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 ...

A politician making headlines the past two years is a man I had never heard of...until news of his "selfies" hit the fan. In 2011, this New York state congressman was caught taking photos of his privates with his smart phone and sending them to women who were not his (then pregnant) wife. Public outrage forced him to resign and presumably his career trajectory crashed. According to a People Magazine interview in July 2012, the ex-congressman went through therapy after his resignation. Photos show a happy family holding their baby son who had worked hard to overcome what he had done. They had put that past behind them. A few months later, this rehabilitated family man threw his hat into the ring for the upcoming New York City mayoral race. Over 8,300,000 people live within its 469 square miles, making it the largest city in the United States. Thousands of major corporations make their headquarters there. Its annual operating budget is $70 billion dollars. That's quit...

This sentence has been said to me hundreds of times in the past 15 years. It refers to a person's experience at a church. If we were to be honest, we've all probably said that at one time or another for any number of reasons. The music was too loud. The songs were too long. The sermon was too short. The sermon was too long. They had a band. There were drums. There weren't any hymns. There were hymns. They collected money. They met in a school. They didn't have an organ. They had an organ. The pastor didn't wear a robe. The pastor wore a robe. There were women in leadership. People dressed up. People didn't dress up. The band wore jeans. The pastor wore jeans. They showed a movie clip. The teaching was from the Bible. They didn't talk enough about the Bible. Someone had a beard. They danced. They had communion. They didn't have pews. Children were in the service. Children weren't in the service. You could bring your Starbucks mocha in with you. They...

Bet it's been awhile since you've heard this phrase. If you are under 30, you might never have heard this so let me explain. In the old movies that I adore (from the 1930s-1950s) there were distinct differences between men and women. How they dressed, what they did and how each was treated. Something you always see is the man holding the door for the lady, or pulling out her chair for her. When a lady would rise from the table to visit the loo, all of the men would briefly stand before she left. Men lit the cigarettes, walked along the street side of the sidewalk and helped the lady on with her coat. When she was pregnant, her husband wanted her to be careful and get her rest. The lady was never allowed to carry something very heavy. Ladies were highly esteemed by the men. Endearing terms were on the tips of their lips. There was even certain language and behavior that simply wasn't conducted in their presence. Think of the men retiring to another room with their cigars...