Random

...Qualified for the ballot in Arizona -- a measure which would turn voter stubs into $1 million lottery tickets. What kind of republic do we have if you have to buy votes? Has the American experiment failed? Is that legal? How would that skew the process?

...Terry Mattingly on why reform is so hard in Islam.

...CHIC 2006 is underway in Knoxville, Tennessee.

...Tsunami on Java -- at first glance, relatively minor damage compared to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. However, there are at least 69 dead and that many plus a few missing.

...What you post on Facebook or MySpace will very likely come back to haunt you when you get out of school and start looking for a job. Talk nice. Be modest.

...Forbes Magazine has a picture list of 150 cheap places to live. None that I saw looked like real bargains to me.

...Most of the 50 most influential churches in America all appear to be megachurches of a similar style. No surprise since the list was complied by megachurch leaders. Now, I'm not anti-mega church -- although I feel that it's harder work for a megachurch to stay faithful to the gospel than a smaller church (it simply requires more money and energy per capita) but I do think that we need to draw a distinction between being influential in the culture and being influential for the "kingdom of God." Big impact in the culture is not necessarily the same thing as big impact for God's agenda. Sometimes we mistake a big splash for a significant splash.

...It's Monday! My church website of the week isn't very mega, in spite of the mega sounding name -- Seattle Metro Church

...Turning a hobby into a business. Some people actually pull it off.