#25 blogs

Mike Staver and I first crossed paths over twenty years ago and a few times since then. As I look back at my career, that first, chance encounter with Mike will always stand out as a highlight. Mike is a smart guy who also is a very effective communicator and coach. . . a winning combination. His latest book, Navigating Crazy was released yesterday and our friends at Amazon are telling me that my…

“The disappearance of table manners will have, and is already having, the most serious consequences for civilization”. -Renaud Camus, (2011), via @andsomejustaswell My observation is that “table manners” is currently an oxymoron.

. . . when music videos mattered. I read the other day that MTV (Music Television) launched on August 1st, 1981. That was 45 years ago and Ann Althouse  quotes Martha Quinn, one of the original VJs,  and also provides a list of the first 100 music videos that aired. There are some great memories on that list. Are there any  music videos do you remember from the first 100? While not on the list,…

Today, not a pipe to be found. Instead, we have four harpsichords and “friends with strings”. This is a beautiful piece that I just had to share. Bach’s Concerto in A minor (BWV 1065)

I still have yet to see Joe Bonamassa in concert, but I bet it would be an exhilarating experience. While this song does not show off Joe’s mastery of his instrument, it  is one of my go to songs every now and then. It is a song about healing, hope, and new beginnings.

Nineteen years ago, I had the privilege of going on a 2+ week mission trip to Tanzania, by way of South Africa. The one thing I came away with was that we here in the US have so much, but are often miserable. In Tanzania, they have so little, but are joyful. It was a lesson I will never forget for as long as I breathe. This picture is of a doll, hung up in razor wire at an orphanage. Talk about…

“We can’t all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.” -Will Rogers

I found this article yesterday on my Substack feed. From White Gloves to Tattoos: How America Lost Its Public Grammar. It was written by The Rev. Dr. Donald Moore.  His Substack is called The Southern Anglican. Orthodoxy with a Drawl. This thoughtful essay is extremely easy to read and barely touches on anything religious, and where it does, it is non-doctrinal.  Do not avoid this because it was…