It’s Thursday! Here are 3 things that have caught my attention in recent days.

1. These charts from <a href="http://<iframe src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/life-expectancy-of-women-vs-life-expectancy-of-women&quot; loading="lazy" style="width: 100%; height: 600px; border: 0px none;">Our World in Data – a treasure-trove of info – show how women live longer than men in every country surveyed. Every country. Meanwhile, in the U.S., men & women apparently started with similar life expectancies – but once we began living longer, women started outdistancing men. <a href="http://<iframe src="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/life-expectancy-of-women-vs-life-expectancy-of-women&quot; loading="lazy" style="width: 100%; height: 600px; border: 0px none;">Click through to see reasons why this might be, but like so many big things in life, there are no simple answers. But this one thing is sure: in one of the areas that matters most – women are the New England Patriots and men are the New York Jets. And it’s not even close.

2. True Tunes podcast interview of Amy Grant. I recently came across this podcast, which takes a look at the evolution of Christian music – especially alternative styles and lesser-known artists. But in a recent episode, host John J. Thompson interviewed the most mainstream Christian artist of my youth – and maybe ever: Amy Grant. I haven’t listened to Amy’s music for years, but this interview gives insight into the challenges she faced in the midst of her rapid rise to fame – and gives me a renewed appreciation for her honesty and humanity. One main takeaway: her description of praying for people she doesn’t like. I just keep going back in their life until I can picture them with their little teeth, she says. This helps her see them as people – people who have their own unique challenges, rooted in a background they didn’t choose. It’s a perspective I certainly need to take for some folks. How about you?

3. Morning walks. I’m blessed to live in a neighborhood with large trees and nice homes within walking distance. It’s a good morning when I have time to get out when the sun is up and before the temperature is. This morning, for example, I got to enjoy scampering squirrels, an indecisive deer, and a bouncing bunny. Getting outside is a great way to start the day, get moving, enjoy some nature, and find a place for some peace and prayer before the day launches.