Random

• We're pretty much packed and ready to move out of Jeff & Mary Johnson's Fountain Hills condo where we've been for a month. It's certainly been a gift in helping us make the transition back into Stateside ministry. The AC company will be installing the new unit in our house tomorrow so we can sleep there tomorrow night.

• So far we've encountered several people in Laveen struggling with English. I really felt for the poor African kid trying to take our lunch order today. We try to keep things slow and clear but he just didn't have enough vocabulary for the job. Maybe one of the first MasterPiece Church ministries should be conversational English classes for immigrants. That's certainly an area in which we have experience.

• "Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by more than 34 million people in the US." Here are a few things to bring you up to speed on how the language functions.

• The country is shocked at the gun-toting Obama protesters in Arizona. Ah, what did you expect? This is the wild west -- at least in some people's heads. And Arizona has increasingly attracted a lot of strident gun-packers -- more so than when I lived here 30+ years ago -- maybe more so than the territorial days. It's now common enough to see some bubba with a 45 tucked in his belt as he's out for an evening stroll with his honey.

• Blessed are the peacemakers -- including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett who intervened in a domestic dispute to protect a woman and child -- and got his teeth knocked out. I seriously doubt that a gun in the mix would have helped the situation.

• "We will care for any newborn baby you bring to this church." ~ Vic Pentz, pastor of Peachtree Presbyterian Church

• If they cancel Saturday mail delivery I won't miss it as much as I would have 15 years ago. Email has become the primary source of mail for me. I still like getting snail mail -- the ritual of opening the box to see what surprises might be in there. But with email that happens dozens of times a day -- not just six days a week. BTW, I'm going to work on catching up with the email once we get the internet up and running at our new place.

• NB -- Ajith Fernando on inductive Bible study ~ link

• D-backs security thwarts Dodger beach ball frenzy. ~ link

• New video of our good friend Lisa Dy dancing at our Guam church. We miss you guys! ~ link

• Readers Digest files for bankruptcy. The thing is that RD more or less belongs to a different world than the one which exists today. ~ link