weekend interesting

so wednesday came and went...twice. sorry. But now it's Pastor's Weekend (also known as Thursday night and Friday), so it's time to contemplate the stuff I've been reading but not writing about.

For that matter, I haven't been writing about much of anything. So it's not just you, dear neglected blog. It's also neglected 25% finished Camp NaNoWriMo novel. It's also every week's prayer prompt. It's also anything that should go on LiturgyLink. Don't feel lonely, blog--you're not the only one I'm not writing for.

But I am reading like a crazy person. I have about 5 books going right now, plus all this stuff:

"All those timesthat I thought I was using my time well -- 'Hey, I've got five minutes, let mecheck my email' -- I was actually using my bandwidth badly."

Mullainathan concluded by urging the audience to think back to Henry Ford.
The automaker famously discovered in the early 1900s that, by increasing his employees' schedules to 60 hours a week, he could squeeze more productivity out of them. But that burst of productivity lasted only about four weeks. Over time, the workers putting in 60 hours a week began producing less than their counterparts who worked 40 hours.
The people working overtime lacked "not just the ability to work hard, but the ability to actually think hard about the problem," Mullainathan said.
The lesson for professionals: Having precious little time doesn't matter. Spending quality time with it does.

David LaMotte brings both the word and beautiful music,every time…  The difficulty with trying to save the world through charity, and a response about the unglamorous reality of what itwould take to change this. (this is part of why Presbyterians talk about doing mission WITH, instead of FOR. of course, that's a similarly incomplete approach.)

speaking of which: the most important word in the bible and how it changes how most people think about the Christian life: 

And then this. (Yes, lots of related stuff this week. Either the universe sends things in clumps so we get the message, or once I see something then everything else is about that...) Interestingly, this particular question has emerged--in both this form and the reverse--in a lot of the things I've been doing and thinking and conversing about lately:

If we can't talk honestly with another human being, how could we talk honestly with God? 

I love Jamie. Her blog is full of the awesome right now as she shares her experiences learning about human trafficking. She's out being the real live church. Meanwhile, she also ponders what the rest of us assume church is, and how we do it all wrong. Or all right. Or something.

This sermon from Presbyterian Youth Triennium blew up twitter while it was being preached. There have been a number of blog posts about it. I think it's fascinating and prophetic and beautiful and right on. And I think everyone in the church should know what our kids are hearing at these conferences we send them to with our bake sales and car washes.

And while we're at this whole connectedness thing, there's this, exploring Ubuntufor Nelson Mandela’s birthday (which was last week). 

And also this, from one of my favorite researchers. I wish we could be real-life friends, seriously. We obviously would be besties.

While we're on the inspirational track: Malala speaks to the UN:

“they thought the bullets would silence us. but they failed. out of the silence came thousands of voices. … Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died. Strength, power, and courage was born.”

And this! I KNEW IT! napping is not just awesome, it’s good for you. (also, check out the fabulosity that is the photo at the end of the article…)

Last but not least: this is so incredibly cool. Beautiful, moving, amazing. All improv, too. WOW.

Happy weekend!