/p>\n
On the religion page of Saturday’s paper, two items of interest to Baptists stand out. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s new preamble to their statement of faith giving allegiance to Jesus is headlined: “Jesus is Back in Baptist Preamble.” I almost wish they would not run these articles. Local non-Baptists have no idea what this is all about, and I’d just as soon none of them think Jesus was ever out of our thinking or our hearts. Rick Warren will be going to North Korea to preach. One wonders how in the world that invitation came about. Brings back memories of the times 30 years ago when Billy Graham received similar invitations from Soviet Russia and was promptly castigated by conservatives all over this country. “Aiding and abetting Communism,” they said. But he went on anyway, and these days almost everyone champions him for doing so. God bless you, Rick. We’ll lift you to the Father, friend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It’s hot. Outsiders who take their long weekend to come to New Orleans to help gut out and rebuilt homes are our heroes. Saturday’s “above the fold” front page headline was “New doctors follow their hearts to N.O.” With Tenet … Continue reading