This is a compilation of various things that caught my eye this week. They were things that needed more explanation than I could offer in A La Carte, but not enough that they merited an article of their own.

The Great October Giveaway Winners

The Great October Giveaway comes to a close today. I have already drawn the names of the winners and will be sending emails out shortly. So check your inbox in the new few minutes to see if you’re among the winners.

Amazon Reviews - They Matter

I post almost all of my book reviews at Amazon and, because I write so many reviews, have become one of the top reviewers there (ranked 335 out of approximately 1,000,000). It is always interesting to me to track the reactions to them. I post the majority of my most notable reviews here as well, but of course Amazon represents a much larger, much more diverse readership. What I say at my blog tends to go over well with the readers here, but often doesn’t go over so well at Amazon, especially when I write about Christian bestsellers.

Take my review of Joel Osteen’s Become a Better You. It got a fair number of mentions in the blogosphere (27 blog reactions, according to Technorati), the majority of which were positive. But at Amazon it has been voted on 91 times with only 54 of those people believing it is helpful (You can see it here). This tells me that there is a great deal of interest in this book (which there must be for a book with an initial print run of three million!) and that people are greatly divided on the book.

Then there is the review of Jerry Bridge’s Respectable Sins. It has been voted on 21 times, with all 21 people agreeing that the review was helpful (You can see it here). I take this to mean that the type of people who research and read Jerry Bridges’ books are from a fairly narrow slice of the Christian world.

And then there is the infamous review of Brian McLaren’s Everything Must Change. It is registering 248 votes with 189 of them saying the review was positive. (You can see it here). Of course this book, as with all of McLaren’s, elicits strong reactions, both positive and negative.

What does all of this voting mean? It actually does prove important. The reviews that are deemed most helpful, purely by volume of helpful votes, are included on the main product page for the book. They are the first reviews people see. And since Amazon sells countless millions of books, a good or a bad review there can make a lot of difference as it will be seen by a lot of people. While customers vote on whether or not a review was helpful, in reality the votes are really about whether or not customers agree with the review (which is ironic, since most of these people haven’t actually read the book).

The long and the short is this. If you are an Amazon shopper, you should get in the habit of voting for reviews you find helpful. It really does matter.

The Forgotten 500

Some time ago, Al Mohler recommended a book called The Forgotten 500, a book that tells the story of an amazing but largely forgotten rescue. When he waxes eloquent about a book on the Second World War, I take it as a given that I am going to need to give the book a read. I immediately secured a copy for myself.

During the ongoing bombing campaigns against the massive oil refineries in Romania, a country conquered by Nazi Germany, hundreds of American bomber crews were shot down, far from lands occupied by Allied Forces. Though they had been warned of the risks they took in falling into the hands of the local populace, they were shocked to find the Serbian villagers embracing them and regarding them as conquering heroes. Serbian forces controlled by General Draza Mihailovich helped these American soldiers evade the Germans and eventually helped them organize an incredible rescue operation. Under the very noses of the German army they built an airstrip and landed plane after plane there, taking the Americans back to freedom. The Serbians did this despite knowing that it could cost them their lives. Had the Germans discovered what was happening, they would have tortured and killed entire villages.

This story is set against the backdrop of the Serbian-Croatian conflict with Mihailovich’s Serbian forces battling the opposing Communist Croatian forces, even while they both battled the Germans. The author, Gregory Freeman, shows how the Allied forces came to favor the communists, even after the Serbians saved so many American lives. The communist forces eventually destroyed the Serbian resistance and communism reigned in Yugoslavia for many decades. For this reason the entire operation was buried for years and was largely forgotten. The Forgotten 500, though, brings it all to light, shining some richly-deserved attention on the heroic Serbian forces who gave so much and received nothing in return.

The Forgotten 500 describes a fascinating piece of history and one that was, until now, almost entirely forgotten. And this, just when we thought that there was little new we could say about the Second World War. World War 2 enthusiasts will want to add this book to their collection! You can buy it from Amazon.

