CONFESSIONS OF A STARBUCKS PASTOR

Ever make one of these? Things like: I'm going to omit sugar this year. I'm working out five mornings a week from now on. Starbucks will see me less than half the time. I will floss daily. I will read more, spend less and bake cookies for the neighbors. Even if we don't make them out loud or write them down, I bet that many of us secretly make a resolution for the new year. One year after meeting a college classmate's 72-year-old grandmother who had gloriously smooth skin, my New Year's promise to myself was that I too would drink only water for the rest of my life. That's what the grandma had done and look at her. My quest lasted as far as mid-February. I think that was the same year I vowed never to eat pancakes again and that didn't last, either. Another year I compiled a very long and thorough list. I was certain obtaining the results would make me a far more accomplished and fit person. The list proved far too demanding and I was soon disappointin...

80 million dollars were spent making this 4.5 starred critically rated movie by Warner Home Video currently still playing in theaters. If you asked me, it would be 5 stars. Spoiler alert: if you have not seen the movie yet, wait to read this blog entry. Oscar winner Sandra Bullock is in every scene of this movie set entirely in space until the last few minutes. She plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a doctor recently employed by NASA to install her technology on a U.S. satellite and dealing with her first experiences in space. It is also the commander's final mission played by George Clooney. Her character is immediately established as queazy, brilliant and disconnected to people. George is quippy, stabilizing and fast-thinking. 15 minutes into this 91 minute thriller, we experience our lead characters struggling to return to their ship following a rain shower of exploding satellite debris that has destroyed all communication with Houston. Discovering they are the sole survivors of their mi...