I suspect numerous readers of Facebook posts, tweets, and news stories haven’t even noticed that in recent months persons with black skin are now referred to as Black. The capitalization has been introduced because media organizations want to express solidarity with and sensitivity to those of African-American descent. So, many are treating the term like…
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Because of all the pandemic’s uncertainties regarding travel, tourism, and related issues in the spring, we wound up postponing a planned long weekend with our two daughters and their husbands to mid-September. After only taking off Memorial Day and Labor Day this year (with the Fourth of July on a Saturday, that doesn’t really count),…
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It’s almost Election Day, and judging by the hysterical posts hurtling through cyberspace, the nation is poised for greatness or is on the verge of collapse, depending on which candidate triumphs. To offer some perspective, I predict the sun will still rise on Nov. 4, we will all still breathe, and life will continue on…
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While AB-5 is an unfamiliar term for many, this overreaching and cumbersome California legislation has created multiple headaches for freelancers and independent contractors nationwide. Signed into law in September of 2019, Assembly Bill 5 purported to protect gig workers from employers. Namely, tight-fisted souls who classified them as independent contractors as a way of avoiding…
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Back in the early 2000s, when I received my annual Social Security projected earnings statements, they always included a warning at the bottom: without significant adjustments to the program’s revenues, it might only be able to pay 74 percent of projected benefits by 2034. I never got overly concerned about that forecast, figuring Congress had…
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Our pastor has been preaching through Genesis for more than a year, which has been instructive and eye-opening. In a recent week, we reached the story of Joseph, which begins in chapter 37 and continues through the end of Genesis. No matter how familiar the first book of the Bible may have been, his series…
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When the ruckus that led to Jerry Falwell Jr.’s leave of absence from Liberty University erupted a month ago, I dismissed it as a tempest in a teapot. I mean, imagine the outrage that would accompany a story about a Christian university president photographed with his arm around a young woman—not his wife!—at a party.…
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As August draws to a close and we near the end of summer, I can’t help thinking of summers past. They usually included a trip to visit family, old friends, or do some sightseeing. None of that in 2020, since COVID-19 made us reluctant to travel too far or mingle with large crowds. Given this…
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A couple years ago, I helped a retired businessman from California compile his memoir. His experience included smuggling Bibles into the Soviet Union and China in the mid- to late 1970s, a time when that literally meant risking your life. Some historical research I did to flesh out background details of his story were a…
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The recent coronavirus resurgence set people’s teeth on edge. Especially parents waiting to see whether their school will conduct in-person classes soon or return to spring’s online environment. Like everything else, the situation is fluid. Aside from school, it remains to be seen whether congregations will continue holding in-person worship services or—like a number of…
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