Truth or certainty? Isn’t true also certain, and vice versa? Are they not the same thing? Turns out–not so much. Certain is often a simplistic, watered-down place of political slogans and bumper stickers. It’s great for platitudes and song choruses. Certain rarely describes how the world works, how relationships work, how we can move the ball down the field. […]
Continue readingCategory: Reflections
Because I Said So?
Every parent and teacher wrestles with Why? As a new teacher my go-to response to Why? was Because I said so! After all, I’m the teacher. I make the rules, right? End of discussion. Took a lot of years for me to realize that Because I said so! was simply coercion. I have more power and control, so you have to […]
Continue readingWhat To Remember about 2016
It’s time to look forward and to look back. Year-end recaps and New Year’s resolutions are the big thing. Yesterday I talked about remembering to be grateful. I thought of some other things I want to remember. I want to remember to be kind. Kindness is a priceless gift that costs me nothing. I want to […]
Continue readingA Year To Forget?
By many accounts, 2016 wasn’t a good year. As I read and listen to various summaries of the year just passed, the general consensus appears to be don’t let the door hit you in the backside on your way out! Seems like most folks can’t wait to move on from what they perceive as a year […]
Continue readingObedience Might Be Kind Of Simple
I heard an interesting take on obedience recently. Our culture’s not big on obedience. We sort-of want folks to follow the rules, but we admire the John Wayne types who ignore boundaries and “do it their way.” For those of us who follow Jesus, there’s a bit of internal conflict. There’s that good old USAmerican blaze your […]
Continue readingIs It Okay To Move Forward?
So you got kicked in the teeth, or the gut, or some other sensitive spot. It won’t go away, this sense of loss and disappointment. Perhaps it fades for a few moments, but then it returns and you’re certain it’s part of your new reality. You’re not going to “just get over it.” Now…what? I’ve […]
Continue readingThree (Unexpected) Wise Men And Injustice
Seems like we hear a lot about injustice lately. Pipelines. Trafficking. Racism. Sexism. Religion. Immigration. Even bathrooms! Seems like everywhere we turn there’s some sort of debate, discussion, or dialogue about injustice. The FREEDOM TOUR, of course, enters the discussion by supporting kids rescued from the horrible injustice of sexual slavery. So here’s a question: How […]
Continue readingHope When You Don’t Feel It
“Help me understand hope.” It was a couple of years ago. Hers were those “friendly eyes” a speaker looks for in the audience, belonging to the handful of folks who let you know the message is heard. Now she wanted to go deeper. “I know what hope means…in my head, ” she said, “but I can’t […]
Continue readingTruth and Truth And Post-Truth
What’s the truth? The tinge of arthritis in my shoulder doesn’t care if I believe it’s there. The doc showed me proof, right there on the x-ray in black-and-white. The objective, observable, scientific truth is that I have a bit of arthritis in my shoulder. I can acknowledge it and deal with it, or lie about it and […]
Continue readingExploding My Brain (Part 2)
Last time I recalled a college professor’s lesson that exploded my brain. I wasn’t exaggerating. I thought college would be a place to learn math and physics. I didn’t expect some random psychology lesson to to present an idea so completely new that I had no prior learning to which I could connect it. The […]
Continue readingHow To Design A Self-Driving Car
I think a self-driving car would be cool. In college I commuted with an electrical engineering student. Jack was convinced that we’d see self-driving cars within a few years, and he spent countless hours telling me how they would work. I don’t recall details, but I remember there were two notions about guidance. I’m over-simplifying, […]
Continue readingHow To Avoid The Chaos
Election season likely has us all a bit flustered. How do we keep our eye on the dream when there’s so much noise and sheer craziness oozing from every corner of the culture? After a coffee conversation with a wise friend (and a nice, peaceful bike ride), I listed a few ideas. Perhaps they’ll help. […]
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