I fought the flu and the flu won

Well, I guess it didn't completely win, or I wouldn't be here typing this! However, I'm still not 100 per cent after a five-day bout with the nastiest, most vicious flu bug I've ever done battle with. Any of you out there who've gone through this, you have my deepest empathy. This stuff absolutely kicks your behind!

Just a couple of things to pass along today:

A moving account

Author Jeri Massi shares a moving account of a cancer scare. When Jeri is at her best, her writing feels like a benediction.

Something scary out of NRB...

I've heard this before, but the implications are ominous. The Associated Press reports that at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Anaheim, NRB president Frank Wright expressed concerns about efforts to reinstate the so-called "Fairness Doctrine."

The doctrine (repealed in 1987) required broadcasters to give equal time for opposing views on controversial issues. Wright sounds a warning knell about the disastrous effect that this would have on Christian broadcasting...and he says laws concerning hate speech could make it illegal to broadcast the Biblical teachings on things like homosexuality.

Sobering stuff.

Just one Grammy comment...OK, maybe two...

I did see a bit of the Grammies last night before turning in early.

I was really impressed with Alicia Keys...I thought her solo performance was powerful, and I liked her duet with Jamie Foxx.

But what was up with the duet between Jennifer Lopez and her husband, Marc Anthony? Granted, Marc can sing. But I thought the whole thing was overwrought and pretentious, and JLo's voice seemed to be going flat several times. It was like she couldn't handle a song that required some vocal chops.

Criticizing Kinkade?

I'm no art critic...I tend to be drawn to things just because I think they're purty. :)

But Joe Carter at The Evangelical Outpost has some interesting observations about the works of Thomas Kinkade, the so-called "Painter of Light."

I don't own any of Kinkade's paintings, but I've seen several that appeal to me strongly simply because of the beauty of the scenes. And there's something to be said for spreading loveliness around.

But Joe does have some intriguing comments. Doubtless a talented painter, is Kinkade selling himself short now in the interest of appealing to the consumer? I had never seen the samples of his earlier work, and they really are very cool. They seem to convey more raw feeling and less polished fantasy, without sacrificing any of the appealing beauty. At least, in my humble opinion.