Just a couple of things I’ve wanted to mention but haven’t fit anywhere else…

Music: - A couple of weeks ago I received Asleep in a Storm, the latest album from Sovereign Grace Ministries. “Produced by Jeremy White, a member of Grace Church (San Diego, CA), the CD features a fresh take on nine previously released songs, plus one new instrumental track from Jeremy. You'll hear original vocals from Shannon Harris, Vikki Cook, and others, presented in a whole new way.” I’m not so sure of my music terminology anymore, but I suppose this would just be considered dance or techno music. I’ll be honest and say that it’s really not my thing; I’ve never been a fan of dance music. But the CD still brings good, God-glorifying songs in a way that is sure to appeal to a whole new audience.

While we’re on the subject of music, being the Petra geek fan that I am, I recently bought Vertical Expressions, the new album by John Schlitt and Bob Hartman (i.e. “II Guys from Petra”). I was pleasantly surprised. It basically just brings a list of popular worship songs performed by John and Bob. If you’re a Petra fan, I guess you can’t argue with that.

Facebook - A little while ago my wife signed me up for a Facebook account. She had recently discovered the joys of the site and thought I’d enjoy it as well. I haven’t found it all that useful but I suppose that may owe to the fact that I’ve got a blog and assume that most of my friends who want to keep up with my life can do it that way. Still, it’s been fun to link up with some old friends and to meet some new ones.

I got to thinking about Facebook the other day and realized it may well represent the Internet’s greatest bonanza of user information. Sooner or later a big company is going to buy it and will take advantage of millions of people, all of whom share their interests, passions, educations, vocations and so on. Facebook does not currently feature and significant targeted advertising, but it is really just a matter of time, I’m sure, before they do. And with all that information we’re pouring into it, you can be certain that they’ll do so successfully. The site must already be worth billions to Google, Microsoft, and other companies that enjoy the profit that comes with Net-based advertising.

School is out! Yesterday my son finished up his last day of grade one and my daughter had her last day of junior kindergarten on Wednesday, so today marks the official beginning of summer vacation. School ends about a month later in Canada than in the U.S. but also begins a month later (the Tuesday after Labour Day).

This is a long weekend in Canada as July 1 happens to be Canada Day. Since that day falls on a Sunday this year, Monday will serve as the day that all the businesses are closed. We don’t have any big plans this year, but will probably just spend the day as a family. And that sounds good to me.

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iPowerWeb, a hosting company I often recommend to my clients, is offering a special deal from now until July 4. A hosting plan that is usually $7.95/month is now discounted to $4.95, based on a 12 or 24-month plan. So if you are in the market for hosting, this is a good opportunity to get setup and to get setup at a very reasonable cost. Click the banner for more information.

Speaking of hosting, I’ve been noticing that things are beginning to slow down a little it around here. When you post a comment now it often takes 30 or 60 seconds for the page to rebuild. I expect this is an indication that I am stretching my server a little bit. Movabletype, the software I’m using, tends to be a little resource-intensive at times. So it may be that I’ll need to move to a new server (again) before long. The problem is that I’m kind of on the edge of the budget hosting and if I move I fear it’s going to dramatically increase hosting costs. But I’ll worry about that when it becomes absolutely necessary.

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Sorry to keep shilling Discerning Reader, but I recently added a preview of a feature that may be of interest to some people here: Mini-Reviews. These will be very short book reviews that will be suitable for including in church bulletins or for archiving in a church library. They will give an at-a-glance look at a particular book, giving people a very brief overview of the book’s content and an idea of what audience is most likely to enjoy it. We expect churches will want to use them either to showcase books that are currently available to borrow in the church library or to showcase books the members of the congregation may wish to purchase. If you make your way over, you can download some samples. Do let me know if you find them useful and if this is something you’d be willing to use in your church.

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Now that Sicko, Michael Moore’s latest film has been released, Americans are bound to hear a lot about the wonders of the Canadian health care system. As I understand it, Moore’s ultimate proposed solution to the American health care conundrum is to adopt a socialized system similar to what we enjoy in Canada. The truth is, though, that the Canadian system simply isn’t all that and a bag of chips. The system works, but it comes with a cost that most Americans would be unwilling to pay: a heavy tax burden.

This article, which a friend sent to me, does a good job of explaining a few of the system’s shortcomings. Despite what Moore says in his film, we do have long waits in the emergency rooms of our hospitals. It is not unusual to wait five or six hours (or more) for basic emergency care. Waiting times for some procedures such as MRIs or mammograms can be so long that people end up driving across the border into the U.S. where it can be done the same day and for a reasonable cost. Some American clinics even advertise to Canadians, letting them know about this alternative. Elderly people also find that they tend to be deprioritized in the system as there are more patients than doctors, more surgeries needed than slots to do them. Many of our best and brightest doctors head to the States where they can begin a private practice and make more money than they could dream of making here. While it is unconstitutional for the rich to receive better care than the poor, the rich can afford to go to the U.S. and have their needs met there. And this is exactly what they do.

