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Junkyard Wisdom Advent

Favorite Books of the Year

I read a lot of books. This year the total will probably be 75-80. Once a year I share my favorites, and no it’s not always one of my books (though you should read Junkyard Wisdom Advent….just sayin’).

This list is not really the best of the year because, obviously, I didn’t read all the books available. So I call this my favorite books of the year.

A key factor in determining the winner is simply how often I find myself telling others about the book. If I’ve bored someone over lunch telling them about a book, or texted …

Junkyard Wisdom Advent,

Thanksgiving and Advent

Thanksgiving is this week. When asked, most people say Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season. We gather to give thanks for all we have been given, feast on the bounty of our work, and celebrate with friends and family. It’s like a warmup for Christmas.

But I want to share a different perspective.

Thanksgiving looks back at all the things we have to be thankful for. It does not really look forward to the future. So what if Thanksgiving is, in a weird way, actually the end of the holiday season? Or at least the end of the …

Junkyard Wisdom Advent, Leadership,

My Confession

A confession: I have a love-hate relationship with the church.

I love what it has given me and many others: hope, peace, joy, and love. But I am saddened by how it has left so many people confused, frustrated, sad, and judged.

That’s an uncomfortably stark contrast, but I don’t want those of us in the church to get defensive too fast. The church isn’t perfect, and it never will be. It’s a painful but unavoidable truth that the church has simultaneously served people and hurt people.

Why? In my experience, the biggest reason is the way the church handles …

Junkyard Wisdom Advent,

Hope is Invented Every Day

A few months ago I was in Washington, D.C., with my wife and friends. We had a free morning so we visited the Museum of African American History and Culture. It’s a wonderful museum that tells the story of pain and loss alongside perseverance and progress.

There were points when I was uncomfortable. Which is a sign that I am learning something. At one particularly awkward point I noticed a small plaque with a quote from James Baldwin:

“Hope is invented every day.”

The quote wasn’t new to me, but it struck home in a moment of vulnerability.

Later, having …

Devotions, Junkyard Wisdom Advent,

Halloween and Advent

This is Halloween season, not Advent, so it’s a bit awkward to promote my new book of Advent devotions. But hang with me a bit … there’s a stronger connection than you might think.

Advent is about preparing ourselves for the arrival of Jesus. The traditional focus is on love, joy, hope, and peace. This is especially helpful when we are drowning in hyper activity that pulls us away from personal reflection. Advent calls us to step out of the hustle and bustle of the season and live in the anticipation of something world-changing.

Now, how in the world …

Goble Properties, Junkyard Wisdom Advent,

Writing With Bolt Cutters

My job is in real estate. My company, family owned for over 75-years, invests in under valued commercial real estate. Our work is to bring out that value.

Everything I wrote above can sound triumphalist. It’s not meant that way.

You’ve heard the phrase, “He was born on third base and thought he hit a triple.”

I wasn’t born on third base, but it was likely first base. I could minimize that by saying it was first base on a junkyard baseball diamond. But it was still first base.

My parents loved me, they had a deep faith, my father …

D'Oliva Olive Oil, Junkyard Wisdom Advent, Random Thoughts,

Top Seven Christmas Gift Ideas

Surgeon General’s Warning: This post contains entirely too much sarcasm and attitude. Proceed at your own risk.

If you’ve been to Costco lately you know Christmas is near. Nevermind Halloween, Thanksgiving, and whatever else in between … gift giving season is already here.

A lot of people ask, “Roy, you are wise, and creative, and thoughtful . . . what makes a great Christmas present?”

It’s exactly the kind of question a 60-something chubby bald white guy who grew up working in a junkyard is qualified to answer.

So here are my top ten Christmas gift ideas:

If haircare is

…

Junkyard Wisdom Advent,

Advent and Scotland

Greetings from the Isle of Skye in Scotland! I made this simple video you might enjoy. The scenery is stunning, even if the actor is a curmudgeon.

The video is short, just a minute and a half, but between gusts of wind I mention the 400-year ban on Christmas in Scotland. It was the result of the reformers wanting to ban non-biblical traditions, many of which that thought were too Popish (a derogatory way of saying too Catholic). Christmas wasn’t officially recognized until 1958. Crazy.

Well, as the author of an Advent devotion book, I had to bring it up …