“Freedom’s just another word for, ‘nothin’ left to lose’.” Janis Joplin expressed this rather pessimistic characterization of “freedom” in the 1971 hit song, Me and Bobby McGee.” And although we, as Americans, seem to enjoy nothing more than boasting about the many freedoms that we enjoy, I suspect that more than a few of us … Continue reading
Filed under Opinion …
Paradox of the Chosen Ones
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14 English Standard Version (ESV) I confess; I’m a “word … Continue reading
Colored People on TV
Long before the blockbuster movie, Black Panther blew up, earning more than $700 million at the box office in 2018 and sparking Black Panther parties (complete with regal costumes and the “Welcome to Wakanda” salutes offered in greeting) and decades before African-Americans held our heads a bit higher and walked a bit taller on the … Continue reading
Separate Sundays
“It is appalling that 11:00 A. M. on Sunday morning remains the most segregated hour in America.” When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made this statement during the height of the American Civil Rights Movement, I believe that most Christians, black and white, understood it to be the activist’s way of saying that racial discrimination … Continue reading
Is Least Really Best?
With the 2020 elections just a little more than 18 months away, politicians and the general public are already squaring off to determine which side is “right” and which is “wrong”, since the concepts of compromise and a viable “middle ground” on economic and political issues seem to have drifted into complete oblivion. Online forums … Continue reading
A “God” Given Right?
Not long after a mass shooter claimed the lives of fifty worshipers in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand and wounded fifty more, I found myself applauding the government of New Zealand as they took swift and decisive action to ban semi-automatic weapons in the aftermath of that terrible tragedy (Graham-McLay, 2019). I also continue … Continue reading
12% of the Population…
When I was an undergraduate student from 1981 through 1985, the field of computer science was still evolving. My declared major was “Management Science” with a concentration in “Management Information Systems,” which in those days seemed to be little more than a rather awkward hybrid of a traditional business degree and the fledgling area of … Continue reading
The Root of All Evil
“I don’t care too much for money, ‘cause money can’t buy me love” (Beatles). “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (King James Bible, 1 Tim. 6.10). Whether you agree with both of … Continue reading
Facebook Confessions
Social media presents a strange but fascinating dichotomy within modern life. At times we lament the way in which the endless quest for “likes” and “friends” and the seemingly never-ending parade of dinner plate photos has replaced genuine conversation and connection. O On the other hand, there are rare instances when it is possible to … Continue reading
I Will Never Forget…
“I will never forget where I was when…” This is a phrase that almost everyone uses to recount some historic, and invariably, tragic event, that forever alters the trajectory, not only of our individual lives, but also that of our countries, our world, and increasingly, our very existence on the planet. The event itself will … Continue reading
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