I seem to recall Michael Moore visiting Canada during the filming of Bowling for Columbine and declaring that most Canadians don’t lock their doors. This is, of course, a preposterous lie. We lock our doors good and tight, just the same as our American neighbors. Moore is lying again in Sicko. Our health care system is good, but it has some serious problems. It is certainly not the ultimate solution, and especially so if you dislike 45% tax brackets. And I don’t know too many who do.

For the first time in recent memory, I am at home alone. A couple of the neighborhood children have a birthday party today and my two older children were invited. It is apparently a Taekwondo birthday party. I didn’t know such things existed, to tell the truth. I’m not so crazy about the martial arts, but I guess there can’t be too much harm in letting the kids hang around, kick each other, and eat some pizza for a couple of hours. My wife decided to wait at the party since she is friends with just about all of the parents who will be there. And that left me home alone. And, literally, this is the first time in months.

So what did I do with my newfound freedom? I did my taxes. As a self-employed Canadian I have the privilege of being able to procrastinate until June 15. And, for the first time ever, I’m quite sure, I have turned them in sooner than the day before or the day of. It is great to have that thankless, tedious task off my back. Of course the drawback to being self-employed is that there is generally no such thing as a tax rebate. Instead I have to write a painfully large cheque to the government. I guess someone has to pay for all the “free” health care we enjoy up here. Yet I’m glad to be Canadian and am grateful to live here, even on the day I see my marginal tax rate nicely graphed out for me.

In other news, I still haven’t completed (or started, for that) the Study Guide for my book. I have a better idea of the book’s schedule now and it seems I’ve got until later this summer to finish it off. So that is going to be my summer project. Should be a fun one! And, on the subject of the book, I received the first endorsement for it just last week. It is from what is probably the highest-profile person who agreed to read the manuscript and the endorsement was very encouraging. There are at least six other people who agreed to read it and I’m hoping they’ll pull through as well.

And that’s all you’re going to get out of me today. It’s a beautiful, sunny day; I’m home alone; I’ve got a good book and a can of Coke awaiting my attention. I’m out of here.

Here’s a topic appropriate to a warm Saturday afternoon during a sunny, spring long weekend (or it’s a long weekend up here in Canada, at any rate. Victoria Day, don’t you know…). You have probably found, as I have, that as people get older it becomes more and more difficult to buy them good birthday presents. After all, when you are a child you have no means of getting the things you so desperately want. But as an adult you can usually just buy the things you want and need. Every year when my wife’s birthday rolls around I try to find something to buy her that will surprise her and be at least somewhat exciting. This year I found the perfect gift. Or that’s how she described it. So I post this for the benefit of other men who may be scrambling to find a good gift.

Aileen has a soft spot for soft serve. When she was pregnant it was not at all uncommon for me to head out late at night on a run to McDonald’s to buy her a hot fudge sundae (with extra peanuts). Though no longer pregnant, the ice cream cravings continue to show up quite regularly. Without a baby in her belly she hasn’t had the leverage to get me to do quite as many late night jaunts to the store. But knowing of her love of ice cream I came up with a great gift idea. Since her birthday a couple of weeks ago she has often said that this is the best gift I’ve ever gotten her. I choose to believe that this means that this gift is exceptionally good rather than that the rest have been exceptionally bad.

The Cuisinart Ice-45 Mix It In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker is a marvel. In about 20 minutes it takes 1.5 quarts of sugar, cream and milk and turns it into really good ice cream. It has the unique ability to mix things like M&M’s, peanuts and sprinkles right into the ice cream as it dispenses it. With the purchase of a bottle of chocolate fudge, we can now make the equivalent of a McDonald’s sundae in twenty minutes without having to go out of the house. The other night we tried frozen yogurt (raspberry) and found that really delicious as well. And it made enough for four adults, two children, and a baby.

