Newsletter – Volume 26

This Week Updates from the back of the pen My turn… I have been writing this newsletter for about six months, and I thought this might be a good time to share a bit of my own story. I have always been a bit of a black sheep, but not just because of my troubled […]

Newsletter – Volume 25

This Week Updates from the back of the pen Meet Neal… Not every black sheep is known for their straying from the fold. Some earn that honorary status for their willingness to stand up for the good in the midst of social and cultural pressure to cave. Such is Neal McDonough’s story. Neil is an […]

Newsletter – Volume 24

This Week Updates from the back of the pen Meet David… Hi, my name is David Szwedo. Growing up, my family was chaotic. Yelling and fighting were the daily norm. We were acquainted with church and went occasionally but we never talked about Jesus and I didn’t understand what was meant by, “Jesus died on […]

Newsletter – Volume 23

This Week Updates from the back of the pen Meet Wendy.. If you were to meet Wendy Swentz today, you would think she has lived a charmed life. She is beautiful, successful, and a leader in her community. But as is typically the case, there is always more to every story than what you see […]

Newsletter – Volume 22

This Week Updates from the back of the pen Meet Kat… Katherine von Drachenberg known professionally as Kat Von D, is a Mexican-American television personality, entrepreneur, social media influencer, and recording artist. However, she is probably best known for her work as a tattoo artist whose work was featured on the TLC reality television show […]

66 Reflections on Turning 66

For the first part of this year, my focus has been primarily on cancer treatment, but at my birthday (earlier this month) I was able to turn a corner. In fact, turning 66 has given me a good many new things to think about. Every birthday carries a new level of importance in these days. […]

The Unplanned Documentary

I never intended to do a documentary. It wasn’t even on the radar. I never thought my story merited that kind of publicity. It’s a good story. I’d even characterize it a miracle story. As such, I am eternally grateful for God’s work in it and through it. My personal transformation led to a 40-year […]

The Unplanned Mini Documentary

I never intended to do a documentary. It wasn’t even on the radar. I never thought my story merited that kind of publicity. It’s a good story. I’d even characterize it as a miracle story. As such, I am eternally grateful for God’s work in it and through it. My personal transformation led to a […]

On Becoming an American

On October 1st, 2008, in Kansas City, MO., I was sworn in as naturalized citizen of the United States. I was born in the Netherlands. My parents immigrated to this country when I was still quite young, but they decided to wait on becoming citizens until after my brother and I were 18. They wanted […]

How can we call Good Friday “Good”?

There are two kinds of death we face in this life.  There is physical death, which Jesus experienced in his crucifixion on a cross at Golgotha.  And there is also a spiritual death, which was aptly described by Evanescense in their hit single, “Bring me to Life”, Wake me up inside, wake me up inside; […]