By Norris Burkes July 3, 2022 I’ve written this column for twenty years, so writer’s block can be a problem, especially around the holidays. Fortunately, it’s rarely my problem on Independence Day. That’s because this weekend suggests scores of viewpoints. This is the time we applaud our rights and, man oh man, we’ve got a
By Norris Burkes, June 12, 2022 There’s a lot of blame being passed around this month over the Uvalde, Texas shooting. Some people accuse the Oasis Outback, the store where the shooter legally bought two semiautomatic rifles and more than 1,600 bullets. (No age requirement for the latter, just sobriety.) Lawsuits are being initiated against
By Norris Burkes May 29 2022 If you find this newspaper column pinned to your door, it’s because I asked your neighbor to place it there. In fact, if I have my way, your friends will copy it and post it on several porches, or at least on their social media accounts. No, I’m not
By Norris Burkes, March 27, 2022 I’m hoping whoever reads this is looking for a job -- specifically a hospice chaplain position. I’m currently holding the title, but I’m eager for my employer to hire my replacement so I can retire -- again. The right candidate must be an approachable and caring person,unlike the man
By Norris Burkes, Feb 27, 2022 As Russia invades Ukraine, I’m reminded of the warning Jesus expressed in Matthew 24:6 that the end of days will be filled with “wars and rumors of wars.” I wish the invasion was only a rumor, but it’s clearly a reality. The only consolation I have is -- and
By Norris Burkes, Jan 23, 2022 Last week, my wife, Becky, and I took a bargain flight to the sun-drenched volcanic island of Hawaii, retreating from the threatening snow in our California foothills. We spent much of the monotonous five-hour trip watching videos, but the sweeping sight of the endlessly smooth beaches on final approach
By Norris Burkes Dec 26 2021 Did you happen to notice the warning labels that came attached to the Christmas presents you gave or received? While some are quite funny, these cautionary labels are likely inspired by lawsuits. The stickers counsel you to do such things as “Remove child from stroller before folding.” Or, and
By Norris Burkes 19 Dec 2021 We are only one weekend away from Christmas which probably has at least a few of us wanting to skip the seasonal holiday. I get it. If only we could hibernate until mid-January, right? But for some of us, the feeling is not just about the holiday hustle. The
By Norris Burkes Oct 3 2021 Have you ever noticed how two situations can seem unrelated, but you soon discover a connection between them? The first situation developed this weekend while I was visiting my mother in a senior living facility in Chino, Calif. Mom is 88 and needs a little extra help
By Norris Burkes Sep 26 2021 I’ve officiated dozens of weddings in my 30 years as a minister, but few were as fraught with risk as the one I performed some years ago in the acute care unit of the Sacramento VA Medical Center. It all began when a nurse sent me to a room
By Norris Burkes Sept 5 2021 I suspect my neighborhood is much like yours, where folks use social media to share thoughts and gripes with anyone who will take the bait. Lately, I’ve read several posts tying the lack of local service workers to California’s substantial unemployment benefits. “They are getting too much money,” one
By Norris Burkes July 25, 2021 https://youtu.be/pdBM35AyXT0 Today’s media can often seem like a name-blame-shame game with its frequent demand to have someone’s head on a platter, at least in a figurative way. The language is not new. It recalls the literal beheading of John the Baptist in Mark 6: 14 – 29. If
