Truthiness

Last updated on: June 22, 2008 at 9:44 pm By David Rupert

Is there a fuzzy line that borders on truth, but isn’t quite right? Some portions of the public relations industry are especially adept at this verbal art form, the squishiness of words. Steven Colbert, with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, calls this “truthiness.” Some PR specialists are professional spin doctors. They generate the creative distortion of facts to obfuscate and blur the lines separating truth from lies, fact from fiction. Their bread and butter is the ‘euphemism,’ substituting... Read more

From the bright idea department

Last updated on: June 20, 2008 at 8:01 am By David Rupert

What kind of ideas do you have to be light in the workplace? What do you do to make a difference? What do you wish you did? Leave a comment here: Please, share with a friend if you feel moved. Read all past issues at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidrupert Read more

Jesus is for losers

Last updated on: June 17, 2008 at 6:03 am By David Rupert

“Just as I am I am needy and dry Jesus is for losers The self-made need not apply”— Steve Taylor “He that finds his life shall lose it: and he loses his life for my sake shall find it.”— Jesus In our world, the rich, the educated and the influential are elevated. The weak, the oppressed and the poor are marginalized. That’s the way of the world. Among the elevated class are the “enlightened” who have found creative ways to... Read more

What dad taught me about work – part 2

Last updated on: June 11, 2008 at 8:00 am By David Rupert

My dad was a two job guy. When I was growing up, Gene worked a full time job as a highway patrolman and then another half time job doing construction. He was constantly moving. The thing is, he didn’t do it because he wanted to spend 60+ hours a week busting his tail. He did it as a sacrifice – for his wife and his kids. He did it for me. He did it so I could have a comfortable... Read more

What Dad Taught Me About Work – Father’s Day Reflections

Last updated on: June 10, 2008 at 7:24 am By David Rupert

My dad was a roofer. For more than 50 years, he climbed ladders, crawled over rooftops, and literally hung on the edge of danger. He eschewed air nail guns and most powered tools, choosing the patient, deliberate act of hammering shakes one at a time. Each one was accurately placed, as if the entire house depended on it. His was a simple approach. He rarely hired a crew, choosing instead the lonely road of a dedicated craftsman. Advertising? His calling... Read more

Should you quit your job?

Last updated on: June 9, 2008 at 6:45 am By David Rupert

“Quite often we change jobs, friends and spouses instead of ourselves.”– Akbarali Jetha The typical American spends eight or more hours a day at work but that’s just the start of it. Add up the commute time, the time spent in personal preparation, and the time decompressing in the evening and you’ll find that work consumes a majority of your waking hours.It is no wonder that work can invade even our quietest moments. How many nights have you stretched out... Read more

Wisdom

Last updated on: June 8, 2008 at 10:07 pm By David Rupert

“God grant the wisdom to know the difference.” There is no greater quest in life than wisdom. Rather than struggling over the decisions in life, I want just to be able to have that institutional gut reaction that is always righteous, always honorable and always proper. The best kind of wisdom is to know what to fix and what to let go. It’s that holy coin toss that always comes up correctly. When they gave Jesus a piece of money,... Read more

Courage

Last updated on: June 7, 2008 at 10:06 pm By David Rupert

“God grant me the courage to change.”If you have the right disposition, you can deal with the things out of your control. You just back off and let it flow. But what about when things are within our control? We are all called at times to tough duty. To say something or stand up for what is right. Perhaps an apology needs to be spoken, a bridge mended or a wrong righted. In the back of your throat is the... Read more

Serenity

Last updated on: June 6, 2008 at 10:05 pm By David Rupert

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change” Are things out of control at work? Between the boss and customers and coworkers, your influence is slowly being stripped away. Going through the motions, you get a nagging feeling that what you do just doesn’t matter. And what you have left in the end is an utter sense of powerlessness. The first sentence of the Serenity Prayer asks for a simple, yet elusive feeling – “serenity.” This... Read more

Serenity. Courage. Wisdom.

Last updated on: June 5, 2008 at 9:50 pm By David Rupert

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.” It took a simple prayer to help guide millions through recovery over the last 70 years. This anchor of 12-step programs, penned by “Bill W.” and “Dr. Bob,” is tremendously effective in its simplicity. We often want complicated solutions to our modern problems. But sometimes, all it takes is a simple word or... Read more