Eating in South Jersey Is Better Than They Thought @LaceyPatch.com

John and Lisa Howard-Fusco’s food blog helps locals and visitors find the best of the South Jersey food scene.

Eating in South Jersey isn’t what Forked River residents John and Lisa Howard-Fusco expected.

The blog they launched in 2008 grew out of their surprise at finding great food in South Jersey when they moved from North Jersey to be closer to their families. The couple never expected their hobby to catch the attention of The New York Times and New Jersey Monthly, but Eating in South Jersey has.

More importantly, the blog has become popular with local readers, many of whom look to the site to find out what’s going on in the South Jersey food scene.

“People read us. Let me tell you, we were pretty surprised,” said Lisa.

“A lot of the New Jersey media doesn’t give South Jersey its due at all,” she said. “We would go to all these wonderful places, but they wouldn’t stay open because nobody knew about them.” …

To learn about South Jersey’s hidden foodie gems, read the rest at Lacey Patch.

 Posted on April 22, 2011 by

 Blogging, Community, Culture, Family, Food, Public Square

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Evil Through the Eye of the Lens @NJShorePatch

Jewish Federation of Monmouth County hosts documentary screening and discussion on Nazi-era progaganda; honors Congressman Christopher Smith.

April 11 022What do a Congressman, a documentary about Nazi filmmakers, and a 10-time Emmy Award winning director have in common?

A discussion about propaganda and human rights, of course!

Evil Through the Eye of the Lens, an event held at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Monmouth County in Deal Monday night,  combined a 100-minute subtitled documentary about Nazi filmmaker Veit Harlan, a talk on the difference between propaganda and art by acclaimed filmmaker David Grubin, and humanitarian awards for United States Congressman Christopher Smith and executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education Paul Winkler.

Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suss is the compelling story of the only Nazi filmmaker who was prosecuted (and acquitted) of war crimes for the Nazi propaganda films he made. More than this though, it is the story of his family’s complicated relationship with its legacy. …

 Posted on April 15, 2011 by

 Art, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Family, History, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Vocation

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Q&A: Will Graham on Preaching Hell and Why He Doesn’t Believe in Mass Evangelism @Christianity Today

The son of Franklin Graham and the grandson of Billy Graham discusses his family and ministry.

William (Will) Franklin Graham IV is the grandson of Billy Graham and the son of Franklin Graham. CT contributing editor Christine A. Scheller interviewed him when he was in Red Bank, New Jersey, on March 25 preparing for the May 20-22 Jersey Shore Will Graham Celebration that will be held at the historic Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove. Graham is an associate evangelist at the evangelistic organization his grandfather founded and assistant director of The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove. He is a graduate of Liberty University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He preached his first 3-day Celebration in Leduc, Alberta, Canada in 2006. Graham and his wife, Kendra, live near Asheville, North Carolina and have three young children.

Last year Harvard professor Robert D. Putman published a book called American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. He and his co-author found that Americans’ doctrinal commitments are weakening and they don’t believe God is going to send “Aunt Joanie” to hell. How do you preach the gospel to a generation that questions the eternality of hell?

I always go back to the Bible. It’s what the Bible says, and oftentimes as Americans— and this is not just in religion, it’s in a lot of things—we try to design stuff, today we call it designer religion: “I’ll take a little bit of this and take a little bit of that” and so on, and we kind of come up with our own little religion. We try to make our own God, our own idol in a sense. This is what our God is going to be: he’s going to be more compassionate, no more hell. But always I go back to this is what the Bible says; not this is what Will Graham says, but this is what God is saying through his Word.

But you have a generation that is not biblically literate and doesn’t necessarily respect the authority of the Bible the way society did in the past. And people like Rob Bell are communicating that it hasn’t always been clear that Christians believe in the eternality of hell. The fact that CNN, ABC News, and all these other secular outlets reported on it tells me that Bell is tapping into something. …

To find out his answer to this and other questions, go to Christianity Today.

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 Posted on April 8, 2011 by

 Christianity Today, Culture, Faith, Family, History, Leadership, Public Square, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Clarence Clemons Asks: Who Do I think I am? @Manasquan-BelmarPatch

Documentary on E Street Band’s ‘Big Man’ premieres at Garden State Film Festival.

Clarence Clemens Garden State Film Festival 016Clarence Clemons had dispersed a crowd on the Great Wall of China so a filmmaker could record him playing his saxophone when a member of the crowd demanded, “Who do you think you are?”

