I turned 33 last month. In a conversation leading up to my birthday, one of my girlfriends (in ruminating on her own upcoming 33rd birthday), commented that this particular year reminds her of Jesus. A Catholic-educated Muslim, she knows tradition teaches that Jesus died at 33.
In contemplating this, we discussed how our lives, at this age, stack up against Jesus’. Ultimately, we decided they don’t. Jesus started a movement, which challenged the political and religious institutions of his day; healed people; walked several marathons as a traveling rabbi; saved the world; prompted a new genre of literature (the gospel); lived a compassion-filled, selfless existence; and revolutionized the fishing industry. While intentionally comedic, the conversation planted seeds for more serious reflection, and caused me to meditate not on the last 33 years, but the last six months...
I show the following YouTube clip the first night of class to spark a discussion on how popular culture perceives Jesus...
I greatly enjoy Imgur (though this has been a slow discovery, and indoctrination, process). It’s full of hilarious, albeit foolish, moments documented on video or photo. I laughed for four days after first seeing this (actually, I still laugh every time I see it): http://imgur.com/gallery/uRzprXO...
I had the privilege of watching my friends’ 2 ½-year-old little boy a month ago. I’ve worked with, and been around, kids a majority of my life; however it’s been a while since I’ve been entrusted with the care of a little one...
Several days ago, on one of our biweekly walks, Jen shared the following insight from her neuropsychology class: according to current research, in moments of acute and chronic stress, our pituitary gland releases a surge of oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone released both during and after childbirth, and due to the critical role it plays in relational intimacy, is often referred to as the “bonding hormone.” Essentially, it’s a connecting hormone...
