The Painful Path of Perfection

The Painful Path of Perfection

The Painful Path of Perfection

None of us are perfect. Some of us want to be.

Imperfection has problems. Mistakes need forgiveness. Wisdom requires maturity. Good choices aren’t easy. Success doesn’t feel good before it’s achieved.

But the path to perfection has deeper problems.

None of us know what perfection is or what it even looks like. Many times we can’t “do the right thing” because we don’t know what it is.

Some of the rules we grow up with are good, some are not. But, we never have all of the right rules. So, we need patient forgiveness for foolishness as well as ignorance.  · · · →

America the Great

America the Great

America the Great

The Americas were named after Amerigo Vespucci, who demonstrated that Columbus was wrong: He hadn’t traveled to Asia; he had discovered the New World.

The New World meant freedom from the old, oppressive powers of the Old World. Not having a proper name, the United States has assumed the name of the New World, America.

The States haven’t kept freedom perfectly, but they have faired well among other countries in the Americas. In the States, Blacks conquered slavery and natives were reserved rather than exterminated.

The great mistake of the States was helping the Old World that didn’t want help.  · · · →

Black Olives Matter

Black Olives Matter

Black Olives Matter

All olives matter, but some are more important, depending on the ethnicity.

Mexican and Italian really needs black olives. That’s not to discriminate against green olives, which belong on a blue cheese burger. But salsa, burritos, lemon-chicken salad, tacos, spaghetti, pizza—Mexican or Chicago—black olives matter much more than green or red olives.

Am I an olive chauvinist? Yes. But not as much as I am a food chauvinist. As farmers, my grandparents fed us soul food. While I didn’t much care for their overcooked, fattening recipes, they had black olives. And that mattered. It still does.

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The Second National Wave

The Second National Wave

The Second National Wave

China is the nearest and most understated problem facing America. Complex taxes and health care’s hidden frivolous lawsuit problems get more attention, but China is the nearest threat.

But the biggest wave-maker in America trails China: Changes to Sunday morning.

Sunday morning affects Americans of any religion, any liturgy, any political ideology. It affects the work week, news, comedy, literature, jobs, city zoning, and school curriculum. When it shifts, everything will shift.

Clergy make Sunday attendance a question of “fellowship”. But, people are fed up for different reasons: Christians want freedom to work on the first day of the week.  · · · →