The Sad Story of Amy Winehouse. . . .
After a weekend getaway void of most technological connections, Lisa and I returned home late last night. I settled into bed and decided to give the Sunday paper a quick once-over to see what happened in the world while we…
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To Those Who Have Been Given Much. . . Crisis In Africa. . .
I just exchanged texts with my good friend Rich Van Pelt from Compassion. I asked Rich what he knows about what’s happening in Africa. It seems that the rest of the world knows alot more about the famine, drought and…
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The Gnawing That Is Today. . . .
At the level of my emotions, this has not been a morning to sing show tunes from “Oklahoma.” You know. . . that jump-out-of-bed-with-a-spring-in-your-step little tune that starts with “Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day. I’ve…
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Youth Culture Trends That I Missed. . . .
I got an email from my friend Bret Bucklen the other day. I’ve known Bret and his family for years. He wound up majoring in sociology just like I did at the same college. Along the way, I had Bret…
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Buying Garbage. . . .
If you’ve ever visited our Center for Parent/Youth Understanding website, you know that we’re always on the lookout for what we call “culture quotes” to post. These are sentences and paragraphs that we believe are noteworthy because they give us…
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These Are A Few Of My Favorite Films. . . .
My buddy Rick Lawrence over at “GROUP” Magazine contacted me a couple of months ago and asked for a list of my five favorites. Ok. . . . category? Five favorite what? Rick left the decision up to me. Since…
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What I Saw At Home Depot. . . And A Good Ending. . .
So last night I’m standing at the paint counter at our local Home Depot while the clerk’s got my two cans shaking violently in the machine under the counter. I’m guessing that most Home Depot stores are set up in…
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Web Of Lies. . . Lies On The Web. . . .
This week’s news makes us think about lies. Former Major-Leaguer Roger Clemens is in court facing charges of lying to Congress. You watch the video tapes of Clemens and his accusers recounting markedly different stories, and you know that at…
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American Youth Ministry. . . What Would Dietrich See?
Stand back. . . take a look. . . and evaluate. We need to do that more, especially for those of us involved in 21st century North American youth ministry. I fear we don’t do it enough. . . and…
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Songs In The Key of Adolescence. . . Which One’s Best? . . .
So I had this great little conversation with my nephew yesterday. We were sitting by the pool with a 60s/70s station providing our Fourth of July soundtrack. The little game of “Name the Artist” I was playing with my brother-in-laws…
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The Voice. . . And What It Said. . .
I was a casual observer of “The Voice,” the NBC singing competition that – in my opinion – was much more engaging and fun than “American Idol.” If you followed the show, you know that Javier Colon was crowned “the…
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Yes, I Shock The Dog. . . .
I know the folks from PETA probably don’t like them, but I’m a big fan of the electric dog fence. I bought and installed mine about 16 years ago when we welcomed a big, beautiful Golden Retriever pup into the…
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