Random

• I'm sitting on the porch, drinking lemonade, watching the birds, and the slow flow of Kootenay Lake.

• This goldfish bath plug makes me smile. ~ link (via)

• Terry Mattingly has an interesting column on Franchising McChurch by Jon Mark Yeats and Thomas White. The book is yet another scathing attack on the impact consumerism has had on the American church. I don't know much about the book but the column could be a good discussion starter. However, I'm now at the point where I'd like to see some creative alternatives -- alternatives which don't just identify problems but which help with solutions -- realistic solutions that will engage hearts and minds and capture imaginations. ~ link

• Martin Marty hits it all this week -- America's real religion involves celebrity veneration, guns, sports... Again, no real solutions but a clear exposition of the issues. ~ link

• Hayim Herring says that we live in the era of "Four A's" ~ link

Anything (almost)—products or services—can be modified, or if nonexistent, can be created with relative ease.

Anyone, regardless of credentials or pedigree, can be his or her own expert in many fields that were typically reserved for specialists (for example, we can be our own stock brokers, financial planners, publishing houses, filmmakers, business consultants, and educators).

Anytime, we increasingly demand that goods and services be available to us at our convenience.

Anywhere, in real time or virtually, at home or abroad, we can experience different cultures on a global scale.

Rabbi Herring's solution in the Jewish context is for synagogues to reconceptualize their venue as a third place.

• Mark Driscoll, the shock jock of Calvinism, has been banned from a Christian radio network. ~ link

• Google SMS -- new suite of apps for Africa -- an investment in the future ~ link

• There appears to be a correlation between price of hot dogs and taste ~ link