bierkergaard

We get a complimentary copy of People magazine weekly. It is a holdover from my wife's former position as a marketer. People figured out the simple principle of "you advertise with us, we send you a free mag." Kind of reinforces the relationship. We used to get the New Yorker too. But, they discontinued the free issues once Lina switched into a new position. The New Yorker was terribly fascinating for a wordsmith like me, but it became the equivalent of reading War and Peace sans the Russian names weekly. Ponderous. The New Yorker's issues used to pile up like the dishes, and then I would have to spend all day reading them. I couldn't just toss them. I now stay away from the New Yorker like an addicted gambler does to the slots. I can't go back. So, I am happy that the free subscription ended. Still get some New Yorker cartoons on Facebook. People is celebrity gossip, fashionista, Pop mart, human inspiration stories, and trashiness. Oh, yeah, and ads. An...

At one point in the recent past, we has cashews, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and peanuts in the house. OK, smarty pants out there. I know, peanuts are technically a legume. Plus, we had Costco trail mix, which was a combination of several of the aforementioned nuts and M & Ms. I have grasped something about trail mixes: They are intentionally a high calorie snack, for the trail. Not the couch, where if one is sedentary, all the snack does is add to the gut. Hence the problem with the nuts in general. Too much, too many. There is a reason it is not called Couch Mix. BTW, if you would like to order this lovely tray for a coming holiday event like Presidents Day , click the link. Given the state of politics, nuts would be appropriate. I thought I could handle my nuts, portion them out in a reasonable quantity, and enjoy in moderation. But, that turned out to be self-deception. I placed the listing of the nuts at the start of the blog in the order of most liked to least. I fi...

York city Pastor Aaron Anderson posted this article on Facebook. Essentially, the dude above had the audacity to loudly confront a black mom on the trolley in Philly about her beating her kids in public. She, in thanks, spat in his face. There is a very good chance, no certainty, that the woman was also beat as a child. She has learned that when you are a kid, adults have the authority to beat you for infractions both great and small. Now, it is what she knows and what she does with her own. It sounds like all of the other passengers on the trolley either looked the other way or tried to stare the woman down into compliance but it did not have its intended effect. She beat on. It also seems to be the case that he was the only white passenger. Sure, he could have intervened perhaps in a way that did not diss' the mom in public. In city culture, stepping into a situation not your own and weighing in can create a perspective of shame and anger. But, situations like this are all ...

My friend Tom Becker invited me last night to speak about college transition and emerging adulthood at the Row House lecture series/event. I spent a good deal of the day fretting about how the talk would go. I decided to chill and go with it. I drew out a quick sketch of some major themes and trusted that God would make it all work. Preparation is important in making a presentation, yet it is also wise to leave some room for the Spirit to move. Too much structure can be stifling. I also fight the tendency to say too much. I am learning to be more economical with words. To say less but mean more. I attempt to apply this principle to these blog entries, although my most read blogs of all times are not pop songs but long albums where I riffed on and on. Ranted even. The Row House , where nothing is not sacred, takes on an eclectic range of topics. Most of the speakers are from the local area who have developed a niche interest in a topic and the speaker gives a talk on it with a ...