“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” Paul (Romans 7:19) “I should probably, probably not.” Olivia Rodrigo I’m not a huge Olivia Rodrigo fan, but I definitely like some of her more upbeat songs for my running playlists. One of…… Continue reading A Bad Idea…
Category: Pop Culture
What did you think about “Barbie”?
Did you see the movie “Barbie”? I finally got around to watching it on our flight to Tanzania—I think we all did!—and I’m glad I saw it; it is definitely thought-provoking, and it is also quite entertaining. I read a review of it in The New Yorker when it first came out, and I agree…… Continue reading What did you think about “Barbie”?
Learning to Eat Ice Cream
“Hidden Brain” is one of my favorite podcasts–I highly recommend it. I just listened to a fabulous episode today on savoring good experiences: you can find it here (along with some suggestions for further reading): https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/you-2-0-slow-down/ I wanted to pull out a couple points that I thought were especially helpful. The title of this post…… Continue reading Learning to Eat Ice Cream
Saying Sorry
If you read the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny, you be will be familiar with the “four words” that are guideposts for Gamache as he navigates both his work and his personal life–Penny works them in to almost every one of her mysteries. The phrases are: “I need help,” “I don’t know,” “I was…… Continue reading Saying Sorry
What does Authority Look Like?
What does authority look like? Answer: it depends. If you are a white man, you don’t have to ask what authority looks like, you just have to look in the mirror; it looks like you. When someone says CEO, Fortune 500 business leader, Chief Operating Officer, President, more often than not, people assume a white…… Continue reading What does Authority Look Like?
Dig into Black History Month
You probably know that February is Black History Month; have you ever thought about why we do that—you know, declare a month to be about something? The reality is, of course, that every month should be Black History Month—if that means learning something about and caring about black history. But, the fact is that in…… Continue reading Dig into Black History Month
Naomi Osaka: The Classiest of Class Acts
I like all sports, but I don’t really follow tennis, so I didn’t watch the match last night between Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. I had heard about it, of course–it had been heavily hyped for days–so this morning when I woke up, I was eager to read about what had happened. It seemed the…… Continue reading Naomi Osaka: The Classiest of Class Acts
Wildlife Tourism and Instagram
Often if I feel like doing a little bit of Internet scrolling and I want a lift, I head over to National Geographic. I love the images, I love the stories, and I love learning about new animals, new places in the world, and new environmental initiatives. I almost always come away filled with wonder…… Continue reading Wildlife Tourism and Instagram
The Theology of “Westworld”
I just finished watching the first series of “Westworld”—have you seen it? It is a really interesting tv series, with lots of material for theological reflection. Basically, the plot of the story is this. “Westworld” is an elaborate, sophisticated theme park for very, very, VERY wealthy people, who come into the park by high-speed train.…… Continue reading The Theology of “Westworld”
Happy Lutheran 