Planning And Creativity…

Now that I set my own schedule I have found that sometimes not setting a schedule is the best option. Up until my retirement I was the epitome of a planner. When I started my professional work life in 1970 I used to fill out a weekly 3 x 5 card with everything I needed to accomplish that week. When desktop computers came in the 1980s I switched to it for my weekly schedule.  I put my six-inch pile of cards in a drawer and proudly kept them for twenty years. I was a planner and proud of it. When … Continue reading Planning And Creativity…

The Unwanted Other…

In my opinion, those concerned with justice must lead the fight to re-humanize those we have considered criminal. Rather than looking at individuals as the unwanted other we must begin to learn their stories and connect with them as people again. We must aggressively seek to eradicate the incarceration of our young people and provide services rather than prisons. Though once outlawed, at the beginning of the twentieth century, private corporations once again can own and operate prisons for profit. The juvenile justice system is the feeder for these privately owned adult prisons, if we are going to dismantle this … Continue reading The Unwanted Other…

Any Similarities???

                    I can’t help it. I’m dabbing my toes into the political arena here. When I saw the picture on the left recently I was immediately struck by how similar these two guys appear. Except for one having a little more hair than the other they could be brothers.  And the effect they have on the country is almost identical. They both use fear as their prime motivator. They both are extreme narcissists who care very little for the good of their country. They seek personal attention above ABSOLUTELY everything else. They … Continue reading Any Similarities???

During Doctor Visits….

That second set of ears belongs to Sharon Wolozin, who takes notes the old-fashioned way – with pen and paper – and then reads some of the main points aloud to confirm them with the doctor. If the patient forgets a question she told Wolozin she planned to ask, Wolozin will remind her. But she is not an advocate and has no medical training. “We don’t get between the doctor and the patient,” said Wolozin. Her role is only to create an accurate record of what happened at the appointment that she gives to Couturier, who can then share it … Continue reading During Doctor Visits….

Religious Diversity…

What About The Bible… ? (Chapter 5) I used to mourn the fact that there are almost 40,000 different versions of Christianity around today. But, in reality maybe I should celebrate that statistic. At least it shows that we are all trying to find the heart of God. But the problem with this is that we end up picking the type of God we want. I don’t think that is really how God wants it to be but it seems that is the way it is for most of us. Some choose to try to discover God on our own. … Continue reading Religious Diversity…

Muzzling God….

Time and again, those who opposed Jesus would quote Scripture. They would remind him of the Sabbath law, the requirement to fast, the provision for divorce, and the penalty for adultery. Jesus seemed unimpressed with a person’s ability to quote Scripture. His interest was in a person’s ability to hear God’s voice. He said, “He who belongs to God hears what God says” (John 8:47). To limit the word of God to the written word is to muzzle God. Gulley, Philip; Mulholland, James (2009-03-17). If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person Continue reading Muzzling God….

The Essence Of God…

Everyone from the day after Jesus ascended into the clouds has been seeking the essence of Christ. One of the first ones was probably Paul of Tarsus.  Except for that brief encounter with the spirit of Jesus on road to Damascus a few years after he physically left us, he had no personal contact. Today there are 40,000+ different organized version of this essence and probably thousands of personal versions inside each of those. It seems that each one of  these 40k groups are convinced that their version is the only real one. We all want to know what the … Continue reading The Essence Of God…

David Simon…

To all my more conservative readers, if I actually have any, I want to give you a head’s up. This post is about David Simon. No I am not talking about the billionaire David Simon who is CEO of the Simon Property Group. The David Simon we will be hearing from is an in-your-face Baltimore liberal who doesn’t parse many of his words. I know that many who come across these types of people immediately head for the exits.  But I think that even if we don’t agree with a lot of what he says he still can give us … Continue reading David Simon…

Its All About Sharing…

This is going to be one of those totally off-the-wall unrealistic posts that pops off the top of my head. But it sure would be great if somehow, anyhow it could be accomplished. So here goes. We all know that profits are the total 100% driver for American businesses for the last thirty years or so.  Ever since the MBA’s took over during the Reagan years profits are the god of business.  Of course directly linked to profits are CEO’s pay. I believe that other things besides global competition have contributed to the income inequality now in this world. When … Continue reading Its All About Sharing…

Don’t Take Life Too Serious…

Do the best you can, and don’t take life too serious. Will Rogers This is one of my favorite quotes from my hero Will Rogers. He just had a way of finding humor at almost all situations. I try to emulate him in that regard. I often mention that much of what I say has a certain level of jest in it.  I just love pulling people’s chains because some just take life too serious. Some of my readers and especially one who was once a frequent commentor seemed to often forget that. She took almost everything I post here … Continue reading Don’t Take Life Too Serious…

Conformity…..

