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Random Thoughts

Declaration of Independence

Since we are celebrating Independence Day this week, it seemed appropriate to post the Declaration of Independence here. Have you ever read it from start to finish? Perhaps you did as a student once, but have you since? Since it is easy to forget the principles this nation was built upon, I encourage you to read it once a year. And so here it is….

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That …

Random Thoughts,

Ten Things Every Traveler Should Pack

A couple years ago I posted this and it was one of the most popular posts ever. So figure it was worth reposting as Summer gets into full swing! Here’s my list of ten things every traveler should pack.

Duct tape. Not the whole roll, but just a yard or two. Duct tape fixes everything: broken suitcases, cracked smartphones, even reading glasses (though you look a bit dorky, but hey, it’s better than being blind).
Lots of ziplock plastic bags. Not just for TSA security reasons, but for wet clothes, dirty clothes, and that last minute impulse purchase

…

Leadership, Random Thoughts,

From One Clueless Guy to Another

Rarely does an email from a company capture my attention. Most are self-serving, safe, and dull. But Shawn Parr of the marketing firm Bulldog Drummond does it differently. He makes sure the emails from his company are always interesting and insightful. The most recent one touches on a theme more of us clueless guys need to be aware of. So I decided to share it here (with his permission). I think you’ll enjoy it.

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At the end of last summer, I invited my friend Michael to dinner as his wife was out of town. We hadn’t seen each other …

Junkyard Management, Random Thoughts,

Blues Brothers, Junkyard Style

Remember the scene in The Blues Brothers when John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd drove the decommissioned police car through Chicago in a classic chase scene? The other day I had a flashback of an experience like that, but without the police chasing me.

I was in high school and my Dad had purchased a decommissioned police car at auction. It still had the distinctive black and white paint like the California Highway Patrol. It also had the souped up engine that flat out flew.

Dad asked me and my buddy Mike to pick it up in the East Bay …

Junkyard Wisdom Book, Random Thoughts,

Creating Wealth

I’ve posted this John Chrysostom quote before but it’s so insightful it seemed best to do so again. Hope you find it as interesting as I did the first time I read it some 30+ years ago!

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“One person has the skill to hammer brass into the most exquisite shapes and to engrave elaborate patterns on to it. Another has the skill to make furniture, joining together different pieces of wood so firmly that no one can break them apart. A third person can spin the finest yarn, while a fourth weaves it into cloth. A fifth craftsperson can …

Random Thoughts,

Baby Feet

As Christmas Day draws near, here is a reflection inspired by the conclusion of Salvaged.

Whether in medieval art or contemporary holiday cards, you’ve seen Christmas scenes with the newborn Jesus and his pudgy little feet. Yes, his feet. Hang with me a minute.

They are tender, soft, and adorable. Those same feet later carried him from Galilee to Samaria to Judea. They were covered in dust and washed with tears.

Ultimately those feet carried him to the cross, where he was brutally tortured by hammer and nail.

Only to rise again, triumphant.

As I wrote Salvaged I realized that …

Random Thoughts,

A Prayer for the Church

The American Church seems in disarray. I suppose the Church has had problems from the beginning, has them now, and will have them for quite some time. But right now it does seem especially, well, sad to see what’s happening.

At times like this it is reassuring to find solace in the historical strength of our traditions. I found this humble prayer in a devotional book called Four Birds of Noah’s Ark. Taken from the age of Shakespeare, the prayers inside the book are well worth your time.

At the risk of copyright violations, here’s a prayer for the …

Junkyard Management, Random Thoughts, Wine Reviews,

Generosity Without Money

Since writing Junkyard Wisdom I’m often asked a simple question about generosity: how can we be generous without a lot of money?

Plenty of people think generosity is mostly about giving money away to worthy causes. It’s about sponsoring a child, supporting a youth sports league, contributing to the arts, etc.

Other people think generosity is about giving your time. Volunteering at a homeless shelter or tutoring a struggling student, for instance.

Both definitions are legitimate — we need people who give generous of their time and treasure.

But a lot of people overlook valuable assets in their generosity toolbox: …