The accusation can be heard off camera in theWho Do I Think I Am? documentary that emerged from the encounter and that Clemons premiered at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park Saturday night.

Clemons narrates the story himself.

It was 2005 and he had gone to China in search of rest and alternative medicine after a grueling tour took a toll on his body. Instead his accuser’s question became both the title and subject of his film and a catalyst for a spiritual quest. …

To find out where his quest leads, go to Manasquan-Belmar Patch.

 Posted on April 5, 2011 by

 Art, Beauty, Culture, Faith, Family, grief, Medicine, Redemption, Theology, Travel, Vocation

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What Makes Those Roller Girls Skate? @NJShorePatch

Jersey Shore Roller Girls season opener gives this longtime fan a glimpse into what propels so many of us to love roller derby.

Jersey Shore Roller Girls 2011 Season OpenerIt was a standing room only crowd for the Jersey Shore Roller Girls season opener at Convention Hall in Asbury Park Saturday night.

The Anchor Assassins scored a decisive win (163-134) over Murder Beach Militia. It was redemption after losing to the team by five points in the 2010 championship bout. …

The bout was fun, but what I really wanted to know was what motivated these women to pursue the flat track version of a sport I vicariously competed in when I was watching bank track bouts on Saturday afternoons back in the 1970s. …

Find out what keeps them and us hooked at NJ Shore Patch.

 Posted on March 30, 2011 by

 Community, Culture, Family, Friendship, Public Square, Vocation

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Lessons from Elite Leaders: What Have We Learned? Part 8 of 8 @TheHighCalling

Highlights from the series.

For seven weeks, The High Calling has engaged with the ideas Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow D. Michael explored in his new PLATINUM Study on elite leaders.

In “Limits, Accountability, & Marriage,” we learned that setting limits on ambition, being accountable to peers, and getting married are important contributors to career success. A regular practice of Sabbath rest, for example, differentiates people who are successful over the long haul from those who experience significant difficulty creating life/work balance. We also learned that small groups can provide the kind of personal support leaders need, but only if we allow ourselves to be vulnerable to our peers. Finally, we learned that a strong social support networks like marriage are vital to managing the challenges of demanding leadership roles. …

Find out what else we learned at The High Calling.

 Posted on March 30, 2011 by

 Capitalism, Community, Ethics, Faith, Family, Leadership, Public Square, Social Action, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Out of the Darkness and Into the Light for Suicide Prevention @NJShorePatch

Remembering my son and walking off my grief with other survivors.

gabe art photoMonday, March 28 will mark the third anniversary of my son Gabriel’s death by suicide. Instead of wallowing in the grief that continues to haunt my life, I’ve decided to walk it off this year.

Not literally, of course, because one doesn’t shake this kind of loss, but in real ways that do me and others good I am walking off the stigma and ignorance that suicide inspires.

Right now I’m in training. Come June, I’ll join thousands of other suicide survivors to walk 18 miles from dusk until dawn at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s annual Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk.

As the name suggests, the walk is a fundraiser that seeks to bring the issue of suicide “out of the darkness and into the light.” This year, it will be held in New York City on June 4-5. If you’ve lost a loved one to suicide or just want to support efforts to prevent the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, I hope you’ll join me!

Here’s why …

To find out the answer, go to one of the NJ Shore Patch sites.

 3 Comments

 Posted on March 23, 2011 by

 Community, Family, Gabriel Gifford Scheller, grief, Leadership, Psychiatry, Psychology, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Walkin' the Talk

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How I Learned to Love a Show about Mormon Polygamy @Her.meneutics

Despite its troubling views on marriage and family, HBO’s Big Love always felt like an allegory for real people I know.

Years before TLC launched its polygamous reality show Sister Wives, Tom Hanks and company produced HBO’s award-winning drama series Big Love, about a family of polygamists who emerged out of a creepy Mormon splinter group.

I’ve watched all five seasons of Big Love, including Sunday night’s series finale. Creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer told the Los Angeles Times this week that the series emerged from their marriage, with the goal of communicating the idea that marriages can endure change. What appealed to me about the show was how it parsed the challenges of breaking free from a closed religious community while grappling with the community’s best ideals and penetrating reach. …

Read the whole review here.

