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Provoked!

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Happy Son-day! Leaves are starting to fall You will always find Good News here. Treetop Trails Provoked! On September 16, Jo and I will go to the polls to cast our votes in the special election for Minnesota House District 34B, to help choose a successor to our late representative, Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, who was tragically assassinated along with her husband, Mark, on June 14, 2025.  The loss was not only a statewide tragedy, but it was also deeply personal for many of us here in Minnesota, and especially in my city. I knew her and Mark. We are living in a time when the number of lives lost to gun violence in our country is deeply troubling. It often takes only a small spark to provoke those who are mentally unstable, and the consequences are devastating. What’s especially heartbreaking is the contradiction we’re witnessing: people being killed for acts of love, and others for words of hate. The line between compassion and conflict feels increasingly blurred. Our cou...
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ALGORITHMS!

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Happy Son-Day! Enjoying the last few days of summer floral color  You will always find the Good News here. Of The Garden Variety ALGORITHMS!  Over the past few years, I’ve found myself growing increasingly cautious about how I use social media. Like many others, I once embraced these platforms as tools for connection, creativity, and community. But as time has gone on, I’ve become more aware and more wary of the hidden costs that come with being constantly connected. One of the more unsettling trends I’ve noticed is the appearance of unauthorized followers on my social media accounts. While this might seem minor, it raises serious questions about who really is in control of my account.  The why is obvious --- $$$$$$.    One of the most insidious aspects of modern social media is the way algorithms—and increasingly, bots dictate what we see. These systems aren’t designed to inform or uplift; they’re built to engage. And often, that means promoting content that is...
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The Two-pronged Approach

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Labor Day edition of . . .  Good Son-Day! The book closed on Summer.  Now Autumn Fun! You will always find Good News here. The Last Strands of Summer A Two-Pronged Approach It is time for me to be the OG I am in regard to training a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. This is a passage from Proverbs 22:6. Over the past 25 years, I’ve observed a concerning trend: children are receiving less and less training in the basics of the Bible.   This biblical knowledge is essential—not optional—and it’s the shared responsibility of both parents and the church to provide it.   Deuteronomy 6:6-7 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. In recent years, we’ve seen a shift in how children are spiritually tr...
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D.I.Y.T.K. Do it Yourself Testimony Kit

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Good Son-Day! Autumn's whisper in the air You will always find Good News here Off The Beaten Path D.I.Y.T.K. Do it Yourself Testimony Kit Back in the day in the old church, a good chunk of the morning liturgy was dedicated to testimony service.  Times have changed and you rarely see this practiced.  Testimony services was a mixture of edifying testimonials and songs. The results of these testimony services of yore were mixed.  They could be extremely uplifting or they became routine to the point where could recite a regular's testimony the subsequent song. I still think there is a place for an encouraging testmony even in the middle of the neo-worship machines we have now. When I was a teen sitting in these testimony services, I was comfortable being a spectator and letting the grown folk speak to their heart's ❤️ content.  Every once in a while a church mother thought it was good idea to get the young people involved. She call out one of us. Slipping discreetly unde...
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Remember Your Training

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Good Son-Day! State Fair Time! You will always find Good News here. 86'd in The Best Way Possible Link to Dr. Jill L. Jackson's Birthday Photos.   Feel free to add to them. Remember Your Training Jo asked me to write this story.  Earlier today, we decided to eat at the Blaine Perkins, which is near BJ's house.  We typically will go to the Maple Grove or Brooklyn Park Perkins.  We were thinking he may want to join us. While we were waiting to be seated, an elderly gentleman walked through the front door and waited along side of us.  Within two minutes, of him standing next to us, he falls to the floor.  He is still conscious, but he is dazed.  He does not respond to our questions about his well-being.  Me and two other gentlemen check to see if he had any visible injuries.  After seeing that his limbs are intact, we help him to  his feet to get him into the chair and out of the restaurant entry way.   As we are doing this, I could s...
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Finding that Choral Feeling

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Happy Son-Day! Grasping the Last Third of Summer You will always find Good News here. Purple Joy! Finding That Choral Feeling Last Sunday after service, Jo and I went to Sarna's in Columbia Heights for breakfast with my sister and brother-in-law. As always, i t was great fellowship.  One of the topics discussed was worship, specifically, choirs. There was some agreement at the table that recorded choir music is not as dynamic as attending a live choir event. A few exceptions of recorded choir that hit mark were noted.  To name a few a few, and copy this for reference, so you can download the albums are:   "Love Alive II" by Walter Hawkins and the Love Center Choir 1978, "Introducing Perfected Praise" by Marvin Winans and The Perfected Praise Choir,  "Kirk Franklin & The Family" by Kirk Franklin & The Family 1992,  Live in Atlanta at Morehouse College by Hezekiah Xzavier Walker Jr. and the Crusade Choir & Love Fellowship 1994 Yes, there more...
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You Bring Out the Best in Me!

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Good Son-Day!!! Love Family Nothing but Good News here! House Party at BJ's You Bring Out the Best in Me! Nothing but kudos to my family. With one day's notice, many of you stopped by BJ's place and expressed love with your presence.  The young man was not looking for any housewarming gifts.  He was overjoyed at hanging his family. His family is important to him, as they are to me and Josephine.  And yesterday, I had quick and witty conversations with my sisters.  It is that repartee that has been fun for a long time.  They know how much I love and appreciate them.  I am a better man because of them. My brothers are steady and always there when I need them.  We are now the OGs and now taking our rightful places supervising the Millennials 1980-1995, Generation Z 1995-2009, and soon, Generation Alpha 2010-2024.  We all care about our immediate, extended, present, future family, grandkids, and siblings. Passages on family lo...
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