Midday Report

NOTES:

• When I get home I will have to repair the many typos in these posts from Oklahoma City.

• This hotel has the best elevator music. This morning I heard Billie Holiday as I rode from floor 12 down to 2. I thought for a moment about riding back up just to hear the rest of the song.

• Meanwhile back home the city comptroller was arrested, charged with embezzling $30 million in 6 years!

Once the couple in the next room quieted down, I got a night of sound sleep. Breakfast this morning was sponsored by the National Council of Churches. NCC reps announced that the Council is reorganizing. I ate with a table of Episcopal priests who counted up the number of times the NCC had reorganized within their memory: 4.

After a brief Morning Prayer led by a Roman Catholic bishop, I attended a seminar on Ecumenical Advocacy. The speaker was dynamic, but the topic didn't apply to me as much as I had hoped.

Over lunch, Episcopal Bishop Steve Charleston, a person of Choctaw heritage, gave a wonderful talk about Racism and Catholicity. He introduced himself as a "good news preacher. The good news is I'm not long-winded." His talk was, if anything, too brief. He reminded us that religious traditions that are closed and set are death-dealing.

That was a paraphrase.

After lunch I had the first real hour of free time that I've had since I hit the ground. So, I've updated my blog with this midday report.

Tonight I will visit the Oklahoma City bombing memorial and museum with a group from the NWCU. I'm looking forward to it.

And now, once more into the fray...