Outside the Pigeon Holes

I enjoy listening to Alan Alda's podcast 'Clear and Vivid' . At the end of every episode he asks his guest seven quick questions. Here are my answers: 1. What do you wish you really understood? Why the universe was created in such a way that violent death or death, in general, was required for the sustenance of its living creatures. The food chain - I'm not a fan.... 2. How do you tell someone they got their facts wrong? Generally, if I am having an actual discussion with someone (that is usually not in a FB comment thread) I will ask questions about sources where the person got their information in case I missed something or to decide if the sources are quality. I will present what I understand to be true and why. 3. What is the strangest question anyone has ever asked you? It was more stupid/rude than strange, but someone once asked me why I was here if I didn't want to have children...As if the sole purpose of my existence is to breed. 4. How do you

  This is what I have learned over many years in the age of information overload. I never would have believed that we'd be here where the conspiracies of QAnon are being increasingly accepted by usually reasonable people... 1. Check sources of every article you see come through your feed, know their slant...(for instance, The Atlantic has a center-left bias but high factual reporting. Knowing this, I know to look for corroborating information from sources with little bias - such as newswires, or even a center-right commentary for a different perspective). 2. Avoid questionable sources and extremely biased sources (even if the lean is in your preferred direction) - those don't want you to think critically or think for yourself and usually don't provide sourcing - or if they do, it's other questionable sources and hearsay. These outlets count on human laziness and human tendency toward confirmation bias. 3. If you see a Twitter thread that sounds like the person is kn

I've been following Michael Sweet/Stryper since the early 1980s. So, there's a bit of a bias here, but I love them for a reason. They produce consistently solid music. Whenever someone sets out on a solo career from an established group, it's risky, and there are those who - separate from their core band - cannot make the same kind of 'magic'. Michael Sweet is not one of those artists. His solo efforts have all surpassed my expectations. He stands as powerfully alone as he does with Stryper - if not more so. He has the musical talent, the guitar prowess, and a set of golden pipes which infuse his albums with energy and soul. His production work is precise and tight. Rarely have I found a song worth skipping on any of Michael Sweet's albums (that says a lot. I'm a picky listener). TEN is no exception, it is his heaviest solo offering yet, harder than his previous ONE-SIDED WAR. Sweet also features a number of guest artists  on many of the tracks who add a

I haven't been reading a whole lot of theological books lately. Frankly, I'm kind of done right now with the whole thing. Not with Jesus, but with all the baggage. I'm worn out by the more evangelical stuff. Yet, with a few refreshing exceptions, people like myself who have endured a painful desconstruction, seem to go so far to the opposite extreme that it simply becomes the flip side of the same coin. There's no place for any previously held  practices or language at all. Science is now the almighty - not a way to understand the world created by an intelligent being. Shame on you if you refer to God as 'he' or wish someone a 'blessed day'. Worse it sometimes goes toward a politico-religious arena wherein unless your deconstruction has brought you to hard left activism then you clearly haven't fully evolved. I took a chance with this book because it seemed as though this author found a way to retain a connection to the concepts of God and Creation

There has been an overload of debate posts since the Parkland Florida school shooting. This happens everytime. It's a vicious circle. I try not to get too involved unless I think it's a group of people who can talk without devolving into mudslinging. Because, that's helpful! Here is my ramble about the current state of affairs. I support the 2nd Amendment. I like to go target shooting. I don't own a gun, so this has nothing to do with 'mah guns'. If I thought stricter gun laws would truly help, I'd support reasonable reform despite my political views on that subject. We all have to be willing to step down from our respective high horses and talk about real solutio ns instead of just playing the same old talking points volley ball game. The thing is that the root of the problem is complex and we didn't get here over night. No single solution is going to impact the issue overnight. So, let's offer our practical solution ideas from our resp

I have been on a bit of a mindfulness jag lately. I took a class on Coursera called 'Demystifying Mindfulness'. It was a good precursor to this book as it gave me a basic understanding of the more contemporary study of mindfulness which this book is geared toward. I was drawn to this title because of the aim to make mindfulness practice more easily accessible throughout the day rather than being limited to a certain time and place. The book is based on a particular brand of mindfulness training begun by Shinzen Young. What I liked: The book is very well organized. Salter lays out each chapter clearly and includes a reference chart which she builds upon as the information and practices become more complex. She also gives her own background and journey into mindfulness, sharing her own struggles with settling her body down (dealing with the 'itchy-scratchies')  in order to practice. Once you start to become familiar with the process and the vocabulary that makes up th