Sunday, October 31
Reformation Day
Cristel Boedecker suggested another Reformation Day YouTube video to add to our collection. Good call!
Saturday, October 30
Random
> Poland is building the world's largest Jesus statue. Stand by for an outpouring of great blessings -- a little old fashioned mana! ~ link
> If the alcohol doesn't kill you the caffeine might. ~ BoingBoing
> The ASU vanity plates have been redesigned. At least they're readable. Many of the special interest plates in Arizona (of which there is a plethora) are totally unreadable -- too busy, poor color combinations, etc. Some such as the University of Arizona version are totally lifeless. ~ link> We're trying to do everything else online -- so, is it possible to have an online spiritual retreat? The Jesuits are experimenting. ~ link
> Clothing with a political message is campaigning. Campaigning is appropriate outside the polling stations but not in them. Why are people making a federal case out of this? I suspect they like the attention that comes with agitation. It makes us feel important. ~ KTAR
> "Internet mogul Ma Huateng is number nine on Forbes magazine's list of the richest people in China, with a fortune of 4.4 billion dollars. But he gets 450 dollars a month in official housing subsidies." ~ AFP
> "Does it seem odd to you that the young man behind the world's biggest 'social network' appears to be a friendless, socially awkwardly geek, at least on film? What about the idea of 500 million people 'friending' complete strangers or mere acquaintances?" ~ Dick Staub
> For some times I've had a vision for developing an online theological seminary, on a low-bandwidth mobile platform, that would provide free education for developing world students using volunteer teachers from around the world. DistanceEducaton.org has a story on the successes and challenges of using DE in the developing world. ~ link
> My Yelp review of El Mesquite Restaurant, where we ate last night. ☺ ~ link
> Mark Galli nails it. Personal significance isn't all that it is cut out to be -- especially when you compare it to virtue. ~ CT
> "Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before." ~ a Thessalonians 4:11 (NLT)
> GuamWiFi.com provides a service for a fee that in many places around the world you'd get for free. Pay for WiFi in the mall? ~ link
> Southwest Airlines is introducing Mexico flights though its partner Volaris. ~ link
> New at iTunes U: free e-textbooks, from Oxford, Rice, and Open Universities. ~ CHE
> New word -- "Clanning: Belonging to a group that represents common feelings, causes or ideals; validating one's own belief system." ~ Faith Popcorn
Friday, October 29
Reformation Weekend Special
October 31st, 1517 -- Martin Luther nails his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg. And they're still rapping about it (more or less)!
Random
> "US is feeling charitable, just not through churches" -- In someways this is contrary to what you might expect. Church finances tend to be more subject to local control, whereas the popular charities are larger, more distant organizations. We're so full of contradiction. ~ Huffington Post
> "Indonesian officials have confirmed that key elements of a high-tech tsunami warning system installed in the wake of the giant Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 were not working on Monday." High-tech systems are only as good as our ability to maintain them. In some contexts maintenance is not realistic. Low-tech solutions should be the goal. ~ BBC
> The private prison companies were a driving force behind the Arizona immigration law. One of Arizona's other quirks -- privatization gone wild. ~ NPR
> The president seemed pretty relaxed and candid on the Daily Show -- relatively speaking. ~ Huffington Post
> Awesome interview with N.T. Wright. He is so good at the integration of his theological perspective into the way he functions as a bishop and scholar. ~ link
> The creative edge:
...South Korea is not alone in its academic melancholy. The highest performing nations in mathematics — many of them in East Asia — tend to score lowest on a “happiness” index, according to a 2006 analysis by the Brown Center on Education Policy.
The findings have prompted some critics to argue that the educational music videos and technicolor text books that proliferate in the United States are not the surest path to academic growth.
Still, joylessness has become a worry for South Korean leaders who hope to train the next generation to do more than memorize. They are looking for technological breakthroughs that will propel their economy further ahead. If students enjoy what they are studying, the thinking goes, they will be more likely to ask new questions and innovate in their fields. ~ Global Post> "Medieval cathedrals were stone and stained glass. Modern cathedrals are made of amplified sound. In both, worshipers are lost in immensity." ~ Andy Crouch
> "After serving at Hillsong Church for 25 years alongside Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston, renowned worship leader Darlene Zschech will be leaving the megachurch to assume a senior pastor role at a nearby Pentecostal church." ~ link
> 16 Reasons why this is the craziest election ever ~ The Atlantic
> As the camera pans onto Nolan Ryan you have to wonder if he's not itching to get up and go down and take the mound. If you want it done right sometimes you have to go do it yourself.
