John Kiriakou
I have really gone down the rabbit hole on this guy. John Kiriakou, former CIA agent, whistleblower, convicted felon, inmate, and finally social media icon. I listened to him on a couple of podcasts, and he was really interesting. He talked about what life was like recruiting assets in foreign countries, life as an analyst, and finally, all of the political infighting that happens at Langley. Was fascinating stuff. Then I learned about his books. The one that caught my eye was, Doing Time Like a Spy. He went to prison for releasing some secrets about the CIA’s torture program - IMO, he is a whistleblower.
This is a great read! I went through it in 3 days or so, and it was just so interesting. When you think about it, he really did receive training that would make it easy to navigate a place like prison. It did get really Machiavellian - but when you want a ChoMo (child molester) to get out of your cell, you would probably stop at nothing as well.
He has a ton of podcasts right now; he is kind of blowing up. He is incredibly well read, well spoken, and he really writes in such a way that he can maintain one’s interest really well.
Thumbs up - go check it out.
Another year, more The Alchemist
Yes, I know that I have already posted about this book before, but this time I have a fancy new teleprompter that I have been waiting for some time to figure out how to use and create a video about this book, well, one particular part of it anyway - the Personal Legend.
I talk to so many kids, and one of the questions I often ask is, “What are you passionate about?” I then watch them go through a series of thoughts, which I interpret this way:
I am passionate about this, they think. Self-editing takes place, I won’t say that - I will say this safer comment that I believe will not result in possible derision and/or judgement.
What a bummer, man. I see the light shine in their eyes, and they dim it out. All. By. Themselves.
So I decided that maybe Paulo Coelho has a better answer. I will try to jump on his shoulders and hopefully resonate with the kids.
Below is my copy for the teleprompter. I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Ahh, the end of another school year. Around this time, I start thinking about where and how things are going in my life, which causes me to pick up a book that I read once a year when I am feeling and thinking that way. It is called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. How was I turned on to this book? I heard Reggie Miller on a sports radio channel talking about it one day on my ride home from school over 20 years ago. So I went and bought it - this was before Amazon and Kindle readers. It was an easy read - I’d call it a 2-sit-down read.
It really resonated with me. So much so that I gave it to some of my students to read. When I got it back, they had written in it - scribbles everywhere. At first, this made me really angry, but then I took the time to see what they were writing. It was really good stuff. Occasionally really profound, and students were responding back and forth to what other students had written. So I told them to go ahead and keep doing it. Tell me what you think about it. Expand on it. When other people read the book, they might take something from what you wrote in there.
Over the years, tons of students read it, and the annotations just kept growing. So much so that it kind of became a living, breathing thing. It had a heartbeat of its own because so many people added their thoughts and whatnot. I treasured that book, and it always worried me when I gave it to someone to read. As it so happens, I did loan it out and never got it back, and I consider it such a loss because there was just so much good stuff in it.
So why did I keep reading this book over and over? One of the best parts about it is when Coelho talks about Personal Legends. Your personal legend is your deepest calling or purpose in life. It's the thing you always wanted to do. Dreamed about. Your personal legend is purpose plus desire plus identity. It is the thing that makes you feel alive and true to yourself. It's the path that aligns your desires with the universe or “Soul of the World.” More on that later.
That stuff all sounds really good, right? Well, here is where it gets tricky. Coelho says that we all know EXACTLY what our personal legend is when we are young. This is because all things are possible. That the universe sends us messages about what we should be doing - he called them omens.
The primary reason that people do not realize their personal legends is fear, just being afraid. Afraid of failure, losing what they already have, and of what other people will think. The deeper message is that fear is more dangerous than failure. Santiago, the protagonist, meets a mentor, Mel-chuh-zeh-duk, who nudges Santiago towards the truth that the journey matters as much as the destination. Learning and transformation are as important as the treasure he seeks. Mel-chuh-zeh-duk offered his advice for a price, which demonstrates that searching for one’s personal legend requires sacrifice and commitment - chasing your personal legend is not free; you have to give something up to pursue it.
Santiago learns that the universe conspires to help us in our quest, but not through anything miraculous, so get that out of your head right now. It gives you signs that guide you, signs that, along with your intuition and awareness, will tell you what direction to go. It helps us by giving us opportunities. We must pay attention to these opportunities, trust our instincts, and act decisively. These opportunities also have to be pursued with enthusiasm. A lack of enthusiasm is betraying your personal legend. Either be about it, or forget it.
What is my personal legend? When I was young, it was to be a professional baseball player, which, to a small extent, I managed to do. And there were all kinds of help from the ‘universe’ to assist in that endeavor.
