A few months before getting discovered by Amazon Publishing, I listened to a talk by Simon Sinek that really touched me called “Start With Why.” It’s really worth watching, and it inspired me to write a little essay to explain the why behind why I write the kind of stories that I do. That posting, below, is called ‘A Manifesto on Virtue.’ The other two essays I added because I have very strong beliefs and often get asked about my religion on social media and by e-mail. So I wrote the additional essays to explain more about my faith.
When I was in college at San Jose State, I took Latin classes from Marianina Olcott. That is where I learned about the Roman concept of Virtus (pronounced “where-tuus”). It was a trait that the Romans respected, but it did not mean just virtue. It included other qualities too: prudentia (prudence), iustitia (justice), temperantia (self-control), and fortitudo (courage). As I look around in the world today, I see that these traits are no longer honored and respected as they were…
Faith Here I Raise My Ebenezer I have a deep love of music and have played piano since I was eight. Years ago I was asked to lead a choir in my church. My favorite hymn came to be “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”. There is a line in that song that says, Here I raise my Ebenezer, Here by Thy great help I’ve come. When I began learning the piece, I wondered what an Ebenezer was. Being a…
Why I am still a Christian The Pew Research Center published a stark report that Christianity in the United States has been declining rapidly. They also point out that globally, belief in Jesus Christ has and will continue to grow, but it will shrink in places around the world where it once thrived. Now that I’m starting the decade of my 50s, I’ve seen these trends happen in real life, and I believe that one of the things…
I’m a huge fan of the TV show The Chosen. My family follows them on social media, watch every episode and special, and we have regularly gathered for the YouTube webcasts with Dallas Jenkins, the show’s creator, to learn about upcoming events and the latest news. We’re big fans. On many occasions, Dallas has responded to criticism about whether his Jesus is the same Jesus as taught in other religions (particularly mine). I personally think Dallas has done a great…
