Author: Staff

  • About Ross Reck

    Dr. Ross Reck is known by the media as the “Top Gun” negotiations expert. During this past year, he appeared on television, in print and on more than 500 radio stations commenting on a variety of negotiation and dispute issues ranging from the 2002 Major League Baseball labor situation to the current west coast dockworker dispute. He is the author of The X-Factor: Getting Extraordinary Results From Ordinary People (published in September, 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) and the best selling The Win-Win Negotiator (published in 1989 by Pocket Books). Because of its universal appeal, The Win-Win Negotiator has been translated into four additional languages (German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish).

    A compelling and dynamic speaker, Dr. Reck has been featured at hundreds of meetings, conferences and conventions throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and South America. His recent consulting clients include Hewlett-Packard, John Deere, American Express, Janssen-Ortho, Inc., the Chicago Cubs and Xerox.

    Dr. Reck received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1977. From 1975 to 1985 he served a Professor of Management at Arizona State University. During his career at ASU he was the only two-time recipient of the prestigious “Teaching Excellence In Continuing Education” award and was identified by the university as an “Outstanding Teacher.” Since 1985 he has dedicated his full time efforts to positioning his clients for new heights of achievement.

  • Cult or Religion: Happy Science

    Happy Science - Cult or Religion
    Tokyo Shoshinkan Monastery

    Most religious professionals classify Happy Science as a cult. Happy Science itself obviously disagrees.

    You be the judge by reviewing their official website, videos from investigative organizations and news articles.

    References:

    Investigative Reports and Responses

    Happy Science’s response from their website: Uncovering the false claims by VICE

  • White Boy Rick – Still In Jail?

    White Boy Rick
    Richard Wershe Jr.

    ‘White Boy,’ a true-crime documentary directed by Shawn Rech, tells us the fascinating story of Richard “White Boy Rick” Wershe Jr., who gained tremendous notoriety in the 1980s as an alleged drug kingpin who was also an FBI informant. He was arrested for possession of cocaine when he was 17 years old and was sentenced to life without parole under the rather harsh 650-Lifer Law in Michigan. If you’re curious to know where he is now, we’ve got you covered. 1

    Prisoner of War: The Story of White Boy Rick and the War on Drugs - Available from Amazon.com
    Prisoner of War: The Story of White Boy Rick and the War on Drugs – Available from Amazon.com

    The tale of a Detroit boy recruited by the FBI—at age 14—to be a paid informant against a politically-connected drug gang is so amazing it inspired a Hollywood film—White Boy Rick—starring Matthew McConaughey as the teen’s father.

    What kind of father would take FBI cash to let his youngest child be an undercover operative in the murderous drug underworld? This book answers the question.

    White Boy Rick became the Detroit FBI’s most productive drug informant of the ‘80s, but as the book explains, things went awry amid FBI misdeeds. Rick tried to become a cocaine wholesaler, got caught and has spent 30 years behind bars. He became a Prisoner of War: The War on Drugs. Rick Wershe is the central character in a wide-ranging exploration of the nearly half-century trillion-dollar policy failure known as the War on Drugs. It explains “testilying”, the widespread perjury felony committed by the police in pursuit of drug felonies, it examines CIA pressure to get charges dropped in a Detroit drug case and it shows how a basketball star’s drug death led to mass incarceration.

  • All About Love

    Sermon by Pastor Glenn Zimbelman

    Maricopa Lutheran Church, Maricopa, Arizona – February 25, 2018

    As we journey through the Gospel of John we discover how different this book is compared to the other Gospels.  This is especially true for the normal texts we use for Holy Week. Normally on Maundy Thursday the preacher has choices to make.  Do we do the foot washing or the Lord’s Supper?  Interestingly enough, the Lord ’s Supper does not happen in John.  For the next 4 weeks we are going to cover material that will prepare us for Holy Week.  

    I once had a mother who was dying of inoperable brain cancer.  It was not a matter of if, but when.  She had months to live.  She was leaving behind a husband and a five year old daughter.  The mother was only in her thirties.  Do you know what she did?  She made a bunch of videos.  They could be entitled Wise Words from Your Mom.  She made the video’s to be played at significant points in her child’s life:  Her Sixteen birthday, High School Graduation, her marriage and so forth.  She wanted to leave behind a legacy of sorts for her daughter’s future life.

    John 13:1 is a very interesting verse,

    “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

    Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.  Jesus was like that young mother.  He wanted to prepare his disciples for his death and departure.  What did Jesus think was the most important thing?  Simply this, he wanted the disciples to know that they were loved.

