When turkey’s on the table,

And good things I can scan,
I’m thankful that I wasn’t made
A v-e-g-e-t-a-r-i-a-n.
Heavenly Father, bless us,
And keep us all alive;
There’s ten of us for dinner
And not enough for five.

Now for the Serious Prayer

Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for this food
Prepared and shared by family and friends
We give thanks for our lives, for being together today
We are thankful for the freedom we share

As we eat this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ,
Our Heavenly Father.
Amen

He stood tall since 2004. Then on June 14th a Monday night at about 11 pm, during a fast thunderstorm,  lightning struck the 60 foot statue causing it to catch on fire.

Photo by Vincent Rush

Some say this was a fitting end to a sacrilegious statue of Jesus Christ named the “King of Kings,” but renamed by locals here as Touchdown Jesus and Big Butter Jesus, McDonald’s Jesus.  Others, including the Solid Rock Church Pastor Darlene Bishop who proclaimed the statue made people ‘remember Jesus or at least think about Jesus’.

Monroe Fire Chief Mark Neu said the fire spread to an amphitheater next to the statue but was confined to the attic area. Losses are estimated to be in the $700k range.  It was reported no one was injured in the fire.

Posting about the fire start on The Voice of Monroe at 11:30 PM titled “Solid Rock Church Jesus Destroyed by Lightning“ by itbedave. The Voice is a discussion community featured on MainStreetMonroe.com, a website that I personally run.

Controversial Statue
There has been quite a controversy regarding the statue.

First of all, the Hornet Football team was partially to blame for the name ‘Touchdown Jesus’. For years the Hornets had losing seasons. Sometimes horrible losing seasons. But the very season the “King of Kings’ statue was completed, the Hornets won. The Hornets have had winning seasons ever sense.

Secondly, there are protesters who don’t want the statue rebuilt because it violates the ‘false idols’ commandment. Here is a debate on The Voice: Should Jesus be Rebuilt?

Thirdly, there are people who see good in the work of the Bishops and their Solid Rock Church, the church own’s the statue.  These people want some sort of tribute to Jesus back on display in the reflecting pond.

Lastly, it looks like the Bishops won’t be inviting Brad Coriell back to remake the statue. Darlene Bishop was quoted as saying, “it’s likely that there will be something different” than a 60 foot statue.

People like to PhotoShop Touchdown Jesus like the one below.

What will it be next, Jesus in the Manger? I can’t wait to find out.

Dignitaries from the county, township and cities of Trenton and Middletown were visitors at the latest Monroe Council regular session. They all had high praises for Monroe as they pleaded for Monroe Council to reconsider the ST Rt 63 extension for economic development reasons. Speaking in favor of the extension were Butler County Commissioner Don Dixon, Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkins, Trenton Mayor Rhonda Freeze and Liberty Township Trustee Christine Matacic. Also in attendance were Butler County Commissioner Greg Jolevette, Middletown Mayor Larry Mulligan, council members from Trenton and other prominent area officials.

The plea to consider an amendment to the city master plan to include a ST RT 63 extension failed by a 5 to 2 vote by Monroe council. Dissenting votes were from Todd Hickman and Mayor Robert Routson.

Monroe’s relationship with area communities is becoming strained due to the latest two big issues:
1. Monroe VS SunCoke Lawsuit – Monroe is suing a company who wants to relocate in Middletown and provide needed jobs in Butler County. Most residents of Monroe don’t care, however there is a stong and vocal group who demanded the City of Monroe do something about the econogical impact of the proposed facility. In this one it is Monroe vs The State of Ohio, The County of Butler, At least 1 US Senator, The City of Middletown, 2 Fortune 500 Companies and even President Obamas effort to stimulate the economy.
2. The St Rt 63 Extension to Trenton and ultimately to Oxford. Here Monroe ads the city of Trenton to the list above.

Monroe officials say they are representing the interests of constituents, I think they are only listening to a vocal few. Worse is the fact that Monroe is such a bad neighbor, they refuse to listen to anyone other than themselves.

Fact is that Monroe residents will benefit from being a good neigbor. Monroe will benefit from jobs that are created through the SunCoke plant and the Ohio 63 extension. They are only hurting the silent majority. That’s ok, 4 of the 7 are up for reelection next fall.

John Beagle Guest Bartender, originally uploaded by John Beagle.

In 1998 I got this crazy idea to make a website about my little town, Monroe, Ohio. I came up with the name MainStreetMonroe.com because there indeed was a Main Street in Monroe.

Now 11 years later, Main Street Monroe and The Voice have 1000s of unique visitors every day. It is the best place to pickup the latest news and opinions about Monroe life.

The Red Onion Restaurant is owned and operated by Mark Bursley and Gary Henz. I would rate the food 5 stars. Chef Henz was formerly the chef at the Maisonette so now this place is called by some, “The Maisonette of Monroe.”

It was great to see so many Voice posters. Supper was JD Steak or Meatloaf. That’s what the Voice posters voted on . The meatloaf could feed a family of 4. 

I donated my tips to Light up the Sky for the Fourth of July I made $300.00, not bad.

Thanks Mark, Gary, Jill for letting me be the guest bartender!

I’m stuck in the middle of Monroe and Middletown. That’s me with the US flag tie and disgusted look on my face, watching our town fight itself, neighboring Middletown and the areas largest employer, AK Steel. I’m stuck because I own a business in Middletown and live in Monroe. I’m damned if I take either side of this argument.

It all started when AK Steel decided it wanted to partner with SunCoke for coke and electricity.
Discussion: SunCoke Plant – Commission Vote March 26, 2008

Since then, things have gone steadily downward. Monroe Council has obtained legal council to fight the building of what AK Steel says is necessary for its survival. Union members who live in Monroe ask why their jobs are being blocked by Council. Residents ask why SunCoke has to build their plant on the boarder with Monroe.

Either Middletown will win and many residents of my hometown will see their quality of life go down or Monroe will win and AK may close down, jobs will be lost.

Today, residents attack the local paper on this Voice Post: Middletown Journal, or is it the AK Journal?

I hope this ends soon. Either way, many people will be unhappy.

Permalink: http://www.johnbeagle.com/2008/12/im-stuck-in-middle-of-monroe-and.html