Category: Having My Say

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You Get What You Pay For??? Well Not Always….

RJ Walters

For two decades close to 40 percent of the highest-paid CEOs in the U.S. have performed abysmally, a new report asserts. These CEOs, according to the report, “ought to be exemplars of value-added performance,” given the prevailing notion that executives earn their high pay by adding value to their companies and to the U.S. economy at large. “Our analysis reveals widespread poor performance.” SOURCE: Highest Paid Worst Performing Chief Executives – ABC News. I generally believe in the saying in the title of this post but obviously it doesn’t apply to all circumstances. Given that yesterday was a celebration of the … Continue reading You Get What You Pay For??? Well Not Always….

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Labor Day…

RJ Walters

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September, that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. It was first nationally recognized in 1894 to placate unionists following the Pullman Strike. With the decline in union membership, the holiday is generally viewed as a time for barbeques and the end of summer vacation… Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, the United States Congress unanimously voted to approve rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday; President … Continue reading Labor Day…

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It Moves Beyond….

RJ Walters

I like to think of the Great Emergence as reported in the book by Phyllis Tickle as  “Post-Religion”.  It moves beyond what we call currently call religion into the next phase of focusing on the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. It moves beyond building cathedrals to building relationships and love between all of God’s people not just those in our particular version of Christian community. It moves beyond needing to pay someone to lead our worship services and tell us what to believe to our personal study of God’s word untarnished by religious baggage. It moves beyond strictly enforced … Continue reading It Moves Beyond….

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Reflections….

RJ Walters

I have been in a reflective mood lately. I don’t know why but I have been thinking of things of life. Pretty deep huh??  One of those things is how I feel about myself and my experiences of life. The Mark Twain quote below pretty well sums up one aspect. I am old. I recognize it but I don’t realize it. I wonder if a person really ever ceases to feel young – I mean for a whole day at a time. I don’t really see myself as an old guy like I saw my grandfather (I only knew one). … Continue reading Reflections….

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8 Good Reasons to Change Modern Church Service

RJ Walters

There is no “right way” to have church, but there is a wrong way. Scripture gives us very little instruction for church. We are told to “gather together” (Hebrews 10:24), we have the example of the Eucharist set by Christ (Luke 22:19), and we have a command to address the needs around us (Acts 4:32-35, 20:35, Hebrews 13:16, James 1:27), we are told to be orderly and not chaotic (1 Cor 14:40), and we are told to recognize and use the gift and talents of one another (Romans 12:3-13). That’s it, everything else is left to our own discernment. We … Continue reading 8 Good Reasons to Change Modern Church Service

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For those with mental illness, stigma cuts deep

RJ Walters

“There isn’t a person on earth that would make fun of a bald three-year-old who was undergoing chemotherapy. And yet, if someone’s acting weird we call them names. … It’s so accepted that it’s frightening,” Laura said, highlighting insults like “whack job,” “nut case,” and “psycho.” SOURCE:  For those with mental illness, stigma cuts deep – CBS News. Let’s face it our society is still pretty much biased against those with mental illness.  Our prisons are filled with many who are in that category. They say about one-third of those homeless who live on our streets are afflicted with mental … Continue reading For those with mental illness, stigma cuts deep

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All Those Damn Liberals…..

RJ Walters

“The liberal media would have you believe that there’s nobody that looks like the people on this stage that have an R behind their name. And that’s just not the case,” said Oklahoma’s Shannon, who suggested that the party should stress its belief in limited government and personal responsibility, two values that he learned from his local African-American church. Agness, the founder and president of the Network of Enlightened Women, argued that the GOP would benefit by tackling the problem of liberal bias in universities….. SOURCE: The Party of Old White Guys Changes Its Look | TIME.com. Here I am poking … Continue reading All Those Damn Liberals…..

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Feeding Homeless Apparently Illegal in Raleigh, NC

RJ Walters

On the morning of Saturday, August, 24, Love Wins showed up at Moore Square at 9:00 a.m., just like we have done virtually every Saturday and Sunday for the last six years. We provide, without cost or obligation, hot coffee and a breakfast sandwich to anyone who wants one. We keep this promise to our community in cooperation with five different, large suburban churches that help us with manpower and funding. On that morning three officers from Raleigh Police Department prevented us from doing our work, for the first time ever. An officer said, quite bluntly, that if we attempted to distribute … Continue reading Feeding Homeless Apparently Illegal in Raleigh, NC

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Why Blog???

RJ Walters

  My young Romanian blogger friend Cristian Mihai stated recently that one of the reasons he blogs is because he is lonely. Another is that he has to blog/write.  To not do so would deny his very existence. After reading those words and others from various bloggers I have started to think at a deeper, more fundamental level, just why do why I put so much energy into blogging. Some Blog for fame. My readership is meager by many standards so I do not blog for fame. Fame seems to corrupt most that accomplish it anyway so maybe the lack … Continue reading Why Blog???

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Troubles with the Bible…

RJ Walters

When you consider that the Bible was written by over 40 separate authors and compiled from thousands of manuscripts, in different languages, over hundreds of years, from a variety of locations around the world, with little collaboration, and ultimately interpreted into hundreds of translations—there are bound to be ambiguities…. Ultimately, all of these biblical issues force Christians to ask some huge questions: Is God true? Is God good? Is God relevant? For years, Christians have resorted to using the Old vs. New Covenant as an explanation for the seemingly dramatic contradictions in God’s character. But to the average person—and Christian—this … Continue reading Troubles with the Bible…

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Our Obsession With Violence …..

RJ Walters

Upon my recent return from the Middle East (with The Global Immersion Project), I was struck more than ever before at our Western infatuation around military aggression, violence and division. Not only are these the primary narratives we are fed through our major media outlets, they are the narratives we subconsciously embrace through the latest bestseller, box office hit or video game.  Violence, death and division have become normative. We are becoming numb to the very things that we – as ambassadors of hope and reconciliation – are to turn from as Resurrection People.  It is as though there is … Continue reading Our Obsession With Violence …..