A Pilgrim’s Odyssey

“The only way to know life is by not ignoring life.”

Jack London in a letter to his daughter, Joan London, August 25, 1915

Walking the streets of another one of our desolate cities, I was reminded of one of my favorite U2 songs, Where The Streets Have No Name.

The scene that unfolded as I walked was both alarming and reassuring. Alone in a city park, I prayed and pondered what it all meant.

An incredible group of law enforcement officers from around Ohio reminded me today just what the following words mean:

^{John 15:13} Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Live deeply my friends, and life is worth fighting for.

What a terrible tragedy, the Surfside, Florida building collapse at 1 in the morning while the residents slept. At this time, 4 people are confirmed dead with another 159 unaccounted for.

Life, and death, happens so quickly.

75, long white hair, skinny as rail - today over a tofu salad I witnessed a real-deal old hippie holding court with a young, wanna-be hippie. It was a sight to behold, and a surprising reminder of the things that matter.

As some in society slide into an abyss of debasement, take heart, you are not crazy.

Stand tall, keep moving forward, take heart that your eyes are on the things that matter and when the embers stop glowing, flowers will arise.

Bad news at the Indianapolis airport led to an unexpected journey and pleasant memories.

When you are focused on the things that matter, even disappointments can become happy accidents.

We are flesh and blood, purely organic creatures. The joy of shrink-to-fit Levi’s Jeans hearkens to the beauty of this.

They are not expensive, but when done right, priceless. Made of non-sanforized cotton, if you are careful they will fit you like nothing else in our age of petroleum produced clothing.

My method: buy yourself a pair about 2 inches longer than usual and 1 inch in the waste bigger than usual. Boil in water, let them sit for an hour, drip dry for 30 minutes, and then wear them till they are dry. It’ll take a few hours or more. Do this twice. Enjoy.

That 100% cotton is now part of you. Grab a sweet tea, sit in the evening summer breeze and stair across a green field knowing that you have about all you need to appreciate the things that matter. And maybe listen to a podcast of two!

One consequence of electronic, impersonal communication is that it is easier and more attractive than ever to create a straw man to argue with.  I will create a caricature of you, or maybe just lie, and then I’ll tear that image down. And worse, even though I’m attacking this false narrative, I act like I’m attacking the real argument, not the straw one.

Someone living in an echo chamber uses the straw man the most frequently. Live in a bubble where all your ideas are confirmed, straw men will start popping up everywhere. How do you avoid this? This is important to consider because we can all fall into this, even when we are well-meaning.

Today I will discuss a great resource I found for college students to avoid straw man arguments in writing papers. It is good advice for you and me, and it is also a great way to look at someone else's argument to determine whether or not they are relying on a straw man.

I've been preparing for a basketball coaches meeting today, the theme - God, Team, Fun – No “I” and managing expectations.

I think there are some lessons here for all of us.