Daily Grit by Wes Thorp

To get more guys to go to church tomorrow, make the church magnetic to them

Promise Keepers (PK) has been losing its starch over the past few years.  The national Christian men's ministry used to be a must-go event.  Now for many men, it's just ignored.

Many men are bombing out on church too. 

On its website, PK provides five tips to get more guys in church and one of them is not to start a men's ministry.  Some create a stereotype about men that some might argue with, but it's worth reading.

It's a truth that lots of guys find church services a big yawn. 

The question is, would taking these five suggestions make a difference?

Technorati Tags: promise keepers, church, men,

Powered by ScribeFire.

Was Gov. Granholm's administration not watching when Lansing's alleged serial killer was put on parole?

Lansing's alleged serial killer Matthew Macon was paroled from prison about two months ago.

From the "Lunch Bucket Conservative", check the long list of conditions Macon was supposed to observe during his parole.

In its hunt to save money, one wonders whether Gov. Granholm's administration jumped the gun on releasing him.

The Michigan Legislature needs to perform some serious legislative oversight on this issue.


Technorati Tags: lansing, serial killer, michigan, jennifer granholm, parole, michigan department of corrections

Powered by ScribeFire.

Question: Any tips for painting aluminum siding?

I mistakenly thought that I could clean the aluminum siding on my house and garage with a high-pressured sprayer.  It didn't work.

The siding looks like it has blotches of dirt spots. 

I think painting might be the only answer. Anybody have suggestions? Getting vinyl siding is not an answer right now. 

I will research the question on the web.

Technorati Tags: aluminum siding, home repair, do-it-yourself, painting

Powered by ScribeFire.

Is the local news media up to reporting next steps for alleged Lansing serial killer?

As a resident of the city of Lansing (MI), I really want to breathe easier with the arrest of the alleged serial killer. 

In the past month, five women here have been murdered and a sixth survived a beating.  As people got more edgy about what was happening, local officials felt more pressure to take toss-up anti-crime measures.

But as the captured suspect moves through the criminal justice process, a big question seems to be about the media.

Will the local media live up to its historical role of being the eyes and ears of local residents to make sure that the spotlight of public attention is turned on all relevant questions?

With this suspect, there are so many questions on so many layers:

• What did the state parole board miss in releasing him from prison about a month before he allegedly committed his first homicide?
• As a juvenile offender charged with sex offenses was there anything missed that should have been a tipoff to his future actions?
• What evidence does police have that he committed each of the homicides?
• Would high-powered outdoor cameras as proposed by the mayor have prevented any of these crimes?

The questions are many and local officials will provide many, but it's the media who provide the extra set of eyes and who provide accountability.

We need a strong local news media as much as we need a strong police department.


Technorati Tags: lansing, serial killer, michigan, news media

Powered by ScribeFire.