Two cheers this morning for what some may regard as unlikely subjects.

First, "60 Minutes." Last evening the CBS news magazine ran a report on His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholmeo, Patriarch of the Orthodox Church and shepherd of some 300 million Orthodox worldwide. The Patriarch ("call me Bartholomeo," he told the reporter) was presented as a humble, sincere, devout, and beloved leader of his congregations, courageous in the face of Islam's unrelenting attempt to close down Orthodoxy's presence in Istanbul. The Patriarch soldiers on, holding services, complaining to the government, and shepherding his flock far and near, refusing to leave his modest compound (1 acre, 9 buildings) in Istanbul for love of country and desire to fulfill his mission.

The presentation was fair and bold, especially given the fact that it was a repeat of a December broadcast (in case the Turks didn't catch it the first time around?) and it appeared in the same week that 6 medical workers were slaughtered in Afghanistan because, as their killers reported, they were promoting Christianity.

Second, BP - yes, the same oil giant we've come to hate. To their credit, BP has been diligent on task to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf, compensate those affected by their shoddy workmanship, and clean up the mess. There has been plenty to criticize along the way, but they are still there and still promising to bring the job to a conclusion. Let's pray that they do.

And if they could figure out a way to make their pumps work just a bit faster (honestly, BP's gas pumps are the slowest I've ever used!), well, they just might keep me as a customer.

The Hooray! goes to our Lord, of course, without whose common grace and steadfast love no one, least of all those who have no interest in Him, would be one bit inclined toward anything decent or good.

T. M. Moore