Random

✽ Fire tornado pictures -- this one from Hawaii ~ National Geographic

✽ Diggin' the electric bagpipe in the new Keith and Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend song, "By Faith" ~ link

✽ "Is people group thinking still relevant in today’s more-urban world?" Doug Lucas responds. ~ link

✽ Our governor's political rhetoric is sounding more and more like delusional paranoia. Troubling and sad. Do we need to do an intervention? ~ AZ Central

✽ Mesa, Arizona was the fastest growing city in the nation in the 70, 80's, and early 90's. Now it may be experiencing population decline. ~ KTAR

✽ Not very many people are moving into Arizona these days -- and that is slowing the economic recovery here. Is it that everyone thinks we're all a bunch of bigots? Or maybe they've somehow got the impression that this is a third world war zone. Have we become our own worst enemy?~ AZ Central

✽  We learned at the Laveen Community Council meeting last night that enrollment in Laveen schools is up 8% over last year.

✽  Glen Stassen plugging the Christian ethics emphasis at Fuller Theological Semianry -- short, simple, clear introduction to the idea of Christian ethics. ~ Vimeo

✽  All of the attention we're giving these "pastors" in Florida only serves to validate their "ministry" -- at least in their minds. ~ link

✽  9-11 has morphed into something called "Patriot Day" in the US. (That's because we were lacking in holidays to demonstrate nationalism.)

✽ Rosh Hashanah -- שנה טובה תכתבו

✽ And today is National Weinerschnitzel Day. (I think that one came into existence to correct the American perception that weinerschnitzel is somehow related to the hot dog.)

✽ Donations for the Covenant World Relief Pakistan relief fund will be distributed through the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden, which has a 30-year history of ministering in Pakistan. 1,600 people have been killed in the flooding but 13.8 million people have suffered extensive loss. ~ link

✽ The ASU Police Department now using three-wheeled Piagios for patrol. Way cool. ~ ABC15

✽ Oh great, I got email that says, "Arizona Bankruptcy is now following you on Twitter!" That exactly what I need -- bankruptcy in hot pursuit! But I think they're probably wasting their time and energy. They should go follow someone else around!

✽ Never mind, the whole revolution thingy was probably a mistake. "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore..." ~ Fidel Castro

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