Saying Goodbye To One, Hello To Another
We come to the end of the year and the end of a career and, as seems to always be the case, there’s a story to tell.
charles i. letbetter
A Brief Look At Some Things We Missed
2021has been a busy year and we’ve missed a few things along the way. This week, we catch up a bit.
Holidays Should Be Reconsidered, Again
If holidays are so stressful, why do we keep doing them the same way? Let’s rethink what we’re doing.
Santa’s Nice List Comes With Caveats
Deciding who’s going on the naughty or nice list is one of the most difficult things Santa has to do.
Blessings For Another Holiday Season
Blessings for a holiday season have perhaps never been more necessary than they are at this moment. This edition of the podcast is for everyone.
Fear and Loathing of the Metaverse
What is the Metaverse and why are so many people afraid of it? Is this Mark Zuckerberg’s fault? Pull up a chair and let’s talk through this.
The Challenge of Reducing Your Digital Footprint
When we consider the amount of our personal data that is on the Internet, it can get scary. How do we manage our digital footprint?
Updating The Personal Terms of Service For Your Life
Every digital device and all the software you use has a Terms of Service contract you must agree to. Our lives are digital. We need one, too.
What Is The Value of Life, Pt. 8: Sex Special Edition
We’re trying something different with a video version of our audio podcast on the value of sex. We hope this makes it more enjoyable.
What Is The Value of Life, Pt. 8: Sex
You might think that sex is everyone’s favorite topic, and for many it is, but when we start talking about value we change the conversation.
What is the Value of Life, Pt. 7: Health & Medicine
Our talk says we value health and medicine. Our actions say something different. Are we lying to ourselves?
What is the Value of Life, Pt. 6: Education
Does education only exist to make us employable or is it meant to make us better people? There’s no agreement on the answer.
What Is The Value of Life, Pt. 5: Family
Family! We all have them, but do they raise our value or do they hinder it? What is the best structure for realizing our value?
What Is The Value Of Life, Pt. 4: Work
What we do, our occupation, our work, is an important and unavoidable part of how our lives are valued. That value may be threatened.
What Is The Value of Life, Pt. 3: Morality
Morality plays a large role in how we value life. Good is better than bad. The challenge is, how do we define what is good? This isn’t easy.
What Is The Value Of Life, Pt. 2: Economics
Using economic calculations to place a value on life often falls short of our perception of self-worth. Can one put a dollar value on life?
What Is The Value Of Life, Pt. 1: What IS Life?
Every life presumably has value, but just how much value? Are some lives more valuable than others? Depends on one’s definitions.
Is There Too Much To Learn?
With so much information available and infinite amounts of knowledge to consume, is there a limit to how much one person can know?
Before You Light The First Firecracker
Independence Day, July 4, is the quintessential American holiday. Hold up. Before lighting any fireworks, let’s talk about true freedom
That’s Not What I Meant
The words we write and the words we say are not always taken in the manner that we intend and sometimes that causes some problems.
I Don’t Have To Be Your Friend
As we grow older, our selection of friends becomes smaller, sometimes prompting us to question why we were friends in the first place.
I Forgot What I Came Here For
I don’t always remember what I’m doing, why I’m in this room, or how things work. Memory is complicated. Losing it is frightening.
Pride, Rainbows, Floods, and Gods
An anti-Pride meme sends the wrong message and completely misses the facts about rainbows, floods, and Pride.
Running From the Hands of a Racist
Emotions are triggered when looking at my hands starts to remind me of a racist grandparent I never wanted to emulate.
Ending One Life To Search For Another
Ending the one thing for which we’ve always been knowing, putting more than 35 years of experience on the shelf, was not an easy decision.
Whose Rights Are These, Anyway?
One strong trait of Americans is the extent to which we value our rights, our liberties. But what happens when my rights conflict with yours?
Where Do We Go From Here?
We look at gains made: not biting our nails, COVID-19 Vaccines, economy surging, and it feels good. But what direction do we take next?
PTSD: A Nation Suffering From Continued Trauma
From the assassination of John F. Kennedy to two mass shootings in the past two weeks, the US has no shortage of trauma, leaving us with PTSD
What The Atlanta Murders Teach About Sex Work
The racist murder of eight people at Atlanta-area massage parlors demands that we reconsider our views on professional sex work.
The Art Of Doing Nothing
What may look like laziness to some may be the ultimate form of avoiding stress and keeping yourself creative and healthy.
This Isn’t Nam, There Are Rules
Not everyone plays fair. They step over the line. When cheating hurts the poor we have to speak out. This isn’t Nam, Dude. There are rules.
Don’t Go Climbing Mountains
Everyone has mountains they must cross. Unless there’s no mountain. Let’s consider that maybe our challenges aren’t as big as we think.
Losing A Little, Finding A Lot
When we give up one thing we can discover something much better. but do we dare to give up something we think is important?
Loving Better: Cancelling Stigmas
Stigmas of every kind stand in the way of us loving people who desperately need to be loved and we desperately need to love them.
Intentional Acts of Generosity
Companies are adjusting their spending on Super Bowl commercials prompting us to consider our moral imperative to give to those suffering
Yes, We Still Feel Anxious
A lot of people thought that with the changing of the president their anxiety would go away, but it’s still there. We still have anxiety.
Staying The Course For The Change We Still Need
The inauguration of a new administration does not mean we have time to relax. Long-needed change requires continued vigilance and passion.
Answering Our Call To Live
Disney/Pixar’s movie “Soul” raises the question of “What is my purpose in life?” We’ve asked that for centuries. The answer is simple.
Sunday Sermon: New Year, Old Problems
The actions and events of this week require a response if we are fulfilling our obligations to making this year a better one.
Advent: Hearing Bells On Christmas Day
Our final thoughts on this Advent season take us to the first pronouncement of a coming Messiah and Mary’s account of why deity incarnated.