Time's running out...

...to nominate the best posts of 2005 to Mister Snitch! (Deadline is today.)

...to submit questions for Greta (Hooah Wife) Perry's blog interview to Basil. (Deadline is tomorrow.)

...to submit questions for Basil's blog interview to Greta. (Deadline is also tomorrow.)

And TulipGirl suggests an interesting end-of-year exercise -- making a Mondo Beyondo list.

This isn't a resolutions list of eating healthier and spending wiser. This is the mondo beyondo list, the ideas that tug at your heart and are almost out of reach even of day dreams.

It's also the last chance for giving to count as a 2005 tax deduction. Here are some of my recommendations for end-of-year giving:

Prison Fellowship
Mend Pregnancy Resource Center
John 3:16 Mission
Cornerstone Assistance Network

These groups are all involved not only in helping people through tough circumstances, but helping them build a better foundation for the future, and as far as I am aware, they receive no government funds are entirely dependent on donations for support. And they're easy to overlook in a year of natural disasters here and abroad.

Another group that often gets an end-of-year gift from us is Peculiar People. It's hard to describe what they do. They're actors and writers and use their skills to communicate the Gospel to believers and non-believers alike, but that doesn't tell the whole story. They are not of the all-too-common belief that a good message makes up for bad art. They work for (and achieve) excellence in their own craft and in those they train and encourage. (They also put out the funniest fundraising letters I've ever seen.) The only time I've seen them perform was 15 years ago at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, but I've never forgotten it. They did a sketch called "The Clicker," which goes beneath the surface of the standard missionary slide show to give the audience a glimpse of the dreams and struggles of a missionary couple. Christians ought to be engaged in the arts, not only in explicitly religious ways but ars gratia artis, glorifying God by the excellence of their work. Groups like Peculiar People are worth encouraging with your donations and prayers.