CONFESSIONS OF A STARBUCKS PASTOR

When I was in 7th grade, James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend" was a hit. That was the second album I bought with my early teen money and listened to it over and over.  James' "friend" in the ballad was gonna be there always to brighten up even my darkest day. I memorized every lyric and when the song comes on the radio today, I surprise myself by singing right along. With all the social media labels, doesn't everyone have "friends"?  And more than plenty of them? Yadda, yadda, yadda. But what about people in your everyday life? Maybe they don't live in your zip code but they can be trusted and valued. They are there for you but won't stand by and watch you flush yourself down the toilet without speaking up. They cheer you on and if they do happen to live nearby, make the investment to spend some face-to-face time more than once a year. Anyone less invested is not a "good friend", they are just an acquaintance. Ther...

In my current role as an in-home mental health practitioner to individuals and families, I see a variety of households in as many conditions and situations. Insurance pays for my services, otherwise most of the clients would not be able to afford much-needed help. Various government programs provide further assistance for basic needs like rent, utilities, personal care and more. A free shuttle service is available for transportation to and from medical appointments. Of course there are also several routes to take that put food on the table. In short, there are so many options available that if someone is willing to do the work to move ahead, support is in place and ready to act. An average person "in the system" has at least five different individuals providing support services. This is how over 49% of Americans are able to get by. Those numbers have gone up the past few years, and the length of time someone can receive these services has also been extended. No one is get...

Yes, I can tell what your temperment is by the way you drive. I can tell what your personality is and how self-focused you are. I can tell all of this merely by being in traffic with you. In my current position, I am on the road at least 3-4 hours each day. The last time I drove this much it was just to and from in good ol' California traffic and a way of life for all Golden State residents. Now, it is because I go to my clients (they don't come to me) so I drive in spurts at different times of the day and in a variety of directions. I travel on side roads, freeways, highways and frontage roads. I drive across bridges, railroad tracks and unpaved roads. I go downtown, to remote locations and to main street. Sometimes there is road construction or bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic. Sometimes there is hardly anyone on the road with me. It varies all the time. The only thing certain is that I don't want to be driving north anywhere on a Friday afternoon. (Where we live, s...

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...

Football Commissioner Roger Goodall (who reportedly earns $44M annually) stated in a press conference that "we all make mistakes". This was in reference to his initial limited penalization for Falcon tight end, Ray Rice's arrest for punching his now-wife in a hotel elevator and rendering her unconscious. The Football industry is a big deal to our country, taking in a whopping $9 billion each year. Goodall wants to make that $25 billion in the next dozen years. No Mr. Goodall, your improper response to an act of violence was not simply a "mistake". It was gross negligence. With your income and the billions of fan dollars at your fingertips, you fall far short of your pay grade. Now that at least 3 other players have either come forward or been exposed for child and domestic abuse, the Commissioner is more than alarmed. He says that every walk of life is exposed to such violence regardless of status or income level. Is that news to you? He proceeded to outli...

With the exciting announcement about the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize going to its first ever Pakistani who also happens to be the youngest recipient, I thought a brief study was in order. Alfred Nobel was an industrialist and the creator of dynamite. Once he saw his invention being used for destruction, a year before his death he signed a will (1895)  declaring that most of his fortune be invested and annually awarded to those in the world who " conferred the greatest benefit on mankind ." There are six award categories, one of which is the infamous Nobel Peace Prize.  It is awared every fall around this time and is the only category award presented in Oslo, Norway. The other 5 prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. The annual process to nominate and select NPP recipients begins a year before the final decision and undergoes several deadlines as the list of nominees is whittled. Initially over 6,000 invitations to nominate are extended to selected insituations. Approxima...