A few thoughts on a variety of topics:

Been updating Cerulean Sanctum over the last couple weeks, though most of it is behind the scenes. Do have a request, though: If you have a smartphone, how does this site look? I supposedly have a mobile version of the site running, but while it appeared to load correctly on my wife’s phone, it doesn’t load right on all those “Check to see if your site loads correctly in mobile” site checkers.

The site should look different and will load some “bubbles with text” that can be expanded to read the content. If the site looks like the normal PC blog, something’s biffing.

Thanks for letting me know.

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Talk about meta! Is it me or have retailers lost their minds? This appears to be the year of the run-up to Black Friday, with some retailers running advance sales to celebrate the sales they plan to have on Black Friday. Never mind that some (wicked) retailers plan to stay open Thanksgiving Day or open their stores at 3 a.m. the following day, they’re running Black Friday specials a week to two weeks ahead of time. I don’t remember it being this egregious last year, so is this some desperation move?

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Trying to avoid Facebook, and it is not easy. I’m amazed how many people don’t use email now. It’s all social media site connections. Everything plays out publicly rather than in private emails. I’ve also noticed that you really do fall off the grid when you stay away from social media. It feels like you no longer exist.

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Don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels to me as if Christianity in the United States is on a hipness bender. At the same time, for all that talk of authenticity, everything seems forced, as if someone with a bullhorn is yelling, “Now, everyone be authentic.” Why is it that everything seems more fake the less fake one tries to become?

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Stumbled onto the Phil Vischer (of Veggie Tales fame) podcast, and I’m wondering if it’s the best pop culture analysis by Christians. Skye Jethani is a great foil for Phil. The conversation as to whether Christianity has enabled Miley Cyrus to swing naked on a wrecking ball was thought provoking (really).

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I turned 51 recently. Boy, does that sound old. I’m finding that the 50s are sort of a no man’s land that parks itself between life direction and retirement. Given that retirement seems more and more unlikely for me and my peers, the future is hazier than it was for those who came into their 50s in the previous century.

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Is it me or does it seem harder to get real facts about whether young people are leaving our churches or not? Just when you hear that this is an unassailable reality, someone comes along and disputes it totally. Lies, damned lies, and statistics. I’ll be reading Sticky Faith as soon as my library gets it.

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Recently finished The Triumph of Christianity by Rodney Stark. No matter what you ultimately think of the book, I think every Western Christian should read it.

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Most of the adult heroes in books, television, and movies today aren’t likable. Maybe this is why adults are fleeing to Young Adult fiction and kids shows.

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You want to buy a small appliance or electronic gadget? Reading Amazon reviews will convince you that every microwave oven bursts into spontaneous flames, your purchase will arrive DOA or broken, and China has ruined every consumer product once worth owning.

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I used to sleep like a baby. Not so in the last month or two. Even my son is not sleeping well. Anyone else sleep deprived of late?

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Maybe it’s because I’m on a fast from Facebook, but I’m not hearing as many political conversations of late. Have we given up on politics? Is this a good or bad trend?

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My son won dual silver medals at the National Championships of Shotokan Karate held in Cincinnati Nov. 16, 2013. Proud of him.

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In the wake of the Strange Fire Conference, I’m seeing a snowball effect within the Young, Restless, and Reformed of questioning traditional positions (and their proponents) within that sector of Christianity. Thoughts?

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Slippery Slope may be a logical fallacy, but is anyone surprised now that same-sex marriage and homosexuality are mainstream the conversation is quickly shifting to acceptance of polyamory and plural marriage? (After a while, I get bored with saying, “I told you so.”)

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I also write board game reviews at GamingTrend.com and have been contributing articles on writing and creativity at The J Letters. Check them out, if you like.

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If you have a blog or website and have been reading this blog for some time, I’d be grateful if you could blogroll Cerulean Sanctum or link back to it some way. Thank you.

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And in conclusion, if you have a topic or thought to share or that you want to discuss, please add it in the comments.

Thanks for reading!