Other possibilities presented along the way. I think that the universe put several people in my life who might be considered ‘omens’ along the way. Mr. Gary Twesten, my HS biology teacher, was the person that I remember to this day who made me think that being a teacher would be a really cool gig. The fact that I remember his name is quite remarkable because I am the worst person in the world at remembering names. I am thankful that he was placed into my life.
This is all to say that I think I have been very blessed in the journey I have taken chasing down my personal legend - but I do not want to talk about that whole thing right now. I would like to talk about your personal legend.
Just yesterday, I spoke with a student about what their personal legend might be. After I asked this question, I watched them go through the self-editing process, where they were deciding whether or not to tell me what it was, and started explaining why they didn't think it was right for them - they had already given up on it, which validates what Coelho said - that we only believe our dreams are possible when we are young. As time passes, we begin to rationalize why chasing those dreams is no longer a viable option. We become convinced that our lives will take us in another direction and that it is okay to let go ‘the dream’ Coelho also said that at that point, the universe will stop sending us omens because it doesn't want to break our hearts; it knows when we have given up and that it would only make us feel bad by reminding us about the dreams we once had.
There's a lot to unpack there. I highly recommend that you read the book, as it will do a far better job explaining how one chases down their personal legend than I ever could. What I think you should do is go have a meeting with yourself, take yourself out to coffee, go for a long drive, and try to reacquaint yourself with who you were as a 7-year-old. Talk with them about what they wanted to be in life, when the entire world was new, and all things were possible. If you can somehow replicate that mindset, even for a little while, it might open up a world of new thoughts and maybe opportunities. Perhaps an omen showing you a glimpse of your 7-year-old passion is right around the corner, and if you align some effort and attention, new opportunities might present themselves. If you trust your instincts and act decisively, who knows what might happen?
So it’s only been 40 years…
Any Star Wars fan, and I am not just any ordinary Star Wars fan, would only need to take a glimpse at my Darth Vader shrine in my office at school to know that I am hardcore. As a child of the 80s, I saw Star Wars 4 times in the theater. My mother was willing to do that as she was (is) a tremendously patient woman. I digress.
The first 3 Star Wars movies, 4,5, and 6, came out in 1977, 1981, and 1984, respectively. Spaceballs came out in 1987 and was truly one of the great parodies of its day. I can still quote lots of part of that movie.
Mel Brooks is right out of a Monty Python movie, and his humor is just as good. He does absurdist as well as anyone. I watched an interview he did, and he is looking pretty old, but his comedic mind is still rocking. He is not trying to reinvent anything; he is just leaning hard into absurdity, meta jokes, and franchise satire. ( I am making these assumptions based on the trailer madness.) It seems very on-brand for Mel Brooks, and honestly, that is the best thing about it. The tone feels so very right.
The teaser trailer just works. The meta humor is sharp as ever: The whole
“non-prequel non-reboot sequel” joke is just telling us that Mel and company see how truly ridiculous Hollywood is right now. Parody needs awareness to land.
The target has been updated - it doesn’t look like it is just repeating old jokes. The original mocked the Star Wars universe. This movie looks like it is going after cinematic universes and all of the cash-grab reboots we are inundated with. The formula is exactly how a sequel survives — all new targets, but the same snarky spirit.
Rick Moranis's coming back lends a whole lot of credibility to the movie. Moranis was making movies at a decent clip in the late 80s, but his wife died, and he stepped away from Hollywood to parent his children. He wanted to be totally present for them. In my mind, this makes him a really honorable man. So, it is not just nostalgia; his return after decades away is a huge emotional hook.
There are some worries. The trailer feels like a concept, not proof that this movie works. A lot of comedies can nail the premise in a 2-minute trailer, but are unable to sustain that vibe for 90 minutes.
I think parodies are also much harder now. Parodying Star Wars in 1987 felt fresh. Now? In the age of social media, everyone is just so damn aware. Hell, Marvel has already made fun of themselves in their own movies, so the bar to really make a parody that is fresh and resonant is far, far higher.
I hope that it does not lean too hard on the nostalgia that I am feeling while writing this post. It’s a fine line between something that is “for fans“ and “only works if you’re already a fan.” If it does not hit with the same verve as 1987, it will be seen as more of a relic than a revival.
Final thoughts? The vibe I am getting is that this is a love letter to all of Mel Brooks’ fans, especially those of Spaceballs, as well as a roast of present-day Hollywood at the same time.
This is exactly what it should be.
And honestly? The fact that it even exists 40 years later—and still feels tonally close—is kind of wild.
I can’t wait to see it.
