CONFESSIONS OF A STARBUCKS PASTOR

Do you observe what is marketed online, TV, radio, billboards and in store displays? I know the ads are there and glance - rarely intrigued - but as a person with a sociologist's heart, I often pause to see what's trending. There are all those commercials for the pills your doctor is too ignorant to know about but savvy you can learn about in 60 seconds to fix things you never knew were wrong. Don't worry that the side effects are often worse than what you just discovered you had and the list always includes headache, nausea and death. My favorites are the ones about everyday life. Those luxury car ads that show the life everyone wants to have with built-in everything to enjoy while cruising along the golden highway. It's either the perfect couple in the car, or the perfect parents with the perfect kids. What about the diet commercials that show the before and after photos that tell you that you can do it too - with their program. There's even the one with the d...

As written in my to-go files 10 days ago... Recent media stories depict traffic jam images about the New Jersey bridge closure fiasco now revealed apparently only for political reasons. Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen even performed an excellent spoof song on Jimmy's show. Some staffers high up in the Christie organization took it upon themselves, we are told, to close a key commuter bridge as a form of revenge against some who did not support their candidate. The governor held a press conference that wouldn't stop while making brash statements. He claimed he had nothing to do with what had happened and terminated the two people who had gone behind his back. He apologized and took full blame since they worked for him. He stated he was embarrassed, humiliated and hurt by the betrayal. I'm sure this story will continue to grow legs like a caterpillar, but let's just take it at face value. The leader trusted his team. He had a trusted inner circle that he had been...

There's a Jerry Seinfeld episode where he commiserates with his pals about a certain acquaintance of theirs being a "loud talker". You know, the one everyone can hear from across the room? While sitting in a cafe trying to do some research using their free Wi-Fi, I was recently treated to my most recent "loud talker". And don't be fooled, I think I attract more than the national average. This foghorn was with two other co-workers, but only her voice banged into the air. If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was giving a monologue. When her banter moved to the birth stones on her necklace for her niece and grandchildren, out came my ear buds! I don't even know the birth stones of my own children and she could list names and family tree positions. Just because I wasn't interested in hearing all of this doesn't mean she isn't entitled to have any kind of conversation she would like. Go ahead. Carry on. Just please do it at a ...