Sharon Runner is a good friend of mine, and her story is one of God’s great grace and strength - she is a delight…Assemblywoman tackles issues – and a grave illness -- A devout Christian, Assemblywoman Sharon Runner suffers from a fatal disease but said she doesn't pray to God for the one thing likely to save her life: someone else's death. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/27/08

The former pastor of Barack Obama whose words have rallied many but offended others told an audience of 10,000 that his critics get it wrong when they call him divisive and polarizing. "I describe the conditions in this country," the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. said during the NAACP's 53rd annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner. "I'm not here for political reasons. I'm not a politician. I know that fact will surprise many of you because many in the corporate-owned media made it seem like I am running for the Oval Office," Wright said. "I am not running for the Oval Office. I've been running for Jesus a long, long time and I'm not tired yet." Christian Post News

Popular U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham will visit mainland China next month at the invitation of the Chinese Protestant Church. Graham, son of world renowned evangelist Billy Graham , is scheduled to preach at Chong Yi Church in Hangzhou – one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years. Chong Yi Church, which seats 6,000 people, is reportedly the largest church in China. During his evangelistic tour in Hong Kong last November, Graham revealed his plan to visit mainland China , which he said has “a special place” in his heart. Christian Post News

From Albert Mohler’s Blog on the subject: “[New York Time’s Magazine's] April 27, 2008 cover article, " Young Gay Rites ," offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of these young men -- and into their understandings of marriage and its place in American life. Reporter Benoit Denizet-Lewis is interested in the story as a journalist who is himself homosexual, but the article deserves attention by a far larger readership. In their own way, these young men are demonstrating something important about marriage in America.” Also: “We are living in the midst of vast cultural change. It is almost as if an entire civilization is being transformed before our eyes.” Albert Mohler’s Blog

J.I. PACKER TO LEAVE ANGLICAN CHURCH OVER HOMOSEXUAL ORDINATION ISSUE The enormously influential Evangelical leader says he can no longer serve under his local bishop who in 2002 began sanctioning same-sex marriages. Packer’s conservative hermeneutic - leading him to the conviction that the scriptural prohibitions against homosexuality were binding today led to this criticism: “’It's the same process of logic that leads to supporting slavery,’ [the Rev. Kevin] Dixon said, noting that the apostle of Jesus also did not oppose slavery.” Packer calls the church’s position a "persistent unrepentant doctrinal disorder." Vancouver Sun

Karl Rove offers advice to Obama…From the open letter, addressing the Jeremiah Wright issue: “2. When you get into trouble, pick one, simple explanation. And stay with it. Take the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. You said you weren't sitting in church when he said those ugly things. Two days later, you excused him, saying his comments didn't give "a well-rounded portrait" of him. Two days after that, you condemned his statements as "not only wrong but divisive" but still couldn't "disavow him" any more than you could your grandmother. Ten days later, you implied if Wright hadn't retired, you might have left his church. It would have been better to say from the start that Wright's words were wrong and offensive and you should have spoken out earlier. The applause would have been deafening.” Newsweek

Jeremiah Wright stays in the weekend headlines…with a fiery address to the NAACP and an hour-long interview with Bill Moyers. From the NAACP address: "I'm sorry your local political analysts are saying I'm polarizing and my sermons are divisive. I'm not here to address an analyst's opinion. I stand here as one representative of the African-American church tradition, believing that a change is going to come." NYTimes

Health care system pains state voters in poll -- Most Californians are increasingly concerned about the state's health care system, and nearly three-quarters of them would have approved a health care reform plan led by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that failed in the Legislature this year, according to a Field Poll released today. Matthew Yi in the San Francisco Chronicle Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/28/08 Link to the poll here

Does commission on California elected officials' pay have power to cut their salaries? -- A push to cut the salaries of California's statewide elected officials shines a light on an obscure fact in the state constitution: Pay was not meant to be tied to performance. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/28/08

Bank of America to pledge mortgage aid -- In a hearing about its plan to buy Countrywide, the company will promise to help 265,000 troubled borrowers keep their homes and take other steps. E. Scott Reckard in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/28/08

Wider, not higher, sales tax seen as budget fix -- Californians are used to paying as much as 8.75 percent sales tax on automobiles, athletic shoes and widescreen televisions. But what about applying the same rate to carwashes, pedicures and movie tickets? As the state budget gap widens, talk again has turned to the sales tax – not raising the rate, but the possibility of applying it to a range of services that other states tax routinely. Judy Lin in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/27/08

License plate bill would honor slain soldiers -- Kevin Graves says he wishes he had never met his good friend Mike Anderson. Graves, a Discovery Bay resident, joined the ranks of California's tens of thousands of Gold Star families July 25, 2006, when his son, Spc. Joseph Graves, was killed by an improvised explosive device in an ambush in Iraq. Graves had raised Joey, who was 21 at the time of his death, in Discovery Bay as a single parent. Hilary Costa in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/27/08

Schools reclassify students, pass test under federal law -- Will C. Wood Middle School faced a vexing situation when last year's test results came out in August. Most students had met the mark set by No Child Left Behind. But African American students' math scores fell far short of it, bringing the school into failing status in the eyes of the federal law. Laurel Rosenhall and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/27/08