Wednesday Interesting--so much good stuff!

Since the internet is down at church--yes, still--I'm going ahead and posting this now, in hopes that other people do in fact have the beautiful time-sucking internet that will enable you to enjoy all this great stuff.

First, a disclaimer: I am in serious news fatigue. So it's true that this week things that I find interesting are mostly not about Syria, Egypt, gun violence, the economy, generation-bashing, etc. I just need a break so I can continue to care passionately about all those things.

So here we go.

Where's the octopus? This is seriously awesome. I had no idea octopi could do this. Watch both the edited video and the raw footage and let nature blow your mind for a minute.

This is super cool and totally worth contemplating, O Church and Other Institutions That People Associate With Buildings....

Have you ever wondered how we got the bible we have today? this is,hands-down, the best explication of the church history surrounding all thattime of creating and closing the canon….

Is your church, club, non-profit, social organization, or other group wondering where the young people are? (answer: probably yes, because that's what we love to wring our hands about right now.) Well, here are some surefire ways to get rid of them forever.

I can often be heard talking about brain development, so I found this very interesting. I don’t have beautiful handwriting, though I envy those who do. But when it comes to things that enhance our ability to learn, I am all about that. One of my pet peeves about education as I see it playing out right now is that it is not about learning to learn, it is about learning to test. :-( so…save cursive!

This docu-mercial is scarily real. Though I wonder: what does it say about the world that this is coming from a chain of fast food restaurants???????? of course, would be even better if they then decided to be a vegetarian restaurant, to stop that poor cow from a horrible death…. 

Last week I attempted to fix my toilet. The floaty-arm thing had broken off. Everyone I know said it would be easy. I got the part, took the stuff in the tank apart, and when installing the new piece, discovered that it did not fit. Another late-night trip to the store (thank you, Lowe's, for being open until 10pm and for your employees being nice to me at 9:50pm) resulted in a whole new inside-the-tank assembly thing...the store guys and the box said it would take 15 minutes. 2 hours and many tears later, I had a functioning, though accidentally low-flow/water-saving, toilet, that only leaks a little bit. Part of the issue? Instructions that look basically like these.

oh yes. 1, FIVE!!!!!, 7, 12, 14…

And, last but not least for today:  

This is the best thing on the internet in a long long time…. 

weekend interesting

The internet was down at church all week.

ALL. WEEK.

You might be wondering how I had time to come across all this interesting stuff then. There's a LOT of it, after all. This will probably be the longest post on my blog in....ever.

Answer: smartphone. I gorged myself on the internet while I was at home, instead of doing things like sleeping and exercising and cooking.

Here's some of what I came across. My empty fridge testifies to the amount of awesome on the interwebs in the past 10 days or so...

The future is here! This is every bit as cool as the movie that came out the same year it was launched.

Yep, the future is definitely here. Maybe we could start living in it.

Except sometimes we're caught up in the past. Does re-living 9/11 end up shaping our future in ways we don't want? We’ve seen the dangers of being defined by one horrifying event. We’ve watched as other cultures have re-enacted the wrong done to them, but been blind to the ways we’ve done the same. Yes, it was awful and terrifying and wrong, and we grieve with those who grieve and for the families of those who thought this was the way forward. And we also remember that it is not the way forward: we must go on as the best version of ourselves, not the worst.

These people said it way better than me.

Speaking of the past eclipsing the future...it happens at church too. (okay, it mostly happens at church.) 

And why is that? Every church says they want innovative leaders that will move them forward. There are bajillions of creative people leading congregations (and bajillions more who want to lead congregations). So why is it so difficult? Well, because as much as we want to think pastors can do it all, we can't. And this is DECIDEDLY one thing we can't do. We can offer tools, hold out a vision, and do our best to create a culture, but the reality is that we're not in charge of this one. you are.

If you are looking for some inspiration though, say, to be an agent for good in the world, here's some. Maybe we could even apply some of that inspiration to our church communities.

First step toward changing our communities? THIS. Our Jewish brothers and sisters and in the midst of High Holy Days...and that always makes me wish we had a period in the Christian calendar that was so specifically focused on forgiveness--as in, asking for and extending forgiveness from and to other people. Literally. Like we had to actually practice out-loud reconciliation in church. (Go ahead, try to tell me that's what Lent is about. I wish.) Imagine how our church cultures might be different if we did some truth-and-reconciliation work.

Of course, there are also plenty of other realities that the church is ignoring. Like, you know, this one.

The situation in Syria gets sadder and sadder. It is one of my favorite places I've ever visited, so my heart aches. It's complicated, of course. Our Christian friends have some things to say too.

On an apparently completely unrelated note: the way we talk to each other matters. (not just about teenagers!) 

And this is one of the ways it matters. (warning: tissue alert)

The way we talk to ourselves, or hear ourselves talk, matters too. Ladies, you know what I mean. Stop it.

And in the HAHAHAHAHA department...

There's been a ton of discussion about why millennials are leaving the church. I still maintain that they mostly weren't there to begin with, but aside from that, THIS.

While we're at it, pay close attention to this unexpected reality.

And then, to make us all feel better....you knew the cat hadn't moved from that spot since you left the house. now there's proof.

Happy weekend reading!