Darrin’s death is not the last word on his life. His love for pastors—and his concern for their mental health and thriving—can be part of our response today.

Darrin Patrick has died.

Darrin is probably best known for planting The Journey Church in St. Louis in 2002, eventually growing to six locations. He was a husband, father, speaker, and author.

Darrin and his spiritual mentor Greg Surratt led the Pastor's Collective podcast and he was serving as a teaching pastor at Seacoast Church.

But, most importantly, Darrin was married to Amie and they have four children.

Darrin’s Journey and Focus

Darrin was very open about his journey—and specifically asked me to help share his story a little over a year ago. His story of leaving the Journey is painful and messy, but he wanted people to know about it.

He wanted people to learn from his pain.

Darrin died from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.” I know that has caused some people to want more details—to use language that is more precise and to provide added details. And, as you can tell from the statement, the situation is confusing. Seacoast Church shared, ““Darrin was target shooting with a friend at the time of his death. An official cause of death has not been released but it appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No foul play is suspected.”

Thus, it is important to let families communicate the way they are comfortable. Families grieve in complex ways—and right now, they owe nothing to the rest of us. We just owe them our prayers.

The family is grieving and I am respecting their grief and their communication choices.

And, from there, I am going to take Darrin’s admonition from a year ago and fast forward it until now—hoping that even this moment might be a catalyst for pastors to get help that Darrin always wanted them to get.

Darrin and I talked recently and his last ...

Continue reading...

The horses on Chennai's Marina beach were slowly starving to death because of the lockdown until Shiranee Pereira decided to take a hand.

Members of the Human Origins Program team at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History describe why they love their job.

The post Human Origins Program team members at the National Museum of Natural History on why they love their job appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A sickness called panda love: TED talk by National Zoo’s Bill McShea

The post A sickness called panda love appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

How do you train a wild animal to come back to you after you have set it free? If it is a fringe-lipped bat, Trachops […]

The post Rockin’ out: Bats learn to love heavy metal music appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Can a tendency to get distracted lead to a career in science? It did for paleoecologist Conrad Labandeira. Working on his family's farm, he would find himself falling into a study of insect life in the fields. "If you go after what interests you," he says, "the rest will always fall into place."

The post Smithsonian paleoecologist Conrad Labandeira talks about how he became a scientist and why he loves his work appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Do you enjoy Tequila? Then you need to raise your glass to the pollinating bats that helped to make it! Here at Smithsonian Science we […]

The post Love tequila? A toast to pollinating bats! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Full Text:

Many people turn to the Internet to find a Mr. or Ms. Right. But lemurs just give their potential partners a sniff. A study of lemur scents has found that an individual’s distinctive body odor reflects genetic differences in their immune system, and that other lemurs can detect these differences by smell. From just one whiff, these primates can tell which prospective partners have immune genes different from their own. The ability to sniff out mates with different immune genes could make their offspring’s immune systems more diverse and able to fight more pathogens. Shown here: Fritz the ring-tailed lemur sniffs a tree for traces of other lemurs’ scents.

Image credit: David Haring/Duke Lemur Center

This is a public service campaign suggesting you save water...and suggesting some other things too. ; Credit: SFPUC

Friday's news is going to make you wait for it...when it comes to an explanation for the picture above.

The Wall Street Journal takes on pricing and other big-think policies that various authors claim are worsening the drought.

• Those higher food prices Jed wrote about yesterday? Alyssia Finley, assistant editor of OpinionJournal.com, says they're the fault of environmentalists, and higher food prices will be the way the rest of the country will pay for California's "green sanctimony." (WSJ)
• Economist Edward Lazear argues that "government-dictated prices, coupled with restrictions on the transfer of water, have made a bad situation much worse." He takes aim at the state's limitations on water transfers (lifted, he doesn't note; but he argues that pricing distorts the need for transfers anyway). He argues that public agencies that protect environmental conditions with water should pay for the privilege:

Although there may be good reasons to ensure that some fish and wildlife be protected, we should not pretend that this protection is costless. Agencies that divert water for environmental purposes should be required to budget explicitly for the lost revenue associated with the decision to divert it for this purpose, rather than allowing it to be sold at the market price for urban or agricultural use. (WSJ)

...and he argues that farmers, who might have to pay more for water on a more-open market, should get extra money to help them transition to the free market.

• Cato loves Lazear's arguments, and offers one amendment. Chris Edwards wants the federal government to get out of the water business, and in California, to hand over the Central Valley Project to the state. (Cato)
• In other business news, it's going to be a mixed bag for boat businesses at California recreation areas this summer. They're nervous in Tahoe, but overall expect to benefit from Folsom Lake's bad year. (TradeOnly Today)
• CNN gets into the Firehawk, which is a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter with a giant water tank on it. L.A. County owns a few. They're going to be busy this summer, thanks to the drought. (CNN)
• And finally, in a move that reminds me of the time I wanted to name this blog "Hot, Wet, Climate Action," the San Francisco Public Utility Commission has a new, sexy (or is it sexxy?) campaign to conserve water, with words like "QUICKIE" and "DOING IT" popping out of copy alongside minimalist pictures of pieces of water plumbing. My favorite is "DIRTY HANDS" with its faucet shot to look like a piece of anatomy. (SFPUC)

VIDEO: Get paid for doing it nice!

How has your community been affected by the drought (besides getting more suggestive ads about jiggling the toilet handle)? Share your story with a photo on Twitter or Instagram. Tag it #mydrought. For more details on our photo project, click here.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Kunjue Li (L) and Hing Chi-Lee (R) in Tigertail.; Credit: Netflix/Tigertail (2020)

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig, Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases and share their recommendations for what to binge-watch while you’re stuck at home during COVID-19.

