"In the thick of it" (Oct. 23)

That was a wonderful article on Joni Eareckson Tada. She's a great example of putting our faith in Jesus and letting our light shine. In just the few minutes it took to read, I got a needed attitude adjustment. Brad Mattes; Cincinnati, Ohio

"Gentle professionals" (Oct. 23)

As a young "hippie" passing through New York in 1974, I took a trip to Bellevue Hospital's ER. I saw two Latinos aggressively protecting a kid in a wheelchair, a black man on a stretcher who'd been shot in the knees with a shotgun in a bar fight, and a multitude of others sleeping, groaning, complaining, and freaking out. When my turn came, to my grateful surprise I too was treated with respect and professionalism. Terry Pruett; White City, Ore.

Marvin Olasky's observations about professionals treating the poor brought tears to my eyes and encouraged me, like a shot in the arm, to "go the distance" among poor school-age kids in the Ozark region another day. Marda Myers; Nixa, Mo.

As medical director of a much smaller community ER, I believe there is a genuinely compassionate mindset among those who choose emergency medicine. But the sad reality is what happens after you leave the ER. Many who require follow-up care don't have the wherewithal (or transportation even) to allow them to cope with the rigors of a system that can suddenly seem much less "gentle." Ralph Robertson; Williamsburg, Va.

"78 degrees" (Oct. 23)

I thoroughly enjoyed this column, although my own personal comfort zone is on the cooler side of 78. I often ponder the fact that God gives us so many perfect or near-perfect days in a year. Even the not-so-perfect days can be made bearable with a relatively small adjustment on our part. This assures us that God is our Creator and the One who still controls this planet. Jane Miller; Middletown, Ohio

The forecast for St. Louis as I write this calls for a high of 76 degrees. My wife and I are in our 70s and have praised the Lord while exercising with our bikes and kayaks almost every day for several weeks. "78 degrees" reminded us how profoundly instructive, indeed miraculous, is the pleasure of beautiful weather. Bill Swenson; St. Louis, Mo.

Jesus has always turned the temperature up or down to account for the vicissitudes of my too-often willful life. But He always provides more 78-degree days (with no humidity) to let me remember the blessed hope of many more to come. Tom Rice; Peachtree Corners, Ga.

"Don't forget Obamacare" (Oct. 23)

I am a Christian who supports and welcomes Obamacare. My husband and I are fortunate to have good insurance coverage, but I know many who do not. I believe that as a civilized society, and as Christians, we have a responsibility to take care of our children, our elderly, and our sick and infirm. The details of Obamacare are steps in the right direction. Rosalie Mann; Chandler, Ariz.

The Obamacare bill has already hurt me: This year Target cut my Basic Healthcare Insurance by raising my deductible to $4,000, which means I really am self-insured up to that amount. The "family" deductible (for my wife and me) is $8,000. I'm already paying for the changes that went into effect in September. Phil Blair; Germantown, Tenn.

As a physician with almost 40 years of experience, mostly treating chronic illness, I believe Rick Santorum's remark that preexisting illness is not a problem in our present system is simply not true. Yes, these people are technically insurable, but in practice people with common diseases such as diabetes or heart disease must stay with a larger company to keep affordable insurance. They often live in fear of layoffs or forced early retirement. Yes, Obamacare is a terrible bill, but ignoring deficiencies in our system rather than presenting creative solutions will only hinder efforts to overturn it. William H. Hall; Longwood, Fla.

"Pulpit partisans" (Oct. 23)

This is very sad. Some church leaders, it appears, have substituted the gospel of healthcare reform for the good news from Isaiah 40:9: "Say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God.'" I hear those churches instead saying, "America, behold your god (big government) and its social gospel." Henry Schuyten; Canton, Mich.

I recently read Erwin Lutzer's 1995 book Hitler's Cross, which tells how Hitler used churches to promote the Nazi agenda. Relations were friendly at first, but in the end churches that refused to take the loyalty oath were easily identified and silenced. I think our churches should stick to carrying out those things Christ assigned for us and not get entangled in political agendas. Rollin Mann; Sierra Madre, Calif.

"A precipice up ahead" (Oct. 23)

Janie B. Cheaney's column is spot-on and a call to the saints to get their game face on. Life for me has had a surreal quality to it ever since the sub-prime meltdown began and I sensed that this was going to be really, really bad. We should be in the streets by the millions shouting, "Stop! Stop it! Just stop it!" Lynn Barton; Medford, Ore.

"Renegades' religion" (Oct. 23)

No one should be surprised that PBS would "give far more time and weight to the fringe personalities" in its God in America documentary. When has PBS ever gotten anything to do with God right? To watch a religious or scientific PBS show, the viewer has to sit tilted way to the left. Larry Craig; Grundy Center, Iowa

"Crisis avoidance" (Oct. 23)

Kudos to Krieg Barrie once again: His profile caricature of President Obama was a spot-on likeness of the stone heads on Easter Island, idols aloof from the fray. B.J. Kirkwood; Nathrop, Colo.

"The Social Network" (Oct. 23)

I am shocked that you gave The Social Network such a positive review. What about the lesbian kissing scene? It gagged me. Becky J. Miller; Ardmore, Tenn.

"Frontier reformer" (Oct. 23)

Thank you for your article on Joe Miller, a very good candidate for the U.S. Senate from Alaska. However, I take offense at the suggestion that Alaska is "a state long addicted to feeding from the federal trough." On a per capita basis, that might appear to be the case, but three-quarters of our land is owned by the federal government, so there's a small economic base. The feds promised development help to Alaska after locking up much of the state with the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act of 1980. Please, bear with us while we build a sustainable economy. Rich Thorne; Bettles Field, Alaska

"A touchdown for Sam" (Oct. 23)

This article evoked memories of my autistic son, Justin, playing basketball on his middle-school team. He made one basket that season, but the coach awarded him the MVP award medal for the year because the team coalesced as a team whenever Justin took to the court. Jim Craig; Richland Center, Wis.

"Wins & losses" (Oct. 23)

It's fantastic to subscribe to a publication that found a personal crisis in Tim Goeglein's life worthy to share with its readers. It shows the power of forgiveness and grace. Tom Morrison; Wheaton, Ill.

"A good guidebook" (Oct. 23)

While I certainly understand Joel Belz's concern that Christians should always be "mannerly" and "polite" when discussing politics with secularists, on the other hand it greatly concerns me that, during the last 50 or so years while we have been mannerly and polite, left-wing political and sexual activists have taken over our culture by ignoring us or running right over us. Kirk Hastings; Somers Point, N.J.