Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Remembering Tony
One of my heroes, Tony Campolo passed away recently and I’m so grateful that I got to be alive during the same time he was. I’ll never forget the first time we (Youth Specialties) booked him to speak at one of our National Youth Worker’s Conventions. It was in Atlanta, 1974. He told a gripping…
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Pickin’ with Dennis
One of my oldest friends is Dennis Agajanian who I first met back in the late sixties when he and his brother Danny were performing around the LA area as “The Agajanians.” At the time, my brothers and I had a group called The Rice Kryspies and we would sometimes play the same gigs —…
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So What Have You Been Up To Lately?
Glad you asked that question. One thing I haven’t been doing is posting articles on this website. Sorry about that. I tend to be a private person most of the time. I don’t share much and I definitely don’t overshare. It’s not that I have that much to protect with privacy, it’s just that I…
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God Still Knows How to Make Lemonade
The metaphor about “making lemonade out of lemons” is a common way of saying that there are times when you need to make something good out of something that’s not-so-good. That’s more or less how I am feeling about this year’s Legacy Grandparenting Summit, which just took place in Birmingham, Alabama. I am the conference…
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Daddy Was a Preacher
When I was in the band Brush Arbor, our lead singer at the time was Kenny Munds, a great songwriter with powerful vocal chops. After joining my brothers and I, he heard enough stories about our father to write a song called “Daddy Was a Preacher” which we recorded as the B side of a…
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New Home for the Bluegrass Special
Last month The Bluegrass Special’s almost 45-year run on KSON came to an end. I will always be grateful to KSON for giving me the opportunity to host a bluegrass music radio program in San Diego for so many years. But the Bluegrass Special is not finished! There is another country radio station in San…
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We Had a Good Run!
After more than 2300 radio shows, the Bluegrass Special on KSON has come to an end. My last show was heard on Sunday night, September 13th which coincidentally was Bill Monroe’s birthday. I’m glad that I was able to go out with a show paying tribute to the Father of Bluegrass Music, whose song “Uncle…
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Writing Through a Pandemic
Since March, when the lockdown for the coronavirus pandemic began in our country, I have used most of my newfound time at home to work on my autobiography. This may sound rather presumptuous or egotistical to some, but I am not doing this for publication. Perhaps my grandchildren may someday read it as a way…
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Bluegrass Is More Than Music!
Over the past three decades, I have been an active member of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). I’ve been on several committees, given a keynote speech, led workshops, produced awards shows and more. But the most gratifying job I’ve had has been serving on the board of the IBMA’s Bluegrass Music Trust Fund. The…
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The Cross of Christ
This time of year I usually try to observe Lent by engaging in a spiritual discipline of some kind that will help me to focus on the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This year I decided to re-read John R.W. Stott’s The Cross of Christ, which I first read some…
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