Thursday, October 28
Random
> Save the oceans -- eat your veggies! ~ link
> The cost of defending Arizona's half-baked immigration law has now topped $1 million. If the law is good for nothing else, it is good for the economy -- especially the segment of the economy which is engaged in the practice of law. ~ AZ Central
> One of the candidates for the office of governor in Arizona was arrested for drunk driving, according to details released this yesterday. Of course, the candidate's maiden name is Drinkwine. (Frankly, even though I wouldn't vote for her, I think that it seems a bit silly for the opposition to bring up her 1988 DUI. Most voters will see that as petty.) ~ link (.pdf)
> Drawing a salary changes the way that pastors relate to their congregations. David Fitch's observations are rooted in reality. But there are also benefits to both pastor and congregation that he doesn't mention. ~ link
> Do you wonder why the rest of the world thinks that Americans are totally wacko? They're watching TV with us. India has a new English language channel with shows new and old. As you're watching CSI, try seeing it all through the eyes of an Asian. ~ WSJ
> Ed Stetzer on churches meeting in non-traditional venues. Yes, people are more accepting of non-traditional venues. I would add, though, that not all venues are equally helpful -- even if they are seen as acceptable. For example, theaters tend to turn congregations into audiences (not an insurmountable obstacle but a dynamic we often fail to recognize). Bars might trigger negative past memories or addictive tendencies. Certain coffee houses could confuse people into believing that the gospel message is bohemian in nature. An exclusive country club setting might communicate that certain people are unwelcome. (Again, not insurmountable but something which needs to be recognized.) There are challenges which come with every type of venue -- whether conventional or non-conventional. ~ link
> Gregory Paul on the decline of religiosity among Americans, especially young adults --
> Guam is all excited because Hilary Clinton's plane will be making a quick pit stop on the island. Hey, when you live in the middle of nowhere... (and there is nothing wrong with that!) ~ link
> The millionaires are feeling optimistic about the economy. ~ WSJ
> The cost of defending Arizona's half-baked immigration law has now topped $1 million. If the law is good for nothing else, it is good for the economy -- especially the segment of the economy which is engaged in the practice of law. ~ AZ Central
> One of the candidates for the office of governor in Arizona was arrested for drunk driving, according to details released this yesterday. Of course, the candidate's maiden name is Drinkwine. (Frankly, even though I wouldn't vote for her, I think that it seems a bit silly for the opposition to bring up her 1988 DUI. Most voters will see that as petty.) ~ link (.pdf)
> Drawing a salary changes the way that pastors relate to their congregations. David Fitch's observations are rooted in reality. But there are also benefits to both pastor and congregation that he doesn't mention. ~ link
> Do you wonder why the rest of the world thinks that Americans are totally wacko? They're watching TV with us. India has a new English language channel with shows new and old. As you're watching CSI, try seeing it all through the eyes of an Asian. ~ WSJ
> Ed Stetzer on churches meeting in non-traditional venues. Yes, people are more accepting of non-traditional venues. I would add, though, that not all venues are equally helpful -- even if they are seen as acceptable. For example, theaters tend to turn congregations into audiences (not an insurmountable obstacle but a dynamic we often fail to recognize). Bars might trigger negative past memories or addictive tendencies. Certain coffee houses could confuse people into believing that the gospel message is bohemian in nature. An exclusive country club setting might communicate that certain people are unwelcome. (Again, not insurmountable but something which needs to be recognized.) There are challenges which come with every type of venue -- whether conventional or non-conventional. ~ link
> Gregory Paul on the decline of religiosity among Americans, especially young adults --
...A growing body of research that I have contributed to has found that socioeconomic factors play the leading role. The higher the level of financial and economic security — as measured by the presence of universal healthcare and job security, plus lower rates of income disparity, poverty, lethal crime, incarceration, STD infections, abortion, teen pregnancy, divorce, illicit drug use and mental illness — the less religious a country is. It turns out then when the majority of a modern population is ensured a comfortable, safe and stable middle-class lifestyle, they lose interest in organized faith and soon lose their personal faith as well...
Another factor behind Western secularism is the growth of the popular corporate-consumer culture. The religious right owned the mainstream culture until World War I, but the churches then ran into a great enemy. In the search for ever-greater profits, it is necessary for capital to do what it can to convert citizens from pious, frugal churchgoers into materialistic consumers whose lives center on acquiring the money and credit needed to satisfy their earthly desires. The need to materialize society is so compelling that most of the laws that kept people from spending their Sundays shopping have been repealed, and as a result only a fifth or less of Americans are in church on a given Sunday morning. The now dominant corporate-consumer culture has driven the religious right into a shrinking parallel culture that most young Westerners see as pathetically square (for similar reasons, young Americans are reluctant to become "tea partyers," and the tricorner hats do not help)...
Putnam and Campbell also fail to acknowledge technology's role in creating a less pious America. Increasing use of consumer digital electronics is soaking up so much of young people's time and interest that they are decoupling from the social organizations that used to fill a person's life before TV and computers. Of course, organized religion is just the sort of social "club" that is vulnerable to this potent side effect of technology. The secularizing effect of digital technology is so potent that it threatens to overwhelm the reproductive superiority of conservative believers... ~ LA TimesSo, assuming that the prolific Paul is reading the situation correctly, are we to assume that the breach in the hull is unrepairable? Is the religious right the last gasp whimper from the realm of religion before all is lost? Is the social lift that comes with religious movements self-defeating? Is capitalism the greatest enemy of religion? Should I be losing sleep over this stuff?
> Guam is all excited because Hilary Clinton's plane will be making a quick pit stop on the island. Hey, when you live in the middle of nowhere... (and there is nothing wrong with that!) ~ link
> The millionaires are feeling optimistic about the economy. ~ WSJ
Wednesday, October 27
Random
> Looking toward downtown Phoenix over one of the remaining alfalfa fields on the edge of Laveen, yesterday afternoon. Click on the picture for a bigger look.
> Adam Young has a cover of In Christ Alone. Who tweaked the words? While it loses some of the drama of the original it is perhaps more theologically balanced than the original. ~ link
> Bob Logan: "Is your church a family or a team?" ~ link
> I didn't realize that Garrison Keillor is the spokesman for Honda in the UK until I heard his voice on ClassicFM. Since they closed the station off to online listening outside the UK I've been a bit out of the loop. Now that I can listen again through the Droid ClassicFM app I'm rediscovering English life -- and how Minnesotan has skipped across the pond.
> People are spending more on Halloween this year. ~ link
> And now -- the All-Spud Diet -- guaranteed to... make you weary of potatoes. ~ KTAR
> This is sure to annoy many Arizonans and will undoubtedly reinforce the paranoia regarding the feds.
