Let’s start with a celebrity test. Do you know who Frank Sinatra is? Do you know who Johnny Depp is? Do you know Brad Pitt or Britney Spears or Jonathan Roumie or Elvis Presley or Pope Leo IV or Eminem or Charlie Kirk or Bill Clinton or Jennifer Lopez…? I am guessing you know some if not all of these people on the list. What other celebrities do you know? What do you know about them? Likely what most of us know about these celebrities is what we have seen of them in entertain

Hi, how are you? Fine, how are you? End of conversation. Have you ever had that experience? In our fast-track culture today conversations can frequently be short and mechanical. Rote describes an established, monotonous series of actions or a habitual routine performed mechanically. How many things do you think we do each day out of habit? It is likely countless from the time we wake up in the morning until bedtime. A favorite motivational speaker that I have heard a num

Have you ever used a magnifying glass and used the intensity of the sun to burn paper? I remember the first time I saw that I was blown away with the power of the sun through that glass. What’s more, it occurred to me the incredible power of magnification and I thought about its application to most any situation. Take for example the power of a pep rally. You take some fired up cheer leaders who lead a large group like a school gymnasium full of students and charge them up. W

Have you ever read about or even studied the effects of toxins?

Recently my brother and I were reminiscing about events of the past. One of my memories mentioned was when my grandfather would take me out driving to gain experience so I could take the driving test for my driver’s license. I remembered how he had told me that the less backing up I did the less I could get into trouble. Certainly, backing a vehicle up with today’s technology is a better situation than years ago considering the built-in cameras. In those days, the most we had

A few years ago, I went in for a hearing exam. My only real complaint was not being able to hear a person clearly who is talking to me when we are in a noisy room. The audiologist said that was common and hearing aids would not necessarily fix that issue. It was enough of an issue for me that I purchased some hearing aids anyway. Guess what? The audiologist was right. They were not a solution for my hearing issue. Recently my wife Patt had her hearing exam and left with these

How can we forget the greatness of our God?!”

Years ago I used to read a daily devotion that always included some scripture and reflection. It was a 31-day devotion with a different reflection for each day of the month. At the end of each month I would start over on the first of the month with the same scripture and reflection that I started with the month before. The same for the second day and the third day and so on through the rest of that month. Somehow those reflections always seemed anew to me. What I discove

At the end of our Holy Thursday evening liturgy we process to a beautiful garden in remembrance of Jesus going to the garden of Gethsemane after the last supper. This simulated garden is very peaceful with many beautiful flowers and plants. There are water fountains trickling with water softly and many candles providing a soft glow of light. This environment initially causes me to reflect on God’s incredible creation. But then I begin to think about how Jesus was surround

We live in a country where free speech is a “right.” In our culture today many people think that speaking anything and everything that comes to mind is okay. It is their right! However, it is important to understand that with rights comes responsibilities. There are logical expressions communicated and then there are emotional expressions communicated. It is often the emotional expressions that get us into trouble but that is not to say that emotional expressions are wro