Random

~ Driver ticketed for using vegetable oil biofuel -- $1,000 fine. It's not easy being green.

~ Quotable: Now my final point: the biggest issue that I see with the Romans Road approach is that once the sin problem is resolved (sin almost always understood as guilt before an all-holy God, which is true but not true enough), salvation has been accomplished. Frankly, this isn’t biblical: the sin problem of guilt, to be sure, has to be resolved, but sin is bigger than guilt (it is distorted relationship with God, self, others, and the world) and therefore the resolution (salvation) is bigger than forgiveness (it is resolved relationships with God, self, others, and the world — and it takes a lifetime). Only a kingdom vision makes the sin problem fully clear and only a kingdom vision makes the solution fully clear. -- Scot McKnight

How is it that I end up quoting that guy so much?

~ The Christian Reformed Church has voted to allowed women to serve in leadership at all levels. Of course, a synodical decision, as we have seen in other contexts, doesn't mean that suddenly local churches are going to start welcoming women with open arms. It takes time... lots and lots of time.

~ Sodertalje, a scenic Swedish town of 60,000 people, took in twice as many Iraqi refugees as the entire United States last year, almost all of them Christians fleeing the religious persecution in destabilized Iraq... I suspect that most of them are related to the Assyrians who were my neighbors in Turlock.

~ Rush Limbaugh has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is as silly as nominating Al Gore for the prize. Of course, neither of these guys are serious contenders because neither have really done a thing to further the cause of anything other than their own ratings. They are both somewhat vainglorious and occasionally entertaining. They should each get at least a few points for the latter.

~ Bill Atwood, who I once met when we were both doing church planting in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is about to become an Anglican bishop who will oversee the US-based congregations of the Anglican Church of Kenya. I don't think anyone is surprised.

~ Agnus Day for this Sunday -- Gospel lesson is Luke 7:36-8:3. I get to preach this Sunday in the 10 a.m. service at the Lutheran Church of Guam but I'm going to preach on the Psalm response in the Lutheran version of the Lectionary -- Psalm 32.