Index

When famous people came to our house: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/02/24/famous-guests/
Hyperbole was a no-no: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/07/07/rounding-down-you-have-to-laugh/
Alma Mater — Thoughts on team support and being true to one’s school https://johnbecton.blog/2019/02/24/alma-mater-thoughts-on-team-support-and-being-true-to-ones-school/
Characters as humans — A review of an audience: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/02/25/characters-as-humans/

Things I wished I’d said, parts one and two plus one bonus example
https://johnbecton.blog/2019/02/26/what-i-wish-id-said/ and https://johnbecton.blog/2022/07/04/what-i-wish-id-said-round-two/
and now https://johnbecton.blog/2025/01/21/what-i-wish-id-said-one-more-example/

Signs of hope: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/03/05/signs-of-hope/
Service-less stations: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/03/19/service-less-stations/
A Final Four memory: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/04/08/a-final-four-memory/
A visit to Cuba: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/05/06/a-visit-to-cuba/
Obligatory moon-landing story: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/07/20/obligatory-moon-landing-story/

Homilies and homiletics
A communion sermon:
https://johnbecton.blog/2023/05/10/a-sermon-i-wont-get-to-preach/
The Golden Rule reconsidered: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/05/31/the-golden-rule-reconsidered/
Thoughts for Trinity Sunday: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/06/16/some-thoughts-for-trinity-sunday/
A modern telling of the Good Samaritan story: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/09/18/samaritans-today/
The coming of the Word: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/11/28/advent-anticipates-the-coming-of-the-word/
Trying to re-find Paradise: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/11/16/trying-to-re-find-paradise/
More about the practice of ministry:
Innovate? https://johnbecton.blog/2022/01/28/to-innovate-or-not-to-innovate/
Can one go “home” again? https://johnbecton.blog/2019/10/26/im-glad-i-went/
Selected anthem was about a different scripture passage: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/09/28/wrong-anthem/
A sort of homily:
Gates make good neighbors: https://johnbecton.blog/2023/10/11/celebrate-gates/

Clothing
Wearing your Sunday best: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/05/27/wearing-your-sunday-best/
Wearing something different: https://johnbecton.blog/2023/08/15/something-id-never-worn-to-my-home-church-before/

About grammar and word usage
As one who cares: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/08/03/as-one-who-cares-about-language-usage/
When typos are OK: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/04/22/when-typos-are-ok/
Insufferable suffixes: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/06/13/insufferable-suffixes/
Stealth teaching: https://johnbecton.blog/2022/05/22/it-wasnt-about-coffee/
What they really mean: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/02/09/translations/
Can birthdays be belated? https://johnbecton.blog/2025/02/19/can-a-birthday-be-belated/
A 250-word sentence: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/07/13/250-word-sentence/

That time of year
Advent: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/11/28/advent-anticipates-the-coming-of-the-word/
“Merry Christmas” vs “Happy Holidays”: https://johnbecton.blog/2024/12/05/merry-and-happy/
First day of fall/autumn: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/09/23/autumnal-musings-on-the-first-day-of-fall/
Rosh Hashanah: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/09/29/happy-new-year/
Two more about Christmas:
https://johnbecton.blog/2019/12/14/teens-stumble-upon-christmas-spirit/
and https://johnbecton.blog/2020/01/04/twelve-days-leading-to-epiphany/
. . .and Hanukkah: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/01/15/and-happy-hanukkah/

The Beach
Sunrise photos: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/11/13/five-days-of-beach-sunrises/
Notes from one trip: https://johnbecton.blog/2020/11/13/notes-from-the-beach/
More sunrises: https://johnbecton.blog/2024/11/14/beach-sunrises/

Diversity 101: https://johnbecton.blog/2020/02/08/racial-harmony/
Memories of a friend: https://johnbecton.blog/2020/03/18/memories-of-a-friend/
A little help from/for James Taylor: https://johnbecton.blog/2020/04/13/a-little-help-from-and-for-james-taylor/

