On this week’s podcast, Matthias, Zach and Jordan are joined by Sarah Rumpf, Floridian, political consultant, owner of an awesome Twitter handle and writer for IJReview, Legal Insurrection and many other places. She shares...
I’m realizing I need to worry a little less about the difference I’m making in the world.
Let me take a step back and explain what I mean with that conclusion. Like anyone else’s, my Christian life goes through cycles and seasons as God leads me down new paths or reteaches me old lessons. Last year, He taught me that surrendering my own plans meant being taken in glorious new directions. “Content to fill a little space,” I am happily doing work for the kingdom.
But lately, I’ve been reminded that the most important thing is not the difference I make in this world, but the marks it leaves on me … how my life experiences shape my eternal soul.
Join Matthias, Zach and Jordan plus special guest Amanda Carey Elliott (digital media maven, Second Amendment defender and Paradox contributor) as we discuss the election cycle that never ends, how the “gunsplaining” argument is...
My mom explained it best, as moms usually do.
“People are worried about basic needs,” she told me. “You can’t worry about anything else if you’re worried about having a job, food, transportation and a home.”
People back home in our rural town boycotted a particular clothing brand that sent its plant to Mexico, leaving workers without jobs. By the numbers, the U.S. economy seems to be at near full employment, but that’s only because enough people have given up looking for jobs to shrink the labor force. President Obama has lied to Americans when he’s promised to keep jobs in the country, instead giving millions in taxpayer dollars to foreign companies or U.S. companies that built factories in other countries. Sending jobs to China has cost Americans 3.2 million jobs in the past 15 years.
Thanks to the blizzard that brought record snow to the D.C.-Virginia area this winter, I had a week off from full-time teaching. The snow days gave me time to finally getting around to seeing two important films that center on teachers: “Dead Poet’s Society” (1989) and “Mr. Holland’s Opus” (1995).
The former features the late, great Robin Williams as John Keating, English teacher at the prestigious, all-boys boarding school Welton Academy. From the first day of class, it’s clear Mr. Keating’s teaching methods are unorthodox at a prep school set on four immovable pillars: tradition, honor, discipline and excellence.
When I told a friend I would be at CPAC this year, she had one vital piece of advice for me: “Be prepared to be hit on by creepy conservative men.”
(Disclaimer: Of course, men who seem to exist to make women uncomfortable at parties come in all political stripes. Let’s not discriminate against creepy liberal men.)
Trade secret for you: Women are experts at carrying on conversation with men for the sake of social politeness when they would really rather not. (It goes like this: Smile, nod, with a silent PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE underneath it all.) Once you reach a certain point in life and career, there’s an eerie sameness about social gatherings and networking events when it comes to the people (read: unchill dudes) you meet. I’ve documented a few examples and outlined a game plan for each with the aim of helping you navigating your next event.
The 2016 election cycle has reached a new insane that somehow feels remarkably sane: a revolution of conservatives the likes of which we have never seen.
But just saying the word “conservative” doesn’t mean much. We should start describing ourselves so much better than that.
You, an American voter, are being conned.
Donald Trump has promised you jobs, a booming economy, security and American pride. He is lying to you. Trump has told you that he can stick it to the man, but the problem is that Trump is the man, someone who built an empire by taking his daddy’s money and then sticking it to the little guy.
Trump does not fight for you. Trump fights for Trump. Anything that gets damaged along the way—including you—doesn’t matter. Take a moment to google “Trump takes insurance from child” or “Trump kicks veterans off Fifth Avenue.” You’ll see it in about 2 seconds.
I’m an unapologetic fan of the Oscars. First and foremost, I enjoy the movies. But there is a certain political dance to the award season that I also find very entertaining (as if watching politics wasn’t aggravating enough for me).
This year I actually managed to watch every Best Picture nominee before the awards ceremony (this Sunday) and it’s a fine crop of films. From my favorite to least favorite:
On the surface, “Spotlight” is about the Boston Globe investigative team that broke the story of the dozens of priests had committed sexual abuse against disadvantaged youth and how the Catholic Church had covered up cases of child abuse to shield these abusive priests.
The reason I wasn’t interested in this movie is because I know about this story. I mean … who doesn’t? The knowledge of the Catholic Church’s shame here is practically a part of our culture. There are dozens of movies, books, and documentaries on this disgrace chapter of the Church. What more could Spotlight possibly bring to the table?