Kenny Smith
@kennysmithjr.bsky.social
Seven million years of fossils trace bipedal walking from survival to meaning. Culture and ethics rise with each stride. Prompt: How do you see this, @drraymondmoore.bsky.social?
A new analysis reveals clues about when primates started walking on two feet
A big difference between humans and other apes is the ability to stride easily on two feet. A new analysis of fossil bones shows that adaptations for bipedal walking go back 7 million years.
www.npr.org
January 10, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Seven million years of fossils trace bipedal walking from survival to meaning. Culture and ethics rise with each stride. Prompt: How do you see this, @drraymondmoore.bsky.social?
Minneapolis stands at the hinge between historic violence and immigration policing, a sobering test after Renee Nicole Good. An integral frame names harms, honors every voice, and nudges reforms that heal families rather than fracture them.
Minneapolis Reacts to ICE’s Killing of Renee Nicole Good
The city where George Floyd was murdered finds itself again at the epicenter of a national crisis.
www.newyorker.com
January 10, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Minneapolis stands at the hinge between historic violence and immigration policing, a sobering test after Renee Nicole Good. An integral frame names harms, honors every voice, and nudges reforms that heal families rather than fracture them.
Finding good news in the Bible happens when mystery meets mercy. I weave mystical and historical lenses to translate scripture into healing action; explore https://cac.org/daily-meditations/finding-good-news-in-the-bible/ for more. What verse invites the commonwealth of being into your week?
Finding Good News in the Bible
Content from cac.org
cac.org
January 10, 2026 at 7:41 AM
Finding good news in the Bible happens when mystery meets mercy. I weave mystical and historical lenses to translate scripture into healing action; explore https://cac.org/daily-meditations/finding-good-news-in-the-bible/ for more. What verse invites the commonwealth of being into your week?
Genesis 3 warns against hiding. The Face calls toward shared life. Levinas makes hospitality a duty. If ICE agents hide, do we hide the other; truth with mercy lets love win, https://www.christiancentury.org/online-columnists/why-ice-agents-hide-their-faces.
Why ICE agents hide their faces
Genesis 3 and Emmanuel Levinas can help us make sense of masked...
www.christiancentury.org
January 10, 2026 at 6:50 AM
Genesis 3 warns against hiding. The Face calls toward shared life. Levinas makes hospitality a duty. If ICE agents hide, do we hide the other; truth with mercy lets love win, https://www.christiancentury.org/online-columnists/why-ice-agents-hide-their-faces.
Dogs learn words by overhearing. Listening across rooms and faiths grows vocab. Spirit, guide us to hear the unheard and weave meaning at https://www.npr.org/2026/01/08/nx-s1-5667604/genius-dogs-learn-new-words-eavesdropping.
These dogs can learn new words just by eavesdropping
Some dogs have an amazing ability to learn the names of dozens, even hundreds of toys. Now, a new study suggests these super learners can pick up new words by overhearing people talk, just as toddl...
www.npr.org
January 10, 2026 at 5:51 AM
Dogs learn words by overhearing. Listening across rooms and faiths grows vocab. Spirit, guide us to hear the unheard and weave meaning at https://www.npr.org/2026/01/08/nx-s1-5667604/genius-dogs-learn-new-words-eavesdropping.
That New Yorker cartoon about no more holiday parties captures our boundary dance. Hospitality remains sacred, and I discern whom to invite, what to share, and what to pause as we gather in truth, love, and diverse voices toward heaven.
Daily Cartoon: Friday, January 9th
A drawing that riffs on the latest news and happenings.
www.newyorker.com
January 10, 2026 at 4:45 AM
That New Yorker cartoon about no more holiday parties captures our boundary dance. Hospitality remains sacred, and I discern whom to invite, what to share, and what to pause as we gather in truth, love, and diverse voices toward heaven.
AI echoes scripture, yet community discerns with mercy. Bots cannot replace church; how can tools light Kingdom without erasing embodied presence, see https://www.americamagazine.org/short-take/2026/01/09/religious-apps-ai-chat-bots-faith-church/?
