Sure, he’s arrogant, calculating, and exceedingly polarizing. But Newt Gingrich’s statements, like his recent observation about blacks and food stamps, often come layered with truth.

The truth can come from an unlikely messenger. Like in Numbers 22:30, when God made a donkey talk to Balaam, a prophet who had veered far from God’s purpose.

OPINION: A young black man’s thoughtful defense of the Confederate flag sparks a helpful debate about the evolving nature of human symbols and the importance of letting go of the past, while learning from our history.

Americans need a crash course in how to argue.

Inundated by partisan “screaming head” content daily on cable TV and blogs and social networks, we need a refresher on respecting opposing views for a healthy public discourse.

The Penn State tragedy is an opportunity to shine needed light on the pervasive crime of child sexual abuse. Tips for recognizing and confronting the problem.

You’re an adult. You hear of or even see another adult sexually abusing a child. It could be at your church or school. It could be next door or in your own home.

What would you do?

I have an idea for a good Father’s Day present: a Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Inside is the definition for father:

1. A man who has begotten a child.
2. A male PARENT.
3. A father-in-law, stepfather, or adoptive father.

I would give the dictionary to deadbeat dads, but I’d also give it to those being duped into honoring single moms on Father’s Day.

The gift idea came while I was in Wal-Mart buying a card for my dad. My wife, as she shook her head sadly, pointed to the category “Happy Father’s Day, Mom” in the Mahogany section. Mahogany is Hallmark’s brand for African Americans. I looked through the general Father’s Day card section, but couldn’t find the “mom” category.

Hmmm. Why?

Having grown up in the North, it can be puzzling to hear of Southern whites who insist on celebrating their racist past.

Whether it comes up in the hoisting of the rebel flag at a state capitol, or opposing the stripping of a Confederate soldier's name from an elementary school, my simplistic, New York Yankee, public school education teaches that those folks are just clueless rednecks. The South was violent and intolerant compared to the North, we learned. During the Civil War, the bad guys wore gray and wanted to keep blacks enslaved. President "Honest Abe" Lincoln freed all of the slaves and kept America unified. During the civil rights movement, the good whites from up North went down South and helped black folks bear the dogs, water hoses, and end the lynchings. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached about his dream during the March on Washington and segregation finally ended.

A young man storms into a political meet-and-greet hosted by a member of Congress outside a Safeway supermarket and opens fire on the group, killing six and injuring 14. The host and apparent main target, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, is shot point blank in the head.

As word of the tragedy in Tucson races across the Web and on radio and TV news broadcasts, the words "gunman" and "politician" trigger the impulse to think that angry political rhetoric in the media is the root cause of the apparent "assassination" attempt. But is it, and should that be our focus now?

I'm only speculating, but imagine if Monday's lead news story reads something like this:

Calling himself a "deceiver and a liar" who had "given in to his dark side," the pastor, standing in his pulpit, confessed to sexual immorality during the Sunday-morning service at his crowded megachurch.

"Not all the accusations are true, but I take responsibility for the entire problem. There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life," he said.

The popular minister, known for anti-gay sermons, had found himself drowning under the threat of being outed. So he stood before his congregation, came clean, and asked for mercy ...

The imaginary news report above is based on actual reports about the confession of Rev. Ted Haggard, the former pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs. In 2006 he was forced to step down following revelations that he had been involved in a relationship with a male prostitute. I'm guessing that at least some folks among the 25,000-member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta are wondering whether they should brace for a similar confession from their pastor, Bishop Eddie L. Long.

By now, with the unemployment rate at 9.6 percent, many of us know that losing a job can be devastating. I published my award-winning book, “Fired Up” after I was blindsided by a firing in 2006 before the recession kicked in the end of 2007. The book was therapeutic for me and continues to help many others who are in crisis. It has also enlightened employers on more humane ways to let people go. 

But there are times when a firing is well earned, or a person should resign. Two news stories around the Labor Day weekend make this point.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

When Shirley Sherrod was told by a superior at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pull her car over to the side of the road and submit her resignation by Blackberry, she was shocked. As she tried to explain the context of the video snippet posted by a blogger of her telling an NAACP group that she failed to do her best to help a farmer because he was white, she felt denial, and thought, "This can't be happening to me." As she typed the words "I resign," into her cell phone, she became angry.

If you've ever been blindsided by a firing, like I have, you know these are the emotions you feel.

The story of Sherrod, who went from being a little-known USDA employee to the center of a showdown between the NAACP and the Tea Party movement, to receiving an apologetic phone call from President Obama, has been characterized as an example of America's continued complex struggle with racism. But for me, it's more basic. It's simply about how insensitive and selfish people are as they think only about their own jobs, careers and agendas.