From where I stand, spring should soon be on the way. But given that I stand in the beautiful Twin Cities of Minnesota, spring might not actually come for another month or more. That’s because, obviously, we live in the Upper Midwest, with an emphasis on “upper.” But when I remember that there are whole countries further north of me – Canada immediately, Norway, Finland, and vast portions of Russia further away, I both keep my delayed-spring complaints in check and, frankly, give thanks I’m not living even further north. 🙂 Of course, if I did live further north, I might from time to time have a chance to...

Seems like an easy question, but here’s why I ask. The story of the Prodigal Son – which, along with that of the Good Samaritan – is probably the most famous of  Jesus’ parables. And it’s the reading this Sunday in those churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary, which means that a lot of preachers will be asking just this question. Before answering it, it may help to set the parable in context: Jesus has been preaching, teaching, healing and more to the delight of some and to the consternation of others. Luke captures the general goings-on of this part of Jesus’ ministry in the verses that set the stage for the...

Which setting do you think is more likely to produce a good idea? A quiet room in the library, the auditorium where a prestigious lecturer holds the floor, or a crowded coffee house in the late afternoon? If you guessed the library, you’re to be forgiven for imaging that the good ideas are solitary achievements. If you imagined it was the lecturer, you can be excused for thinking we get our best ideas from experts. But if you instead suspected that it might be the crowded coffee house, then you already know something essential about creativity. It is largely about connection and conversation. Creativity, that is, emerges not from...

Cardinals from around the world go into conclave today in Rome to choose the next Pope, which means that starting this evening [sometime soon] we will receive reports about whether black smoke or white issues from the chimney of the Vatican. Curious about how all that works? Me too! So I tuned in for a typically informative and fast-paced four-minute guide from the good folks at Busted Halo to find out how the Roman Catholic church chooses it’s spiritual leader. I found it quite helpful and help you do too. Quick note: Misreading a news report late last week, I got the start of the papal conclave totally wrong, as several helpful...