Some good things

It’s easy to get bogged down in negativity. I’m sure the 24-hour news cycle doesn’t help, with its torrent of catastrophes, scandals, crimes, and all the attendant partisan outrage. While I do think it’s important to stay informed on many of these things, I wonder where we can turn for stories of hope? For reminders that God is love and that, sometimes, we experience that love?

I’m glad that one place to turn is the Century. Don’t get me wrong—we report on heartbreaking news and give voice to powerful lament. But I also relish the glimmers of new life and resolute faithfulness. This week we have a reflection on rural ministry from Brad Roth. Many articles out there simply mourn pastoral burnout, but Roth also discusses Jesus’ presence in the wilderness. There is also a delightful report on a new Lego design that honors Fred Rogers: Presbyterian minister, my fellow Pittsburgher, and beloved TV host.

The video of the week also carries hope. I chat with scientist Emily Boring about her encounters with the Divine in the ocean and the laboratory (based on her lovely recent essay in our magazine).

Email me: Where do you turn for stories of hope and new life?

Jon Mathieu
[email protected]

Burnout and resilience in the wilderness

“What’s going on among rural pastors is more complicated than the narratives of the Great Resignation might suggest.”

Mister Rogers Lego prototype a tribute to his ‘deep spiritual resonance’

“Matt Smith’s design includes exactly 1,968 pieces in honor of the show’s 1968 premiere, complete with a red trolley, fish tank, King Friday’s Castle, and a green sweater hanging in a closet.”

Emily Boring on faith as a scientist

Jon chats with marine biologist and writer Emily Boring about her encounters with God in the ocean and the laboratory.

In the Lectionary for June 18 (Ordinary 11A)

The prankster is God, through whom all things are possible.

Paul’s lost letters

“Paul’s letters only survived in gentile-dominated regions where there were no pogroms: Asia Minor and Greece. That selective geography has theological implications.”

by Philip Jenkins

SNAP under siege

“SNAP work requirements don’t get people working because the jobs available to the poor don’t pay well enough to make up for lost benefits. Instead, such requirements simply save the government money by reducing SNAP’s reach—by feeding fewer people.”

by the editors