Always Reforming

Our nation was rocked again this week by another senseless  shooting , this time at the West Freeway Church of Christ in Texas.  It seems that Churches, and other houses of worship, are a new favorite target for gunmen, who, one would imagine, identify them as vulnerable targets because churches, like schools, provide the opportunity for maximum damage with minimal resistance.  This story, of course, ended a little differently. I genuinely tried not to write about this story, but doing is so is the only way I can stop fixating on it.  Here are my thoughts on this event. 1) Obviously, it could've been much worse.   It's not very often that a "mass shooting" ends within few seconds of beginning (we don't hear about them on the news anyway).  As far from comforting as it may be, the people in that building, and across the U.S., should be thankful that the carnage was limited. 2) We need to stop twisting tragedies for political purposes.   This is no...

Dear fellow citizens who support the impeachment of our president, Donald Trump, I'm writing to you today because I think things have gotten out of hand lately.  The political landscape in our nation is becoming increasingly more transparent and it's time for self-respecting citizens to engage in some self-reflection.  This is all getting a little silly, isn't it? Before I say anything more, let me be very clear about something.  I did not vote for Donald Trump, nor do I intend to vote for Donald Trump in the future, barring some unexpected turn of events.  I do think that some of his acts as President have been laudable, but he has done nothing to demonstrate that he is a Godly, respectable man, nor am I naive enough to believe that anyone becomes that rich and powerful in New York without crossing a few ethical lines. Nevertheless, I have a few problems with this whole impeachment thing you guys have going on. First of all, I'm pretty sure most of you guys ...

Exactly 14 Years Ago "Hubert!" "Huuuuubeeeeerrrrrt!  It's time for dinner!" The backyard offered no reply.  Hubert's mother stormed through the screen door, a cloud of frustration in her wake. "Hubert!  What are you doing?" she asked. "I'm petting Celery," Hubert responded without lifting his gaze. "Celery?" On Hubert's lap lay a kitten.  His coat was dark like midnight; his eyes glistened like emeralds.  She could hear Celery's purr, serene yet vigorous, from several feet away.  Her heart melted. "Where did you find that?" "I think he found me," Hubert replied.  "I was just sitting underneath this tree and he climbed onto my lap.  Can we keep him?" His mother was conflicted.  Hubert obviously had a strong affinity for this cat, and after the recent loss of his father, a feline companion might be just what the nine-year-old boy needed.  On the other hand, the added ex...

It seems like almost daily I see a meme on Facebook complaining that the American education system is teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic instead of life skills.  As our nation becomes more aware of the broken promises of higher academia, social media is being inundated with a flood of articles promoting a focus on trades and home economics in lieu of Algebra and ancient literature.  Millennials are especially vocal as they remind everyone that their failures are not their fault because they were never taught how to budget, to pay taxes, etc. Well, guys, I have some news for you. Uncle Sam ain't yer daddy!  Betsy Ross ain't yer momma! The government, whether federal, state, or local, does not have the responsibility to teach you life skills.  "School" was not intended to teach you how to live your life, nor was it designed to make you successful.  An "education" is not meant to teach you everything you need to know.  It is meant to equip you wit...

Vaccines save lives! But...they often have side effects that are worse than the diseases they prevent. Processed food keeps millions of people from starving to death! But...it's really unhealthy and is probably giving us all cancer. Social media facilitates the dissemination of information and enables us to stay connected with friends and family! But...it spreads misinformation and is probably dragging us all down into depression. Technology opens up new possibilities and allows us to be more productive! But...it also puts people out of work by eliminating entire industries. On and on the story goes. Every pro comes with a con.  Every advancement presents new issues.  Every solution the human race develops to solve the world's problems creates an entirely new and previously inconceivable set of problems. Welcome to life. Welcome to reality. Welcome to a world broken by sin. Nothing is ever perfect.  Nothing is ever resolved.  Nothing will ev...

The Internet is undefeated, my friends. If you maintain any sort of a social media presence, you are doubtlessly familiar with this week's hottest meme.  It's not a single meme per se, nor even a single meme format.  Rather, it's the interposition of the words "Epstein didn't kill himself" into virtually every meme format ever devised.  When we sit back and consider the proliferation of Epstein-based memes, we can observe three things: 1) Memes are silly and amusing, but they are more than that.  They have become an art form, a means of communication, a way to make a statement.  They are the bastard child of newspaper editorials and satirical cartoons.  Instead of partisan cartoonists satirizing the politicians they don't like, we have artisans everywhere challenging the immovable moors of society; which leads me to my next point. 2) Americans, and I suspect we're not unique in this, deal with the harsh realities of life through meme-based humor....

I had one of those childhoods. I had one of those childhoods you don't realize is atypical until you go out into the world and meet people who think you're Amish or Catholic. I had a contracted childhood; I don't suppose I had much of a childhood at all. I had one of those childhoods marked by pain and worry. I had one of those childhoods that teaches you how to internalize pain. I learned not to cry. I learned what it means to be strong, or at least, I thought I did. I had one of those childhoods landmarked by funerals . I seem to have a preponderance of childhood memories that involve death. I guess that's the curse of being the youngest in a big family. I remember Grandma Carrie's calling hours. I remember hearing that Grandpa Spencer's emphysema was so bad that he could no longer get out of bed. I remember Dad preaching the Gospel at the funeral. I remember hearing him say that Grandpa didn't deserve to go to Heaven, but that...