Opinion

“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.” - Ephesians 1:4 This is a Yiddish story of “Mr. Goldberg the Tailor.” There once lived Mr. Goldberg,...

One of my favorite passages in the Christian scriptures comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. Perhaps surprisingly, the reason I love it so much is how not-religious it is.  The passage sets up a contrast between disparate ways we can choose to...

It’s been more than half a year since the Kmart on Freedom Boulevard closed its doors for good. And as someone who constantly drives past the shell of the former community hotspot, it pains me to see what that location has become. On top...

Now, let’s say the levees that protect your home from flooding are old and deficient. They could fail during the next big storm, causing a major flood. The federal and state government offer to pay $400 million for new and improved levees. The only...

When my wife Laurie and I teach at marriage retreats we often refer to the work of Dr. John Gottman. In his famous “glass house” at the University of Washington, Gottman has studied thousands of married couples over decades of research to see what...

I’d like to give a big thanks to the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and its board of trustees for moving forward with the much-needed renovation of Watsonville High School’s stadium. On Wednesday, the trustees approved a contract for the design of the stadium...

“Hard is stone, soft is water; water will wear away stone.  If one has plumbed the mind, the Enlightenment of Bodhi is certain.” If true entrusting is at a distance, intensive listening to the Buddha Dharma ends in entrusting due to the Buddha’s compassionate...

Disappointed that Greenway is on ballot I was saddened to see the Greenway millionaires have succeeded in getting the signatures required for their initiative to vote on the future of clean passenger rail service for the branch rail line.  The current plan is to build the...

Renowned 20th-century theologian, Karl Barth, said that one should, “preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” That is to say, what pastors and priests preach ought to be faithful to scripture and applied to our current context. There...

Around this time last year, I wrote that 2020 was “a year that changed the world.” And I stand by that. But in my opinion, 2021 was just as challenging, if not harder. Sure, we got to see friends and family again, maybe go...