A federal appeals court has struck down a key part of Arizona's law requiring voters to prove they are citizens before registering to vote or casting ballots.> A crocodile has been blamed for an air crash in the Congo. Panicked passengers trying to avoid a croc which got loose from a smuggler threw the plane's off balance and sent it tumbling. ~ USA Today
Tuesday's decision by a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the law requiring voters to prove their citizenship while registering is inconsistent with the National Voter Registration Act. That federal law allows voters to fill out a mail-in card and swear they are citizens under penalty of perjury, but doesn't require them to show proof as Arizona's law does... ~ AZ Central
> Corruption index 2010: the most corrupt countries in the world -- are you on the chart? Check out Singapore, New Zealand, and Denmark -- all of which have different approaches to law enforcement and social responsibility. ~ Guardian
> Case of the stolen Torah. That's really bad karma -- so to speak. ~ AZ Central
> Roger Olson argues for a definition of evangelical that is center-set theologically and self-defined sociologically. Of course, I can't think of anyone on my long block who would actually care how we define the term. And God himself is probably not as concerned about it as we are. ~ link
Tuesday, October 26
Random
> Florida's double whammy -- "...abandoned lots left behind by would-be developers have become a breeding ground for a plague that is killing thousands of the state's orange trees." ~ WSJ
> Many non-commercial citrus growers in Arizona are planting Vietnamese variety guavas, which seem to repel the pests that carry the citrus-greening (yellow dragon) bacteria that is killing off Florida's oranges. At least that's what I'm hearing from others in the Arizona Rare Fruit Growers. I have one guava tree started in our yard and plan to add another. ~ link
> I was helping in the AZRFG greenhouse last Saturday and noticed that there are quite a few of the said guava trees which will be available for purchase at the annual fall plant sale, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., THIS SATURDAY, October 30th, at the Maricopa County Agricultural Extension Office, 4341 E Broadway Rd, in Phoenix. You can also tour the demonstration gardens that the various ag organizations have maintain there. ~ link (.pdf)
> "...my great grandfather did not travel across 4,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this country overrun by immigrants. He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland." ~ Stephen Colbert
> Chris Wright: “Idolatry … is the biggest single obstacle to world mission...” -- "According to Wright, the three idols are: power and pride, popularity and success, and wealth and greed." ~ CP
> I was helping in the AZRFG greenhouse last Saturday and noticed that there are quite a few of the said guava trees which will be available for purchase at the annual fall plant sale, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., THIS SATURDAY, October 30th, at the Maricopa County Agricultural Extension Office, 4341 E Broadway Rd, in Phoenix. You can also tour the demonstration gardens that the various ag organizations have maintain there. ~ link (.pdf)
> "...my great grandfather did not travel across 4,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this country overrun by immigrants. He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland." ~ Stephen Colbert
> Chris Wright: “Idolatry … is the biggest single obstacle to world mission...” -- "According to Wright, the three idols are: power and pride, popularity and success, and wealth and greed." ~ CP
Monday, October 25
Random
> "The globalization that made 'Lausanne 1974' so powerful, and made 'Lausanne 2010' possible, may well make 'Lausanne 2046' unnecessary." ~ Andy Crouch writing about the missing megachurch leaders at Cape Town 2010
> Where did Stalin's and Hitler's abolition of religion get us? 14 million killed. Martin Marty puts perspective on Christian violence. ~ link
> The world's biggest solar power plant will be built in the desert outside Blythe, California -- about two hours west of Phoenix. It will generate enough power to serve 800,000 homes. ~ WSJ
> The Mormons have broken ground on a temple in Rome. I don't suppose that's the same as swimming the Tiber. ~ link
> Christianity Today on how Terry Jones and his Qur'an burning stunt was able to grab so much attention:
> Newspaper circulation no longer free falling ~ KTAR
> Where did Stalin's and Hitler's abolition of religion get us? 14 million killed. Martin Marty puts perspective on Christian violence. ~ link
> The world's biggest solar power plant will be built in the desert outside Blythe, California -- about two hours west of Phoenix. It will generate enough power to serve 800,000 homes. ~ WSJ
> The Mormons have broken ground on a temple in Rome. I don't suppose that's the same as swimming the Tiber. ~ link
> Christianity Today on how Terry Jones and his Qur'an burning stunt was able to grab so much attention:
Our media culture values outrage over truth...
This is the strange media world we all—both journalists and readers—now live in. It calls for more discernment than ever, because the next Gainesville frenzy will come upon us before we know it.
The questions are: Will you reflexively click on that headline to satiate some trivial curiosity? Will leaders again announce their outrage over a non-event? Will bloggers pour fuel on the fire? Will we report on it just to increase pageviews?...~ CT> Tort reform and no-fault health insurance will go a long way in fixing the healthcare problem in the US, according to G. Timothy Johnson. "It will be impossible to pay for everything for everyone at every age that medical science can dream up..." ~ link
> Newspaper circulation no longer free falling ~ KTAR
Sunday, October 24
Random
> Somebody has finally figured out the essentials of American church planting and condensed it all into a three minute video. ~ link (via)
> The Laveen school district is eliminating the afternoon recess. Hmmm... ISTM that a 10-minute break will make the other time significantly more productive. And for the kids who are really struggling academically recess is a major motivator. ~ link
> Just to put things in perspective. "Today, the City of Phoenix has 2,000 fewer employees than it did just 3 years ago. Right now, we have fewer employees per resident than we did in 1970..." ~ Mayor Phil Gordon
> I think I'll be wearing my Cal cap for a few days.
> Sony is unplugging the Walkman. ~ Slash (via)
Saturday, October 23
Random
> Those who over-analyze the actions and intentions of others are rarely accurate in their conclusions. But they rarely admit their errors because they've invested so much of themselves in the analysis.
> Guayule rocks!!! ~ link
> The Evangelical Covenant Church of Kenya (ECCK) and Covenant World Relief are partnering to help Congolese refugee children go to school. ~ link
> Amazon is trying to address one of the limitations of the Kindle -- inability to share. Personally, I want to know why e-books are so expensive relative to the paper editions. The production costs for printed editions have to be significantly higher. ~ Ars Technica
> How about them Rangers! Finally, ya'll! And we're spared from more Yankee hype!
> It's not likely that the Maricopa Coounty Sheriff's Office can rehabilitate its combative image while Sheriff Joe is in office. Why are people afraid to say the obvious? A change is long overdue. ~ link
> Guayule rocks!!! ~ link
> The Evangelical Covenant Church of Kenya (ECCK) and Covenant World Relief are partnering to help Congolese refugee children go to school. ~ link
> Amazon is trying to address one of the limitations of the Kindle -- inability to share. Personally, I want to know why e-books are so expensive relative to the paper editions. The production costs for printed editions have to be significantly higher. ~ Ars Technica
> How about them Rangers! Finally, ya'll! And we're spared from more Yankee hype!
