Is it just me, or does any time before the pandemic feel blurry? I was thinking about 2011 and it felt like ancient history. Eleven years ago, Obama was president, four of my grandchildren were yet to be born and things were looking up. But in that year the seeds of what has blossomed lately … Continue reading Three reasons the Trump effect is not over yet
It is a fascinating election year. The candidates from both sides, should Hillary prevail, will be New York elites with furious opponents loaded for bear. There has never been a nastier Republican primary season in my lifetime. Many people are sitting out elections or forced out of them. You may have never voted yourself – … Continue reading Elections: Constantine, Trump, etc. (2015)
Our beloved neighbors in our little Pocono community had to move and were replaced by an interesting new clan who are making quite an impact. In some ways, these new neighbors represent what is happening in a lot of places where people are devoted to taking care of themselves instead of building common structures that … Continue reading Collective, Covenant and Community in the age of Trump
It is a tough era for building a trust system. When that idea first got going with us, maybe it was not really much of “a thing” because people wanted it and thought it was possible. Now trust has almost disappeared and building a trust system might be “THE thing” because it seems so impossible. … Continue reading Build a trust system: Whether trials or Trump it starts with safety
I certainly enjoyed my relatively Trumpless trip to Greece following around the Apostle Paul! It was refreshing and clarifying. The Greeks have a corrupt government, too, they say. So it is no surprise to them that a Donald Trump is taking hold of the U.S. Treasury. But the people who live in the home of … Continue reading Trump is a lot like Nero, which brings me back to Paul.
One of my New Years resolutions this year was to write a letter each week to a significant person in my life. I mean a poorly-scribbled, pen-to-paper letter. (And you may be saying, “So where’s my letter?!”) I also use Facebook messenger, texting, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, and all sorts of other innovations. But, like so … Continue reading I’m still reading email while Trump can’t stop tweeting
Last week I found myself saying (at least in my head), “Really? You are going to act in the church according to Trump’s playbook? You are going to remake our dialogue and maybe even our values into replica’s of Trump’s?” I’m not talking about “those people” out in some imagined countrified place; I’m talking about … Continue reading Trump tempts Jesus-followers with the worst: revenge, lies, division
Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Saturday, and is still doing damage. This unprecedented storm could have 3-4 more days to dump rain on the Houston area – up to 50 inches in some areas! However, even headlines about Harvey have not been enough to make people forget all of the maneuvering that the Trump Administration … Continue reading Hurricane Harvey was not the distraction Trump imagined
My Twitter account is dead. It was compromised somehow and I started following a growing collection of interesting, and unknown people. I did the first steps of repair – changed my name and password. When that did not work, I discovered other repairs to try. Instead of trying them, I hit the “deactivate” button. You … Continue reading Alternativity in the era of Trump, Kid Rock and Charlottesville
The howls of protest from around the globe are hopefully ringing in the president’s ears. Donald Trump’s executive order to leave the Paris Climate Agreement has been generally decried: CNN: Trump to Planet: Drop Dead The New Yorker: Donald Trump’s “Screw You” to the World Foreign Policy: Abandoning Paris Is a Disaster for America Esquire: … Continue reading That sound is Trump tromping on the Paris Pact for Pentecost weekend.