The picture above is Leonard Sweet, who is an American theologian, church historian, pastor, and author. Sweet currently serves as the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew Theological School at Drew University, in Madison, New Jersey; and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon. Sweet is ordained in the United Methodist Church.

He has written this statement:

The paradox of our digital age: the greater our connectedness, the greater our loneliness and depression.

I feel he is pointing out a great truth in our culture today. We can connect with others through these social media platforms:

• Facebook
  
• Twitter
  
• Instagram
  
• Pinterest
  
• LinkedIn
  

Each of these sites shows how many followers the account holder is connected to in the application.

For instance, Leonard Sweet has 37,000+ followers on Twitter. I have 27 followers on Twitter. This shows that Sweet is much more well known around the world that I am. This does not mean that Sweet knows the background of his many followers as I do the people who follow me.

Cyber connections can’t replace direct one-on-one connections in our lives. A cyber friend can’t hug you. They can’t notice of you are smiling or frowning. The whole relationship is limited by the information that can be shared.

I will let Leonard Sweet keep his 37,000 followers because I am happy with the 27 who follow me.

Since 1992 I have required as a clergy member to attend a mandatory one-day training on “Ethics for Clergy”. Part of the emphasis on these training days is how not to ethics violations of a sexual nature. This means after the event I attend later this month I will have attended 7 of these sessions.

Each time I receive a notice to attend I wonder how much value I will derive from these trainings. Standards for ethical behavior have not changed that much in the time I have been clergy. I have a theory that practicing ethical behavior is a choice. I also believe that knowing what is ethical and doing what is ethical are 2 different things. I don’t think we should be lulled into a false sense of complacency that by simply teaching we can be sure that ethical behavior will always be practiced.

Four out of the five deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history have taken place since 2012 and all four of those shooters used AR-15 model rifles in their attacks. [Source: Wall Street Journal]

Normally I have a picture on my blog to illustrate the subject of my post. Today I only feature the raw facts. People are getting possession of assault style weapons and then they attack children and adults at public schools. The amount of sorrow from these attacks in the lives of the families of those who die and those who survive is impossible to measure. Even though we can’t measure it, compassion tells us it must be more than we can imagine.

• Some of the common solutions suggested including:
  
• Enacting Gun Control Legislation
  
• Providing Better Security in the Schools
  
• Increasing Availability of Mental Health Treatment
  

I believe some combination of these three actions will need to take place to stop these tragic events from happening.

The last time these two observances fell on the same day was in 1956. It seems to me like they are opposites. Valentine’s being a day focused on love and giving those you love special gifts, versus Ash Wednesday which is a day of penitence being reminded of the condition of human sin. How we focus on both observances in the same day will be a challenge. I wish everyone trying to balance them success in their effort.

Former President Herbert Hoover is remembered for many things, one of them being rationing efforts to support the troops. A new word was coined “hooverize” which referred to going without. Tomorrow Christians start the season Lent, which is also a time of going without to draw our selves closer to God. Whether we do without food to support the government or as a spiritual discipline, we show a willingness to sacrifice for something we believe in. I have not decided what I will “give up” for Lent.

I came across this picture while reading my Twitter feed today. It reminded me that all of us must work on listening because it is easier to talk than really listen carefully. The funny thing to me is I was enjoying my first cup of coffee for the day as I saw the picture. This is a good reminder to think about as a new day starts!

DC Comics postponed their plans to marry Clark Kent (Dean Cain) and Lois Lane (Terri Hatcher) to line it up with the couple’s wedding on the TV series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” in 1996.

Trivia Fact: the longest recorded marriage lasted 91 years and 12 days!

World Marriage Day (WMD) honors husband and wife as the foundation of the family, the basic unit of society. It salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in daily married life.

HISTORY – The idea of celebrating marriage began in Baton Rouge, La., in 1981, when couples encouraged the Mayor, the Governor and the Bishop to proclaim St. Valentine’s Day as “We Believe in Marriage Day”. The event was so successful, the idea was presented to and was adopted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter’s National Leadership. By 1982, 43 Governors officially proclaimed the day and celebrations spread to U.S. military bases in several foreign countries. In 1983, the name was changed to “World Marriage Day”, designated to be celebrated each year on the second Sunday in February. In 1993, his Holiness, Pope John Paul II, imparted his Apostolic Blessings on World Marriage Day. WMD celebrations continue to grow and spread to more countries and faith expressions every year.

Did you even know there was a national pizza day? Neither did I. It was yesterday, February 9.

Here some details about the event:

National Pizza Day History

National Pizza Day is dedicated to appreciating pizza, a baked flatbread that is topped with tomato sauce and cheese.  Many toppings and sauces can be added to pizzas, including vegetables, meats and seafood.  Pizza was invented in Naples, Italy around the 10th century, and has since grown to become one of the most popular foods in America.  

In 1905, America’s first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, opened in New York.  Since then, pizza consumption in America has increased greatly and many pizza chains, such as Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s have emerged. The origin of National Pizza Day is not well understood although accounts of National Pizza Day began to emerge around the 2000s. It is celebrated annually on February 9th.

National Pizza Day Facts & Quotes

• The world’s largest pizza, named Ottavia, was made on December 13, 2012 in Rome, Italy.  With a surface are of 1,261.65 m², the pizza was made by Dovilio Nardi, Andrea Mannocchi, Marco Nardi, Matteo Nardi and Matteo Giannotte.  To spread a message of good health, the pizza was made entirely gluten-free.
  
• According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2014 Food Survey report on the Consumption of Pizza, 13% of Americans consume pizza on any given day!
  
• According to a study done in 2013 by food delivery provider Foodler, 37% of North American consumers order plain cheese pizza, 52% order meat toppings and the three most ordered pizza toppings are: pepperoni, mushrooms and onions.
  
• According to gross sales earned by pizza chains, the top 5 American pizzerias are:
  1) Pizza Hut, gross sales of $13.4 Billion
  2) Domino’s, gross sales of $8.9 Billion
  3) Little Caesars, gross sales of $3.4 Billion
  4) Papa John’s, gross sales of $3.3 Billion
  5) Papa Murphy’s, gross sales of $7.85 Million
  

For the most part my 2 dogs get along very well. At times they will growl at each other to communicate that they want the other one to change position. At 3 AM this morning I was sleeping and began to hear what I thought were voices out in the kitchen. As I awoke I thought, “Oh no! There are strangers in the house”. Then I became more fully awake and realized the voices were not human but canine. It was my dogs negotiating position. I was sure glad I did not panic in my daze and call 911 before I was fully alert. Life with Lexi and Scooter is never dull!

In America, anybody can be president. That’s one of the risks you take. -Adlai Stevenson II, statesman (Feb 1900-1965) 

Some of you may be wondering just is Adlai Stevenson II? Though he was born in Los Angeles California and died in London England he chose Bloomington Illinois as his place of burial. The odd thing about his quote above, is that he was nominated for president two times and sought the nomination a 3^rd time. With all his effort he did not get the opportunity to be president. We remember him today because he was born on February 5, 1900. I have a short bio of him printed below.

He was the 31st Governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953 and received the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in the 1952 and 1956 elections.

In both 1952 and 1956, Stevenson was defeated in a landslide by Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination for a third time at the 1960 Democratic National Convention but was defeated by Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts. After his election, President Kennedy appointed Stevenson as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.