Yesterday I made the 16 hour drive from NECC in San Antonio back home. There was plenty of time during the day to reflect upon our country and the blessings of our Lord through the country in which we live. While these reflections don't necessarily have anything to do with technology and education, I do feel compelled to share them nonetheless:

Regular readers of LutheranTech know that the focus of this blog tends to be on technology, education, and ministry. But there are times when larger ministry issues are on my mind, spurring thoughts that I believe might have value for the larger group of Lutheran educators. Clearly there is a great deal of angst in our country over rising gas prices and the entire economic picture. Lutheran schools, especially those who are almost entirely tuition based in their funding, are feeling the pinch as they seek to maintain enrollment targets and meet budget strictures. However, it is during unsettling times such as these that opportunities for ministry and service often emerge, and Lutheran schools, churches, and related ministries are uniquely prepared to respond to those who are unsettled by life in 2008 and looking for a firm foundation in uncertain times.

OK....the title is a cheap play on words from the title of a popular Christian book, but it really is appropriate for this post.

Friday was our last day of school for the 2007-2008 term. As a result, my thoughts are turning to more creative and futuristic themes -- themes which get shoved aside when the school year gets busy. One of these thoughts is working through a more intentional analysis of our current church/school website and working on improving this essential ministry tool.

The Post-American World is a volume that is getting a lot of buzz in the media and blogosphere these days. This book, written by Newsweek correspondent Fareed Zakaria, studies the fundamental changes taking place in the realms of economics and geopolitics taking place in the world today. The quotes which I've read make it seem like this book is almost a natural follow-up volume to The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman. I cannot wait to get a full copy of the book in my hands. In the meantime, here are a few quotes from the book, as compiled by the Two Million Minutes blog:

I am sitting at the Denver airport awaiting my flight to Minneapolis for the LEA Convocation. I am thankful for the free wifi here in the gate area for it allows me to pass the time productively.

I will be a part of the Technology Share-a-Thon at the pre-conference technology session on Thursday morning. I will be introducing our multi-class wiki and discussing how wikis might be used in education. There is such potential for using this tool for collaboration in bringing Lutheran schools and our students together. In case you are interested and not able to attend the Convocation, or if you are not able to attend this session, presentation slides and notes may be found here.

A lot of what I write about in this blog relates specifically to education. There are many ways in which I've used streaming video, such as through United Streaming or even YouTube or TeacherTube, for education. But on Saturday I experienced the blessing of streaming video in another way.

Did anything memorable (apart from the obvious) happen at your wedding? Do you have a funny wedding story to tell? Read on...

Is your church geared for consumers or producers? Read on to see what I mean.

Did anyone tell you to "have a nice day" today? Do you remember the yellow buttons and smiley faces that proclaimed that message? Read on to find out where the smiley face came from.

Lent begins soon. What time is Lent? Read on to find out...

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions? It the time of year when they fade.