Friday Tidings

Once we stop laughing at all the Super Bowl pot jokes, the sober truth awaits. Even the NFL considers marijuana a banned substance, so it can’t be all that innocent.  Legalizing pot brings in new tax revenues, however many in Washington State are still waiting for fully funded schools thanks to all the extra revenue from lottery ticket sales. Better court systems and fewer pot-related incarcerations are pending. Okay. But what else can we expect? My friend can tell you. Although we’re polar-opposites politically, we enjoy our friendly debates about running the country. Our votes cancel each other out, except for when we both voted against legalizing pot.   While she totally admires President Obama, she wonders how he can promote health care and at the same time say that pot is no more dangerous than alcohol. She knows better. As a former pot addict, she wonders what her life could have been like if dope hadn’t been in control of it. Back in her earl...

Even though I’m not a huge football fan, I enjoy watching people cheer for their teams. I’d just rather do something else during the game and then watch the highlights after it’s all over. For true football fans this makes absolutely no sense. Last weekend this issue was spotlighted as family members gathered to watch the playoff game between our Seahawks and their archrivals, the San Francisco 49ers. Everyone in the room knew the game wasn’t going to be easy. As my loved ones followed the action on the large-screen TV, I sensed their pain. I could see it on their faces and hear their moans. Close calls. Bad calls. Missed plays. Behind at halftime. When the game became critical, my young grandson stepped outside and watched the game through the window. I asked him why. He said it was easier to be further away. I smiled knowingly, because I do the same thing—just not with football games. I get into the middle of a tough challenge, suffer through some bad c...

Google is using its billions to invest in technology that monitors everything we do. We already have our search engine history and email stored on servers—but Google is going a step further. In their largest acquisition ever, they’re paying 3.2 billion for Nest Labs.  This company produces thermostats, smoke detectors, and soon all sorts of home-based "intelligent" wireless devices that will collect data to be controlled with a smartphone. With the expected advancements in this technology, Google will know when you’re home and can monitor the activities hooked to the “intelligent” devices. Last year, Google’s vast financial resources scooped up nearly 2000 US patents.  When Google acquired Motorola, they became interested in the patent for Motorola’s “temporary tattoo” identification patches. This little skin mark can store tons a plethora of personal data. Read more  here . But what happens when a company worth billions buys ...

I was about to skip past the commercial circulating on social media, but the title hooked me, “60 seconds that will keep you from speeding.” So, I watched it and wished I hadn’t. Why? Because that young single driver going recklessly fast could have been me. It forced me to recall a thankfully brief season of driving insanity. My folks had just divorced and my new weekend routine was to travel eighty winding miles on Highway 101 between their two apartments. I didn’t need much gas, because anger was my fuel. I hated my new life and in my callous and youthful stupidity, I drove way too fast. Some would say I had a death wish. Too bad I didn't think about the other guys on the road. Those Highway 101 curves were unforgiving and numerous times I crossed the centerline. With rock music blaring, I was oblivious to the notion that I was driving a 2-ton weapon that could kill anyone who got in my way. The commercial shoved it all right back in my face so I could finally se...

The gift arrived and I excitedly started opening it. As soon as I tore off the wrapping paper, there was another layer of paper. When I tried to get beneath that layer, I saw a note—WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW TO OPEN. What’s up with that?   Welcome to another year. We unwrap it a day at a time—a daily gift of 24 hours. As much as I want to know what’s ahead, I can’t. Today is the only day I can have—until tomorrow. 2013 was the final year for two incredibly special women I knew. Cancer took their lives, but it never robbed them of their real purpose for living. Even though they were still quite young, they died incredibly wealthy. Not monetary wealth, but rich in all the relationships they had—loving families and many close friends, but none closer than Jesus. Their legacies include years of investing their lives into others. That's the kind of investment with the greatest returns—joy now and peace forevermore.     So as I unwr...