blog one another

Putting off solar panels?

We have wanted to get solar panels on our rooftop for years, but the up-front cost has kept us from doing so. I imagine we aren't the only ones, either. The federal stimulus package may change that.

Our power company (PG&E) continues to rob us in unpredictable ways. We thought things would improve when the California energy crisis passed (and they probably have to some extent), but month after month our high bills continue to plague us. We have both a pool and a hot tub and those are probably the killer items. But we try:

Creation vs. evolution?

Last Friday, I saw a license plate border that caught my attention: On the bottom was a "Darwin fish" with legs, but upside-down as though dead. (I wish I could find an image of it.) It read,

Fish Don't Walk
And Jesus Still Lives

Um.

Come together

from 52 to 48 with love

How I voted

"Country first"? Sorry, that kind of chauvinism turns me off. World first. A lot of this comes from my background of growing up overseas as a missionary kid. A BBC poll shows people around the world favor Obama (49%) over McCain (12%). I think they are tired of the USA acting like the stereotypical American tourist. We all share this place, you know? Humility is more powerful than arrogance.

Christian way to vote?

Our girls go to a Christian school which shares its campus with a church. Picking up Erin today, I had Trevor count the number of "Yes on 8" signs on the campus while I concentrated on driving. He reported twenty-two. 22!

The problem I have with this is that it communicates that there is a "Christian way to vote," ignoring the fact that there are Christians on both sides of this or any other issue. And I don't mean just conservative evangelicals vs. "those liberals who don't believe the Bible." Ignoring for the moment how unfair that characterization is, let's stick to Bible-believing, Jesus-is-the-way Christians. You will find such people on both sides -- and this is true of just about any political issue you can come up with.

This is similar to the idea that there is such a thing as "a single Christian worldview," which missiologist Charles Kraft refutes. Sorry. No such thing. So please, don't declare a particular worldview "biblical" and vilify opposing views as "unbiblical". Can one take a stand an issue but maintain humility? I think so.

Wisdom

Learn more at wisdombook.org

(h/t: Mike Todd)

CALL+RESPONSE

CALL+RESPONSE opens tomorrow, for just one week in theaters. In San Jose, it will be showing at the Camera 3 downtown (showtimes) -- just a short walk from my work, so if you go with me, you can have free parking!

The movie was apparently put together with no studio, no distributor, no corporate backing -- just "open source activism" to fight modern-day slavery, featuring interviews with people like Madeleine Albright and performances by musicians like Imogen Heap.

Fight the power.

Update: CNN reports on the film.

Blog martyr

The last song we sang at the service for Kay's father one of his favorites: Once to Every Man and Nation. It's a pretty stark call to Do the Right Thing no matter the cost, and the third verse begins: "By the light of burning martyrs, Christ, thy bleeding feet we track."

This lyric came to mind reading about a Saudi girl who bravely blogged her new faith in Jesus. Her father cut her tongue before setting her ablaze. ++Lord, receive your faithful servant, and the many others around the world who lose their lives for your sake.++ (h/t TSK)

Economic rant

Today the Dow had its biggest single-day drop. Or did it? Yes, if you look at the 777 point drop. But it's percentage that matters, and we're talking about 7%. Now that is still bad, but I learned this stuff in 6th grade when I read How to Lie with Statistics. Didn't anyone else? In terms of percentage drop, this is in the top 20.

I don't know the details of the bill that failed today, but it seems pretty clear that it didn't pass because of the outcry from constituents complaining that that government is bailing out the fat cats. People, people. This is why we have a republic, not a direct democracy: because folks who don't understand economics should not determine economic policy. And I'm no economic expert, I'm just going off the one year of economics I took in college. But I do know this: if money stops moving, we are all in deep, deep doo-doo.

"Don't bail out Wall Street," you cry. Well, today's sharp drop is a shot across the bow: If you don't let your representatives vote yes, you will get your wish and the system will self-correct. And once you've lost your job, and entires companies have gone under, maybe you'll ask yourself if it was worth it.

The Republican Hater's Ball