Spring Break 2026 - Scottsdale
Let’s start with how this trip almost didn’t happen. It was 2 weeks before my own spring break, and I always thought people who leave early were turds when we are given 10 days - take your vacation then! But this opportunity came up to go to Arizona, and I know Kyle will be leaving before too long - so hypocritically, I went, and it was the very best decision. Props go out to my tremendous wife - she did the planning and bought the tickets, etc.
We left on Friday, March 20th - flight leaving at 830pm. With all of the TSA madness, we knew we had to get there early, but surprisingly, it went pretty quickly, unless you take into account my full tube of toothpaste I lost before they would let me onto the concourse. Details.
Our flight was delayed, so we knew it was going to be really close when we tried to make our connecting flight out of Las Vegas. The flight attendants told us they were going to try to make up some time in-flight, so I guess they had us zooming up there because we made our connection to Phoenix with no problems. Well, maybe some problems.
When we landed, we were subjected to airport tram hell. Long waits, having to get off the tram before we wanted to, just to experience more long-wait fun. All this with the knowledge that it was 2 am or so Indianapolis time - I know I wanted to claw the eyes out of someone’s face. But we eventually went to the hotel and bedded down.
It was a rough wakeup - Kyle decided to get up early, turn on all the lights, and blast Joe Rogan while showering. It was totally delightful. Keep this in mind, because it will come back later in our story. (Not the Joe Rogan, the lack of sleep stuff)
Ate breakfast at this cool little place next to the hotel, but our ‘issue’ today was that we were not going to be able to get into our VRBO till 7 pm. So, there was a lot of time to burn. We headed towards Scottsdale to see what adventures we might get into.
First of all, I had to get used to a totally different color palette. Brown, just brown. And there were some really cool vistas.
Blue skies, lots and lots of blue skies. In fact, it was noteworthy when I saw a cloud. We were told at one point that it had not rained in over a month. Seems like we don’t go for more than 5 minutes between rain in Indy.
We strolled around Phoenix for a while. Went to a Japanese garden with koi ponds (Kyle really liked the fish) and pretty flowers. After that we went to this really cool little bakery where Kyle and Jason stuffed themselves with great bread and pastries.
We drove to Scottsdale. Not far - in fact, there was hardly a time when we got in the car where the ride was more than 20-30 minutes. When we got to Scottsdale, we just started driving around trying to get a feel for the place. The feel, understatedly, was crowded. Lots and lots of people. We tried to go to one of the malls and drove forever looking for a parking spot. Annoying.
While experiencing this little endeavor, the boys were showing how tired they were. They did this by acting like asses. Look, I get it - I am tired too, but have to suck it up. Managed to go get dinner and some small groceries, and then headed to the VRBO.
The house was amazing. There were so many things for the boys to do there that we really didn’t have to worry about taking them anywhere. It was just such a nice place and big enough that we all had our space if you needed to get away for a few. The kitchen in particular was really nice. It made it easy to make food for everyone.
We went to bed early so we could get a good start on going to the baseball games. It was my first time seeing a spring training game in Arizona, and boy, did it not disappoint.
It was so great watching games in March. The one mistake I made was that I chose to watch the Cubs. It has come to my attention that there are Cubs fans literally everywhere. So there were tons of people at this game. Not the most relaxed situation for sure.
The A’s/White Sox game was far more relaxed. Fewer people, less chaos. This was great, though - at one point I looked up, and Kyle was sitting right behind the plate - something that would not have been possible at the Cubs game. Even better, Jason was able to get a ball after trying for 4 innings or so. Overall such a really good time.
On the way home from the game, we stopped at this go-kart/video game place where we played in a huge virtual reality game. Oestreichs and Boyds teamed up against zombies. Was really great…expensive, but really great. That night we went home and hung out together, made dinner, swam and lazed around.
The following day, Libby and Jason went horseback riding while Kyle and I played golf. Golf in AZ can be tremendously expensive, but I found a course that was not that bad. He and I rented clubs and went hacking. Surprisingly, Kyle played really well and was beating me through the first couple of holes. I was patient, and when he slowed down a little, it allowed me to pass him up and eventually win. But it was far too close for comfort.
Of course, I won.
Overall, it was an amazing trip. I would go back in a second.
Scottsdale, AZ
Desert Sunset - CLICK HERE
Scottsdale Hiking Tour - CLICK HERE
Phoenix Indoor Skydiving - CLICK HERE
After Dark Desert Tour and Navigating the Night Sky - CLICK HERE
Scottsdale Horseback Riding - CLICK HERE
Kierland Commons - CLICK HERE
Scottsdale Rodeo - CLICK HERE
Chan’s Letters to the Church
Chan is an interesting guy. He comes off as someone who truly, deeply cares about people getting to know Jesus. At times, this truly, deeply comes off as outright militant, which for me can be a turn-off. The question for me is whether I am looking at this the wrong way.
