Jason Locke's Blog

Today's edition of the Fresno Bee announced a special distinction for the city of Fresno. Fresno is #1 in the nation in car theft. Our rate of theft is well ahead of #2 Modesto, CA. Eight of the "top ten" cities are in California. The other two are in Washington state. Eight car were stolen per on thousand residents. Our local law enforcement officials blame the state's budget woes. They say the majority of cars are being stolen by only a handful of thieves. The cops know who they are and are able to catch them in the act. They arrest them, only to have them released hours later because there is no money to house prisoners who are waiting for arraignment and trial. So they go right back out and steal more cars. Then they skip their court dates. And it never ends. At least no one has stolen my Subaru yet. Not sure why.

On a recent episode of Travel with Rick Steves , Rick interviewed pastor and publisher Jim Wallis. Jim is perhaps best known for his recent as editor and publisher of  Sojourners magazine . Jim calls himself as "progressive evangelical." I deeply appreciate the fact that Rick Steves is a Christian who doesn't hide his faith. Rick has occasional shows that highlight the relationship between travel and faith. These are usually fantastic conversations. The radio show on April 16, 2011, was especially good because of an interview with Jim Wallis and a discussion about "travel as a spiritual act." Click on the link below to hear the show. You can also get the podcast through iTunes or on the Rick Steves website . Rick Steves' interview with Jim Wallis The interview with Jim Wallis begins at 33:25 in the show.

The news of last week's devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri splashed across the nation. Its destruction was among the worst disaster ever caused by a single tornado. The vibrant city of Joplin will never again be the same. The tornadoes that struck central Alabama in early May already seem a distant memory, but the wreckage and rebuilding will take years. For those who want to give money to those disaster relief and rebuilding efforts, I encourage you to look over the following information. I've reprinted this list from The Christian Chronicle . To visit their websites, just click on the name of the organization. Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort  shipped semi-truck loads full of supplies to hard-hit communities in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. In keeping with its practice after wildfires, floods, hurricanes and other tornadoes, the Nashville, Tenn.-based ministry worked with local churches, including t he  Hackleburg Church of Christ   in...

I just finished watching the championship match of the European Champions League. FC Barcelona dominated Manchester United on the way to a 3-1 victory in London. "Barca" reaffirmed their position as the best club in the world. Barcelona is basically an extension of the Spanish national team with the addition of a couple Brazilians and Lionel Messi from Argentina -- as if they weren't good enough already. Watching Barcelona is like watching the Spanish national team, and vice versa. They control the ball with amazing grace and accuracy. Against Man U, the ball was in Barca's possession for literally two-thirds of the match. That's an unbelievable statistic for a match of this caliber. Of course ball possession matters not if one can't score. But Barca dominated in scoring chances, too, with nearly 20 shots to Man U's feeble 6 or 7. Manchester United is no small or feeble team. It's an all-star team with internationals from all over the globe. But ag...

So the much ballyhooed rapture did not occur on Saturday. Surprise! You'd love to see a little remorse from the false prophet who predicted this thing. But no. He simply says that it is actually October 21. You know what they say: "Fool me once--shame on you. Fool me twice--shame on me." Of course, I didn't buy it from the very start. The only people I feel badly for are those gullible individuals who actually believed the false prophet, Harold Camping. There was the family from Maryland who cashed out everything, took the high school kids out of school, spent their money on advertising, and then traveled the country. Or there was the guy from Connecticut who spent a bunch of money to rig up his car with a giant billboard on it. He drove it back and forth to New York City every day so that he could promote the rapture. I do feel somewhat badly for those folks--even though they should have known better. I'm just sorry to admit that Harold Camping the false pr...

Hm, how to dress on the 21st?

Various explanations abound about why to go on a short-term mission trip. Some reasons are emotionally charged. Others stem from a basic desire to help people. I am a proponent of short-term missions, but I think churches need to carefully consider the purpose of these trips. Churches need to be good stewards, and the cost of some short-term work necessitates a thoughtful evaluation of goals, needs and resources. Also, poorly identified goals cause a church to miss opportunities for the deep transformation of lives both at home and abroad. For example, let's say that a church group wants wants to build a house in Mexico. The folks who help raise and administer missions funding need to ask what the #1 priority is. If the goal is only to build a house, then can we say that the best and most effective approach is to send a team of 25 teens with chaperones to build that house? My answer is "no." If house-building is the primary goal, then more houses could be built more e...