“Why are the popular kids usually mean?” The question came from a friend, a parent of kids that go to school with my kids. We were at a bar mitzvah and watching the interaction of some of the kids gathered. Her daughter had just been blown off by a group of the “popular” kids and, as any parent would in her situation, she winced. Her daughter was fine, of course; kids have thicker skin than we sometimes imagine. But it still hurt, for all of us. Why are the popular kids usually mean? It’s good question. I didn’t have an answer at the time, but as I’ve thought about it since, I’ve come to the conclusion it’s because the very...

“For God so loved the world…” We’ll hear this familiar and beloved verse again this Sunday. But do we stop to consider what it means? For God so loved the world, the whole world, and everyone in it. This picture of residential buildings in a district of the Chinese city of Qingdao reminded me of an experience I’d often have as a kid while driving down the interstate at night in my parents’ car. I’d watch all the headlights whizzing by and wonder how on earth God could know all these people, listen to all their prayers, and love them all. It was mind boggling. And it still is. Yet that’s the...