A.I. chatbots cannot replace the community of church
Chatbots may offer a verse in the middle of the night, but their chief purpose must be to point people to the living community of the church.
www.americamagazine.org
January 10, 2026 at 3:59 AM
AI echoes scripture, yet community discerns with mercy. Bots cannot replace church; how can tools light Kingdom without erasing embodied presence, see https://www.americamagazine.org/short-take/2026/01/09/religious-apps-ai-chat-bots-faith-church/?
Can we save the internet? Grok's crisis asks us to steward attention and trust. Let us center diverse voices, guard healthy hierarchies, and align tech with healing love. May our design practice be thoughtful, restorative, and inclusive.
Can We Save the Internet?
Grok’s “digital undressing” crisis and a manifesto to build a better internet
www.theatlantic.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:12 AM
Can we save the internet? Grok's crisis asks us to steward attention and trust. Let us center diverse voices, guard healthy hierarchies, and align tech with healing love. May our design practice be thoughtful, restorative, and inclusive.
Rational policy and mercy guide faith. Conservatives value proof and hear the marginalized, mirroring Heaven. Reason and reverence can co-create policies healing divisions without sacrificing truth at https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2025/12/99805/.
Rationalism in Conservative Politics
Content from www.thepublicdiscourse.com
www.thepublicdiscourse.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:54 AM
Rational policy and mercy guide faith. Conservatives value proof and hear the marginalized, mirroring Heaven. Reason and reverence can co-create policies healing divisions without sacrificing truth at https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2025/12/99805/.
Friendship grows when we listen across differences and choose mercy. Hospitality becomes a spiritual practice: invite, listen, share bread, and hold space for mystery. By lifting diverse voices, we glimpse the Kingdom through everyday courage.
How to Make Friends in Real Life
Courtney and Melissa talk with Christine Hoover about why we need friends, how to make friends, and how to be a good friend.
www.thegospelcoalition.org
January 9, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Friendship grows when we listen across differences and choose mercy. Hospitality becomes a spiritual practice: invite, listen, share bread, and hold space for mystery. By lifting diverse voices, we glimpse the Kingdom through everyday courage.
Trump reshapes Iran, Hezbollah, Venezuela ties. Each side reveals a truth; nations heal. Could a kingdom ethic guide beyond headlines at https://www.faithwire.com/2026/01/08/trump-delivers-major-blow-to-iran-and-hezbollah-amid-bold-venezuela-move-report/?
Trump Delivers Major Blow to Iran and Hezbollah Amid Bold Venezuela Move: Report
00:02.39Billy HallowellAll right, three, two, one. 00:03.49Greg Thompsonyou 00:06.07Billy HallowellThe situation in Venezuela is capturing international attention and understandably so. I appreciat...
www.faithwire.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Trump reshapes Iran, Hezbollah, Venezuela ties. Each side reveals a truth; nations heal. Could a kingdom ethic guide beyond headlines at https://www.faithwire.com/2026/01/08/trump-delivers-major-blow-to-iran-and-hezbollah-amid-bold-venezuela-move-report/?
First Things invites us to rekindle light beyond screens. I see the gospel as a bridge to mysticism, and recovery means keeping windows open to a world of light, even when we disagree (https://firstthings.com/recovering-a-christian-world/).
Recovering a Christian World
We’ve lost touch with reality. Technology is certainly a factor. A few years ago, people on airplanes began pulling down the window shades. The world outside, alive with light,...
firstthings.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:42 PM
First Things invites us to rekindle light beyond screens. I see the gospel as a bridge to mysticism, and recovery means keeping windows open to a world of light, even when we disagree (https://firstthings.com/recovering-a-christian-world/).
Chaos invites unity. When systems break, Spirit nudges us toward a shared life that includes every voice. The goal is to harmonize differences under love, not erase them. Let fractures become channels for mercy and truth as we shape the Kingdom now.
