Paul Laurence Dunbar, an American poet of the early 20th century, wrote a wonderful poem called "Sympathy" and the third stanza is powerful in its pathos and beauty and heart-breaking truth: I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore, When he beats...
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I loved public speaking. I loved it because it allowed me to flesh out my ideas and communication tools with real people and get real time feedback about the effectiveness of those tools. And yet, most people are terrified of...
The American astronaut Buzz Aldrin once said "Timing has always been a key element in my life. I have been blessed to have been in the right place at the right time." And, of course, this reminds me of the old saying in comedy "Timing is everything." It really is...
Dear Friends and Ministry Partners, When we started following up on folks who expressed interest in learning more about Orthodoxy after our first Church Festival in 2010, I never expected that small beginning to grow into a full blown opportunity that share this project with the entire Church. But here we...
You remember when you were a kid and Christmas seemed to take forever. My mom use to use that old tried and true way to get me and my brother to behave through the year: "Boys, Santa is watching and Christmas is just (fill in the blank) away!" Well...
Standing in line at the supermarket is such an education. As I'm placing my grocery items on the conveyor belt and watching them slide toward the cashier, I glance toward the ubiquitous magazines there in the check-out line and read headlines screaming at me that Big Foot has been...
I was reading a seventh grade public school exam from many decades ago and was struck with the level of language, grammar, and difficulty of the exam. It was very sophisticated and I struggled to "pass!" No one can look at current culture and not witness the coarsening of the...
There's a famous hamburger restaurant out West called In-N-Out Burger. All the natives out that way swore it was the best hamburger joint in the world. Well, I tried it when I was out that way and my verdict: Eeh, it was OK. But the name, great name signifying...
You've met them. They are the ones who always seem to have a criticism of how things are going AND they don't jump in to assist, they just want to complain. Truth be told, I've caught myself doing the same thing. Isn't it amazing how much insight into a problem...
Have you ever had to hold a secret until the right time? I remember how frustrating it was for me to keep a secret about a surprise birthday party for a dear friend. It was going to be the "big 4 0" and we had all decided that I...
