You are probably already familiar with a great quote attributed to Chuck Swindoll about Attitude, but it is worth repeating in these unusual times. “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or...
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Reflection and Responsibility
The Coronavirus Pandemic is a reminder that, along with terribly tragic outcomes in an increasing number of cases, this is also an incredibly blessed time in which we live--for many reasons, but particularly for recent advances in healthcare. (1) As I touched on in an earlier post, "Written In Stones", from the beginning of human existence until only eighty years ago, any of us could get a simple scratch or blister and then die from the resulting infection. There was no cure. None. That’s what...
Faith Isn’t Deplorable
I want to try to answer the question which I think vexes some people who know me or others like me: How can a relatively intelligent, traveled, thoughtful person be a Deplorable, clinging to my guns and my Bible? Or put another way, how can someone with a postgraduate education and nearly fifty years of business experience believe in the power of a relationship with his personal savior, and also be opposed to: Most ideas in the Democratic playbook, Sex outside marriage, Gay marriage, Abortion,...
Please Give Us Real and True
At age 72 I hope you don’t mind if I want to focus on what’s real and true, not on what’s false or BS. The BS is that we in the U.S. are suffering through a terrible time of oppression, inequality, dysfunction and major problems. Yes, problems exist in varying degrees, and always will. But read Steven Pinker’s book Enlightenment Now to be reminded that this is a remarkably great age for the world in general, and for the U.S. in particular, with the one exception noted in my earlier post. A...
The Intersection of Faith, Economics and Policy
I began these posts almost ten years ago in August, 2010. For the first several months I offered one or two policy recommendations under the title of 2020 Vision: How To Fix The Next Ten Years in Ten Steps. With 2020 almost upon us, I thought it would be useful and even entertaining to revisit those ten thoughts. On re-reading them I conclude that they are certainly not perfect, but most still seem reasonable, largely not yet accomplished, and generally pointed in the right directions. Several...
Trump With Prayer
I don’t know about you, but for a long time I’ve been in a “funk” over next year’s election. All of the Progressives are in lemming-like lock-step to expand access to abortions, thereby killing more innocent Americans; and to remove the President over actions which at this point seem no worse than what I believe their own side has undertaken. Before even considering the usual election issues like immigration reform or the deficit, I simply don’t see how I can support any of them because of...
Being or Doing?
I’m writing about a struggle I have almost daily: Focusing on deepening relationships vs accomplishing tasks on my To Do List. My friend and teacher, Ken Boa notes that there are two words in Greek which we translate into English as “time.” Both are ordained and controlled by God, but they are very different. Chronos means clock time. 24 hours in each day. How we schedule and measure. What I focus on as I look at what must be accomplished according to the plans and the goals I’ve set. Kairos...
A Unique Faith Grounded Our Unique Nation. Now What?
Have you ever thought about how the most powerful and long lasting movements and institutions are each underpinned by a religious, secular or philosophical faith foundation, believed by many to be the Truth? In fact, without that faith foundation, these institutions would not survive. Virtually every such institution has been organized with power and authority flowing from the top down. The Divine Right of Kings and the Medieval Catholic Church were often at odds, but they were organized...
What Wrestling History Can Teach Us
I’ve just finished Taylor Branch’s book The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with The President. Branch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the King Years Trilogy, finished the book in 2009. It contains 667 pages of intimate details taken from seventy-nine secret, mostly late night interviews in the White House with President Clinton from 1993 to 2000, and after. I wish I’d read it sooner. It’s an incredible labor of love for the sake of accurate history. After each interview, as Taylor...
Three Post Updates
Here are three quick updates to earlier posts, with several hyperlinks to excellent resources. Progressives: What Does Abortion Have To Do With Economic Policy? The movie Unplanned is now available on streaming video and on DVD. Whatever your thoughts on the subject, please watch it. Can Anyone See What China is Really Doing? Only If You Look. A good friend sent a link to an important unclassified paper on China by the U.S. Department of Defense: Assessment On U.S. Defense...
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