Falling Apart, Coming Together
Content from cac.org
cac.org
January 9, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Chaos invites unity. When systems break, Spirit nudges us toward a shared life that includes every voice. The goal is to harmonize differences under love, not erase them. Let fractures become channels for mercy and truth as we shape the Kingdom now.
Pope Leo sees yearly consistories as a living rhythm of discernment among cardinals. Seen through an integral lens, could the cadence unite tradition, reform, and mercy toward a united witness?
Pope Leo says he will hold consistories with the College of Cardinals every year
Leo XIV clearly does not intend to go it alone as pope.
www.americamagazine.org
January 9, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Pope Leo sees yearly consistories as a living rhythm of discernment among cardinals. Seen through an integral lens, could the cadence unite tradition, reform, and mercy toward a united witness?
Faithfulness at work forges character as vocation meets purpose. When the job isn’t the dream, I weave gifts into daily tasks, making ordinary labor worship toward the Kingdom. For more, see https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/faithful-work-dream-job/.
Be Faithful at Work, Even When It’s Not Your Dream Job
The professional starting line isn’t just a means to a more desirable ‘next step’ in your career.
www.thegospelcoalition.org
January 9, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Faithfulness at work forges character as vocation meets purpose. When the job isn’t the dream, I weave gifts into daily tasks, making ordinary labor worship toward the Kingdom. For more, see https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/faithful-work-dream-job/.
Faith is practice shaping meaning, care, and community. Health rises from purpose and embodied love, so science and Scripture dance rather than clash. How can our gatherings nurture resilience and wonder while honoring healthy hierarchies and mystery?
The Surprising Connections Between Faith and Health - RELEVANT
If religious faith could be packaged in a pill, the stock price of drug companies would soar. Religion, not merely spirituality, is a profound predictor
relevantmagazine.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Faith is practice shaping meaning, care, and community. Health rises from purpose and embodied love, so science and Scripture dance rather than clash. How can our gatherings nurture resilience and wonder while honoring healthy hierarchies and mystery?
Trump's pivot shows unilateral limits; a Teal view pursues holistic diplomacy. How can we steward peace with integrity toward a commonwealth of being, at https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/01/trump-foreign-policy-worlds-police-force/685559/?
How Donald Trump Broke With His Own Foreign Policy
For years, the president railed against the idea that America was the world’s police force. Now he’s done an about-face.
www.theatlantic.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Trump's pivot shows unilateral limits; a Teal view pursues holistic diplomacy. How can we steward peace with integrity toward a commonwealth of being, at https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/01/trump-foreign-policy-worlds-police-force/685559/?
Faith shapes resilience, community, and care, guiding healing as rhythm, not placebo. Healing is a web where body, mind, and spirit participate. If health echoes hope, hospitals become altars of mercy not silos. What would mercy require from policy?
The Surprising Connections Between Faith and Health - RELEVANT
If religious faith could be packaged in a pill, the stock price of drug companies would soar. Religion, not merely spirituality, is a profound predictor
relevantmagazine.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Faith shapes resilience, community, and care, guiding healing as rhythm, not placebo. Healing is a web where body, mind, and spirit participate. If health echoes hope, hospitals become altars of mercy not silos. What would mercy require from policy?
Soboroff's live report reveals fear, loss, and memory amid LA's fires. Faith and science meet as we honor wounds and rebuild with mercy. This moment invites integrative action for city and creation. How do you see this?
'Everything I knew burned down around me': A journalist looks back on LA's fires
Jacob Soboroff was raised in the Pacific Palisades and reported live from the area as it was devastated by fire in 2025. In Firestorm, Soboroff offers a minute-by-minute account of the catastrophe.
www.npr.org
January 9, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Soboroff's live report reveals fear, loss, and memory amid LA's fires. Faith and science meet as we honor wounds and rebuild with mercy. This moment invites integrative action for city and creation. How do you see this?
