This past week, I have been attending my church's annual Aleph Tav Conference. It is a huge, free, Christian event open to the Shreveport-Bossier community (or anyone else who wants to tag along) where our pastor shares what Aleph Tav means and how God is the Aleph Tav, or the beginning and the end, along with tons of additional great word. There is a lot of music and worship and super cute merchandise to buy in the foyer. It is so much fun and I cannot wait until next year!

One of the first things that were shared with us on our first night was that Shreveport was the most religious city in the country. Driving around here in all the neighborhoods and towns we have, it's easier to agree with that statement than you think. There are churches everywhere you go among every denomination. There's a Jehovah's Witness facility right down the road from where I live. There are synagogues and church facilities right next to each other in some places. There are always groups of people out on the busy roads holding signs to "Honk for Jesus." We really do have a lot of options for religion and I probably pass 10 churches or religious facilities on my way to work. Being number one on a powerful list such as "The Most Religious City in America" is a huge honor. Doing some research, I actually found our rankings for the last four years. We were not number one, but we did fall in the top five! According to Christianitytoday.com, in 2013 we were ranked number two. (Wow!) In 2014 and 2015, we were ranked fifth. This year, in 2016, we moved up one spot to the fourth most religious city in America! The "Bible Belt" we're under is surely taking that name here!

Now, I'm sure my locals reading this are wondering why I chose to write an article about Shreveport being one of the most religious cities when we are having all of this hatred and crime happening right under our nose. It's hard to believe, right? But that is exactly the reason that I chose to write this. We have had so many heartbreaks lately, so much crime and fear that rid this town. We need to focus on something positive. We need to talk about the good things that Shreveport has, also right under our nose. We need to lead the hateful, the dark and the lost into the light. We need to be the light. There are so many religious facilities to utilize. Thousands of people in our city attended the Aleph Tav Conference this week. Traffic getting out of the parking lot took hours for some people. There were so many sections in the CenturyLink Center filled with people ready to get fired up for God. And there were even those sitting patiently just ready to learn.

Shreveport-Bossier is in dire need of some hope. If Christianity or religion and spirituality isn't your thing, that's fine. But if you know someone who needs God or if you know somebody who is seeking some type of hope or healthy escape to just be in or to learn about, lead them to a church. Tell them to go visit the synagogue. Tell them to go to the next free Christian event. Go with them. It works for some people and it could work for your friend who is struggling. My pastor tells us that we are to embrace all people, embrace the lost and the departed. They're the ones that need the hope and prayers the most.

I can believe that Shreveport is the fourth most religious city in America. Being in the south, we do have a faithful way of living. We were established on values of faith. There are probably 100 churches and religious-based places in this town. We drive by them every day. We drop our children off there for daycare. We attend on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. We are not perfect by any means. We do have crime and hatred and negativity. But it is our job to embrace not only the variety of people around us but the positive things that Shreveport has. We are more than crime ridden. We pray over our athletes before their games and we send out viral photos and stories on Facebook with the hashtags to pray for them when something happens here. We are a place of faith, as hard as it may be to believe sometimes.

Out of the 50 states and thousands of cities in America, we are in the top ten, but even better in the top five. We have so much spirit, positivity, and good vibes here and it's about time that we bring those characteristics out in our time of need.

We may have a lot of crime and people do get hurt. But we also have a lot of redemption here. Don't forget that, Shreveport.