CONFESSIONS OF A STARBUCKS PASTOR

I started the hardest jigsaw puzzle in the world last June. It was going to be my friend and companion while our son was away training in the military. It was going to be my little 9-week project I would show off when he returned home. Last summer I did "Cheeses of the World" and was able to find all 247 different shades of yellow just fine, so my ego was ready for "Starry Night". With my art background and keen eye, this would be a fun challenge. Like doing a hard Sudoko. Not only did I not complete the puzzle on time, it's not even going to be done by Christmas. Each piece can fit in several places perfectly and you don't know you had it in the wrong place til you work about 27 other pieces in the same area. Then you don't just pull out the one piece that started it all wrong, you end up having to pull out another handful. There were nights when I could not even place one piece and nights where all I did was discover how many boo-boos there were. Thi...

Election season brings up the idea of lying to get your way...which makes me think about things people lie about... or cheat about... which makes me think about divorce. According to the National Center for Government Statistics and the US Census Bureau, in the U.S. there will be 2,118,000 marraiges this year and 877,000 anulments and divorces. There is a 32% chance a first marraige will end in 10 years and 48% within 20 years. Second marraige stats are a bit higher... there's a 31% chance it will end in 5 years and a 46% chance it will end in 10 years. Or, as radio shrink Dr. Laura likes to state "there is a 75% chance a second marraige will end in divorce. Would you get on a plane with a 75% liklihood it would crash?" It is interesting to note that in a first marriage there is a 48% chance of divorce after 20 years. That coincides with the ever opinionated Dr. Laura's mantra to hang in until the last kid is 18. Perhaps this is why the divorce percentage incr...