Just for Fun
Short short stories: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/01/30/just-for-fun-ultimate-short-shorts/
My inventions: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/05/03/things-you-didnt-know-i-invented/

Mental health
Dealing with depression: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/05/23/what-i-might-say-about-my-mental-health/
Recharging batteries: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/07/12/easing-back-in/
Sort of related:
A million-dollar experience I wouldn’t take $2M to repeat:
https://johnbecton.blog/2024/09/08/a-million-dollar-experience-i-wouldnt-take-2m-to-repeat/
Forgiveness: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/06/22/forgiveness/
On being ghosted: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/10/27/a-couple-of-ghost-stories/

Two re: Gender
Who can own a football: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/03/06/who-can-own-a-football/
We’ve been short on the acknowledgement: https://johnbecton.blog/2023/11/24/weve-been-short-on-the-acknowledgement/

Anniversary of our “new” home: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/07/22/30th-anniversary-of-our-new-home/
Earliest news story I remember: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/08/18/the-earliest-major-news-story-i-remember/
Like-dislike relationship with social media: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/09/15/my-like-dislike-relationship-with-social-media/
Things can go (away) without saying: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/10/05/things-can-go-without-saying/
Essential to life: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/10/22/what-are-some-things-without-which-i-could-not-live/

Looking Back:
Remembering childhood: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/11/27/reminiscence-of-childhood/
The good new days: https://johnbecton.blog/2024/04/12/the-good-new-days/

Favorite sounds: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/12/04/favorite-sounds/
Perfect happiness: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/12/13/perfect-happiness/
Scary stories: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/12/21/scary-stories/
Art vs. science in the kitchen: https://johnbecton.blog/2022/01/15/art-vs-science-in-the-kitchen/
A search for life’s meaning: https://johnbecton.blog/2022/02/03/a-search-for-lifes-meaning/
Random rants: https://johnbecton.blog/2022/03/21/random-rants-for-a-monday-morning/
Mays stole the show at my first MLB game: https://johnbecton.blog/2022/05/15/mays-stole-the-show-at-my-first-mlb-game/
One Friday night in college: https://johnbecton.blog/2022/07/20/a-friday-night-college-experience/

Parents
https://johnbecton.blog/2022/10/12/embarrassment-a-legacy/ and https://johnbecton.blog/2022/12/13/faith-of-our-fathers-and-mothers/

Health and fitness
Running away from aging: https://johnbecton.blog/2023/02/12/trying-to-outrun-a-scary-enemy/
Nature’s role: https://johnbecton.blog/2023/03/24/physical-benefits-of-communing-with-nature/

Two about early days in the workforce
First job: https://johnbecton.blog/2023/09/03/remembering-my-first-job/
Best boss: https://johnbecton.blog/2023/08/21/what-was-your-best-boss-like/
Two Related
How not to do a job interview: https://johnbecton.blog/2020/10/30/adventures-in-job-hunting/
A boost in status: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/03/11/a-boast-in-status/

Four-letter H word: https://johnbecton.blog/2024/02/24/that-4-letter-word/
The kindness of strangers: https://johnbecton.blog/2023/04/27/we-relied-on-the-kindness-of-strangers/

Less-than-welcome houseguests: https://johnbecton.blog/2025/02/27/how-not-to-get-invited-back/
Our need to “one-up” goes back to childhood: https://johnbecton.blog/2024/06/09/thats-nothing/
What it’s like to be a radio personality — for a short time: https://johnbecton.blog/2024/06/14/adventures-in-radio/

A conversation with AI about its emotions (or rather, lack thereof) https://johnbecton.blog/2024/10/14/how-do-you-feel-about-that-ai/

Facebook Related
Like-dislike relationship with social media: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/09/15/my-like-dislike-relationship-with-social-media/
As one who cares about grammar: https://johnbecton.blog/2019/08/03/as-one-who-cares-about-language-usage/
When typos are OK: https://johnbecton.blog/2021/04/22/when-typos-are-ok/
Stealth teaching: https://johnbecton.blog/2022/05/22/it-wasnt-about-coffee/