You can see this little machine at Amazon by clicking here. If you do end up getting ahold of one, here’s an important tip: make sure the freezer bowl is really, really cold. That means you’ll probably need to put it in a chest freezer or turn your refrigerator’s freezer down a few degrees. Since we did that we’ve had no trouble and it makes perfect ice cream every time. And now the ball is in my wife’s court to blow me away when my birthday comes in December!

I returned safely home from the Cleveland area yesterday evening. It is quite a long drive but one that is still faster, I would imagine, than flying since it allows me to avoid waiting in airports, the inevitable airline delays, and all the other trappings of air travel. As always, it is very good to be home. I’ll be here for another two weeks and will then head for Louisville for the New Attitude conference, though this one will be unique in that Aileen and Michaela will be traveling with me. That will mark the end of a busy spring conference schedule!

Because I have a billion emails to catch up with and many clients waiting for my attention, I can do little more than ramble today. So please bear with me. If you are one of the many people who sent me an email about homeschooling, do know that I am making my way through, attempting to read each one and to reply to it thoughtfully.

I really enjoyed The Basics Conference and would definitely recommend it to any pastor. It was another one of those conferences that just seeks to bless and serve and spoil pastors. It seemed that not a detail was overlooked. I enjoyed the fact that it featured lower-profile speakers. This may not seem like a benefit but in a sense it is. When one or more of the really big-name speakers is at a conference (guys like John Piper or John MacArthur) the atmosphere somehow changes. Or that’s how it seems to me. Baucham and Lobb and Thomas are all good speakers and gave good and challenging messages.

There is one aspect of these conferences that I find so moving. At the conference we met a couple who had volunteered to serve doing whatever needed to be done—serving coffee, serving food, cleaning tables, and so on. The husband is a lawyer who represents very high-profile clients and is surely a wealthy and important guy. And yet here he was, traveling across the continent to wait tables and to serve pastors. Where but in the church does one see this? Who but God can help a person like this seek after heavenly treasure when he could so easily be enamored with his earthly treasure. And I see this at almost every conference I attend. I always find it moving.

Changing topics, you may have noticed that I have not yet commented on the Francis Beckwith situation. This is primarily because I have little to say. To be honest, the fact that Beckwith has crossed the Tiber, so to speak, means very little to you or to me or to most Protestants. Sure he was the President of the Evangelical Theological Society, but most of us never even encounter ETS and it never intersects with our lives. So it seems to me that his return to Catholicism has been given a lot of airtime but really has very little significance to the average Christian. There is just one thing I’ll say about it. It seems to me that it is never the simple Bible teachers who convert to Catholicism. People who simply study the Bible and teach it as the Word of God very rarely find Rome attractive. But those who dive into philosophy seem to be more likely to feel themselves drawn to the intellectualism of Rome. They lose sight of the beautiful simplicity of free grace and are drawn to the “grace” of Catholicism, which is really no grace at all. This is not to say that Protestantism is inherently anti-intellectual, but that we depend on Scripture rather than the philosophical constructs of man. It is sad that Beckwith felt the call to return to Rome. I hope he is granted grace to see the error of his ways.

Finally, I am going to re-post a book review in a few moments (I first posted the review some 13 months ago). Don Piper’s 90 Minutes in Heaven continues to appear on the New York Times list of bestsellers and I’d like to post the review again, hoping to intercept Christians who are thinking of reading it. It’s a book that is clearly very popular, but one that offers a view of heaven that is seriously unbiblical.

That’s it for me today. I’ve got work to do and emails to write. I’ll try to have something more interesting to say tomorrow.

Based on many trips over the U.S.-Canada border in the past weeks and months, I’d like to suggest the top ten things not to say to a U.S. Customs agent (or border guard):

10. “Want to bet that I make more than you do?”

9. “So an Iranian, a Cuban and a North Korean walk into a bar…”

8. “Does this look infected?”

7. “Where am I going? To heaven. In fact, the Bible says…”

6. “I’ll take a large fry, a Coke and some chicken nuggets.”

5. “That gun belt sure makes your hips look big.”

4. “This job must be da bomb, man! Da bomb!”

3. “So I guess you couldn’t make it as a cop, huh?”

2. “Do you pronounce it new-clear or new-cu-ler?”

1. “I’ll tell you where I’m from if you tell me where you’re from!”

