CONFESSIONS OF A STARBUCKS PASTOR

Just wondering... If you were a corporate CEO, would you let your biggest competitors know your annual plans? I mean, wouldn't that be fair ? If you were competing in a baking contest, would you give your rivals your great-grandmother's secret recipe? After all, aren't you nice ? If you were with the health department, would you publish your surprise inspection dates so that all the cafes on your list  had a fair chance to get ready? If you invented a new drink at Starbucks that was sure to double national sales, you'd give Caribou a heads up on the big new campaign so they could get ready, right? If you were an NFL coach for the number two team, you'd let the coach for the number one team have access to your play books and training videos, right? After all we want to demonstrate equal footing , don't we? Oh. Wait. You're saying "NO" to all of the above, right? I know I am. Then help me with this one, please. Tell me why it is supp...

Public displays of outrageous  behavior is nothing new. It has always existed since the dawn of mankind. The difference  now is that it is so outrageous, it's as if it's on crack. Let's just consider fashion headlines from the past 113 years for this discussion. The human body was not for public consumption. Take a look at the early 1900 "swimsuits" - they covered so much of both male and female bodies I wonder how all those layers didn't sink the swimmers. A woman's  legs were considered sensual and fashion kept them sensibly covered, in spite of rising hemlines until the 1960 mini skirts and go-go boots. Speaking of the 60's, Elvis Presley was shown only from the waist up on The Ed Sullivan Show  because his hip movements were deemed to be too much for family TV. In the early 70's it was a trendy to go bra-less. Weekly sitcoms like Bewitched and That Girl even allowed their stars to try it. In the mid-80's, a young pop singer name...

She was just one. God does that for us, too. An innocent 16-year-old San Diego teen has been in the national limelight these past few weeks. Shortly after her abduction by a family friend, a national Amber Alert was issued and an intense search began. I remember walking in to the room with the TV on and being impressed at how rapid and intense the search shaped up in such short order. I loved hearing the police and FBI declare that they were going to bring her safely home. Within a few days, miraculously this teen was indeed found - in the middle of nowhere - and saved. She was brought back to her hometown unharmed, but she couldn't go home to the one she knew because her captor had murdered both her mother and brother in his quest to capture her. The number of rescuers put in place to find this one girl is mind-blowing. If they had not all worked together, we would not have this happy ending for at least her life. She was just one person and all these people put out messa...

Here they come. Well, actually they have been on the way for quite some time. Ever read George Orwell's book 1984 ? Follow this story:  Back in May 2013, A high school in Arizona thought that school spirit would be increased by having a "Redneck Day". Students could come dressed in characters inspired by the popular TLC program "Duck Dynasty." Side note: I have hosted themed events for years and it is indeed both team-building and fun to produce and experience so I am a big fan. Continuing:  The U.S. Department of Education is conducting an investigation into this matter because one student wore a Confederate flag that day. Civil rights activists claim this created a racially hostile environment.  What  was intended as innocent fun is now undergoing scrutiny including moderated conversations between the school administrators and the civil rights community to "shape new policy and racism prevention measures."  Apparently some students and ...