Minister Of Mocha

This week brings us Christmas Eve and then ultimately Christmas (sorry folks, you’ll need to wait until next Monday for Boxing Day!) The anticipation is building with every waking moment, then add the visions of sugar plums dancing in our dreams…Wow, there is a lot of stress to go around! I was having a conversation…

I spent a portion of my Sunday at a show here in beautiful Ridgecrest. We were visited by Jake Hamilton who brought a drummer, a wall of sound, and unbridled passion. It was pretty amazing to witness. There were so many things to take in at the rare Ridgecrest event. The outer edges of the…

I spent some time in San Diego this past week. I probably don’t need to tell you that it is pretty nice in San Diego, but just to be clear: it’s pretty nice in San Diego! I took a road trip with my son-in-law to go see a concert at a small club, so we…

That Paul had scales on his eyes, THIS Paul has scales on his mind…more accurately, under his feet. If you follow my Facebook feed you probably already know that I fell victim to the dreaded “pink box” on Thanksgiving. Actually, my fall from grace began before that, but this past weekend highlighted that I need…

I guess I write this with my Pastor in mind. I’m sitting in front of the glowing screen weighing the options for what to write on the Monday before Thanksgiving.There are lots of options: I could write about my LA Kings beating the Ducks and laying a claim to first place in the division (redemption,…

Sometimes the question “Why?” is the one that takes the most prominent position in my mind. I found myself asking this after an election. Perhaps I especially ask it after this election due to the results or the aftermath… but this isn’t about that. I often ask it when my team loses. I asked it…

I will be among the first to admit that the road to recovery can often run uphill for a l-o-n-g time. At times it feels like there is no progress or that the progress made isn’t worth the effort expended. And then the Cubs win the World Series after a 108 year nap… It’s a…

As I write this it is Halloween morning. I’m sitting in the office wearing my finest Miami Vice outfit. This weekend we made Jack-o-Lanterns with our grandsons and wore Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy outfits. I just love costumes and dressing up. Here’s the problem though: sometimes people get confused by the costume. My grandson…

If you read this blog you probably have a pretty good idea about my weekly mood. You can also get an fairly accurate pulse on the events that have shaped my life over the past 7 days. With that said, it should come as little surprise that I’ve been going through some difficult times of…

What a week it has been for your old pal the Minister of Mocha! I took four trips out of town in five days. Traveling has always been a part of the equation in my life, but this last week was a doozy. It began with an unplanned visit to a doctor out of town…