The following is neither a condemnation nor an endorsement. It is just a place where I am putting my thoughts, and also a battlefield where I will wrestle with some of Chan’s concepts.
Pros/Stuff I vibe with:
Chan frequently talks about "What the Bible is really saying" and “Are we really living our lives that way?"
He is not scared of calling out the lukewarmness of Christians.
He wants to know if we are really making disciples.
He questions whether or not believers are as involved in the community as they should be.
He loathes feeling comfortable versus doing what Jesus asked us to do.
Maybe he is meaning to be prophetic. (not procedural)
There have been many instances of times in the OT in which prophets called people out on their stuff. This is a good thing. They pumped up being repentant and showed people where they had gone sideways.
Maybe he is just asking hard questions
Are churched prioritizing what they want over the mission of the church? Maybe we all need to get our heads out.
Is using the OT church all that bad of an example??
I don’t know how we do it, but maybe we should all take a hard look at whether or not today’s church resembles the church in scripture.
He is not wrong that the church has become a consumable for many (me?)
We attend Sunday ready to rock out and enjoy spending time with God. We should be more like a family and a community of people who want to share our walks with Christ.
He calls for personal responsibility
He is not a hypocrite - seems like he did most of the stuff he wants other people to do.
His book causes people to take long, hard looks at what their church is doing.
Chan is asking whether we are the passionate, devoted, mission-focused church that Jesus wanted.
Cons/Stuff I don’t agree with/am not sure about:
Chan oversimplifies to a large extent.
Everything seems to come down to house churches in the NT and modern churches.
This feels unfair. The early church had plenty of conflict, leadership issues, and whether or not people were following the bible correctly. (Ephesians) Large modern churches are not inherently unable to do this. They can be biblical, passionate, and faithful - effective. A church’s size/structure/format doesn’t seem like it should automatically mean they are spiritually weak.
Chan seems to romanticize the early church
Looking online, I found lots of issues with the early church. Divisions - 1 Corinthians. False teaching - Galatians. Leadership disputes - Paul. Lots of moral failures. Seems to me that Chan focuses on only the strengths of the early church. This creates an unrealistic comparison.
His tone comes off urgent at best, and confrontational at worst.
You will see Chan’s passion at number one on the Pros/Stuff I Vibe With list. BUT he can make it seem that the church is compromised, which is not going to attract new Christians. BTW - I do not see why the attraction of new people can ever be seen as a bad thing. (Chan would ask about why they are attracted, but we will look at that in a little bit.) It’s like he is saying that traditional churches are all missing the real point of Jesus - I do not see how that could be true.
Churches are all so different.
Rural church vs. Urban. What about churches that are in the mission field? Small church vs. Megachurches. Every single one of these can be biblical and do it right.
His ideas on leadership are…interesting.
Chan - Every believer and church member must be contributing, have shared authority (I would love to see that go over at an FCC Elders meeting), and gatherings just happen on their own, organic, not regularized meeting times. Doesn’t this make the role of pastors inconsequential? Theological accountability is tough. And no one would know who is in charge.
How are we supposed to do all of this?
Gatherings are not communal, as the entire body does not meet together. How do you tell people not to come and go find a house church? Are we going to take churches of 500-5000 to this house church model? If so, how do we do that?
How do you maintain accountability as well as make sure that the correct teachings are being delivered/studied?
Chan makes it sound like were not really supposed to have fun, but be more in awe of what is going on at church.
I struggle with the idea that we do not want to use other things, whatever they might be, to make people come to church. I feel like it is placing a limit on God - maybe the bounce house is what got them there to start, but His glory is hard to dismiss.
I thought there were lots of scriptures that speak of the fact that we are not what brings people to Christ. So I dug around while I was supposed to be working at school:
John 6:44: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day".
John 6:65: Jesus reaffirms that no one can come unless it is "granted him from the Father".
John 6:45: "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me".
1 Corinthians 3:6-7: Paul explains that while people may plant or water, "God that giveth the increase".
Isaiah 41:9: God declares that He has chosen, called, and not rejected His people.
Biblical scholar, I am not, but this seems to me to be that it is not up to us. So why does it matter why they come to church? If we need to make balloon animals to make people get a peek into all of the amazing things that come with a walk with Christ, shouldn’t we?
Maybe it’s not Jesus exactly that gets people to come at first, but it will undoubtedly be why people stay.=
