The Lent season is upon us and for Catholics, Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Christians it’s a time of reflection, abstinence and fasting. According to the Bible, fasting is the conscious denial of physical needs such as hunger and thirst to sharpen spiritual focus, bring deliverance and foster fellowship with God. There’s fasting from meats and dainty delicacies; fasting for a predetermined time period ranging from a single meal up to the emaciating 40-day Survivor fast; as well as … [Read more...]
February 17, 2012 By 2 Comments
Childhood Memories and Amazing Pool Table Trick Shots
As a kid growing up in the 1970s, one of my favorite things to watch on Saturday afternoons was ABC's Wide World of Sports. Two of the reasons why was because they used to feature daredevil stunt man Evil Kenevil as well as billiards tournaments with the likes of Minnesota Fats [see photo insert] and Willie Mosconi. In between the billiards tournaments the show producers ran segments of trick shots where the players would bend the laws of physics and belief with amazing talent and … [Read more...]
February 16, 2012 By 11 Comments
Ethical Condiment Conundrum…SOLVED!
A few weeks ago, I wrote about an ethical dilemma surrounding my patronage of Chick-fil-A eateries and securing extra packets of Heinz Dip & Squeeze ketchup packets with the intention of using them at other restaurants I frequent. My question to readers, was whether or not I was stealing from Chick-fil-A when I asked my server for the extra condiments The feedback I received was split down the middle. Half of the readers thought I was stealing because I was not consuming the ketchup … [Read more...]
February 15, 2012 By 6 Comments
There Absolutely Are Absolute Truths…
Situational ethics and cultural relativism are all the rage nowadays. Both schools of thought are based on the multi-faceted premise that there is no absolute truth; nothing is fundamentally right or wrong but is merely a matter of personal preferences and our conduct should be driven by each unique situation rather than some arbitrary forced moral code. We’ve all heard the popular statement and current buzz phrase, “Every person needs to define right and wrong for him or … [Read more...]
February 14, 2012 By 2 Comments
Are You a Builder or Breaker???
I heard this poem years ago and happened to stumble across it while reading this past weekend - it poses a provocative question for us all. I saw them tearing a building down, A group of men in a busy town, With hefty blow and lusty yell, They swung with zest, And a side wall fell. Asked of the foreman, "Are these men skilled? The kind you would hire if you had to build?" He looked at me, and laughed, "No, indeed! Unskilled labor is all I … [Read more...]
February 13, 2012 By 8 Comments
10 Lessons Learned at the Quitter Conference…
This weekend I attended the 2nd Quitter Conference held in Nashville, Tennesee. It's the conceptual brainchild of nationally bestselling author, speaker and blogger Jon Acuff who shares ideas on a variety of topics including marketing, social media, faith, inspiration and chasing your dream. It was an incredible event overall and here are 10 tongue-in-cheek lessons I learned: 10. The swag was so awesome this year that it could only be topped by a Quitter-branded foot massager and afghan … [Read more...]
February 6, 2012 By 8 Comments
One Thing Government Can NOT Do…
We can expect to see more political ads on TV and signs with politicos’ names spiked in lawns across the country during the next several months as we head into a critical presidential election season. With the political fervor ramping up, so will the rhetoric and hyped-up promises for “change” at the local, state and national levels. It’s what politicians, politics and our government tend to do – over promise and under deliver with a premium price tag attached. Don’t get me … [Read more...]
February 2, 2012 By 4 Comments
Groundhog’s Day For Dummies….
In case you missed the "breaking news" this morning out of central Pennsylvania, it seems that part-time weather prognosticator (full-time rodent) Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, which means we're destined for six more weeks of winter. However, given the balmy temperatures that most of the US experienced this past "June-uary" more winter might be a good thing. And here's another good thing, a video by the YouTube troubadour, C.G.P. Grey who deftly navigates the fact and … [Read more...]
February 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
7 Questions With an Author: Joe Bunting
This post marks another installment of my “7 Questions With an Author…” series, where I ask published authors an unchanging set of questions and share their responses here. Today’s co-featured author is an online acquaintance of mine named Joe Bunting. He’s a first time author but an accomplished writer who blogs regularly at his popular site, www.thewritepractice.com. Here are 7 Questions With an Author: Joe Bunting 1. Tell us about your book? 14 Prompts is half book and … [Read more...]