    There is an old Oly and Lena Jokes.  I am well aware that Oly and Lena jokes are essentially a Minnesota thing and it helps if you are Norwegian.  But keep with me for a moment.  Lena says to Oly?  You never tell me that you love me.   Oly replies to Lena, Look, I told you once, I will let you know if it changes.

    The words I love you carry with it great joy, wonder, risk and a whole lot of baggage.  The words, I love you, can also do great damage.  One person says it without really meaning it.  The other person takes those words as fact and clings to them.  I cannot tell you how many times I have heard in couple counseling, he or she, told me that they loved me.  Well love without action is not much love at all.  In fact, while it is nice to hear the words, and it is very important to hear them, actions speak much louder, don’t they.

    Think back the first time you said I love you to your significant other.  Those words come with a risk.  What happens if they don’t love me back?  What happens if deep down I don’t really mean it.  What happens if I am rejected?  What happens if that love changes?  So those words come with great reward and also great risk.

    Now when it comes to Jesus we sing that song, Jesus Loves Me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.  We sing that and usually link that in our minds with the cross.  Jesus dies on the cross for me.  That certainly is an act of love.  But consider this, Jesus does love each and every one of you.  He loves your quirky behavior.  He loves all of your endearing qualities plus those that are not so good.  He, Jesus, Savior of the World, Loves You.

    He wants the disciples to know they are loved.  Now Jesus has some options.  He could say the word.  He could write a poem.  He could send flowers.  He could get each of them a promise ring.  Instead, do you know what he does? He washes feet.

    Picture of Foot Washing

    Now people reclined around a square table.  It was normal for most people to wash their own feet.  You would be placed at a table based on positions of Honor.  Jesus would be number 1 of course.  If you were wealthy enough to have some money, you would have a slave do the foot washing.  The slaves were usually women.  So Foot washing was a menial task reserved for slaves.   Jesus takes their place.  This is why Peter freaks out.  This goes against all social norm.  But Jesus says, if I don’t wash you Peter you will have no part of me.  What Jesus means by that, is you won’t understand and get how much I love you.  Imagine, the Lord of the Universe, gently, washing the disciples feet.  Imagine watching Jesus and Jesus would also be watching them.  All you could do is to glaze into his eyes and see the care, the compassion the love if you will.  Now you will also note that in John, Jesus also washes Judas’ feet.   Judas will leave the fellowship, he will leave the love relationship with Jesus and betray Jesus.  We often think the betrayal is about turning Jesus over with a kiss.  The real betrayal here, is a betrayal of love.  Jesus loves, but Judas chooses to not return that love.  We will touch on that again as we head to the cross.

    Now Jesus sets up the disciples for a simple mission.  What kind of community, what kind of people are they going to be?  How are they going to represent Jesus in the world?  The only way they can truly represent Christ, to become like Christ,  means they become people of Love.

    Again we are reminded of John 3:16.  God loves the whole world.   A story is told about Leo Tolstoy, who reached into his pocket for some change for a begger.  He was broke and his pockets were empty.  Leo said to the begger, I am sorry brother, for I have no money.  The begger replied, you have given me a gift more precious than money.  For you have called me brother.

    This is why being a servant of all means that we are all on equal ground.  No person is greater than anyone else in the kingdom of God.  It means for us to lay aside our ego for the sake of the other.  You will see this love theme carried through John and into First John.  Recall these words on John 13:34

    “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

    Let’s look at these words again,

    Jesus Love Me This I know for the Bible tells me So.

    It is one thing to say them.  It is another thing to own those words.  It is another thing to say those words back.   This is what faith, love, hope and trust is all about. For you see, there are those moments when we are grasped by the love of God and we are at peace in the arms of the Savior.  It might happen with a song, in the middle of people, or in the quiet moment of prayer. Look for it, claim it, believe it, for the Savior does indeed love us.

    Let us pray,

  • White supremacy isn’t limited to the South.

    As part of their broader attack on voting rights, Georgia Republicans are now taking aim at Black churches.

    A new bill moving through the state legislature would severely limit early voting on Sundays, destroying many Black churches’ traditions of marching to the polls after services. The anti-voter legislature is a clear measure of revenge against Black and Brown voters for electing Senator Reverend Warnock and President Biden.

    “There is no other way you can describe this other than racism, and we just need to call it what it is,” Georgia’s AME Bishop Reginald T. Jackson told the New York Times.

    White supremacy isn’t limited to the South. At least 253 anti-voter bills are under consideration in 43 states to eliminate polling places and drop boxes (especially in communities of color), reduce early and absentee voting, and strip power from local election officials.

    The good news is we can do something about these racist bills. After countless Americans spoke out, the U.S. House passed the For the People Act on March 8. The bill bans common anti-voter measures, expands ballot access, and cracks down on corruption and gerrymandering. Now we need to pressure the Senate to act! 2