Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on a pilgrimage.
Psalm 84:5
The longing for nearness to God is seldom fulfilled in a stroke. As the Psalmist notes, it’s more often a journey.
Responding to Persecution: As the cultural divide grows and public dialogue becomes more caustic and threatening, a few things are worth noting. First, Jesus promised us that in this world we should expect tribulation. Second, we are to love our enemies. And third, the early church faced far worse than ugly screeds and some legal challenges. And yet…at least occasionally those following Christ did a standup job of applying Christ’s command to “do good to those who hate you.” In his Epistle to Diognetus (AD 130) Mathetes described Christians this way: “They are evil spoken of and yet are justified; they are reviled and bless; they are insulted and repay the insult with honor; they do good yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life”. Writing to explain the explosive growth of the early church, sociologist Rodney Stark affirms what Mathetes wrote: “To cities filled with the homeless and impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers, Christianity offered an immediate basis for attachments. To cities filled with orphans and widows, Christianity provided a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by violent ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity”.
Good News/Bad News: Fewer than half of all Americans have a positive view of clergy. Apparently, they are skeptical of our ethics and honesty, I suspect TV preachers and sex scandals have not helped our polling numbers. The good news? We are way ahead of both Congress and mass murderers. (Actually, I made up the part about being ahead of mass murderers, it may not be true. But pastors do poll ahead of Congress).
Question of the Week: When one reaches the highest degree of human maturity, one has only one question left: How can I be helpful? Teresa of Avila.
Graph of the Century. One of the economic bloggers I scan recently reposted his “Graph of the Century”. If you are interested to see how the price of things has changed relative to earning power over the last 20 years, click here. If you do, be sure to read enough of the accompanying article to note that blue items are those not controlled by regulation, while red items are those that are controlled.
Retraction of the Hour: I got lots of comments about how cool last week’s wolf video was. And then I heard that the claims in the video were overstated. You can click here to see a video that makes it clear that not everyone with an educated opinion is on board. I am sad, but in retrospect, the only surprising thing is that I believed it so thoroughly last week. There is so much spin out there these days that when a news reporter tells me it’s raining, I wonder what his/her angle on the story is. I really miss not trusting the news.
Quotes Worth ReQuoting:
- Success is not what I’ve done compared with what others have done. Success is what I’ve done compared with what God has called me to do. Lecrae
- The most important thing in your life is not what you do — it’s who you become. That’s what you will take into eternity. The main thing God gets out of your life is not the achievements you accomplish. It’s the person you become . . . Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if He were you. Dallas Willard (1935-2013)
Prime Time: Most Americans celebrate ten holidays each year, beginning with New Year’s Day and ending with Christmas. Now it seems we’ve added an eleventh. As numerous cultural commentators recently noted, Amazon Prime Day now generates national holiday level fanfare.
Prayer Requests: This weekend Christ Church hosts former-atheist-turned Christian-apologist, Lee Strobel. Strobel, a Yale Law grad who worked as an investigative reporter before launching his bestselling series of books (The Case for Faith, The Case for Christ, etc.), will be speaking on The Case for Miracles.
Closing Prayer: Lord, I desire not to be exempted from sufferings, but to be supported under them. If your glory can be promoted by my trials, lo, here I am, scourge me, try me as it seems good in your sight! –George Whitefield (1714-1770)