> It's not likely that the Maricopa Coounty Sheriff's Office can rehabilitate its combative image while Sheriff Joe is in office. Why are people afraid to say the obvious? A change is long overdue. ~ link
Thursday, October 21
Random
> Went to La Cucina Italiana for dinner last night. My Alla Paesana (with Oven Roasted Vegetables) was great. Love the understated ambiance. Service was very good. Very reasonably priced. We'll be back.
> My latest BrushStrokes e-letter, with details about our Sunday night feast in the park, is now online. ~ link
> The Tempe Ikea has added 75,000 square feet of solar panels ~ link
> "Tempe man sues city, Redflex over 2008 photo radar ticket" -- for $8 million. Talk about taking yourself too seriously. ~ ABC15
> Coming soon -- fresh fruit and vegetable vending machines -- the next generation ~ WSJ
> "No one else wanted the job, so a 20-year-old criminology student is the new police chief of a Mexican border town in the bloody crosshairs of the drug cartels. But she'll focus on prevention and leave the job of fighting traffickers to the army." I'm optimistic about her ability to survive. ~ USA Today
Wednesday, October 20
Tuesday, October 19
Random
> Apparently the Berenstain Bears have been born again -- and that's troubling to at least one writer at the New Yorker. (And for some reason you thought that they were Jewish bears!) ~ link
> Next year's car of the year -- Mediocrity 2011? (I don't care how clever they are, I'm still not planning to buy a Subaru.) ~ link (via)
> NB -- churches: Whenever a group of people walk into a room with theater style seating, low light, and a large screen with projected images they default to thinking of themselves as an audience to be entertained.
> Homer and Bart are really Roman Catholic. I wonder how long the church has been counting them in their adherent statistics. ~ link
> The updated NIV text will be available for online viewing in two weeks. At this point I'm a bit nervous about what they're doing and concerned about a possible departure from the approach they took with the TNIV -- one of the best translations out there, but which was orphaned by the publishers because of political pressure. ~ link
> David Fitch and Gary Nelson discuss the role of pastors in Post-Christendom ~ link
> The Crystal Cathedral filed for bankruptcy yesterday. On the cutting edge of evangelism in the 1960's and 70's, they built an inflexible ecclesiastical structure and facility assuming that OC would somehow do a cultural freeze at some point in the mid-1970s. Are the structures and facilities that we are creating now going to be a well-intentioned but short-sighted albatross around the neck of the church in in 25 years? ~ LA Times
Monday, October 18
Random
> Suburban poverty:
> There is real trouble ahead. As someone who reads student papers and often checks citations, I can see how this switch to e-books is going to create major problems. We need tp address it now while it is still early in the game. It is not realistic to expect readers to have to figure out what is the equivalent of the Kindle location in a paper edition or a Sony Reader. We need universal cross-platform page numbering of some sort. Why do they remove the page numbers in the Kindle editions? Does Amazon really think that everyone is going to adopt the Kindle platform? Get real.
> Scot McKnight's post on immigration, as seen through the eyes of Germany, is very relevant. Many of the comments are exceptionally perceptive. ~ link
Over the last ten years, more than two-thirds of poverty growth in the nation’s metro areas occurred in the suburbs, and there are now 1.6 million more poor people living in the suburbs than in center cities. Since 2000, there has been a general increase in the nation’s poverty rate, but it has been far worse in the suburbs than in the cities—a 37.4% increase versus 16.7%. Though the poverty rate remains higher in central cities, the number of poor suburbanites is growing quickly. ~ link> What is the social significance of our local Walmart devoting five long aisles, all shelves, both sides, to plastic storage containers?
> There is real trouble ahead. As someone who reads student papers and often checks citations, I can see how this switch to e-books is going to create major problems. We need tp address it now while it is still early in the game. It is not realistic to expect readers to have to figure out what is the equivalent of the Kindle location in a paper edition or a Sony Reader. We need universal cross-platform page numbering of some sort. Why do they remove the page numbers in the Kindle editions? Does Amazon really think that everyone is going to adopt the Kindle platform? Get real.
> Scot McKnight's post on immigration, as seen through the eyes of Germany, is very relevant. Many of the comments are exceptionally perceptive. ~ link
Sunday, October 17
Mission is a matter of loyalty
Once again we will find that the Bible itself will correct our tendency to reduce the gospel to a solution to our individual sin problem and a swipe card for heaven's door, and replace that reductionist impression with a message that has to do with the cosmic reign of Christ that will eventually eradicate evil from God's universe (and solve our individual sin problem, too, of course.)...
But at the end of the day, mission is a matter of loyalty. The ambassador must have complete loyalty to the government he or she represents. A trusted messenger will faithfully deliver what his sender said, not his own opinions.
So, the mission of God's people has to start and finish with commitment to the God whose mission we are called to share. But that in turn depnds on knowing our God -- knowing God in depth, from experience of his revelation and his salvation.
~ Christopher Wright, The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission,
Kindle location 33-6
But at the end of the day, mission is a matter of loyalty. The ambassador must have complete loyalty to the government he or she represents. A trusted messenger will faithfully deliver what his sender said, not his own opinions.
So, the mission of God's people has to start and finish with commitment to the God whose mission we are called to share. But that in turn depnds on knowing our God -- knowing God in depth, from experience of his revelation and his salvation.
