On the wall at the end of our breakfast table at home, there is a shelf of bottles containing different spices—30 in all. These bottles look exactly alike, except for the labels printed on each of them that identify the spice each contains. The shelf and the bottles together make up a decorative piece on …
We drove to Vancouver for our mission trip last month. We knew that along I-5 we would be passing Shasta Lake. It was one of our favorite sights whenever we would go that way. But this time, when Shasta Lake came into view, our hearts sank. It was a depressing sight. The drought in California …
Redwood City recently suspended all prayers at its city council meetings. This was in response to the complaints against a prayer of invocation that, among other things, expressed disagreement with the SCOTUS decisions concerning same-sex marriage, abortion, and other issues. Some objected that the prayer did not make them “feel safe” in that meeting. The …
You may have noticed a recent trend in filmmaking. A number of movies and TV shows over the past few years have formed “an interconnected narrative web of stories.” In particular, these are films that feature the Marvel superheroes. To refer to this web of stories, someone coined the phrase “The Marvel Universe”. What this …
Bible publishers Thomas Nelson and Zondervan have become the target of a $70 million lawsuit. The plaintiff claims “that [the publishers’] version of the Bible that refers to homosexuality as a sin violates his constitutional rights and has caused him emotional distress.” Full disclosure: I believe that the Bible is quite clear that the practice …
Oh, the challenges of home ownership! Last week I noticed that the airflow of our clothes dryer exhaust vent was rather weak. Sometime ago I had read about lint buildup in dryer exhaust ducts and the fire hazard such buildups present. So I tried to clean out the ducts, and I did find a lot …
July 4th is the day when America celebrates its freedom. It’s all about “independence”—being “free from outside control; not depending on another’s authority.” For a nation such as the United States, it’s about the freedom to govern itself without foreign interference. This is a good thing, something worth celebrating. Yet, we also need to exercise …
The cover article of the latest edition of Time features an interesting topic. The title itself is intriguing: “Nip. Tuck. Or Else. Why you’ll be getting cosmetic procedures even if you really don’t want to.” Writer Joel Stein presents the changes in how society looks at cosmetic augmentation procedures. He comments that, in the past, …
This week I decided to do a follow up on last week’s Ponderings. Then, I reflected on the principle behind Warriors’ coach Kerr’s decision to make significant changes in the line-up. Now, I wish to reflect on what the changes meant for the players. The Warriors has won the NBA finals series. The strategy of the …
As I write, it’s the big sports story of the week. The Warriors made risky adjustments in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, “playing small” against the bigger Cavaliers. The strategy worked and it allowed the Warriors to even the series, with a large-margin win. Of course, the series is far from over. The Cavaliers …
