Random

> Not good -- "An exotic African spurred tortoise weighing in excess of 100 pounds was discovered living in the desert near the Queen Valley (Arizona) area recently – it had been in the area long enough to establish two burrows, including one that was 9-feet deep." ~ link

> "The New York Times has produced an interactive map of America that allows users to browse data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (based on samples from 2005 to 2009) in specific neighborhoods." ~ Ed Stetzer

The information for our census tract looks somewhat outdated -- not reflecting changes that have occurred because of foreclosures. I'd say that there are more blacks and fewer Hispanics than the map estimates. Laveen is a pretty fluid area right now.

> We just got email from our son Kent. He made it out of North Korea and is now in Beijing. PTL! Kent taught English for the opening semester of the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. We're proud of him and his part in the mission of the school -- but also very happy that he's back in civilization and communication (the internet at the school isn't up, yet). In November there was a New York Times article about PUST -- a very unique school in an unlikely place. ~ link

> John Nugent has "a Yoderian rejoinder" to Peter Leithart's new book, Defending Constantine -- an extensive review and response. I don't know that I know enough to have a strong opinion -- but I know a lot more after reading the review than I did before. ~ link

> Stephen Colbert: "Jesus is a liberal Democrat." I doubt that Jesus would join any of our goofy political parties. But Colbert is a good preacher. Jesus wasn't so interested in making sure that everyone got only what they deserved. ~ link

> David Housholder asks, "Would Jesus Start a Food Bank?" ~ link

> We've now had our MasterPiece Church ads appear on 2,675,889 Facebook pages at a cost of $278. That has generated 187 click thrus to our website. So far, none of those clicks have become Sunday morning visitors (that we know of). IOW, interest does not quickly translate into action -- even when you're utilizing an extremely effective medium. But then again, the casual and non-committal nature of the medium may actually work against us. We'll see. It's an experiment. We don't need a large response. I'd be very happy with a small eventually mission-committed response.

> Instant translation through your smart phone -- now available.