Cut your losses. Count your blessings. Tend to your wounds. Remember: you maybe fragile, vulnerable, breakable. The Phoenix within is indestructible. It always rises, even from the ashes.

Even if your heart’s been crushed. Even if you feel like your back was broken. Even if your wings were chopped off. Even if you hit the rock bottom. Even if you’re filled with self-doubt. Even if life doesn’t seem to make sense. You have the indomitable Phoenix within.

There…

Risky compassion during Covid-19 pandemic

I have a friend who is an essential worker. He works nights delivering bread to grocery stores, supermarkets, restaurants, etc. It’s a demanding and dangerous job. Every then and again, he shares with me some of his experiences.

In the course of his work, the friend of mine was robbed…

For the record: I didn’t know George Floyd. I’m not black. I’m not a man. But I am a HUMAN BEING and as such I believe that everyone, under any circumstances, is entitled to breathe. …

I wouldn’t be an author if I didn’t search for meaning in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. And meaning is what I found. Covid-19 taught me that:

In times of crisis, American people are amazing.

Our concern for one another; willingness to sacrifice to serve others; inventiveness, selflessness even exceeds my expectations every day.

The performance of…

Love doesn’t discriminate based on age.

Before I share the story, it’s only fair to mention that I came of age in a different world and time. This is a true story.

At 13, I just reached the teenager status. I was still at the “ugly duckling” stage of development, but was already plagued by some…

As a Humanist pastor, I occasionally speak against hypocrisy of the Christian Church. This time, I have to make an exception.

This year the Claremont United Methodist Church (http://claremontumc.org) in Claremont, CA — like all other Churches in the world — prepared for Christmas by recreating the nativity scene. It may seem unremarkable and it would be, except that this nativity scene is different than all others.

As you see, it…

The bad news is: yes, we all are. What’s the good news? There is a way to balance servitude and… freedom.

The one absolute power we are all indentured servants to is time. Rich or poor, young or old, great-looking or not, we all have limited time and a definite expiration date.

But let’s start at the beginning.

When you were a little kid, you would wake up in the morning…

We all have egos. Creatives — including writers — have more ego than the average person. But does it justify an exclusive worship of the self?

One could argue that self-centeredness powers the creative process. Still, perceiving yourself as the only talent on Earth is dangerous and arrogant in more ways than one. It makes you ignorant. It makes you selfish. It will make you lonely.

“When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package.” John Ruskin

Historically, there always existed an artists’ community. A group of…