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Last week I read an article about a woman who had purchased a birthday gift for a friend. It was a thoughtful, personalized gift; chosen with care, meticulously wrapped. The friend, let’s call her Amy, ordered the gift months in advance, personalizin…
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How much money would you need to be paid to deactivate your social media accounts? In a recent study by the University of Chicago economist Leonardo Bursztyn, about 1,000 college students answered this question. Their answers averaged around $50. The…
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Earlier this week, while working on my laptop at home, something bad happened. I know there are many ways to avoid this disturbance, but I somehow missed the warnings. I probably gave it permission. My computer began to update mid-sentence. Suddenly,…
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I don’t know how many times we’ve updated the Wedding Policy booklet at St. Paul. But it has to have been every couple of years, at least. Bridal couples often propose an idea they’ve read about in a magazine or thought up on their own, some new twis…
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As I write this, I am contemplating the fact that it will be published on February 29, Leap Day. What an interesting phenomenon it is. It has its scientific basis, of course – to keep the Gregorian calendar aligned with the seasons that are created b…
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In the Noah story, God sticks a rainbow up in the sky as a memory device. That’s what I read in scripture and preached last weekend. As surprising as it may be to us, God evidently needs a personal reminder to keep this particular promise: “Never aga…
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you likely know there was a pretty big football game that took place last Sunday evening. And there were plenty of interesting storylines to follow as the San Francisco 49ers squared off against the Kansas City…
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“I can’t be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t hold my views.” I’m paraphrasing a quote from a Christian friend with what many would consider progressive and inclusive positions on theological questions and various social issues relevant to o…
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If I were to rank my weekly chores in the order of how much joy it brings, grocery shopping would generally be near the bottom. But this has changed since I started going to the Aldi store a few blocks from church. I like the fact that they have good…
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When the prophet Jeremiah tried to get the people of Israel to reckon with their shallowness, they refused. When he told them of their arrogance, they put cotton in their ears. When he warned them of a terrible fate from an invading nation if they di…
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In early November of last year, there was a major rescue operation underway in a remote area of the Scottish Highlands. No, there were no people in grave danger. But there was a sheep. All by herself. Stranded along a shoreline with no way out. As…
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Holidays are rarely just about a day. They’re not even really about a season. Holidays are about who we are and what we value. They bring those things into focus for a time so that we get our bearings again for all times. We know this about Christma…