Saturday, May 16, 2009

36 Hours in Toronto - NYTimes.com

36 Hours in Toronto - NYTimes.com

The NYT did a little profile of my city. I learned some things...

AS one of the planet’s most diverse cities, Toronto is oddly clean and orderly. Sidewalks are spotless, trolleys run like clockwork, and the locals are polite almost to a fault. That’s not to say that Torontonians are dull. Far from it. With a population that is now half foreign-born — fueled by growing numbers of East Indians, Chinese and Sri Lankans — the lakeside city offers a kaleidoscope of world cultures. Sing karaoke in a Vietnamese bar, sip espresso in Little Italy and catch a new Bollywood release, all in one night. The art and design scenes are thriving, too, and not just on the bedazzled red carpets of the Toronto International Film Festival, held every September. Industrial zones have been reborn into gallery districts, and dark alleys now lead to designer studios, giving Canada’s financial capital an almost disheveled mien.

51% identify as 'pro-life' in U.S. - Los Angeles Times

51% identify as 'pro-life' in U.S. - Los Angeles Times:

"For the first time since it began asking the question in 1995, Gallup reported Friday, a majority of adults questioned for its annual survey on values and beliefs -- 51% -- said that when it comes to abortion, they consider themselves 'pro-life'; 42% consider themselves 'pro-choice.' (The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.)"

Friday, May 15, 2009

Mohler on the Ministry

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory:

"Jesus Christ calls his ministers from the ranks of the incompetent, so that He will show his singular competence through them. He uses earthen vessels to demonstrate his own life in us. He confounds the wisdom of the wise by using the unworthy to demonstrate his worth."

Thursday, May 14, 2009

And... We Have a Winner!

Julian and I are pleased to announce the winner to our FREE REGISTRATION contest for the Toronto Pastors Conference. First, you can read his winning entry!

Years ago, the leaders of the church of which I was a member were fasting (I do not remember what the issue was that had caused the fast to be called). At a meeting of the church a set of scales was placed on the platform and the leaders took their turns being weighed to see who had lost the most weight and was therefore “best faster.” Each weigh-in was accompanied by appropriate boos or cheers depending on the result. Didn’t Jesus say something about how we should fast? (Matthew 6:16-18)


Yikes!

Thanks to all of you submitted entries. It was quite remarkable to read them.

As our winner, Ken Davis receives a full registration to the conference and the thrill of knowing that he experienced the strangest church business meeting known to man.