Many TV commercials tell us to tolerate our jobs and live for weekends. Nineteenth-century Boston pastor Phillips Brooks, though, wrote about the importance of enjoying work, “the actual doing of it, and not only in its idea. No man to whom the details of his task are repulsive can do his task well constantly, however full he may be of its spirit. He may make one bold dash at it and carry it over all his disgusts, but he cannot work on at it year after year.”

When the City of New Orleans passed a ban that kept Troy Bohn’s ministry from preaching in the famous French Quarter, the group found an unlikely ally—the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Months after the ministry’s initial run-in with New Orleans police, city council members finally lifted the ban last week.  

It’s a baby step. But at least it’s a step in the right direction.

A new report released Thursday by Demographics Intelligence predicted a minuscule increase in the total fertility rate in the United States for this year, bumping it up to 1.90 from a 25-year low of 1.89 in 2012. Official estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are not expected until 2015. 

The worldwide media erupted with rejoicing earlier this week when, during an impromptu press conference, Pope Francis answered a question (in Italian) about the supposed gay lobby at the Vatican by saying, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Reporters and commentators immediately jumped to the conclusion that the new leader of the Catholic Church had decided to condone homosexual behavior. After all, what else could it mean?

A New Jersey library made an unexpected rediscovery earlier this year—a letter from former United States President John Quincy Adams. 

Same-sex marriage activists haven’t taken much down time to celebrate their victory after the U.S. Supreme Court’s DOMA decision. And they’ve already chosen their next target: A state’s right to not recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. 

Or other countries, in some cases. 

Months after Zach Sobiech died, his song about heaven is still racking up views on YouTube—over 7.7 million to date—and even spent some time in the top spot on the iTunes music charts. “Clouds” memorialized Sobiech’s faith in God and hope in heaven, according to the Huffington Post.