SUNDAY'S COLLECTION
+ Many Americans are hoping the new pontiff will be more in tune with their cultural values -- a softening of the church's stances on issues like homosexuality, birth control, euthanasia and abortion. Pretty "parochial" and not very realistic.

+ Yet another dispensational study Bible is in the pipe -- the "Getz" Study Bible is suppose to be released in 2007. "My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh." Ecclesiastes 12:12

+ Erwin McManus has a propensity toward overstatement and sweeping generalizations, with which I often disagree. However, he is really to the point when he says, ...Your life is no longer about you. I think this is what drives me crazy about so much of Christianity. We build our churches on being "felt-need driven." We just keep trying to meet people's needs, meet people's needs, and then somehow we expect them to become people who serve others. We build everything on creating consumers and hope one day they would actually become benevolent and compassionate and giving. And the reality is that Jesus never communicated a message that said, "Come to me, this is all about you."

+ Does the blogosphere have a diversity problem? Yes. But I'd venture to say that the problem will correct itself with time.

+ Re: the CT article All Churches Should Be Multiracial -- I intend to write a personal response sometime this week. In short, I agree, but it's not just about race -- it is about fragmentation and compartmentalization in all areas -- race, age, socio-economics... The church is healthy when it recognizes but transcends these differences -- embracing its call to be the "third way" -- neither "Jewish" nor "Greek" but "in Christ."

+ I'm tempted to take a trip over to Hayward on the 24th for the Uke Festival.