Maybe I liked this 15 minute TED Talk because it deals with veterinarians and my daughter very much wants to be a vet. Or maybe I love the interdisciplinary approach Dr. Natterson-Horowitz advocates. Or maybe I just see this as another example of the power of embracing diversity, this time embracing the insights one can gain about one species by looking to a diversity of species. Or maybe I just like the word “zoobiquity. Or maybe…. Truth be told, there are a number of reasons I appreciated this TED Talk and hope you do, too. Note: If you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click the title at the top of the post in...

I enjoy the work of the Piano Guys. Yes, I know, they can be a tad dramatic, but of course that’s part of the fun. I’ve shared several of their pieces in years past and thought this adaptation of Vivaldi’s “Winter” – first done by Disney for the song “Let it Go” for their hit movie Frozen – provided a nice break from whatever you might be doing. And, in case you’re wondering, it’s real snow and ice that surrounds them! Note: If you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click on the title at the top of the post to watch the...

Advent 3B: John 1:6-8, 19-28 Dear Partner in Preaching, A few years ago, while speaking with some pastors in Canada about ministry in an increasingly post-Christian world, a young pastor shared a story that has stayed with me. A year or so earlier, his mother had asked him why he was the only one of her children who still went to church. In response, he asked her what she would tell her children – his siblings – if they asked her why she went to church. Why, in short, was her faith important to her? He reported that what followed was the most uncomfortable twenty minutes of conversation he’d ever had with his mother. Because, like many...