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I am always flooded with emotions during Holy Week and Easter. We begin waving palm branches with a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, praising God for the coming Messiah. But then our shouts of praise turn to chants of death as we say together “crucif…
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Plenty of commentary is available regarding this generation’s young people. It’s natural to compare their experiences to our own. It’s common to hear or participate in conversations about things that they do not appreciate enough or the amount of tim…
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I’ve been trying to learn something about St. Patrick this week, but it’s hard to track down much information about a person who died 1,557 years ago. According to tradition, Patrick died on March 17, 461, which is why he is remembered and celebrated…
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Every now and then, when I’m procrastinating at my desk or filling time while waiting in line at the grocery store, my mind begins to wander a bit. Or, more aptly, it wonders. I start to think up questions I wish I knew the answer to like “Why did Go…
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Ever since Malcolm Gladwell published his popular book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, more than a decade ago, people have been paying special homage to the benefit of “decision by instinct.” What Gladwell proposed, namely that quick…
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There is an ear on a stained glass window here at St. Paul. Just an ear, with curves and crevices, floating in sea of brilliant blue glass. It sits underneath the image of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the left of the sword. Of all th…
I never liked Valentine’s Day. It just seemed like another way for capitalism to reach deeper into our pockets and have us spend money on frivolous things. Don’t get me wrong – I love the chocolate (especially the day-after sales), but a holiday that…
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The Olympic Winter Games start this weekend. I’m a big fan of the Olympics in the winter because it gives me something to do while I’m bundled up inside, avoiding the cold. One of my favorite sports to follow is curling. It fascinates me to watch a t…
I’ve been thinking about brain science a little bit lately. On Sunday, I led a conversation with a room full of St. Paul parents about managing screen time. The conversation flowed out of the Digital Identity Faith Milestone event we hosted for 6th g…
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It all started with a little childhood obsession with birds. Young Charles Foster noticed the blackbirds flying around in his backyard and wanted to know all about them—what they ate, where their nests were situated, or what exactly enabled them to f…
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Over 50 years ago, Ezra Jack Keats helped a lot of people to see. It was simple, really. He wrote and illustrated a book called The Snowy Day about a child waking up in the city to a snowy day. Peter, the little boy, bundles up in a red snowsuit and…
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I am persnickety about clean windows in my car. If you have a dog, I’ll probably spot you at a stoplight one of these days, and then I’ll start talking to myself about those nose prints and tongue impressions all over your car windows. If my wife is…