Rowan Williams announced this week that he’s stepping down from his post as the head of the Anglican Church. The Archbishopric is a pretty good gig, although Williams has had to steward the church through tumultuous times. He’s been a source of great wisdom while being a steady hand at the helm of a church which has been struggling to stick together. It will be sad to see him leave. His departure is scheduled for the end of December, 2012.... Read more

I just finished reading one of the most interesting articlesI’ve read in months. In fact it’s one of the finest pieces of writing of any kind that I’ve read this year. My hat is off to Annie Lowrey at Slate Magazine for her work. Take a few moments and read the story. It’s a bit longish, but well worth your time, especially if you are not a computer programmer, but use computers all the time. Lowrey tells the story of... Read more

Just remember that these are the guys who put us in a recession. Greg Smith, a Goldman Sachs executive resigned on Wednesday and wrote a scathing review of life in the firm. The article “Why I am Leaving Goldman Sachs,” is pretty telling and is worth a read. Here are just a few interesting excerpts: “How did we get here? The firm changed the way it thought about leadership. Leadership used to be about ideas, setting an example and doing... Read more

It might be time for TLC to change its name. When The Learning Channel started out it was all about educational content. It was cool; a little nerdy, but still… Although it is still owned by the same parent company as Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and the Science Channel, it has now become part of the vast televised museum to the bizarre. When I first clicked on the website today, I was treated to a short video clip from the... Read more

Here’s everything you always wanted to know about how to start a cult, but were always afraid to ask. I’m pretty sure that Hans Fiene has the playbook down pat in this video. My favorite part is the necessity of claiming unverifiable special revelation. Isn’t this a foundation of every great cult? Here’s how that conversation goes: Q: How did God tell me that you should give me all of your money and let me do whatever I want? A: “In... Read more

I am an unabashed logophile(noun – lover of words).  The English language is fascinating and multifarious(adjective – ‘to having many parts; diverse and varied’). And yet the typical person in our culture uses only a scintilla(a small fraction; a minute particle or trace) of this resplendent (adjective – gleaming, splendid, shining), language. We might try and church it up every now and then, trying to find a synonym with the thesaurus function in Word, but wouldn’t it be fun to... Read more

I confess that the last time I was on an airplane I seriously struggled with my own non-violence. The woman next to me carried on some sort of salad reeking of garlic and blue cheese, and sat chewing and smacking her lips while having a loud phone conversation as though she was the only person on the planet. The person on the other end of the line was obviously trying to get off the phone because my obnoxious neighbor kept... Read more

A few weeks ago I had a book project fall into my lap. One day I was going to have coffee with Chris Folmsbee with The House Studio and a few days later we were meeting to talk through a book project with an alarmingly quick deadline. It was one of the best things that has happened to my writing in quite some time. Here’s why. I am a classic over-thinker. Does anyone else have this problem? I will drive myself... Read more

You just know this isn’t that far off for some small groups. BTW, it’s not real news… it’s the Lark News. ANAHEIM HILLS — A small group from Life Baptist church met during the week, but the members have no memory of seeing each other because they were staring at their smartphones the entire time. “I thought everyone else was keeping up the discussion,” says one woman who successfully ‘Liked’ fifty-five posts and finished two games of Words With Friends during... Read more

I read two brief articles this morning, thought they were interesting, and wanted to pass them on. Both of them were written by self-described “space policy geek” Peter Marquez, who worked in the West Wing, and they are quick answers to questions concerning the last two presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Although politics in the US seems to exist in a constant intractable state of incivility, every once in a while we get to read something pleasant about... Read more