Stanford’s Lifestyle Medicine first Healthy Aging 50+ Conference (Agenda, Videos) was held in Feb 2024 . I was encouraged to find that my understand of what leads to a fit and healthy life has a great deal of overlap with the material they presented. I wish their site existed 12 years ago, it would have…
The following is an integration of material from Life Model Works and what I have learn while coaching and mentoring people since the 1980s. TL;DR Love is the Measure and Goal We were made by God to experience love in the context of relationships. A concise definition of this sort of Godly love is: willing…
I have an updated list which captures what I am using now. I have found simplicity to be a useful lens which led me to simplify stuff in my life down to a set of items that enable a healthy, impactful life, while removing unnecessary friction and decisions. The following is a complete list of…
Many people make New Year’s resolutions. Within a few weeks the good intent disappears in the face of the realities of daily life. For millennia our wise elders have told us that forming habits is the most effective way to bring about change. the Bible, Aristotle, the Stoics, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and Ben Franklin. In…
The optimal size of a group is first determined by the function of the group. A group will need the requisite skills, abilities, experience, and manpower to accomplish its goal. In addition to function, there are cognitive and social underpinnings which influence the optimal size of a group. Studies suggest optimal group size tends to…
The following is my highly opinionated list of churches that I would recommend (or than are on my list to check out at some point). I have a separate post above how to find the right church for you. Silicon Valley Churches I have had a bit of interaction with that seemed good: Vive Mountain…
There are numerous reasons why you might be looking for a church. You could be being a journey to explore the Christian faith. You might have recently moved, or maybe you are dissatisfied with the church you previously attended. Whatever the reason you are looking for a church, I would encourage to devote yourself to the…
Hamas, Palestinians, Israel, and the “West” Updated Feb 20, 2025 The satiric post Israeli, Palestinian officials commit to ensuring kids grow up hating one another underscores the current war between Hamas and Israel will have no winners, just losers. More civilians will be killed. Two populations with be polarized even more. The next generation of…
What allows people to let go of revenge and drop their contempt for others long enough to actually listen to the other? How do you get people out of their rut? My observation is that this happens when people start to see others as individuals, rather than part of some other group. Rather than reacting…
The Bible talks about a judgement that people who know Jesus will undergo (Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, etc). This is often called the Bema seat judgement. I didn’t look forward to this judgement. It sounds like a…. Judgement. My expectation is that this would be a lot like the performance reviews have I received…
This has been a grief filled week. My sister’s husband Don passed away on Monday. It that wasn’t enough, most of my close friends have had some new grief in the last few weeks. Finally there is the horrible devastation from the Israel / Hamas war and the “civil” war in Sudan. This morning Hidden…
In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity. Rupertus Meldenius Over the last 40 years I have often heard this quote. There is some confusion who actually penned this quote. I believe I found an answer in the article In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity. According to the…
Today I listened to a wonderful podcast with Sarah Clarkson about the importance of beauty. A quote that will stick with me: beauty is a tangible encounter with God’s goodness She is very interested in our embodied lives, something that I am coming to see is very important. There was a lot of other good content, including her…
Unconditional love is the most powerful and important force in our world. Love is the heart of our connections and communities, possessing the remarkable power to mend fractured relationships and bridge gaps between people. Love not only opens our hearts to others but also serves as a potent catalyst for learning and personal growth. Love…
I have been spending a bit of time thinking about what’s important to me, what’s shaped my life. I noticed that there seem to be themes which thread the books I love, the stories I tell, and the way I try to live. Today I was looking at the books that have most influenced me,…
I attended a group prayer / worship meeting held in Bridgetown Church’s Prayer: Room. As I entered I felt overwhelmed, moved to tears. The space felt holy. Part of it was the candles and soft lighting. Near the top of the four walls was the Lord’s prayer written out. Below each passage of the prayer…
When I first hear the Japanese term shinrin-yoku, which is forest bathing in English, I pictured a outdoor onsen that was in the middle of a forest, or maybe a deep soaking tub which was part of an outdoor bathroom attached to a hide-away cabin in the woods. I was wrong. I failed to read…
In gratitude for changes I tried to capture what I was feeling. I wondered how chat-gpt would improve what I wrote so I fed it my paragraph with a number of different instructions. The original paragraph was: I had planned on going for a hike today, but I missed the group. Instead, I find myself…
This morning I have been reflecting on, and being grateful for books, people, and events that has shaped my life. This has been brought about because I am catching up with some old friends, including one that I haven’t seen in 40 years. I am in Portland for most of October. It turns out I…
The recent wave of layoffs within prosperous tech companies has been a wake-up call, especially for younger professionals who have not experienced previous economic downturns. However, those familiar with cyclical business trends or the relentless pursuit of “shareholder value” are neither shocked nor surprised. Why Layoffs Happen Layoffs often signal that a company’s executives believe…