Category: General

Reflections on the Abuse of Power

A tsunami of complaints about sexual abuse not only toppled a seemingly-unending tower of powerful men, it led Time magazine to name the collective “silence breakers” their 2017 Person of the Year. Even more figures tumbled after the story released. Many held their collective breath to see who would fall next. However, all this news…
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The Drive for Perfection

Next week will mark the 30th anniversary of “The Drive.” Most football fans will instantly recognize the reference to the infamous 98-yard charge led by famed quarterback John Elway. With the game on the line and the Super Bowl awaiting the winner, that rally led to Denver tying the game 20-all. The wind taken out…
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Real-Life Lessons in Weakness

For years, one of my favorite scriptural passages has come from James: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit,’ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow” (James 4:13-14 MEV). As with so many treasured ideas,…
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The Only Gifts that Last

Between the burgeoning popularity of soccer, fears of concussions, and various political and social controversies, football is having a tough time these days. And yet, though decades have passed since I could fling around the pigskin, I cling to my fondness for the sport. Try as I do to grasp the rules of soccer—and I…
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The Thrill of Jury Duty

I don’t know your opinion of former President Barack Obama, but his recent step in reporting for jury duty elevated my view of him. After all, as the one-time leader of the free world, with a schedule far busier than the average American’s, he could have easily gotten excused. The reasons could have ranged from…
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Finding Good News at Christmas

With Thanksgiving arriving early this year, we’re already two weeks into the overly-long Christmas shopping season. It arrives so progressively earlier each year that I recently remarked to my wife (with tongue in cheek): “Maybe they should move it up to August so they can get it over with.” This absurdity struck me last month…
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Life’s (Extra) Ordinary Miracles

During an interview with David Canales for a recent profile of the Seattle Seahawks’ wide receivers coach, he shared several interesting stories. The one that caught my attention the most happened a year after Canales joined Pete Carroll’s staff at Southern California. After just a few years as a junior college coach, Canales considered the…
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Thankfulness is a Matter of Perspective

A week from today, most Americans will sit down to a table overflowing with enough food to feed the entire neighborhood, let alone one extended family. Since Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, it is easy to forget that the rest of the world won’t be breaking bread with us—nor will many have enough to…
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Typing in Antiquity: Why?

Eons ago, I learned to type on an old black Remington. A clunker of a machine, I say with only a hint of exaggeration that I had to use a hammer to smash the keys hard enough to make sure they connected with the paper. It’s a good thing that I was more robust as…
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“Fake News” Often Comes from the Ill-Informed

Thanks to President Trump, “fake news” has become a familiar watchword in American society. Critics whose megaphone has been amplified by the internet often aim their guns at the “news media.” That is a catch-all phrase that tars too many with too broad a brush. I no longer report regularly on breaking news events. Still,…
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