Okay, so that wasn’t as funny as I had hoped. But here is something that really is funny. At the Ligonier Conference, during a question and answer session, R.C. Sproul told a variation of the following joke:

After getting nailed by a Daisy Cutter, Osama made his way to the pearly gates. There, he is greeted by George Washington. “How dare you attack the nation I helped conceive!” yells Mr. Washington, slapping Osama in the face.

Patrick Henry comes up from behind. “You wanted to end the Americans’ liberty, so they gave you death!” Henry punches Osama on the nose.

James Madison comes up next and says, “This is why I allowed the Federal government to provide for the common defense!” He delivers a kick to Osama’s knee.

The punishment continues as person after person beats on Osama. As he writhes on the ground, Thomas Jefferson picks him up and hurls him back toward the gate where he is to be judged. As Osama awaits his journey to his final destination, he screams, “This is not what I was promised! Where are my 70 virgins?”

“Ooohhhhhh!” replies St. Peter. “You got that all wrong! It's 70 Virginians!”

I’m still laughing at that one.

Moving on to more serious matters, I am going to have to sign off quickly today as my book deadline is looming, now just a week away. I have had several friends send me their feedback and critiques on the book and this has been both educational and humbling. One thing it has made clear to me is just how important it is to be encouraging even during times of critique (and even when a person has specifically requested critique). Page after page of critique can begin to crush the spirit, but it takes only a few encouragements of “Good!” or “Excellent point!” or “Well done!” to restore hope. Without these, the editorial process would seem hopeless. This is something for me to remember in my relationships with others, in the times that I am asked to critique another person’s work, and so on.

I’d ask your continued prayers through this week as I finalize the manuscript and prepare it for the publisher.

I’m finally back in my office. It was just about two weeks ago that I set out for the Shepherds’ Conference and since then I’ve been on the road pretty well the whole time (I did spend one night here after returning from the conference and before heading out to Atlanta, but my actual time at home was only a few hours). It is good to be home. The house is absolutely freezing since we turned the heat off before we left, but I assume it will warm up sooner or later. As it stands now my hands are so cold I can barely type! I’ve spent the morning answering emails and opening the many (many!) packages of books that arrived in my absence. I have got some serious reading to do.

Of course I also have lots of serious writing to do. As you know by now, my book is due at the publisher by April 1, so I’ve got less than two weeks to turn it in. Things are progressing pretty well, as far as I can tell. I really don’t have much to go on since I have never written a book before, but I am fairly comfortable with where things stand right now. My main task is to finish the final chapter…and then to finish it again. I am planning on writing two versions of the final chapter for reasons you’ll understand when or if you actually read the book. After that, there is some editing that remains to be done, but nothing too significant. I have sent the book to a list of friends and acquaintances for their comments and have been encouraged by what I’ve heard back from them. As much as I am enjoying the writing process, I’ll be grateful when it is complete.

My next conference is Twin Lakes and it is coming up in three weeks. A question I continue to face as I meet people at these conferences is “So is this what you do? You go from conference to conference?” My answer is “Only for this year.” I am really enjoying these live-blogging opportunities and see it as the chance to meet a lot of people and to see many different ministries in action. Since I had so many opportunities this year I thought I would accept as many as was feasible…but only for this year. As of next year I think I will accept fewer. As much as I enjoy them, I find it difficult to be on the road so much and to be away from my family and my job. I hope to have a lot to reflect on by the end of the conference season. I’m sure I will live-blog more conferences next year, but will try to accept fewer of the opportunities.

And that’s it for me. I have got lots to do to get back into “real life.” I will resume “normal” posting here as of tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!

I spent pretty well the entire week reading my book out loud to myself. You can’t even begin to imagine how sick I am of reading (and hearing) parts of that book. For six months I have read portions of myself time and time again. And again. And again. But with 28 days until my deadline, I was able to send nine of its ten chapters to a few friends for their feedback. Chapter ten is still in the works, but I’m looking forward to having friends, family and acquaintances hack apart what I’ve sent through to them so far. It looks like the book will top out at around 60,000 words or so. We’re still on track for a January ‘08 publication date.

Before I get back to the book, I wanted to point out a couple of interesting items.