~ Christopher Wright, The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission,
Kindle location 33-6
Random
> A nurse in England was clicking through her friend's Facebook photos when an image of her friend's two-year-old daughter gave her reason to pause. Her pause probably saved the child's life. ~ Time
> The Bev's mom is gone. ~ AP
> Scholars discussing the changing relationship between the poor and the wealthy:
...If you look at the poor as a problem, you’ll be angry at elites or you’ll expect them to come up with a solution,” said Mr. Venkatesh, who took the most pragmatic line. “You have to come in accepting that there will always be poor people in society and there will always be wealthy people in society, and neither of the two reached that status by their own efforts. ~ NY Times> Father & Son science project -- send an iPhone attached to a weather balloon into space with the video camera running. Fun video. ~ The Atlantic
> Monolithic Dome homes and buildings just make too much sense -- especially in storm prone areas. They do take some getting used to visually. But they're not ugly. ~ link
> LaVonne Neff, who is way to pragmatic writes: "Dear Candidate: Would you mind talking about your goals?" ~ link
> According to the “Global Hunger Index” (GHI) 29 countries, most in sub-Saharan Africa, suffer from “alarming” levels of hunger. Some countries have been quite successful in reducing hunger. Kuwait, Malaysia, Turkey, and Mexico have cut their scores by over 60% since 1990. Those where hunger has increased include North Korea, Comoros, and Congo. "Congo's GHI score fell by over 60%, the worst of any country." ~ Economist
> Tim Stafford asks, "Do humanitarian agencies do more harm than good?" You might be surprised by his answer. ~ link
> "'Mad" never built anything." ~ Tim Stafford's post, Refusal America
> "'Missional Church' is like 'Female Woman'" ~ link
> Shooting a fleeing burglar in the back isn't justified by the Second Amendment. Two wrongs don't a right make. Gun crazy wild west culture. ~ AZ Central
Saturday, October 16
Random
> Martin Marty will be speaking at a symposium exploring the historical relationship between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Covenant Church. It's so hard to explain the Covenant to people. If I tell them that historically we are just simple Lutheran pietists with a strong missional bent they glaze over pretty quickly. ~ link
> Practice your English with Alice. She's pretty amazing -- for a bot. ~ link
> The dark side of chocolate -- industry abuses ~ link
> Until yesterday we were having a bit of dry spell when it comes to adding new contests to Sweeplee.com... until yesterday. These are the best and most engaging of the online promotional games and sweepstakes.
> "Should parents raise their children bilingually – teaching them two languages from a very young age? It’s a thorny subject, but as UCLA linguist Jared Diamond writes in an editorial in the journal Science, knowing more than one language could improve your multitasking skills from infancy and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s in old age." ~ LA Times
> "Background noise affects taste of foods, research shows" -- I'm sure it affects a lot more than that. ~ BBC
> Practice your English with Alice. She's pretty amazing -- for a bot. ~ link> The dark side of chocolate -- industry abuses ~ link
> Until yesterday we were having a bit of dry spell when it comes to adding new contests to Sweeplee.com... until yesterday. These are the best and most engaging of the online promotional games and sweepstakes.
> "Should parents raise their children bilingually – teaching them two languages from a very young age? It’s a thorny subject, but as UCLA linguist Jared Diamond writes in an editorial in the journal Science, knowing more than one language could improve your multitasking skills from infancy and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s in old age." ~ LA Times
> "Background noise affects taste of foods, research shows" -- I'm sure it affects a lot more than that. ~ BBC
Friday, October 15
Moravian Daily Texts 2011
The 2011 edition of the Moravian Daily Texts, published by Mount Carmel Ministries, is now for sale online. This is the devotional guide that I've used for years and which I teach my spiritual formation students to use. When all editions are taken into consideration this is the most widely used devotional book in the world.The Moravian Church which has been selecting the texts and publishing them continuously since 1731, also publishes several versions. However, I use the Mount Carmel Ministries version -- not only because I like the layout but also because of the additional resources. They've developed the T.R.I.P. method of prayer, which I teach to my students. And they've included Martin Luther's Small Catechism in the back of the pocket-sized book.
Here is a bit of the history of the Daily Texts (or Loosung in German).
They cost $8.95 plus shipping. But if you order 2-9 copies they are $6.95 each. (Same price as last several years.) There are additional price breaks when you order more.
There is a free Daily Texts website for those who prefer that option. I use both -- depending on my schedule for the day. (If you are in Australia, Micronesia, or Asia, the downside is that the online text of the day from Mount Carmel Ministries does not appear on their website until your day is almost over. It's that international dateline issue and Americans have a hard time understanding just how huge the world is.)
New CWR video
Over the years I've become a huge fan of Covenant World Relief. They do a lot with very little splash. They also have a new video. (via)
Theological Education in the 21st Century
Gary Nelson, President of Tyndale University College & Seminary and Dave Fitch, Associate Professor of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary talk about what theological education looks like now and what it needs to look like.
Via Bill Kinnon, who shot and produced the video.
