Most of you by now will have seen the news stories on CNN or other national news outlets about the gunman who showed up at the New Life church in Colorado Springs yesterday, killing 2 teenage sisters, and wounding their father and two other adults. 

The good news is, it wasn't a lot worse.  An early morning incident in a Denver mission center about 90 miles away (still unknown if it was the same guy) sent the churches here into security mode, which included several armed volunteer guards patrolling the New Life church grounds.  One of those volunteer guards stepped in quickly and prevent what could have been a much bigger catastrophe.

Now, like a large number of Springs residents, I don't hold much truck with New Life Church. I rather strongly disagree with their theology and politics, and they can get a little evangelically pushy around town.  But New Life is a big part of this city.  Agree with them or not, you can't live here and *not* have at least some friends, neighbors or coworkers who are members. We have all of the above.  So far none who knew any of the victims directly, but they're all thinking how an hour or less could have made all the difference. 

Colorado Springs is a resilient kind of place--it takes a certain hardiness of spirit to live in a desert at 6000 feet, and the people here will get through this.  But the city is a very subdued place today, and it's going to be aching this holiday season.  As we all sit down to Christmas dinner, we'll all be thinking of those 2 empty chairs in a home somewhere nearby where two teenage sisters should be sitting.  So if you have any prayers or good thoughts to spare today, please send them to the family of the girls, their people of their church, and the city in general.

Teens Accused of Making Ostrich Impotent

BERLIN (AP) -- Three teenagers may be on the hook for a hefty fine if a court decides that their festive firecrackers outside an eastern German farm scared the libido right out of an ostrich named Gustav.

Rico Gabel, a farmer in Lohsa, northeast of Dresden, is claiming $6,450 in damages for the alleged antics of the three youths, ages 17-18, between Dec. 27 and 29, 2005.

According to his lawsuit, the farmer claims that fireworks set off by the boys made the previously lustful Gustav both apathetic and depressed, and thus unable to perform for a half-a-year with his two female breeding partners.

Before Gustav regained his sex drive in the second half of the year, the farmer estimates he lost out on 14 ostrich offspring - worth $460 apiece.

The suit is due to be heard next Monday in a regional court in nearby Bautzen, the court said Monday. The teenagers' names were not released.