We have, I think, a cultural bias against admitting what we don’t know. It’s as if by admitting our ignorance in a particular subject we undermine our credibility on any subject. I find this particularly true of leaders – whether in a church, corporation, faculty, or family. Perhaps that’s because when we are placed into positions of leadership we feel that it’s our responsibility to live up to this trust. Or maybe it’s simply because if we are leading in our organization it’s precisely because we’ve proven ourselves competent, and so we feel that any demonstration of ignorance calls into question our competence and,...

Three things prompt my sharing Kathryn Schultz’s TEDTalk on regret. The first is one of the lectionary readings appointed for this Sunday, Jeremiah 31:31-34, that talks about God forgetting Israel’s sins. In a column I wrote on this passage for preachers, I suggested that we might all take a leaf from God’s notebook and a) trust that God really does forget our sins and b) maybe we should try to forget them – and those of others – as well. But Kathryn’s talk, entitled “Don’t Regret Regret,” reminded me that some things are worth remembering – including some of our regrets. Why? Because our regrets can...

“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...