Thursday, October 14
Random
> There are only two Marianas Crows left in the wild of Guam's jungles. If they can't survive in the relatively protected area of Andersen Air Force Base they won't make it anywhere on Guam.~ PNC
> 10 aspects of evangelicalism that are harmful. ~ link
> Amazing evangelical growth in Cuba ~ Global Post
> Peter Cha on the problem of hospitality. "Guests" never become a part of the decision making process. ~ link
> The online HCSB Study Bible site has launched -- nice lay-out and great study notes. ~ link
> "Arizona ranks 30th in the country for the number of people with a college degree." Yeah, but I bet we're near the top for handgun holsters. ~ link
> The guy who tasered the armored car guard was taken away by ambulance. Apparently, the courier responded by shooting the robber. All this happened yesterday morning at the Walgreens a half-mile up the street from us. This is such a nice quiet neighborhood. ~ link
> "Mexico's drug traffickers are likely to lose customers in America's largest pot consuming state if California legalizes marijuana, but they won't lose much money overall because California's residents already prefer to grow their own, according to a study released Tuesday." ~ link
> Paradox -- US non-white Hispanics outlive white non-Hispanics by 2+ yrs, in spite of more poverty. Es la burritos. ~ link
Wednesday, October 13
Random
> Money & church planting movements:
> The transcript of my Luke 17:11-19 sermon from last Sunday is now posted. ~ link
> "The real key to a church planting movement doesn't lie in the individual church that is planted, but in the incubators that produce churches." ~ Bob Roberts, Jr. The Multiplying Church, Kindle Location 267
In western industrialized nations, we typically associate security and successful launches with sufficient funds. Combining some of the lessons we've presented, we see that though money may be helpful, it is not paramount. Organic churches are multiplying all around the world with virtually no funding. Most multiplication movements happen without thought to funding because they are driven by the Holy Spirit who does not need our resources. ~ Ed Stezer & Warren Bird, Viral Churches, Kindle Location 2,575> Learn Anytime -- the end of the semester system. My online spiritual formation class is set-up this way -- although I still have to keep things tied to the semester because that's how PIU is currently set-up. In some ways it's more like the tutorials in the British system -- but with even more individual attention. ~ CHE
> The transcript of my Luke 17:11-19 sermon from last Sunday is now posted. ~ link
> "The real key to a church planting movement doesn't lie in the individual church that is planted, but in the incubators that produce churches." ~ Bob Roberts, Jr. The Multiplying Church, Kindle Location 267
Tuesday, October 12
Random
> Visual search technology -- Google Goggles ~ link
> South Korea is in midst of a kimchi crisis! They're looking to China for help. ~ BBC
> Christianity in China: an irreducible complexity. ~ link
> Minerals on the ocean floor could provide resources for over 60 centuries ~ link (via)
> Max Lucado is convinced that compassion is the church's best apologetic. ~ Christian Post
> A few days ago the buzz was that the price of groceries was on the way up. Now we're being told that they're on the way down. The real reason they can't fix the economy is that no one seems to know what is really happening. ~ link
> A robber tried to disguise himself with a plastic bag over his head. But he eventually decided that breathing was more important than hiding his face. Hmmm -- this kind of thing is so fertile for cheap snarky comments. I'll let you use your imagination. ~ KTAR
> There are signs that Google may launch the Chrome OS on November 11 ~ link
> Kindle Singles -- shorter books in the wings. New trend? ~ Ars Technica
Monday, October 11
Random
• Next time I'm flying Cebu Pacific.
• Happy Thanksgiving to you -- but only if you're Canadian! ☺
• The Dutch Antilles is no more. The islands of Curacao and St Maarten have a constitutional status as autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba are now autonomous special municipalities of the kingdom. ~ BBC
• "College dropouts cost taxpayers billions." I'm all for college completion but calcualting the "social cost" of people who do not complete a college program doesn't add up. If someone does not complete a program they still learn something from what they do. It's just that the incentive for completion is not personally high enough. ~ KTAR
• Rejecting the cross:
• Barna Group: The most "unchurched" cities in the US are San Francisco; Portland, Maine; Portland, Ore.; Boston; Sacramento; and Seattle. ~ Christian Post
• "...UCLA and a few other universities, some are pushing aside French, Spanish and Chinese to try rarely offered indigenous Latin American languages such as Zapotec, Mixtec, Aymara and Quechua..." ~ LA Times
• Faith Popcorn: "Living in virtual intimacy with celebrities of all stripes, we start to believe we too possess the power of celebrity." ~ link
• The Russian army is full of hot air -- literally. ~ BBC
• Happy Thanksgiving to you -- but only if you're Canadian! ☺
• The Dutch Antilles is no more. The islands of Curacao and St Maarten have a constitutional status as autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba are now autonomous special municipalities of the kingdom. ~ BBC
• "College dropouts cost taxpayers billions." I'm all for college completion but calcualting the "social cost" of people who do not complete a college program doesn't add up. If someone does not complete a program they still learn something from what they do. It's just that the incentive for completion is not personally high enough. ~ KTAR
• Rejecting the cross:
...You hardly see a cross in evangelical churches in Latin America, and if you wear one as a pendant you can appear suspicious in some churches. This reveals more than a rejection of the Roman Catholic crucifix. It expresses an understanding of the death of Jesus as merely a symbol of God’s love and forgiveness, unrelated to his incarnation. The cross’s agony is ascribed only to the horror of spiritual separation from the Father. When the cross carries no sense of hideous pain or shame, its message only focuses on the benefits it offers: forgiveness, healing, deliverance, power, and glory. Should the minister of such ’good news’ even think of embracing suffering?...
One of the expressions of evil in our fallen world is the hideous suffering we humans can inflict on others. Precisely for that reason it is imperative that we recover a central truth of Christianity: God defeats Satan, evil, and sin through suffering. Is that not the case in Job’s experience? Is that not the case in Jesus’ acceptance of the most shaming and cruel death of his day? He triumphed over the ultimate enemy precisely by surrendering to it. We, like his disciples, have bought into the notion that demonstrations of power are the way to deal with the evils that threaten us. Unfortunately, rather than following the example of the Servant King, we are prone to choose the way of worldly power... ~ Elizabeth Sendek• The cost of groceries is on the rise again. ~ KTAR
• Barna Group: The most "unchurched" cities in the US are San Francisco; Portland, Maine; Portland, Ore.; Boston; Sacramento; and Seattle. ~ Christian Post
• "...UCLA and a few other universities, some are pushing aside French, Spanish and Chinese to try rarely offered indigenous Latin American languages such as Zapotec, Mixtec, Aymara and Quechua..." ~ LA Times
• Faith Popcorn: "Living in virtual intimacy with celebrities of all stripes, we start to believe we too possess the power of celebrity." ~ link
• The Russian army is full of hot air -- literally. ~ BBC
Random
> Today is Global Handwashing Day. ~ link (via)
> It's been awhile since we've had really good Thai food. With the help of Suzanne Bratcher, with whom we had lunch today, we discovered Thai Rama on West Camelback Road in Phoenix. My, oh my, the Mango Delight really is true delight. Outstanding.