In-Vitro Fertilization - Pulpit Magazine, The Online Magazine of the Shepherds’ Fellowship just published an interesting article dealing with in-vitro fertilization. They rely on Dr. Michael Frields, who serves as the chairman of gynecology at Glendale Adventist Hospital and is a member of Grace Community Church and proceed from several assumptions:

• God opens and closes the womb according to His sovereign will (Gen. 29:31; 30:22; Ps. 127:3; 1 Sam. 1:5-6).
• It is acceptable for Christians to take advantage of extant medical technology as long as the specific methods do not violate the clear teaching of Scripture or the believer's conscience (cf. Rom. 14).
• Life begins at conception (Ps. 51:5; 139:13-16).
• No human life should be destroyed (Gen. 9:6; Ex. 20:13).
• Physical intimacy between a husband and a wife is the means God designed to produce offspring (Gen. 2:24; Prov. 5:16-17).

Based on this, they arrive at ten conclusions. Numbers 8 and 10 seemed most significant to me.

8 - “Scripture does not specifically address in-vitro fertilization and surrogacy per se. However, as stated at the outset, physical intimacy between a husband and a wife is the means God designed to produce offspring. For this reason, we believe that Christians should not use methods that employ donated eggs or sperm from a third party. Nor should they use methods that utilize a third party as the carrier of a baby resulting from the implantation of a husband's sperm and his wife's egg (such as surrogacy). The disastrous ramifications of Abraham and Sarai’s attempt to use Hagar as a third party in order to continue Abraham’s line in Genesis 16—particularly the tension that resulted between the two women—may serve as a warning for those intending to pursue methods involving a third party.” In other words, there is nothing inherently wrong with in-vitro fertilization. Other points provide important caveats.

10 - “Along with various medical options, Christian couples should seriously consider adoption, which is both a viable and God-honoring option (cf. Jam. 1:27).”

It is quite a good article and well worth reading. I haven’t looked much into this topic, but this seems quite a rational presentation of the Christian perspective on it.

Phunnies - Phillip Way wrote a funny article about Canada and Canadians. He also claims to have found my long-lost twin—one I was apparently separated from at birth.

Enjoy your weekend! I have to go to the Passport office on Monday to get a passport for Michaela so may be a little bit late posting. Tuesday I’ll be heading back to California to bring liveblogging of the Shepherd’s Conference. It’s going to be a busy week!

My day began at 5 A.M. today. I have an early morning flight to Los Angeles that should get me to the smoggy city just in time for lunch at the In and Out burger closest to L.A.X.. I’m already looking forward to it. I’ll be in L.A. until Monday evening so I can bring blog coverage of the Resolved Conference. Some 3,000 college students (and one thirty year old guy) will be gathering to worship God, to ponder Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions (I assume), and to listen to teaching from the likes of Rick Holland, C.J. Mahaney, John MacArthur and John Piper. It promises to be a wonderful event and I am looking forward to it. A conference dealing primarily with that younger age group will be a new experience for me and I anticipate that I’ll enjoy it. I look forward to being encouraged by, and hopefully attempting to encourage, these young Christians.

The conference wraps up just after lunch on the Monday and my flight doesn’t leave until near midnight (As with the Shepherd’s Conference last year, I’ve opted to catch the red-eye flight home.). I am hoping to find something more fun to do that last year when I spent 6 hours in the airport terminal reading. It was edifying but not awfully exciting. I’ll be traveling with someone this year and I’m sure we’ll find something fun to do.

Changing topics, I found this article interesting. I have often pondered the connection between global warming and evolution. This columnist has done the same, but has brought the ideas together enough to actually write about it. Of course I disagree with the kind of evolution he believes in, but it does seem that people who hold to the idea that we are facing an imminent global warming crisis are being somewhat inconsistent with their evolutionary beliefs. I am still searching for a firm position on global warming. So much of the information dealing with the issue is politically charged and politically motivated that I find it very difficult to believe it. So I continue to explore and to find measured, deliberate defenses of both sides. I don’t want hysteria and I don’t want politics. I just want the facts.

I have not had time to put together an A La Carte for today, but did want to add a link to and article written by a friend of mine who pastors a church in a state I’ve never been to. He discusses potential problems in regarding church buildings as casually as many people do today.

And that is it for me. I have a bus/taxi/airport transportation vehicle to catch and a plane to catch after that. Tune in late tonight for the first post from the far corner of the continent. As always, your prayers for traveling mercies and your prayers for the safety and well-being of my family are much appreciated.