Guns and Violence
March 2020 was the second highest month for gun sales, ever ( started this post in April). That is until June and July came around. Starting in 2008, gun sales have been on a steady upward trajectory. Before this latest trending upward of sales the highest month for gun sales was the month following the […]
“Making it Out” of the Barrio
Why are there places in the US that people have to make it out of?
Confessions about Money
My wife and I had a conversation about money this morning. Not about if we had enough (we don’t), or how we manage it (we could be better), rather about how we think about it. We resolved to do some things differently, specifically with regard to how we think about “money” in general. I will […]
MLK Day 2020
I wrote this article for our church blog to encourage participation at our MLK 2020 event. This is an expanded version. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. and was first honored as such on January 20, 1986. King’s actual birthday is January 15. […]
Happiness
Read the two articles linked below. One is a summary,the other is an in depth discussion of the following eight categories that the author (Roger Walsh) calls TLC’s (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes). I grew up in a culture that undervalued happiness. It wasn’t the highest virtue by any stretch, it paled comparison to “joy”, and was […]
We Are the Circus
“Without the circus he is just a lonely clown.” – Bill Maher Trump is our President. We did this, and it is a reflection of us. At least a good part of us. And that is the rub. For those of us who don’t see “us” in him, this is a painful and reluctant realization. […]
Book Review: Junkyard Wisdom
Roy Goble is my friend. The first day I met him, I hated him. We met in 1977 as incoming freshman at Westmont College. He is a Giants fan; I bleed Dodger blue. One of the first things we did together was play catch. We have done a lot of things together since then and […]
10 Reasons to allow a Mosque near Ground Zero
I have a feeling I am going to be in the minority on this one… My parents are Russian immigrants. They left Russia for greener pastures fleeing Stalin and to a lesser degree looking for religious freedom. My mom was a Russian Baptist, my dad a Molokan. The Molokans especially were in the minority and […]