end of the line

This is the last post for it seems to me... After today I can't update the blog without transferring it to Google's servers, and I'm not willing to make that concession. I want to thank everyone who has ever left comments on the blog. You have made it all worthwhile.

Unfortunately, after today I cannot allow further comments here, since Blogger will no longer publish them to my site.

As I mentioned last month, I'm evaluating my future options. I am looking into building something more interactive than a blog; I expect to have the framework in place around the beginning of August, give or take a couple weeks.

If you'd like me to let you know when it's ready, send a direct message to my Twitter account or email me at yahoo — the details are in the sidebar — and I'll get back to you when the new site is ready.

Thanks again to everyone; I've enjoyed getting to know all of you. I hope to see you in August.

juggling act

Jason Quick lost his right arm in an accident at age six, but that didn't stop him from learning to juggle:

bill gates as climate change spokesman

Bill Gates wants to talk about Energy and Climate:



I think Gates makes a good evangelist for the issue of climate change, a much better spokesperson than Al Gore. I say this, despite the fact that as a Democrat I like Al Gore, and as a Linux user for the past decade I'm no fan of Bill Gates.

But I think Bill Gates would make a better climate change evangelist than Al Gore for two reasons:

1. This issue has been too politicized for too long, and having a politician as the nation's top evangelist for action on climate change actually helps obscure the science behind the issue.


2. Both men bring their own unique backgrounds to the issue. Gore, the politician, speaks of political solutions; Gates, the technologist, speaks of technological solutions. And frankly, the problems caused by climate change will only be solved with technology. The world's politicians are not likely find the will to make the tough decisions that will be necessary to confront climate change, and are even less likely to craft policies that will make a real difference.

If Bill Gates is willing to put his foundation's money into research for climate change solutions, we just might find a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before it's too late.

texas church offers big prizes for easter

Bay Area Fellowship of Corpus Christi, Texas is planning an unconventional Easter service:

YOU are the next winner of The Ultimate Giveaway! That's right...With nearly $1 MILLION in prizes and giveaways, this Easter, everyone will win something at Bay Area Fellowship! And, wait...that's not all. Each service we're giving awayFREE FLATSCREENS, LAPTOPS...and CARS!!! Be here beginning April 1 (and...no, this is no April Fool's joke). This is the real deal! No tricks, strings or fine print! Show up and let Bay Area Fellowship bless YOU this Easter!

Because on this holiest weekend of the year, it's important for Christians to come together for fellowship and a chance to win big prizes. The resurrection is nice, but free laptops are what the gospel is all about.

Honestly, this is cheap grace at its worst.

Pastor Bill Cornelius justifies the giveaway:

“We’re going to give some stuff away and say, ‘Imagine how great heaven is going to be if you feel that excited about a car,’ ” lead Pastor Bil Cornelius said. “It’s completely free — all you have to do is receive him.”

That is simply not the gospel of Jesus, who taught that following him could cost us everything (see Luke 14:25-35), who told one would-be follower to sell everything first (see Matthew 19:16-30), who said that we must deny ourselves if we truly want to follow him (see Luke 9:18-25), and who assured his first followers that they would be hated and persecuted (see Luke 21:12-17).

The claim that "all you have to do is receive him" is not the least bit biblical. Jesus never asked anyone to receive him. He told them to follow, to deny themselves, to leave behind their old lives. In return, he promised that they would be disliked by everyone.

That's far less exciting than winning a new flat screen TV. But if we want to claim the name of Christian, we ought to take Jesus' teaching seriously.