The problem with me is that I take things seriously. I don't read the history of a man like Akronite John Brown and just say, "Aw that's nice." No. "John Brown advocated the use of armed insurrection to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States." Let me say it another way: John Brown […]

I'm at a point where I don't know what else to do. I am certainly not quitting. But it feels like every single thing I do is inadequate and not enough. So I'm just going to beg and plead with you to PLEASE help these people. Tomorrow night it is going to be 15 degrees […]

I am a wuss. I'm in Austin Texas for a symposium at the Community First Village. A sold out group of people from as far away as Australia converged here to discuss the truly revolutionary concepts of this master planned village for the chronically homeless. The only way to get a home here as a […]

Murderers. Rapists. Pedophiles. Thieves. They all slept inside last night. They play board games. They watch tv. They eat every day. I know it's prison and people hate being there. But at least, as a society, we take care of these people. But homeless people. At 8am today in Akron Ohio it is 35 degrees. […]

I had a brief encounter with a young girl yesterday. She was probably 6 years old. She was everything you'd expect from a 6 year old. She started a conversation with me. She was smiley. She was curious. She read the words on my t-shirt: "Keep your coins. I want change." It's a screen printed […]

I don't put a lot of weight in the incredibly nice things people say about me. I am just a regular guy who grew a conscience in his midlife. That's all. But one trait I will agree with and feel, unfortunately, is sorely missing in a lot of people is PASSION. I'm passionate. About a […]

I can't overstate how influential girls and women have been in my life. If I'm honest with myself, it was probably MaryBeth Glasgow that had as much influence over my abilities as a cellist as any teacher I ever had (and I had some amazing teachers). I just REALLY liked MaryBeth and she was a […]

I sometimes have to remind myself that there is a cherry red Tesla convertible hurdling RIGHT NOW into the distant asteroid belt of our solar system. It will likely fly through space for millions of years. Elon Musk did that with the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket. "With 27 engines, the Falcon Heavy is capable of […]

This week I got word that "the church" across the street from where we have our dumpster located wants us to move it. It's not on their land. It's across the street from them. But having to look at it apparently is too much for their sensibilities. The problem with the dumpster is that people […]

I always cringe a little when people tell me I have a "big heart." It's something I hear fairly regularly. But it's definitely not how I see myself. When they say it I imagine Forest Gump. A well meaning mentally challenged individual. It is also always followed by advice on how I need to counteract […]

It's hard to compete with the writings of a guy like Paul. Hell, it's hard to compete with any of the great leaders of humanity. I feel like a tool when I compare my writings and thoughts to someone like Martin Luther King Jr. His understanding of philosophy and religion crush my own. And then […]

I've gotten to hear two sermons recently. This Sunday and last. That's novel for me, considering I haven't listened to a sermon in many months. Our friend, Holly, took us to her church during our trip to Boston: Old Cambridge Baptist Church. And I just watched the live stream of the Medina United Church of […]

A friend of mine came to our homeless village recently. She said she was literally shaking after reading some of the things people said about the homeless and me. Humans that feel sheltered by the anonymity of social media say some pretty shocking things. "They are all drug addicts." That's the number 1 thing people […]

I'm like a mini planet. I don't want to overstate my importance. I am just a guy who stood up. That's the only thing I ever did. But I have a small gravitational effect. People and energies come towards me. BY FAR, the people and energy that comes towards me are filled with love and […]

I had a whole post forming in my head about how God had abandoned me. It was what I was going to write about this weekend. I was bitter. I had this belief that God left me the day my sister died and our village came down. I felt I hadn't heard from God since […]

The thing about it is: I don't feel like a "good" human at all. I also don't feel like a bad human. I'm just a human. But I do like to learn about other humans doing good things. It kind of helps me keep my game up. Like, "Don't get cocky Sage. You really are […]

I know a man who is unhappy. He feels, almost simultaneously, under utilized and inadequate. His job defines him. Yet his job is menial and pointless. He feels a great need to be the provider to his family yet he feels empty and can't provide for himself. There are several people who might be reading […]

My kid is currently learning about Harriet Tubman. This paragraph describes her succinctly but well: Harriet Tubman She was five feet two inches (157 centimeters) tall, born a slave, had a debilitating illness, and was unable to read or write. Yet here was this tough woman who could take charge and lead men. Put all […]

I saw this really interesting video on how Facebook and Twitter trigger us emotionally: It reminded me of how we are all paid off by drugs. We are all addicted to dopamine and opioids. Social Media Triggers a Dopamine High According to a study of Australian consumers by San Francisco-based media-buying firm RadiumOne, social media […]

I'm a BIG Taylor Swift fan. So Rocky got the family tickets to her sold out show in Cleveland this last summer at our football stadium. It was amazing! At the end of the show the crowd poured out onto these large ramps zigzagging down to the street. As we were walking there was this […]

I feel like I'm moving through sludge. I plod through my task list like a dead robot. Call this person. Empty the trash Go to this meeting Empty more trash I keep hitting refresh on Reddit just hoping for a new story to avoid doing anything. This week can't end fast enough. But it grinds […]

I have a great deal on my mind today. Transition is like that. What we knew and could count on is gone. What is in front of us is uncertain. This space of transition is very uncomfortable for most people. But for me it seems to be my natural habitat. I think we are often […]

It seems taboo to think about, much less discuss, any religion that is not our own. Protestants don't read Thomas Merton. Catholics don't read Rick Warren. Atheists refuse to explore any God-based religion at all. I can almost guarantee this post will be met with comments on Facebook that I am not accurately understanding God, Jesus […]

What is Christmas? The birth of Jesus? A melding of pagan winter holidays? Gift giving? A holiday of lights and good cheer? Santa Claus? One thing is certain: billions of people celebrate it every year. I try to imagine that sometimes. No matter what it means to them personally, it usually involves getting together with […]

I have this uneasy feeling the universe is in trouble. Like serious trouble. There is this thing called the "Great Attractor." It is a mass thousands of times more massive than the Milky Way, our tiny little galaxy, which itself is about 100 light years across. We are HURDLING towards this Great Attractor at a […]

I like to try to imagine the power of a black hole. A black hole is a region in space that has such strong gravitational pull that NOTHING can escape. Not particles. Not electromagnetic radiation. Not light. Around a black hole there is a place of no return. it is called the event horizon. It's just […]

Occasionally, people come up to me to talk about these posts. It's really wonderful. I love talking about these topics. I had a person come up to me this week and talk with me briefly about my last post thinking about God. Basically, she said that she understood where I was coming from. But she […]

I get so frustrated with God language. I know the instant I use the word "God" I am isolating people. I am turning people off and, therefore, not helping the world spiritually in the way I would like to. For me, God is everything. It's like the giant aquarium of everything. It is the multiverse. […]

Someone once gave our family tickets to a Cavs game. They've got these REALLY cool Jumbotrons above the floor. These massive, beautiful video displays cover the action on the floor. It's super cool to watch the floor and then watch the Jumbotron. I was watching the game not noticing anything out of the ordinary. I […]

Early on, in our homeless tent community, we had very little. We didn't have laundry. We didn't have a shower. We didn't have computers or a food pantry or a clothes room. We had nothing other than ourselves. There was just some land in the back of a building where a few people put a […]