by Eddie Pipkin Image by AstralEmber from Pixabay It’s the 20th anniversary (more or less) of the invention of the Like button, the thumbs-up graphic used by Facebook and other social media platforms to show approval of a post. It’s hard to imagine a world in which we lived without an instantaneous, one-tap [...]
by Eddie Pipkin Image by Elly from Pixabay It’s the time of year when we celebrate graduates. We pause our worship services to recognize those who have achieved academic success. We attend parties for those we know who have put in the work to earn that diploma. Or we might even have a [...]
by Eddie Pipkin Image by Greg Reese from Pixabay We make a regular six-hour interstate drive up I-75 once a month. We trek up the infamous Interstate from central Florida to central Georgia and back again to visit my mom. We’ve been making that drive for many years, so we know it well, [...]
by Eddie Pipkin Image by Mark Thomas from Pixabay In case you missed it, a lawyer arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court last week got a standing ovation. First of all, that’s not a thing that happens in the hallowed halls of the nation’s most sacred courtroom. Secondly, the ovation was initiated by [...]
by Eddie Pipkin Image by Peter H from Pixabay While I was travelling during Holy Week, I had an identical experience at two separate places of worship that threw me off kilter and made me wonder how much thought the good folks at both venues were giving to the experiences of drop-ins. On [...]
by Eddie Pipkin Image by 悍匪 社交 from Pixabay I’m in Virginia this week, visiting with an old friend who has changed things up by moving from the big city to a small bucolic town where she bought a 115-year-old house with great bones and quirky character. This friend has a sophisticated sense [...]
by Eddie Pipkin Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay I heard a good story recently from a pastor friend who had made time for parishioners who had requested an ‘urgent’ meeting. Their emergency? They were greatly concerned that the church he led isn’t “doing discipleship right.” As long as there has [...]
by Eddie Pipkin Image by Anja from Pixabay It’s plenty easy to cruise along with something that’s “good enough.” Right now, I have a busted stereo in my 2002 Jeep, so I keep telling myself how awesome it is to ride along without the distraction of music or news, just my own thoughts [...]
by Eddie Pipkin Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash Perhaps you are familiar with the work of Arthur Brooks, author, academic, and researcher of the science of happiness. He has lots of practical advice about how to build a better life, and although his work with Oprah occasionally veers into woo-woo territory for [...]
by Eddie Pipkin Image by Ivana Tomášková from Pixabay Last week I wrote about Starbucks and “forced joy,” a directive from corporate leadership that employees would express joyful interactions by writing encouraging messaging on customer cups. It didn’t work, because dictating employee happiness and enthusiasm rarely does. On the other hand, giving employees [...]
