Author of the novel JACK.
An Open LetterNovember 7, 2019 My dear daughter, A Significant DayFor me, your inauguration into married life ranks up there with other transformative experiences such as marrying your mother, becoming a father, and even being born. I hope it is as significant for you, too, in a most positive way. I have an everlasting appreciation … Read moreTo My Daughter On Her Wedding Day
My Dear Children, A parent carries a heavy burden. For instance, my decisions impact not only my own life but the lives of my children and likely multiple generations after them, as well. The thought shakes me to the core. There are minor decisions and there are major decisions. In spite of the unavoidable consequences … Read moreOpen Letter To My Children (part 3)
As modern life demands that we grow more specialized in our careers, the temptation to outsource our personal responsibilities may be tempting, but we risk selling ourselves in the process. Selling to whom? To those who take the responsibility, even if by fraud or deceit. Most likely the exchange will leave us feeling cheated because … Read morePersonal Responsibility
Unsettling Questions Years ago (and throughout my spiritual journey), tough questions began percolating to the surface of my mind. These questions took different forms, but they all fell into a few simple categories: God, his holy nature, and my relationship with him (if indeed there was one). Some of these questions were so unsettling that … Read moreMaking Satan
I recently watched Tucker Carlson’s Men in America. It’s a series playing Wednesdays, of which he has currently published two episodes. The bleak picture that he painted of American men shocked me to the core. Some of the stats that he related didn’t particularly surprise me such as men’s shortened life spans, drug addiction, suicide, … Read moreThe Demise of Masculinity
The statement that “Jesus was not Christian” means that many of the doctrines and beliefs held by mainstream Christianity cannot be traced to Jesus. Furthermore, the statement is not trivialized by the fact that he was a Jew. No one was ever more Christian than Paul and he was a Jew, too. Jesus actually departed … Read moreJesus Was Not Christian (part 3)
Jesus was certainly a great hero and lovable beyond compare. He brought a message of peace and love that deeply resonated with people. He healed the sick and consoled the broken hearted. He rested the weary and filled their hearts with the hope that their troubles and sorrows would be recompensed with immeasurable joy. People … Read moreJesus Was Not Christian (part 2)
Christianity is a religion, but Jesus was not religious, at least not by most standards. For instance, Jesus relied on observation and reason, not visions and revelations, to form his ideas and philosophies. This characteristic was so striking with him that people reportedly were astonished at his teachings, saying that he spoke as one having … Read moreJesus Was Not Christian (part 1)
My whole life I’ve heard religious folk claim special knowledge of divine TRUTH. They often speak of it expansively and in exaggerated verbal tones in order to add greater weight to their use of the term. For instance, some recognized authority may attempt to quell a spiritual rebellion by admonishing the subversive sinners not to … Read moreTRUTH vs. truth
What is LOVE? It is impossible to fully define conceptually. It defies finite description and supersedes all things. It is the first cause from which all human life and thought spring. Therefore, to place bounds on it would be like a statue placing limitations on its sculptor. Nevertheless, we can work toward an operational definition … Read moreThe Sublime Suffering