 Posted on March 22, 2011 by

 Community, Democracy, Faith, Family, Her.meneutics, Public Square, Redemption, Theology, Walkin' the Talk

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The Catholic Community of Saint Joseph’s Celebrates Its Patron Saint @TomsRiverPatch

More than 250 gather to observe the Feast of St. Joseph

St. Joseph's Day ShrineHe was humble, a good father, the “perfect husband” —  and Saint Joseph is also the patron saint for one of the area’s largest Roman Catholic Churches. …

In the short homily, [Rev. John] Bambrick said St. Joseph is the patron saint of the whole Catholic church and is particularly beloved among Italians. He joked that his Italian mother and his Irish father tussle over who is the greatest saint, Joseph or Patrick.

Images of St. Joseph can be found beside those of the Virgin Mary in Catholic Churches throughout the world, Bambrick said, even though Joseph never speaks in the gospel narratives and disappears early in their stories.

“A lot of women would say he is the perfect husband,” Bambrick joked in regard to Joseph’s silence in the scripture. He said he is often depicted with a staff and lilies to symbolize his virtue and purity as a model husband and father. …

To learn more about this Holy Day of Obligation everywhere but the United States, go to Toms River Patch.

 Posted on March 19, 2011 by

 church life, Culture, Faith, Family, Theology, Walkin' the Talk

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Iron Chef Got Her Start as “Girl Next Door” at Lacey Township High School @LaceyPatch

Home Economics classes were catalyst for Dena Marino’s culinary career.

Although food was a central part of life for acclaimed chef Dena Marino’s Italian American family, it was in Home Economics courses at Lacey Township High School that she realized she could aspire to a culinary career.

In January Marino competed against Masaharu Morimoto on on The Food Network’s popular show, Iron Chef America. She’d previously appeared on Gordon Elliot’s show, Follow that Food and Tom Colicchio’s Eat, Drink, or Die, but those experiences were nothing like competing against a champion opponent and a ticking clock. …

Find out how the local girl made it big at Lacey Patch.

 Posted on March 16, 2011 by

 Community, Culture, Family, Vocation

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One Church Said Yes to Perinatal Wellness @NJShorePatch

Rachel McKibben’s experience with Postpartum Psychosis inspired her to accept help on behalf of others.

Regional Perinatal Consortium of Monmouth and Ocean Counties (RPCMOC) health educator Amy Goldberg mailed 600 fliers to local religious organizations offering her program on pregnancy related emotional wellness.

One person responded.

That person was Rachel McKibben, director of youth and family ministries at Trinity Episcopal Church in Red Bank. For McKibben, the flier didn’t just represent another ministry opportunity; it was a highly personal invitation to do something about an issue that has shaped her own life.

McKibben is one of a tiny percentage of women who have experienced Postpartum Psychosis.  Although she had no history of mental illness and no symptoms after her first pregnancy, she did have some risk factors for Postpartum Depression (PPD)….

To find out how Rachel dealt with this terrifying experience, and what the signs, symptoms, and solutions are for PPD, go here, or here, or here, or one of the other Jersey Shore Patch.com sites.

 Posted on March 16, 2011 by

 church life, Community, Faith, Family, Medicine, Psychiatry, Psychology, Redemption, Walkin' the Talk

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When Tragedies Are too Big to Absorb, How Do We Find and Give Comfort? @TheHuffingtonPost

I wonder if any of us is really capable of handling the scope of sorrow that technology now exposes us to.

On Friday, as the world was rightly absorbed with the epic tragedy in Japan, I was reporting on a local tragedy for Patch.com. A young man, Matthew C. Blum, 32, of Forked River, New Jersey, had collapsed and died after leaving a recreational hockey game because he didn’t feel well.

Blum was married just four months ago and his wife learned two weeks ago that she is expecting their first baby. A season of celebration was inexplicably shattered for this family.

As I sat next to Blum’s young, pregnant widow in the living room of her in-laws’ house absorbing one family’s grief, I was incapable of absorbing anything more epic than that.

I felt this way after the Haiti earthquake last year, only the reason was more personal. Still mourning the death of my son in 2008, I was incapable of taking in any more sorrow. My personal grief has, to some degree, emotionally disconnected me from global tragedies.

I wonder though if any of us is really capable of handling the scope of sorrow that technology now exposes us to. Famine, earthquake, tsunami, terrorism, genocide: it’s enough to tempt one to believe end times prophets have a point. …

Read the rest here.

 Posted on March 14, 2011 by

 Community, Faith, Family, grief, Redemption, Technology, The Huffington Post, Walkin' the Talk

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