> The average US teen sends and receives 3,339 texts a month. ~ WSJ
> "US President Barack Obama has warned of an "education arms race" with China and India and said that any cut in the education budget as recommended by the opposition Republican Party would be detrimental to America's national interest." ~ NDTV
> New record: At 26.4 inches tall, Khagendra Thapa Magar, a Nepalese teen has set a new Guinness record for short stature. ~ Time
> Walmart plans to take on the urban market by opening smaller neighborhood stores. ~ WSJ
> But they're not really popular right now. Reports are that Walmart has been lobbying against a government-supported wage increase, which would bump the workers up to 35 cents an hour in Bangladesh. ~ link
> However, I'm not sure where the anti-Walmart people are getting their information. Bangladesh nearly doubled their minimum wage for garment workers in July. I didn't realize that there was another new proposal on the table. (There probably should be but as far as I can tell there isn't anything under serious consideration.) Either way, Walmart is going to have to work harder globally to live into their "Save Money. Live Better." motto. ~ BBC
> "Cancer is a modern, man-made disease caused by environmental factors such as pollution and diet, a study by University of Manchester scientists has strongly suggested." ~ link
> "Fiji has lost its copy of the historic document that confirmed the Pacific nation's independence from Britain in 1970, the state broadcaster has reported." Guam isn't the only island state with management challenges. ~ AFP
> It's been awhile since we've had really good Thai food. With the help of Suzanne Bratcher, with whom we had lunch today, we discovered Thai Rama on West Camelback Road in Phoenix. My, oh my, the Mango Delight really is true delight. Outstanding.
> The average US teen sends and receives 3,339 texts a month. ~ WSJ
> "US President Barack Obama has warned of an "education arms race" with China and India and said that any cut in the education budget as recommended by the opposition Republican Party would be detrimental to America's national interest." ~ NDTV
> New record: At 26.4 inches tall, Khagendra Thapa Magar, a Nepalese teen has set a new Guinness record for short stature. ~ Time
> Walmart plans to take on the urban market by opening smaller neighborhood stores. ~ WSJ
> But they're not really popular right now. Reports are that Walmart has been lobbying against a government-supported wage increase, which would bump the workers up to 35 cents an hour in Bangladesh. ~ link
> However, I'm not sure where the anti-Walmart people are getting their information. Bangladesh nearly doubled their minimum wage for garment workers in July. I didn't realize that there was another new proposal on the table. (There probably should be but as far as I can tell there isn't anything under serious consideration.) Either way, Walmart is going to have to work harder globally to live into their "Save Money. Live Better." motto. ~ BBC
> "Cancer is a modern, man-made disease caused by environmental factors such as pollution and diet, a study by University of Manchester scientists has strongly suggested." ~ link
> "Fiji has lost its copy of the historic document that confirmed the Pacific nation's independence from Britain in 1970, the state broadcaster has reported." Guam isn't the only island state with management challenges. ~ AFP
Sunday, October 10
Random
✽ Just because you own the house outright -- without a mortgage -- does not guarantee that a bank won't try to foreclose on you. Apparently the banks are having a major problem with process and record keeping.~ Bloomberg
✽ Pastors over 50 have a hard time finding new "calls." But it's not just clergy-types who are struggling. If you're over 50 and trying to find a good job of any type -- good luck! ~ NPR
✽
Doctor Who coming to Utah ~ BBC
✽ Our first MasterPiece Church preview worship gathering went well this morning. I was hoping for more people but it still went well. The second preview will be Sunday, November 7th, and then we shift into the weekly rhythm on November 21st. I'm still not really sold on the preview concept and I'm hearing from other church planters who are questioning whether it's really all that helpful. But at this point I am going along with the program and am enjoying the people we do meet.
✽ Pastors over 50 have a hard time finding new "calls." But it's not just clergy-types who are struggling. If you're over 50 and trying to find a good job of any type -- good luck! ~ NPR
✽
Doctor Who coming to Utah ~ BBC✽ Our first MasterPiece Church preview worship gathering went well this morning. I was hoping for more people but it still went well. The second preview will be Sunday, November 7th, and then we shift into the weekly rhythm on November 21st. I'm still not really sold on the preview concept and I'm hearing from other church planters who are questioning whether it's really all that helpful. But at this point I am going along with the program and am enjoying the people we do meet.
Saturday, October 9
Random
✽ Arizona isn't as hell-bent as you might think.
✽ Tim Keller asking whether it is Late Modern or Post-Modern. I suspect that his passing reference to "hyper-modernity" is the most to the point.
✽ Watching COPS. Is a full upper body tattoo a requirement to get a job with the Portland, Oregon PD?
Even as officials rage at what they have called the “invasion” of illegal immigrants, mostly Mexicans, Arizona has welcomed thousands of legal immigrants from such grief-torn lands as Somalia, Myanmar and Iraq, and is known for treating them unusually well...✽ Christ Church Plano, one of the largest parishes in the Anglican Mission in the Americas is bailing on AMiA and will affiliate directly with the Anglican Church in North America. AMiA really brought this on themselves when they backed out of full partnership in the ACNA. Just as it doesn't make sense to have Americans calling the shots in Africa so does it not work to have African bishops calling the shots in America. I suspect more will follow. ~ link
Only three states accepted more refugees on a per capita basis over the past six years. Arizona took nearly twice as many refugees per capita as its liberal neighbor, California, and more than twice as many per capita as New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. ~ NY Times
✽ Tim Keller asking whether it is Late Modern or Post-Modern. I suspect that his passing reference to "hyper-modernity" is the most to the point.
We can certainly use the term "post-modern" to refer to many aspects of our life in the world now. There certainly are discontinuities with the recent past. But I conclude that an over-emphasis on the post-ness of our situation can lead us to celebrate the greater tolerance, the end of "Christendom," the fall of Reason-capital-R, and the openness to the spiritual, without seeing that it is based on a kind of hyper-modernity that is perhaps more antithetical to Christianity than ever. ~ link✽ Google is testing cars that drive themselves -- even drove one over the Golden Gate Bridge ~ link
✽ Watching COPS. Is a full upper body tattoo a requirement to get a job with the Portland, Oregon PD?
