not a good idea

I did something tonight that I should never do. I read through the flyer for a Christian Book Store right before I was going to go to bed. Included in this month's flyer are the books "Prayer 101", "The Portable Seminary", and, my personal favourite, "How to Act Like a Christian". And, of course, the usual watered-down Harlequin romance novels. There is also a vast array of Bibles to choose from, including The Official Duct Tape Bible (yes, it is the official one, folks). And just when I thought the barrage of Christian Commercialism couldn't get any worse, I came to the "BibleZines" section. For those of you who haven't heard of them, BibleZines are, and I quote, "Part magazine, part Bible". The women's BibleZine is called "becoming" (all lowercase), and includes the topics "Have you found true love?", "Having peace of mind", and "25 tips on developing true beauty". The men's BibleZine is called "ALIGN" (all uppercase), and includes "Sexcess: Success with the Opposite Sex!", "Fitness Tips Help Strengthen and Tone", and "Top Ten Lists for Getting Ahead". The one for teenage girls includes a quiz called "Does He Like You?", while the one for boys includes tips on "How to Attract Godly Girls".

I checked out some Amazon reviews of the BibleZines--here's what one of them said: "Maybe the reason that we are not reaching the world with the Gospel is because we are too busy making money off it". Hmm.

in way over my head

chris neufeld asked me to be a panelist at this year's Telling the Truth Conference. I don't know who's crazier, chris for asking or me for accepting.

Here you go, Barb

My friend Barb has been harrassing me to post more so that she has (and I quote) "something to do at work". Since I'm still in summer mode (ie please don't make me think yet), I'll just post some photos I took in New Zealand last winter. Barb, I hope this helps to alleviate your boredom--this post's for you!

New Zealand Photos