Random

~ Pope Benedict XVI might be quietly pushing behind the scenes for an end to the priestly celibacy rule. It is possible. But he's steering such a big clunky ship that I'm not sure he could make such a radical mid-course correction -- even if he spotted a giant iceberg in the path and was determined that something needed to be done. There are too many forces working against him -- and at 80-years-old he only has a few years at most to do anything.

~ Clad in street clothes, a world class violinist takes a Strad into the Washington Metro, opens the case for donations, and plays for 45 minutes. You can imagine the response. Not only is this an interesting scenario but it is a well told story. I would like my preaching students to read it so they could sense the way that the writer unpacks the tension -- slowly, line by line, person by person. I suspect that most of my students wouldn't know what a Metro is -- and they'd certainly not understand that Joshua Bell's Stradivarius really cost $3.5 million. But maybe they're not all that different.

~ Cartoonist Johnny Hart has died. Occasionally, his Christian themed cartoons created a stir.