Random

~ We had a decent enough view of the lunar eclipse tonight -- nice red moon.

About 8:45 p.m. we were out again for another view and it started to rain -- which was not unusual for Guam except that we couldn't see any clouds above us. Ah, life in the tropics.

Someone from Wisconsin put up a short video clip on YouTube. We are actually seeing more red down here at 13° north. It's 9:30 p.m. now and there should be an hour's more of eclipse -- although the view of the moon is already starting to return to normal.



~ Acer is buying Gateway. At one point Gateway was one of the major players in the world computer market. In this economy, though, you only get 15 minutes of fame before you decline and some conglomerate buys you out. Does anyone remember Packard Bell, America Online, IBM...?

~ Bookmark: Get wireless to work with Ubuntu. The wireless issue is the single greatest obstacle to the full-scale proliferation of Ubuntu. I have a laptop I'd convert if I knew that I could get the wireless to work right.

~ Earl Creps has a thought provoking post on "missional fatigue." Apparently, the emerging "new kind of Christian" isn't exempt from burn-out. Don Johnson is struggling with a related issue in his more established but also very mission oriented congregation -- someone who needs a "year off from church." There are rhythms and boundaries to missional living. You have to pace yourself -- like a long distance runner. If you try to sprint all the time you're thinking too highly of yourself and are thus taking too much on yourself. Certainly you're going to burn out and drop out.

~ Brad Bergfalk writes on 10 things that a pastor needs in a congregation. I think he's planning to do a post on what congregations need in a pastor, too. If there are 300 people in a congregation I suspect that there will be 300 different lists -- and ideas regarding priorities on the Pastor-do lists. The hardest part about being a pastor is that there are so many mixed and often conflicting expectations. We'll see what Brad comes up with.

~ "Ministerial students want to serve God, but not necessarily in local church" That's too bad. Even though I'm serving in a Bible college now, preparing ministry leaders, my experience in the local congregation has been overwhelmingly positive and significant over the years. I fully expect to return to pastoral ministry in a congregation once we're done here in few years.

~ D. James Kennedy, who had a heart attack in December, is retiring from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, the congregation which he founded in 1959. Falwell is gone, Schuller is more or less retired, and now Kennedy is moving out. Definitely a changing of the guard on Sunday morning TV.

~ Hispanic churches are starting to offering English services. Full circle.

~ Greg Laurie Crusade in Turlock -- a block away from Cornerstone.

~ The college class of 2011 came after the Berlin Wall was gone, has seen Humvees on the highway as long as they've been around, has never rolled down a car window... more