Friday, October 8
Random
✽ "A group of leading historians held a press conference Monday at the National Geographic Society to announce they had "entirely fabricated" ancient Greece, a culture long thought to be the intellectual basis of Western civilization..." ~ The Onion
✽ Common English Bible NT Kindle Edition is available for free for a limited time on Amazon! ~ link
✽ Flagstaff people are reporting snow on top of San Franciso Peak. I guess we did just jump right from summer to winter.
✽ Highly quotable -- but is it hyperbole or reality?:
✽ Common English Bible NT Kindle Edition is available for free for a limited time on Amazon! ~ link
✽ Flagstaff people are reporting snow on top of San Franciso Peak. I guess we did just jump right from summer to winter.
✽ Highly quotable -- but is it hyperbole or reality?:
Much of America is in a nasty mood and the language of compassion has more or less been abandoned…
America today presents the paradox of a rich country falling apart because of the collapse of its core values. American productivity is among the highest in the world. Average national income per person is about $46,000 – enough not only to live on, but to prosper. Yet the country is in the throes of an ugly moral crisis...
Americans seem to believe that they have a natural right to government services without paying taxes. In the American political lexicon, taxes are defined as a denial of liberty.
The result of all this is likely to be a long-term decline of US power and prosperity, because Americans no longer invest collectively in their common future. America will remain a rich society for a long time to come, but one that is increasingly divided and unstable. Fear and propaganda may lead to more US-led international wars, as in the past decade. ~ Jeffrey Sachs (via)
Tuesday, October 5
Random
✽ Middle class alcohol consumption dropped during the recession. That seems like a good thing. It seems to me that it would have been problematic if it had increased. ~ WSJ
✽ Tesco is closing six of their lower performing Fresh & Easy stores in the Phoenix area. ~ Phoenix Business Journal
✽ A team of linguists working with National Geographic's Enduring Voices project has uncovered a language previously unknown to the rest of the world. Koro is spoken in Northeastern India and has only 800 to 1,200 speakers. It is unwritten. ~ USA Today
✽ Bible-toting bullies with webcams? ~ link
✽ "I think we should raise taxes on the very rich..." ~ Warren Buffett
✽ There is a land scramble as foreign investors are acquiring African land. This is good in that foreigners are seeing a future for Africa. And it suggests that food production levels will increase. But it's bad in that it seperates the land and power from the people who live on it. ~ GlobalPost
✽ 7½ years in prison for impersonating a Marine? Seems a little severe but he did milk a few people with his scam. ~ AZ Central
✽ Tesco is closing six of their lower performing Fresh & Easy stores in the Phoenix area. ~ Phoenix Business Journal
✽ A team of linguists working with National Geographic's Enduring Voices project has uncovered a language previously unknown to the rest of the world. Koro is spoken in Northeastern India and has only 800 to 1,200 speakers. It is unwritten. ~ USA Today
✽ Bible-toting bullies with webcams? ~ link
✽ "I think we should raise taxes on the very rich..." ~ Warren Buffett
✽ There is a land scramble as foreign investors are acquiring African land. This is good in that foreigners are seeing a future for Africa. And it suggests that food production levels will increase. But it's bad in that it seperates the land and power from the people who live on it. ~ GlobalPost
✽ 7½ years in prison for impersonating a Marine? Seems a little severe but he did milk a few people with his scam. ~ AZ Central
Monday, October 4
Random
✽ Lawn bowling -- now I get it -- maybe, sort'a ~ WSJ
✽ The transcript of my Luke 17:5-10 message from yesterday is now online. ~ link
✽ Phil Cooke: "I've been vindicated! American Cancer Society study proves people who 'fidget' live longer. I knew 'ants in your pants' was OK!" Amen! ~ link
✽ Can joyfulness be mandated? ~ link
✽ The transcript of my Luke 17:5-10 message from yesterday is now online. ~ link
✽ Phil Cooke: "I've been vindicated! American Cancer Society study proves people who 'fidget' live longer. I knew 'ants in your pants' was OK!" Amen! ~ link
✽ Can joyfulness be mandated? ~ link
Sunday, October 3
Random
✽ Duke University study: "The more religious a person is, the less brand expression appears to matter." ~ FastCompany
✽ David Hamid: "Anglicans in British Isles & Ireland now in communion with the Church of Denmark which signed the Porvoo Agreement in Copenhagen today." Isn't that special.
✽ Somebody tweeted "I just became the mayor of Grace Baptist Church." New staff position created by Foursquare.
✽ David Hamid: "Anglicans in British Isles & Ireland now in communion with the Church of Denmark which signed the Porvoo Agreement in Copenhagen today." Isn't that special.
✽ Somebody tweeted "I just became the mayor of Grace Baptist Church." New staff position created by Foursquare.
Friday, October 1
Random
✽ Sweden is retiring their 50 öre coin, their last remaining copper coin. ~ The Local
✽ And why is it that they are using a website with a Norweigin domain name (.nu) to get their message across? There are just some things about the old country that I'll probably never understand. ~ 50oringenforsvinner.nu
✽ Foreclosure sales accounted for 47% of all home sales in Arizona. ~ Phoenix Business Journal
✽ Southwest Airlines is going to start offering a direct Phoenix to Spokane connection. Hmmm... my brother lives in the Spokane area. ~ Phoenix Business Journal
✽ The president of the Philippines may just get himself excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church if he keeps this up. ~ USA Today
✽ "Good enough is good enough. Do the simplest thing that could possibly work." ~ Dave Browning
✽ Celebrating St Francis’s Feast Day through October, the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, are offering seven streaming songs of peace. Déjà vu 1969 (with a little Byzantine mixed in). ~ link
✽ I agree. Prop 13 (the sledge hammer on a leaky faucet) was the tipping point that started to sink California -- taking the gold out of golden. I saw it all with my own eyes. I'm still annoyed. ~ link
✽ Real change requires more than social network meet-ups. (Malcom Gladwell should have had Tim Stafford edit his rambling New Yorker piece.) ~ link
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