CONFESSIONS OF A STARBUCKS PASTOR

With the Bruce Jenner appearance change and being heralded as courageous for his new name and attitude - not to mention prominent cover shoot on a big deal magazine - we now have NAACP leader Rachel Dolezel pretending to be black. Talking heads are lumping them both in the same bucket. If that is what they feel , we must then understand and support. Apparently both parties have felt they identified more as a female/black since childhood. Both have altered their appearances to reflect their true inner selves. The fake black lady's parents are shaking their heads while new-woman Bruce's family is applauding. No matter how many surgeries or self-tannings, each of these people still have the same DNA they were born with. And in Rachel's case - the same birth parents even though she shows a photo of a black dad. Both of these people have to undergo extra effort in order to appear as the person they claim is their authentic self. Since it is on-trend to identify with what ...

Love that 90's movie with Sandra Bullock. While You Were Sleeping . Not only the story, but how we got to see it in the theaters with a bambino in a stroller. The kidlet who needed constant motion. We sat in the unoccupied handicapped section and pushed his ride to and fro in order to see the movie with the same name. As a more grown up person with some antenae, every time I see a major media source focus on just one story (for ratings?), I always wonder what else is going on in the world that we aren't hearing about. What are we missing? Fast forward to NOW. ISIS (I refuse to accomodate their continual name changes) is ravaging northern Africa and pummeling the Middle East. It also has a vast presence in Indonesia we rarely hear about. When was ISIS born? Why didn't we hear more about this Pac Man Terrorist organization before it took so much power and rage on? Inklings of an ISIS in some form has existed far back into Osama Bin Laden's reign. Recent documents p...

The hot topic trending on social media this week is the scoop about a ginormous reality family television show that has been a cable network staple for over a decade. They have so many kids they could form two baseball teams. The family is well-known as being Christian and clean cut. News was leaked that their eldest son as a young teen had sexually abused five young girls some ten years ago. Four being his sisters. Said son is now married with three kids of his own and another on the way. He states that he was wrong, has asked for forgiveness and even stepped down from a prominent public job in a Christian organization once the story broke. As a result of all the negative press, the network has now cancelled the family show. When his sister reported his molestation to his father, dad reported him to the police. Stories have surfaced on the various ways the family responded, where the teen was sent following his confession and how he was not legally charged. Over and over it ha...

Less than a week ago, former Olympian Bruce Jenner made Kardashian-esque news in his exclusive 2-hour interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC. It was then that he informed no one anything new as his ever-altering image has been splayed accross the media for years that "Dude Looks Like a Lady." Apparently, Jenner feels female on the inside and is taking dollars, time and doctors - not to mention press - to correct the joke he claims that God has pulled on him. Yes, I admit I watched that awkward interview where Sawyer positioned herself as if this was a newsworthy story with all the correct "listening" expressions and postures. It was uncomfortable to watch a once-famous athlete seek to redefine and normalize what he is doing. It was uncomfortable to watch a once-famous athlete seek Kardashian "fame". Twice his eyes gave a knowing look as he triumphantly stated that with all the drama in his ex-wife's franchise he "had the real story" all al...

Very well, I've observed over the years. It's the rest of us who have been undone and/or amazed by a fellow human (no matter what their esteemed status) that causes us to ask this question. It might even be prefaced with a "can you believe THIS??" Every time someone tells me about something outrageous that happened to them and concludes their diatribe with "can you believe THIS???" I always respond with the same answer: "Yep, I'm not surprised by people anymore." Those people that have somehow trounced us that we lose sleep over are doing fine, thank you very much. They look in the mirror every day, back their cars out of the the driveway and go about their business utterly unaffacted by the harm they have left in their wake. It is all okay. Because when they look in the mirror, they are unfazed by truth. I doubt it was on their radar in the first place. My biggest prayer for harm-causers is that they become completely aware of their ro...

It saddens me to learn that Franklin Graham is being openly attacked by other Christian leaders. In a social media post, I read that they have even forgiven him. If you are not familiar with Samaritan Purse founder, Reverand Franklin Graham perhaps you have heard of his famous father, Billy? Billy Graham is probably one of the most well-known evangelistic preachers in the world, having spent time with every President since Harry Truman. Billy loves God, period. He is a-political and has spent his adult life traveling the world bringing his simple message to millions of people that God sent his son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that if we believe that, we will inherit eternal life. Son Franklin has become more visible as Billy ages. Franklin is also a humanitarian, traveling the world to provide tangible care for the persecuted and impoverished. Billy did not speak about politics, but Franklin does. More and more as the threat of ISIS continues to explode and our current pres...

Land of the free, home of the brave. We are all aware about some key dates in the founding and history of America (I hope). Microsoft, baseball, McDonalds and Apple Pie describe many aspects of our country. But what else characterizes our great nation in 2015? I've been compiling a list about what I've learned from observing the media. 1. The search for the next big thing. Whether it's a Hollywood movie that doesn't have a "II or III" in the title or the next frisbee, we are suckers for new things that promise great results. Look at how many get rich now resources you can subsribe to, the latest trending game app or viral YouTube video. You only have to note the size of the latest versions of smart phones to see what it is that you simply have to have. Marketers capitalize on this consumer characteristic. There is something about that promise to look better or get it done quicker or have The Latest Thing that gets our attention. (Think E-cig pop up stores...