Random

• Today is Ash Wednesday -- the first day in the season of Lent. Lent is the 40-day period (not counting Sundays, which are seen as "mini-Easters") of preparation for Holy Week and the celebration of Easter. In ancient Middle Eastern cultures people put ashes on their bodies to signify remorse for their sins and that they are turning away from sinful behavior.

• The Church of England is sending out daily tweets for Lent. I received my first one this evening. ~ link

• We had our first Wednesday night Lenten service at LCG this evening. I've come to look forward to doing the Holden Evening Prayer service each Wednesday during Lent. ~ link (selections 13-18)

• Propelled by economic pressure will the three-year college degree catch on? ~ link

• Hearst says they may close the SF Chronicle. It's just one paper after another. The transition from print media is happening a lot faster than I expected. ~ link

• Apparently several members of the Evangelical Covenant Church of South Sudan (ECCSS) were among those caught in the crossfire and killed during the fighting between militia and government forces. ~ link

• PIBC rocks! There is a quarry a few hundred meters from PIBC and they were blasting today -- more so than I've ever experienced in our nearly 3 years here. I few times I almost went through the ceiling.