Desert Coach

  I came across an article today stating that many ultra high net worth Americans are giving up their US citizenship for tax reasons. We occasionally hear of people unhappy with how things are going in our country who threaten to leave or renounce their home of birth. As a naturalized American NO AMOUNT could ever influence me to change my citizenship. In the United States freedom is not just another word. It is a reality. We may have our faults as a country but overall we are a shining beacon to the world of the power and majesty of democracy. Gratitude goes out to all who have defended our way of life through the generations. Long may our flag wave over a land of free choice from sea to shining sea.

 Veterans Day: This is a day to celebrate and reflect on what this flag represents to us. To me, our flag represents FREEDOM and the great SACRIFICE  of the men and women of our armed forces who have defended her in peace and war. To me, our flag represents a WAY OF LIFE where ALL LIVES MATTER. What could be more beautiful? What is more awesome? Our American flag freely flying overhead across our great country from SEA TO SHINING SEA!

  I grew up in the Valley of the Sun. Over the years no environment has captured my imagination and desire to venture out more than the desert that has surrounded me these many years. What is it about the desert that makes it have such a fascination? Why did Jesus Himself venture out and get tempted in this arid environment? Why have so many faced with the big questions of life chosen the desert as their home? Solitude perhaps. Light in abundance. Danger. Unrelenting heat and the extreme hotness of summer months. A harsh reality of remoteness and seeming abandonment. For myself the desert has been a place to think and dream of love and redemption. It has become a place to work the devil out. Poems of the phoenix desert series are my trail markers of experiences and musings from my venturing out into this solitary land.

  Mother's Day is a day of honor. It is a day that helps define the very best about LOVE. It is a day that shows the true extent of   SACRIFICE. It is a day to honor all the kindness big and small that mothers show every day. It is a day of THANKS. Let's flood all the Mothers out there today with calls and visits to just say THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO MOMS!

  In my lifetime I cannot remember a time when our two political parties have been more at odds. The very word "bipartisan" has become a joke and when it is used just conjures up hidden agendas. Congress is suppose to represent and SERVE the American people but in my opinion has gotten so bogged down in hateful diatribes from both sides that we are faced with legislative gridlock. Both parties, in a way, have now become the do nothing parties. In a country I love we seem to have forgotten about the subject of ethics. Not just in politics but in business every day we read of dishonesty and corruption. Major corporations are often in the news for violating SEC and pay huge fines without admitting corruption or guilt and continue to stay in business. Universities seem to foster and condone grade inflation and offer courses that seem to have little to do with real learning. As I scan the daily dose of more negative news today I can't help but ask: REALLY? ENOUGH ALREADY!

  A "score" is twenty years. Recall President Lincoln's Gettysburg address where he began "four score and seven years ago...."  That equates to 87 years ago. Biblical lifespan was described as "three score and ten." Thanks to modern medicine and life style the new normal for many is becoming four score and ten or 90 years plus. What are we going to do with those extra years? Here is a chance later in life to really make a difference in helping others and doing the things that maybe have been put off for years. Every day is a gift and life should be lived to the fullest. So, my suggestion is simply to make your FINAL SCORE count!

  Don't Live In Fear "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and thanksgiving present your requests to God" Philippians 4:6(NIV) A little note of caution here. This passage does not mean to not have a care in the world. We all know this is not humanly possible. To paraphrase the medieval author Chaucer life is a "thoroughfare of woe and we are pilgrims passing to and fro." Life is about struggle and facing trials of many kinds. But once again so much about gaining peace and joy in life has to do with your state of mind. You need to face all the challenges and obstacles before you with a state of positive expectation. There are a few things that you can do to stack the odds in your favor so as not to be anxious about your life day to day. First of all, quit feeding your mind junk! What I mean by this is to stop listening to all the negative news that is spewed out daily through all the social media sites. Most public sources of "news...