Conformity is kind of a dirty word for me. I think of myself as anything but a conformist. A big part of conformity is accepting what you are told without questions. That makes good soldiers but I don’t think it makes good citizens.  Here are a couple of quotes from one of my heroes on this topic. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science. The important thing is not to stop questioning. — Albert Einstein When we quit questioning we allow others to tell … Continue reading Conformity…..

The Bible — History Book Or Idol???

What About The Bible… ? Chapter 4 When we treat the Bible as a history book we come to more thoroughly understand the varied opinions put forth. But I very much understand that a significant portion of those who call themselves Christians believe that every word, every punctuation mark came directly from God and therefore is literally true and without the possibility of any error. It seems to me that this group of Christians actually put the Bible itself above Jesus’ messages and therefore have made it into an idol to be worshiped in and for its own sake.  The … Continue reading The Bible — History Book Or Idol???

Divided States Of America…

When will the USA become the DSA? Will it be in my lifetime or further out? I don’t really think I have an answer to this dilemma but if things don’t change soon I think that, like the Russian professor who generated the map shown here, the DSA is a very distinct possibility. I am proud that our forefathers had the wisdom to create a constitution that has allowed us to flourish for more than two-hundred years. But that does not insure that the USA is a perpetual entity. Division seems to be the way of the world right now. … Continue reading Divided States Of America…

Text Message From God….

It would be so much easier if God spoke to us through burning bushes or from boiling clouds, or even just sent a text message. But unfortunately, we’re expected to discern what God’s call is on our life, without specific, written-down instructions, custom made for each of us on what to do. SOURCE: When do you know something is a calling from God? | Christian Piatt | Red Letter Christians. Continue reading Text Message From God….

Even Today…

We live in an age disturbed, confused, bewildered, afraid of its own forces, in search not merely of its road but even of its direction. There are many voices of counsel, but few voices of vision; there is much excitement and feverish activity, but little concert of thoughtful purpose. We are distressed by our own ungoverned, undirected energies and do many things, but nothing long. It is our duty to find ourselves. Woodrow Wilson, Baccalaureate address, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, June 9, 1907 It is funny how somethings are very different than they were one hundred years ago and … Continue reading Even Today…

Everyone Is A Liar……

Let’s face it, everyone is a liar to one degree or another. Lying is so prevalent in our society that we are assumed to be a liar until we prove ourselves honest and even that proof has a limited time span. We all have serious scars from being lied to. We lie to ourselves — We say we did the best that we could when we really never even put up much of an effort. We invent stories in our distant past so that our lives sound more interesting.  Sometimes we lie to people to make them feel better. Sometimes … Continue reading Everyone Is A Liar……

Our Own Version….

MIDDLESBORO, Ky. (AP) — A snake-handling pastor who appeared on the National Geographic television reality show “Snake Salvation” has died after being bitten by a snake during a weekend church service in Kentucky. SOURCE: Snake-handling Ky. pastor dies from snake bite – Yahoo News. While this is maybe of the extreme part of the spectrum it is still a typical example of how we pick and choose what we want to be the image of God.  It takes one verse out of the tens of thousands found in the Bible and uses it for the main focus of spirituality.  Examples … Continue reading Our Own Version….

If companies shared their cash with employees

What they haven’t been doing is giving extra cash to employees, despite s a year of solid – and often record – profits and huge cash hoards. A survey by Aon Hewitt on compensation trends for 2014 shows that companies plan to raise salaries by just 3% this year – the highest since 2008, when the average raise was 3.7%. Economist Ed Yardeni notes that employee compensation and capital spending as a percentage of GDP has been the lowest since the mid-1950s. But suppose each company with $1 billion in cash took 5% of that stash and give it to … Continue reading If companies shared their cash with employees

The Total Sacrifice…

The vast majority of donations come in from middle-class-to-poor people who give twenty-five to thirty dollars a month and often even less. The vast majority comes in from this class of citizen, and not just in number of people giving, but in number of dollars given. Sure, I have people on our list giving hundreds. Some churches dropped four figures on our project, but most of our donations stream in every month from faithful people like you and me whose “little acts done with great love will change the world.”… It’s the obscure old woman living on a fixed income … Continue reading The Total Sacrifice…