Devotionals

The 1976 movie “All the President’s Men” is an exposé of the Watergate scandal.  Famously, the final domino to drop in the case against President Nixon was the court ordered release of taped conversations between him and his staffers, family and others.  However, much earlier in the illicit train of dominoes were the findings from an investigation into his fundraising organization.  It’s there that [...]

I’ve enjoyed barbecuing food most of my life.  Like many young married couples, my wife and I started with very little money, but owning a grill was a priority.  For years my original charcoal kettle accompanied us from one apartment to the next.  One day I was walking through the barbecue aisle of a hardware store when I saw a low-end smoker marked down to under fifty [...]

As a matter of course, older generations grumble about the next.  Baby Boomers carried on about Generation X who, in turn, despaired over Millennials, the ones who now bristle at Generation Z.  Each era’s issues bear out differently, but the repeating theme of disapproval seems to fit into the same box—selfish behavior in an overprivileged situation. A modern example of this is what is popularly, though [...]

One of my sons is a skilled drummer, though the early days of his musical education was a challenge to everyone else in the house (and the neighbors).  Over the years, the pitter-patter of fundamental syncopation drills gave way to increasing speed, volume and aggression.  He had to wear headphones to hear what he was accompanying, which meant the rest of us were subjected to the [...]

Pre-planned police and military tactical operations are preceded by a briefing.  In films, tactical briefings are never depicted accurately because they would be far too detailed for most viewers’ interest.  Instead, Hollywood portrays a strong-chinned, steely-eyed commander (complete with salt-and-pepper hair) barking out over-generalized assignments.  “Cunningham, you’ve got eyes on the entrance!  Jackson, you cover the back!  Sanchez, the basement is yours!” In reality, [...]

Born in the 1980s, the term “foodie” is a relatively young one.  The moniker is not confined to those that simply enjoy eating, in fact, many don’t even cook.  A foodie has a keen interest in the eating experience.  In the overgeneralized categories of those that “eat to live” and those that “live to eat,” they fall squarely in the latter. Foodies make dining something of a [...]