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Random Thoughts

COVID-19 and Junkyards

Sanitization has became our new national pastime. Rightfully so, of course, because we all need to be washing our hands regularly and sanitizing what we touch if we want to beat this pandemic.

I grew up working in my Dad’s junkyard. Junkyards are messy places. Everything in them has a touch of grease, grime, and dirt. At the end of a long day it would take a lot of soap and water to wash up. I remember how my Dad’s hands seemed to have a permanent thin layer of grease under his fingernails.

Our lives — even our lives in …

Book Reviews, Family, Random Thoughts,

The Color of Life

About ten or fifteen years ago I was part of a small mentoring organization in the Bay Area. The focus was to identify and nurture “home grown talent” in ministry, business, church work … really anything that involved the integration of faith and vocation. I met some wonderful people, including Cara Meredith.

Cara struck me as thoughtful, a good listener, and eager to learn. We had several mutual friends — not unusual when you both live and work in the same region — so even though the mentoring program faded away I still heard occasional updates about Cara’s life and …

Leadership, Random Thoughts,

Rose Mu

One of the most fascinating people I’ve met over the past year is Steve Gumaer. Steve is the founder and President of Partners Relief & Development, which provides emergency relief for millions of misplaced people. That’s a fancy of way of saying he and his team work in war zones.

Think about that for a moment. They work in war zones. To help people who are victims of the war — the lost, orphaned, homeless, hungry, cold, grieving, and sometimes tortured people who find themselves surrounded by chaos. Into this walks Steve and his team.

When Steve agreed …

Random Thoughts,

Political Rant

Ten years ago I came home from Washington DC both inspired and frustrated. I wrote the post below, and it’s surprisingly (and sadly) still accurate. It’s 2020, an election year, so the hyperbole is going to be even higher now.

So I’m reposting this for two reasons. First, to show you just how smart I was ten years ago! But more seriously because it shows there is still work to do. As I asked in a previous post, when did we get so angry with each other over things like the tax code and how to provide health care? We …

Random Thoughts,

My questions of 2019

You know what the most common thing I said in 2019 was? “Holly, go potty!” Such is life when you have a new puppy.

Seems like everything else was a question. Seriously, I don’t think I actually SAID anything. It was all questions. For instance, the second most common thing I said? “Hey, did you hear my new book is out?”

From there it drifts into a blur of what was asked most. That’s not to say it was boring. Just the opposite actually. But I had so many questions in 2019 it’s all just a blur. Here’s a partial …

Family, Random Thoughts,

A Prayer for Your Thanksgiving Dinner

A prayer you might use for your Thanksgiving Day ….

Bless, O Lord,
this food we are about to eat;
and we pray you, O God,
that it may be good
for our body and soul;
and, if there is any poor creature
hungry or thirsty walking the road,
may God send them in to us
so that we can share the food with them,
just as Christ shares His gifts
with all of us.
Amen.

Graces, from Celtic Daily Prayer…

Junkyard Management, Random Thoughts, So you think you're a writer?,

Want to be a Guest Blogger?

Junkyard wisdom comes from a lot of places besides junkyards. You don’t have to go home with grease under your fingernails to attain wisdom (though it helps). Anyone from anywhere can have great insight.

Since my friends are amongst the wisest people in the world (I almost said the wisest people I know, but that’s obvious) then it’s time to share their wisdom.

Are you up for it? If you have an idea, opinion, insight, or fun story, let’s talk about you being a guest blogger. Maybe you have a rant you want to get off your chest. Or an …

D'Oliva Olive Oil, Random Thoughts,

Roots or Fruit?

When D’Aun planted her olive grove I learned about the alternate bearing nature of the olive tree. One year it produces more than the average amount of fruit, and another year it produces less but invests into deeper roots. Well, it’s not quite that simple, but you get the idea.

My takeaway from this? Our spiritual lives are much the same. Sometimes we bear a lot of fruit (and you are welcome to leave this blog and go read Galatians 5). Other times we do not outwardly look like we’re doing much, but our energies are poured into strengthening our …