Brief Introduction We are growing older. When America became a nation, only one in five people lived to age seventy. Now more than four out of five do. The average life expectancy in America is currently around eighty years—and increasing. This expansion begs the question, what are we to do with a second half of…

I recently told a close friend, a successful young man in his late thirties, that I was getting braces. He mused, “Hmmmm, I guess that’s okay for someone your age. It’s never too late.” This guy loves my writing, my curiosity, my zest for life, and of all things, is a dentist. But he is…

1) Rules—When you get older, the only rule is there are no rules. I’ve written about this several times, and I’m amazed at how indignant people get about this simple statement. Freedom is underrated. See #5. Fuck Jordan Peterson and his twelve rules for life. That is twelve too many. He reminds me of the…

People like me who have left an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and are still coping with the damage of childhood indoctrination often end up with a condition called Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS). RTS is a function of both the chronic abuses of harmful religion and the impact of severing one’s connection with one’s faith. Dr. Marlene Winnel…

To people thinking about leaving the church, Disillusioned and traumatized, I voluntarily resigned in 2006 after twenty-nine years as an Evangelical mega-church minister with the Southern Baptist Convention. Fifteen years later, it is still the same church—the bully male pulpit, the entitled white people, the insulated culture, the canceled liberals, and the impossible beliefs. I…

I am middle-aged now. Fifteen years ago, I had an affair after three decades of monogamous marriage. After five tumultuous years of trying to reconcile and salvage our marriage, my wife and I should have divorced. But we were afraid. Of what our children, our families, and our (mostly Evangelical) friends would think. The Christian…

Get The Quest Book Here The Quest Experience The Quest is a rite of passage to the second half of life. It is a secret adventure for adults only (age 35+). The time begins at cocktail hour and ends two days later at noon. Randy Elrod serves as the guide for this transformational experience and…

It was a stunningly beautiful Florida morning. As I write the chapter about emotions in my latest book, The Quest, three events of interest captured my attention. I might note that I have determined—in my quest to enjoy life—to give the gift of a warm smile to everyone I encounter. Fortunately, I do not have…

Growing up in a Christian home I was taught that taking the Lord’s name in vain was WORSE than the unpardonable sin—mainly because no one knew what the unpardonable sin—blaspheming the Holy Ghost—even meant. Even today I am prone to use curse words and even slip and let the F-bomb fly but I have NEVER,…