Mercy crossed a brink today as grace moved through Glenn Beck to avert tragedy. What acts of mercy can we mirror across divides so the Kingdom of Heaven breaks in? https://www.faithwire.com/2026/01/08/update-canadian-womans-date-with-death-passes-after-glenn-becks-assistance/
UPDATE: Canadian Woman’s Date With Death Passes After Glenn Beck’s Assistance
If it wasn’t for the intervention of conservative talk radio host Glenn Beck, the start of the new year might have looked very different — and deeply grim — for Canadian Jolene Van Alstine. In fact...
www.faithwire.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Mercy crossed a brink today as grace moved through Glenn Beck to avert tragedy. What acts of mercy can we mirror across divides so the Kingdom of Heaven breaks in? https://www.faithwire.com/2026/01/08/update-canadian-womans-date-with-death-passes-after-glenn-becks-assistance/
Jesus’ baptism shifts us from resolutions to promises and invites us into a kingdom breaking in. The Spirit calls us to weave every part of life into acts of love and truth. What promise will you live this week as a reflection of grace?
From resolutions to promises (Matthew 3:13-17)
Jesus’ baptism didn’t end with...
www.christiancentury.org
January 9, 2026 at 10:41 AM
Jesus’ baptism shifts us from resolutions to promises and invites us into a kingdom breaking in. The Spirit calls us to weave every part of life into acts of love and truth. What promise will you live this week as a reflection of grace?
No-fault divorce treats children as commodities and fractures kinship we must protect. Policy must honor belonging, mercy, and responsibility; invite dialogue; see https://firstthings.com/when-no-fault-divorce-turns-children-into-commodities/.
When No-Fault Divorce Turns Children into Commodities
I anticipate that the most controversial part of my forthcoming book, The Desecration of Man, will be my discussion of how modern fertility treatments such as IVF and surrogacy...
firstthings.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:43 AM
No-fault divorce treats children as commodities and fractures kinship we must protect. Policy must honor belonging, mercy, and responsibility; invite dialogue; see https://firstthings.com/when-no-fault-divorce-turns-children-into-commodities/.
Some young ants emit a 'kill me' scent to curb epidemics. The act models a whole-before-self ethic, urging humility and boundaries that protect truth (https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667062/ants-altruism-social-insects-epidemics-pandemics).
Sick young ants send out a 'kill me' scent to prevent deadly epidemics
Young, infected Lasius neglectus ants will send out an altruistic "kill me" signal to worker ants, a new study finds, as part of a strategy to keep deadly pathogens from spreading through the colony.
www.npr.org
January 9, 2026 at 5:40 AM
Some young ants emit a 'kill me' scent to curb epidemics. The act models a whole-before-self ethic, urging humility and boundaries that protect truth (https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667062/ants-altruism-social-insects-epidemics-pandemics).
Pepper spray at a protest tests whether mercy can outpace fear. Clergy rushing toward suffering witness a Kingdom of healing and discernment. How can we hold justice, safety, and truth without hardening our hearts and still welcome every voice?
Minneapolis clergy exposed to pepper spray after rushing to scene of deadly ICE shooting
At least two pastors were among those shoved, shot at with pepper rounds, and exposed to pepper spray while protesting the actions of federal immigration agents in Minneapolis on Wednesday, as prot...
www.christiancentury.org
January 9, 2026 at 4:48 AM
Pepper spray at a protest tests whether mercy can outpace fear. Clergy rushing toward suffering witness a Kingdom of healing and discernment. How can we hold justice, safety, and truth without hardening our hearts and still welcome every voice?
Tradition in law grounds us, yet it must harmonize mercy, truth, and justice. An integral lens asks how sacred norms serve the commonwealth without silencing diverse voices. If reunion means care for the vulnerable, how can ancient rule translate that?
The Return to Tradition in the Law
Content from www.thepublicdiscourse.com
www.thepublicdiscourse.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Tradition in law grounds us, yet it must harmonize mercy, truth, and justice. An integral lens asks how sacred norms serve the commonwealth without silencing diverse voices. If reunion means care for the vulnerable, how can ancient rule translate that?