Some Thoughts on Saying “Thank You”

I've recently had a couple of interactions at fast-food drive-through windows which were a bit more meaningful than I'd expected.

What Calling Out Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Taught Me About Myself

I am still working to overcome prejudicial shortcomings.I'm more likely to identify with a white person than a non-white person and wonder how this plays into any racist tendencies I might have.It is important to know why you're calling out a woman of color when you have not previously done so for white men. I …

Dropping My Patriots Fandom

(If you prefer, you can find the podcast version of this post here. The podcast is similar, but I go into a bit more depth about the Patriots cheating scandals. I talk about some facts of each scandal which affect the credibility of Patriots haters and lovers everywhere.) Lately ... like for the past 18 …

Reasons, Excuses, and Fear

(This blog post is more or less the transcript for an episode of my podcast- The "Faith & Doubt" Podcast. You can find the podcast here. The podcast includes some additional banter from me not included in the blog post. So you might want to check it out too. At any rate, thanks for your …

6 Ways to Rescue Your Facebook Experience, Plus 1 More

If you’re anything like me, you’ve by now come to question whether social media is a value-add to your life. I remember how cool it was when I first signed up for Facebook. It was great to get back in touch with people from the past and connect online in a new way. But that …

The Greatest Showman, Story Sanitizing, and the Bible, Part 2

It very well may be the case that you first learned about Tebow because of his faith. He is the posterboy of the evangelical scene. But here’s the thing- if the very word evangelical gives you an ulcer, Tebow is the Pepto Bismol to ease your pain.

The Great Omission of the Apostles Creed

(I will return to my series on The Greatest Showman, Story Sanitizing, and the Bible in coming weeks. I had some meaningful feedback from people I respect and need a bit more time to hash out my thoughts before continuing. But it'll return. I promise.) Every once and a while something happens in church I’m …

The Greatest Showman, Story Sanitizing, and the Bible, Part 1

My family and I went to see The Greatest Showman a few weeks back. I've always loved musicals, for the most part, and so many of my friends who had seen the movie recommended it. It was an energy packed, feel good movie complete with a moral lesson. It's fair to say I loved it. When …

Just a Little Introspection

Somebody much smarter than me with a passion and understanding of quality, well-planned, and well-thought-out research and an interest in human behavior will do a study on how social media has affected our society. It won’t be me, but I’m curious about how we perceived each other and ourselves before and after social media. When …

An Introduction to Richie Dee Stephens

Hello, friends...and others I hope will soon be friends. Welcome to Life With Richie Dee Stephens. I am Richie Dee Stephens and Richie Dee Stephens is me. Yet Richie Dee Stephens, is not my name. Richie Dee Stephens is a tribute to three people in my life who have helped make me who I am. …