Dave Diller, at Renovate, is doing a series on Philemon (1, 2, 3). LL Barkat sticks to her principles. This is a good illustration (and a good story) of “desultory” reading — the kind of reading that lets what you read shape what you read next. 13 ways to help your marriage. LaVonne on overeating … good reading, her touch of tarragon being wit.

On that John Piper tornado swirl, see iMonk and Greg Boyd.

Incoming first year students love this guy. They might not like this guy, who would probably insist they read the whole book because he’s a “completist.” Wonderful essay, but Barth at 5 pages per hour is a sign that Barth’s not a good writer. Brett on “home.” The red bucket.

How about water with Luci Shaw? How can we bring back a genuine messianic hope? Derek Leman points the way. We follow Renew, and I hope you do too. Josh Mann has good insights on what it means today to speak of “civil submission.” Is this the creation mandate of Genesis 1 in new form? Is this the next leadership?

Are these your questions? Are these your ideas of the Christian life?

Technology: Facebook on the march? I agree: Twitter World needs some changes.

More importantly, what are the social media doing to “friendship”?

1. What are you not giving up during our recession?
2. Christian persecution in Pakistan observed at CNN.com but I’m not hearing this from anyone else.
3. Whoa, this piece on “squeaking by on 300 grand” is worth your effort.
4. Krauthammer on the Preventive Care Myth: “Reform proponents repeat this like a mantra. Because it seems so
intuitive, it has become conventional wisdom. But like most
conventional wisdom, it is wrong. Overall, preventive care increases medical costs.”
5. This piece by Victor Davis Hanson, who is far right, might be the agenda for the Republicans for the next four years.
6. Opposition gone viral.
7. Quite the conversation in the NYTimes about the value of teacher training courses and how compensation works. The “Teach for America” program has more than its share of critics.
8. Timothy Noah‘s argument for the public option and, without it, he argues the insurance companies will become even more powerful.
9. There’s been some on the left side of the government claiming Obama has shifted on the public option, but Karen Tumulty’s reporting might indicate otherwise.
10. Cyberdefamation — this is a serious issue and I suspect we will see more lawsuits against people who use the internet, blogs, websites, twitter, Facebook, etc for wrong and hurtful and defaming comments. Cyber-coming-out.

Sports:

YE Yang stared and stared at the Tiger and the Tiger had no roar left. Very impressive mental performance by Yang.

9.58 — just sayin’.