Of the various subjects I’m asked to teach or present on at various gatherings and conferences, the one that is most frequently requested is about the massive amount of cultural change we have experienced in recent decades and the implications of that for our lives in the Church. Given the significant decline in so many of our congregations and overall attendance in worship, I can understand why folks, myself included, are working hard to better understand the nature of the culture in which we live so that we may respond faithfully to the challenges and opportunities it presents. At some point in these gatherings, I always say two things....

“Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” This is just one of Rita Pierson’s statements that is funny, insightful, and right on the target. She was responding to a colleague’s comment that, “They don’t pay me to like kids; they pay me to teach the kids. I teach; they should learn. Case closed.” Except, as Rita explained, “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” At the core of Rita’s educational and pedagogical philosophy is one simple but powerful conviction: education is about connection. It’s hard to learn if you don’t feel connected. Which means that kids don’t just need a teacher, they...

I can’t believe I forgot to post this on April Fools’ Day earlier this week! If I had remembered, I would have described this as our latest and greatest strategy for improving the teaching at Luther Seminary through consistent classroom assessment. But I since I blew it, I’ll just tell you ahead of time that this is the video some colleagues and I put together for our annual Variety Show at Luther. Given what a mess things are here right now, it seemed like a good time to make fun of ourselves. And given my earlier note on gratitude for good friends (#6), this seems like the second best day of the week on which to post it....