Author

You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?

Most of us have heard, “They can talk the talk, but can they walk the walk?” In other words, talk is cheap and results are the real way to judge. Those who merely talk are hypocrites.

The phrase implies it’s easier and more common to talk the talk than walk the walk. Flash is easier to achieve than substance.

But I’m not so sure that is true. At least not in the non-profit world. It seems to me there are far more people walking the walk than talking the talk.

I know a lot of people who are doing great …

Belize, PathLight,

Eagle Empowerment in Belize

My friend Carol Houston is the President of Eagle Empowerment, an organization in South West Los Angeles that works with at-risk youth. Carol is also the pastor of Bethel Unspeakable Joy Church, which is right in the heart of South Central, and she serves with me on the Board of Trustees of Westmont College.

I know a lot of cool people; Carol is one of the coolest. Maybe the coolest.

Eagle Empowerment took a group of students to Belize earlier this summer. Along with their adult leaders, the students from Eagle Empowerment did some great work for …

Book Reviews, Family,

Sadie Reading

In our house, even Sadie likes to read before going to bed.

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Wine Reviews,

Invino.com

I posted this early but it’s worth sharing again. If you love wine and want to find good deals, consider signing up for Invino.com and take advantage of their expertise. I’ve been a member for a few months now and am impressed with their selection, price, and service. They offer everything from inexpensive wines to crazy $1000 a bottle stuff.

If you do sign up, please use this link so they know I sent you. If you end up buying something I get a small bonus, which I’ll use to buy more wine so I can serve it to you …

Junkyard Management,

Humorous Photo

Long time friend Brad Boydston posted this and it made me laugh out loud. Figured it was well worth sharing. As Brad said, Jeep driving is known to help people maintain a sense of humor.

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Family, Junkyard Management,

The Murderer Who Built Our Waterfall

Taking a break from blog posts about wine, books, or spiritual insights…and sharing a story from my youth.

My childhood was a weird mix of suburban predictability and wrecking yard madness. On the predictable side, I grew up in a typical tract home in the Willow Glen district of San Jose, we shopped at the regular stores, we wore clothes typical for the era, we ate regular middle class meals, and we attended a conservative Baptist church. Life was pretty straightforward.

But there was that madness side. Dad always had some odd deal in the works and he knew some …

Wine Reviews,

Taste of Terroir

Last week we had a great time at the Taste of Terroir hosted by the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association. There were sixteen different restaurants and wineries working together to create the best pairing of food and wine. The competition was to see who could do it best, and the results were delicious!

Most of the food was small and bite size, and the wine was poured in small amounts, so we weren’t completely overwhelmed by the quantity of food from so many great pairings. I was doing well — until they announced that the dessert room was open! This included …

Random Thoughts,

The New Cultural Arrogance

Some of my recent reading has been by authors in the New Atheists camp. You know, all those bestselling authors who love trying to dismantle Christianity and other faiths. They’ve grown highly recognized in the last decade or so.

Reading the arguments put forth by the critics of my faith sharpens my own thinking. There are several authors who make strong arguments. I don’t agree with the arguments, but they are well thought out and presented without a lot of emotional angst or condescending insults. They are well worth reading.

Sadly, there are some who are total nut cases. They …