The Porter Family

A radical notion on gay marriage: Legal before whom?

Life Lessons Learned from Bern Roeller

GET OFF YOUR PHONE AND TALK TO ME
I can’t control your phone usage. I can’t even seem to control mine. But I’m taking back my life. Technology will serve me, not vise versa. So, in an effort to help you and me, here’s some common sense.
1. If you are in a meeting with me, turn your phone off. If the person on the other end of the line is so much more important then me, meet with them, not me. If you work for me and can’t do this, go work for the person on the other end of the line.

 Life Cartography versus Life Coaching

“I’ve been here before.” “Why does this always happen to me?” “How come he’s always the lucky one?”

Facebook Etiquette. Or how to place nice on Facebook. 

To: All leaders at the Ocean.

Friends and Fellow Sailers,

Greetings! What a crazy weekend we just had. I meant it when I said I think we need to have 40 days of celebration, and I think we need to have celebrations at all levels for what God did over easter weekend!

Monopoly®, Legos® and American world dominance (Part 1)

I was probably 9 years old the first time I was exposed to half the secret of ensuring the economic future of many Americans. In a hotel room in Germany, a friend pulled out the box. Supposely a game, Monopoly made no sense to me. Quickly labeled boring, the board was quickly abandoned by the younger ones for more entertaining diversions, like hide and seek, and legos.

The Widows Portion: The arrogance of the Prophet

As I’ve begun looking ahead at 2012, I can’t seem to get away from the story of the Elijah and the widow.

Elijah is on the run from the King, because the prophet proclaimed drought in Israel. For a while he camps out by a brook and has a pretty nice gig where birds feed him every day. Wonder who lost food to the birds? Then he goes on the run from his own prophecy.

I must be a bad father. I really must. I don't think Christmas is a family holiday. Thanksgiving, sure. Memorial Day. Father's Day. Mother's Day. The list goes on. 

Results are in from the Tanzania national exams. Thousands and thousands of students were caught cheating. Amidst a national uproar, the issue of teacher pay and renumeration is again in the news. 

The thinking and the easy argument is this. Teachers are so poorly paid, how can they be expected to perform in the classroom. How can they teach in this terrible situation.