My life Since 2003
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America is Safer Today Than When You Grew Up
I hear it all the time. “Things just aren’t what they used to be.” And I correct it all the time. “Actually, did you know that every measure of crime in America is down since you grew up? Did you know that things are so much better?” Comparing 1975 to 1995 to 2014 Crime Stats…
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The Most Powerful Three Words You Know
Look. We have Google now. If you want to know something you just have to Google it. If I had appendicitis while backpacking in the wilderness, my hiking companion could probably save my life with a YouTube video. Many of the more remote trails in the United States now have great mobile coverage. I was able to stream…
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Meandering Monday Morning Thought
Generally speaking, young people find meaning by getting involved. Older people find meaning by retreating. I wrote this phrase down a couple weeks ago and I’ve been chewing on it ever since. I don’t know if it’s true. But since it popped in my head I’ve been seeing evidence of it more and more. What do…
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Naughty List Notifications
NORTH POLE – In an unprecedented move Santa Claus has sent naughty list notifications to hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. When asked about this change in protocol Mr. Claus said, “Things are pretty wound up in the Lower 48. My team expressed concerned that a lack of deliveries may lead to unintended…
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3 Reasons Nextdoor Can Disrupt Facebook’s Dominance Among Adult Users
Over the past several months I’ve worked Nextdoor into my loop of social media sites I participate in. If you’re not familiar with Nextdoor, here’s how they describe themselves: Nextdoor is the private social network for you, your neighbors and your community. It’s the easiest way for you and your neighbors to talk online and…
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Youth Pastors in the News
Here’s a list of headlines from the month of November for the Google News search term, “Youth Pastor.” I’ve deleted multiple links to the same instance. 11/6/2015 – Making a Pitch for youth ministry program – Wicked Local – Scituate, MA 11/7/2015 – Former Lake Forest Youth Pastor Accused of Rape After Multiple Victims Come Forward – KTLA –…
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Rubberneck
No, rubbernecking is not some new way to make out that you’ve not yet tried. Instead, it’s the reason it took 11 hours to drive home from San Jose yesterday whereas it took us 7 hours to drive to San Jose on Friday. Rubbernecking is the human inclination to slow down and look. To scornfully,…
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11 Medicinal Properties of Cranberry
Discovered in 1427 by Cardinal Joseph Cran, the cranberry is useful for many things. It is delicious. It is tasty. It is tart. It is good mixed with various other fruits. It floats. It is from heaven. It’s amazing canned shape invites my gobbling. It’s juice keeps away urinary tract infections. Cranberries are magical. But they are…
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The Economy of Fear is Alive and Well
In December 2007 I wrote: For every cultural phenomenon, there is an equal and fear-based Christian equivalent. Harry Potter is “bad” (according to some) so let’s make some money by publishing books telling people how bad Harry Potter is! Christian pundit James Dobson has made a lot of money with his catch phrases “an attack on…
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Movie Reviews that Don’t Suck
I don’t pretend to know much about film or movies. Fundamentally, I’m far too cheap to go to the movies very often. A few weeks ago Paul and I went to see The Martian while on our trip to Seattle: Two tickets: $25.60 Parking: $6 Seeing The Martian with my son: Priceless NO. It was…