• "Tigertail" on Netflix

• "School Life" on Netflix

• "Love. Wedding. Repeat." on Netflix

• 'Stray Dolls" on VOD (AppleTV, Google Play Redbox * FandangoNOW

• "Sea Fever" on VOD (Spectrum On Demand, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu, Redbox & FandangoNOW)

• "Strike" on VOD (Redbox, FandangoNOW & Vudu)

• "The Main Event" on Netflix

Guests:

Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA); she tweets @ClaudiaPuig

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets @CinemaInMind

Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel in "A Secret Love"; Credit: Netflix/A Secret Love (2020)

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.

• "Bull" on VOD (iTunes & FandangoNOW)

• "A Secret Love" on Netflix

• "Deerskin" on virtual cinemas, including Laemmle's & The Frida Cinema

• "The Wretched" on VOD (iTunes & Google Play)

• "The Half Of It" on Netflix

• "All Day And A Night" on Netflix 

• "Vanilla" on VOD (Vudu, Google Play & iTunes)

• "South Mountain" on VOD/DVD (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play & Vudu)

• "Working Man" on VOD (iTunes, Google Play, FandangoNOW & Vudu) 

Our FilmWeek critics have been curating personal lists of their favorite TV shows and movies to binge-watch during self-quarantine. You can see recommendations from each of the critics and where you can watch them here.

Guests:

Lael Loewenstein, KPCC film critic and film columnist for the Santa Monica Daily Press; she tweets @LAELLO

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets @CinemaInMind

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Full Text:

Many people turn to the Internet to find a Mr. or Ms. Right. But lemurs just give their potential partners a sniff. A study of lemur scents has found that an individual’s distinctive body odor reflects genetic differences in their immune system, and that other lemurs can detect these differences by smell. From just one whiff, these primates can tell which prospective partners have immune genes different from their own. The ability to sniff out mates with different immune genes could make their offspring’s immune systems more diverse and able to fight more pathogens. Shown here: Fritz the ring-tailed lemur sniffs a tree for traces of other lemurs’ scents.

Image credit: David Haring/Duke Lemur Center

Congestion schemes can encourage people to adopt environmentally friendly behaviours more generally, a new study suggests. Researchers who surveyed car owners after the introduction of a congestion scheme in Stockholm found that after its introduction nearly half of people surveyed adopted greener behaviours such as conserving energy and water.

The Slovenian government treats nanotechnology as a national research priority, but the topic is virtually non-existent in the national mass media, according to new research. This lack of information for the public means it is difficult for them to make decisions about the safety of products, the study argues.

Not in the gift-giving mood for chocolates, flowers and racy lingerie this Valentine's Day? Consider these 10 lust-worthy home design picks sure to please any s

We've rounded up some of our favorite flicks with real animal attraction.

On the hunt for the perfect Valentine's Day gift? Consider these handmade and eco-friendly home accessories that not-so-subtly say 'amore.'

Your canine companion shows affection in many ways. You just have to know what to look for. Here's how your dog says I love you.

Check out these sweet gifts for the love of your life, be it of the four-legged or two-legged variety.

National Park Maps website is a collection of iconic and useful maps from various national park locations.

Sex. Many (but not all) animals do it.

From the neurobiology of attraction to the hard truth about online dating, these five books offer fresh takes on our quest for love.

Even water tastes sweeter when you're in love, new research finds.

The popularity of weird beards and mustaches among young men living in Brooklyn, N.Y., may be more than just a hipster fad.

Though the study's assumption of what "better" sex means is pretty specific.

A new survey links a fondness for grilled cheese with how often you make love. (Seriously.)

Global clock tallies environmental and energy impacts, and poses some frightening stats.

No one gets more excited about iceberg season than camera-toting Canadian Mark Gray.

The Central Park Zoo’s celebrated star was made famous when an animal psychologist was called in to address the bear’s problems.

Eavesdropping on mice for clues about how humans process sound.

A special sugar in these greens keeps good bacteria happy.

Here's your chance to prove it. Cast your vote and propel your local market into the top 100 farmers market in the nation.

Santa Barbara has close-by mountains, beautiful beaches and much more than it's famous wine — but don't skip that part.

A book by Simran Sethi called "Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of the Foods We Love" documents the loss and looks for solutions.

How I learned to find products that don't contain this common additive.

Standing all day is healthier than sitting, but adjusting can be a challenge. Some yoga moves can make the difference.

Join us as we travel from Spain to Sweden to Sonoma County, Calif. for a look at 13 pint-sized dwellings that amazed, inspired and intrigued us in 2013.

NYT and Google teamed up to find the most distinctive Thanksgiving dishes by state. Some of the more unusual ones have whipped topping in common.

Loving animals may have been passed down genetically from ancestors who appreciated their services.

It's time to cultivate a true appreciation for what we have.

New EPA ruling on infilling valleys may limit future mountaintop mining permits, but it's only the first step in a long process to stop the 'Appalachian Apocaly

After studying under Ansel Adams, Rob Decker is creating posters of all the national parks with a nod to the WPA posters of the 1930s and '40s.

Many countries, states and municipalities are getting serious about reducing the use of plastic bags, utensils and containers.

Some films from way back when may not be as OK as you remember. Here are a few that are just good, clean fun.

Two college sophomores designed the gloves to make communication easier for the deaf community.

Residents noticed 95-year-old Harvey Djerf struggling on his daily walks, so they came up with a kind solution.