pat loughery

Several wildfires raged throughout Southern California this weekend, in the hills surrounding Los Angeles, burning some 35,000 acres (55 sq mi) and destroying around 1,000 homes as California's Fire Season extends toward becoming a year-round condition. Dry Santa Ana winds of up to 70 mph drove flames and embers across valleys and into neighborhoods, in some cases burning only a few homes, in others, wiping out entire communities. Most of the fires are contained now – the causes still under investigation. Fortunately, few injuries and no deaths have been reported, as some 50,000 evacuees begin returning to their homes to assess the damage. (35 photos total)

Great idea: A worship leader posts a blog entry about his most recent worship set, and then asks others to post theirs so folks can learn from each other.

An excellent story on one person's adjustment in moving from the city to the suburbs, and why that has been a good thing for the family.

A core identity marker of Orthodox faith is the goal of theosis / deification. You can begin to understand it as "growing in Christlikeness", but it's more than that. here's a great resource to read on this topic..