Random

• Colleague Kurt Fredrickson, a police chaplain in Simi Valley, is in the thick of it following the train crash which killed 25. He is mentioned in the LA Times article about the tragedy. Kurt is a Covenant pastor and is the director of the DMin program at Fuller Seminary. He (and Eddie Gibbs) blogs at www.netbloghost.com/tiggertalk/ -- although he hasn't had much time for that while he's finishing his PhD dissertation -- and this week I'm guessing he'll be even more strapped for time. God's peace to all who serve in the midst of this crisis.

• I should use the words "Obama" and "Muslim" in the same sentence more often. That seems to generate a lot of traffic to the blog. No, I don't believe that Obama is a Muslim.

• Public schools in the US are hiring teachers from the Philippines, which has an over-supply. ~ link

Having lived on the outskirts of Asia for a couple of years I have become aware of just how many ways the Filipinos are carrying the world. They're all over Asia and the islands working in the trades and professions. They have a reputation for being can-do and industrious. So, I'm not in the least bit surprised to see that they're sliding into the educational openings in the States. It's a win-win deal for them and American students.