Random

I was so pooped after class last night that I didn't have the energy to get to my late night blogging -- which is when I usually do all of this stuff (the benefit of requiring less sleep than many people). So there is a bunch of catching up to do today.

~ Kent tells me that Arizona State and UC Irvine are playing against each other Saturday (which is really Sunday on Guam) in the college world series, first round. Apparently UCI has never been. ASU is a regular -- or at least they were when I went to ASU, just after Al Gore invented baseball.

~ No, I never watched "Mr Wizard." I'm not that old.

~ Run Safari on Windows? The Mac webrowser is now cross platform -- sorta. I tried running it on a Vista machine but the scripting on my iGoogle page kept crashing it. So, it's probably not really ready for Windows use, yet.

Update: I did get it to load iGoogle by signing in at gmail first. However, I can't get Blogger to open in it. It's beta. Safari does have a nice crisp look and feel in Windows -- as it does on my Mac. However, no Google toolbar -- which is close to absolutely essential these days.

~ Restrained understatement from John Morehead: "While it is encouraging that Barna's organization recognizes the challenge posed by engagement with atheism and agnosticism, this does not seem to translate into appropriate forms of communication."

~ You can't marginalize the church in presenting the gospel and still have the gospel. (my digest of Out of Ur's reflection on Scot McKnight's presentation)

~ A marriage made in heaven -- Trinity Broadcasting Network and the financially troubled Holy Land Experience Bible theme park in Florida. I'm sure they will get along well and be very happy together.

~ More from the truth-stranger-than-fiction department: erotic liturgy at a German Protestant Assembly. Apparently 600 people were turned away at the door -- not enough seats. That's one way to spice up the annual denominational meeting.

~ Stop the presses! Churches have been over-reporting their attendance and membership numbers. This is news?

~ The new president of the Christian Reformed Church in the US says that he is hoping that this week's Synod will remove all restrictions from female clergy. Currently women are allowed to serve as ministers in some churches but amazingly can't serve as delegates to the CRC Synod, their ruling body. My take on it is that the CRC is now free to move forward on this issue since most of the people opposed have left to form splinter denominations.

~ Apparently, James Forbes, who recently retired from the Riverside Church pulpit, was getting flak because people thought he was diluting the social gospel with too much Bible preaching. Sometimes you just can't win.

~ How faithful people can avoid getting scammed by Rob Hall -- an attorney and very smart guy.

~ A Karl Barth Blogging Conference. Now my life is complete. "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace..."

~ Future American Idol -- The pink uke is the perfect instrument. I'm surprised that she didn't smash it at the end.