Great video on AIDS in Africa...

If you can watch this without choking up, let me know. I'll call the paramedics to go to your house. The AIDS problem in Africa is staggering, and the church has been slow to deal with it. I hope that is changing.

The money quote from the video? "People understand their sin without our help. It's grace they need help understanding."



(Thanks to the awesome folks at The God Journey !)

Ya just gotta wonder...

My first thought when I read this? I bet the people who go to his congregation are afraid NOT to tithe...

Birthdays just go on and on...

The girls had their birthdays about 10 days ago, as I'm sure all of you are aware. But just because the birthdays are past doesn't mean you can't give presents.

Tonight, they got to open some gifts from their Aunt Jo, all the way from Colorado. Shockingly, I just happen to have some pictures. (Lucky you!)

Here's everybody waiting for mom to open the box and pass out the gifts...














DisneyGirl loves her new shirt (and her book/purse, too!)...












TH also really likes her purse/book. The only thing she likes more? Posing for the camera...












Because she's the coolest aunt ever, she sent a present to Little MacGyver too. He actually went to sleep wearing his new bug hat. And he had me hide his other bug stuff so the girls wouldn't take it. I think he likes his presents just a little bit...










Here's everybody, showing off their loot. The really cute woman in the middle? She's MY gift...











All the kids say, "Thank you Aunt Jo!!!" We love you a lot!

China's air quality is GREAT for the Olympics...

This is the brand-new aquatics stadium in Beijing, built especially for the Olympics. It's called the Water Cube, and as you can see, it's beautiful.





There's only one minor problem: the smog inside. The Australian swim team reported a "thin blanket of pollution" inside the Cube when they practiced there Monday. The swim events begin on Monday.

Australia is especially worried because a couple of their have asthma. The swim arena was built to give swimmers a chance to compete in air that wasn't super-polluted. Apparently, that didn't work. I do have 3 suggestions: just remind athletes that Beijing's official policy is that there is no smog, only mist; have Chinese officials fire "anti-pollution" pellets into the swim stadium; or get water-proof versions of these:


I hear all the cool athletes are wearing them this season...

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, R.I.P.

One of the greatest writers of the 20th century died this week. (OK, not as great as this guy, but great nonetheless.) Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was an author who really opened my eyes to the reality of communism and totalitarianism.

I don't remember why I picked up his book, The Gulag Archipelago, in the mid 1980's. It was based partly on his own experience of being a political prisoner in the Soviet prison system after World War 2. He told the story of what the Soviet Union was really like in a way that was beautiful, terrifying, inspiring, and sickening, all at the same time. Later I read The First Circle, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and a bunch of his speeches and essays.

Solzhenitsyn was a true intellectual heavyweight who understood the evil threat that communism presented to the world. But he also saw that the West was suffering from moral and spiritual decline, which he said were caused by our materialism, reckless individualism, and lack of courage.

I was a little disappointed by Solzhenitsyn's willingness in his later years to embrace Vladimir Putin. Solzhenitsyn's desire to see a strong Russia rise from the ashes of the Soviet Union blinded him somewhat to the excesses of Putin's regime. But that doesn't do anything to lessen Solzhenitsyn's impact on the 20th century. And his insight into the nature of evil still can instruct us today.

In fact, if you read his speeches, and replace "communism" and "Soviet Union" with "Islamic extremism", much of what he said then still applies to the threats we face today.

Solzhenitsyn was unafraid to call communism for what it is: evil. He also wasn't afraid to condemn the evils of secular Western culture.

The lesson I learn from his life? One person who dares to speak the truth with passion, and without compromise, really can make a difference in the world.

Thanks, Mr. Solzhenitsyn. R.I.P.

I hope President Bush enjoys the Olympics...

President Bush will be in Beijing this week to take in the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games. Some Chinese Christians won't be able to attend, however. This article tells of Zhang Mingxuan, a house church pastor who has been kicked out of Beijing, just in case he planned to start any trouble. He and his wife have been "relocated" so they can't meet with any foreign leaders.

The article also talks about how much the harassment of Chinese Christians has increased in the days leading up to the Olympics.

Bush actually had a meeting set up with Zhang, back when he visited China in 2005. But Zhang was detained before he could meet with our president. Bush's reaction to Zhang being arrested because he might say something negative (but true) about China's religious oppression?

Nothing. Bush didn't say one word about this shocking arrest, as far as I can find. But he did enjoy a nice service at a state-approved church in Beijing. He's scheduled to go to another service at one of the registered churches while he's there for the Olympics.

I've expressed on several occasions how disappointed I am by our president, so I won't go into it again. I'll just ask you to pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters. they need God's strength to stay true in difficult circumstances. And pray for our president too. He needs some serious eye-opening and courage...

Tenth Avenue North...

Here's a song that really knocked me back...