You Need to Get Out More
Nobody really knows who penned the phrase, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” These words originally appeared as the first line to a poem published in 1602 by, ironically, a composer so apparently absent from the world that nobody actually knew his name, let...
Who’s Your Partner?
I read recently that women, on average, claim to have about 3.5 close friends. Men, on the other hand, report to have less than one close friend at any given moment in their lives. One of the consequences of living in an increasingly fragmented, isolated society is...
Help Yourself
A few months ago a friend of mine invited me to go to a Ben Harper concert with him. He guaranteed me beforehand that he’d find a way to get us backstage. When we arrived at the security gate, my friend flashed a “badge” and, sure enough, security waved us right...
“Random Acts of Kindness?” Sermon posted on Scribd
This past Sunday I spoke about the well-intentioned, but naive advice to "practice random acts of kindness." It's not that we don't need more kindness in the world; it's that "random" just doesn't get the job done. The forces that work against kindness, generosity,...
Random Acts of Kindness?
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that should be banned. I imagine that the owner of that car had the best intentions when she stuck the sticker on the back of her blue hybrid. She’s probably one of the kindest, warmest, most peace-loving persons in all of North...
Let’s Go
At some point in our lives, we will be asked to do something that, depending on our response, will either disappoint the one doing the asking, or disappoint ourselves. Every one of us lives with expectations – those which we have of ourselves, and those which others...