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Like many of you, I grew up in church. Back then, church was quiet. Shhhh…Once you entered through the sanctuary doors, there seemed to be a mood of solemness. As a kid, I thought if I sneezed too loudly it was a terrible thing. But things change - Hallelujah - and today, many churches now see themselves as places of Godly celebration and fellowship. I’m convinced that Jesus had great spirited meetings and that laughter, excitement, and passion were always in play.

Vlad Putin, the evil though very calculating chief oligarch of the shriveled nation of Russia (when stacked against its predecessor, the Soviet Union), is playing chess over the fate of Ukraine, while our figurehead president and his gaggle of administration mediocrities (here being charitable) and Pentagon toadies play checkers.

In Luke chapter 16, Jesus describes two men who experience drastic changes in their circumstances. Here is a summary of the story Jesus told: A rich man lived in luxury. A beggar named Lazarus was placed at the rich man’s gate; he hoped to be given any food that dropped from the rich man’s table.

“Not my problem,” has become one of the more common expressions from today’s generation, a culture in which the cell phone is often more important than what’s for dinner or breakfast or lunch.

I just finished checking out the political cartoon in the Chronicle’s “Politics” section this last week. It pictures two children with measles asking their mom to remind them why they didn’t get the measles shot. Her reply: “They’re bad for you. I read that somewhere on Facebook.”