I’ve been enjoying my devotional time in Galatians – the magna carta of the Christian life. As you may know, shortly after Paul planted a church in the Galatian region (modern Turkey), a group showed up claiming he was off-base. The new group claimed that in order to be reconciled to God, we need the work of Christ and our own religious efforts. Galatians is Paul’s response. If you’ve read it you know, he comes out swinging. It’s very hard for us to believe that the Good News can be as good as it is. We are desperate to contribute to our salvation. But that is not the Gospel.
Quotes Worth Requoting:
- AI (Artificial Intelligence) is probably the most important thing humanity has ever worked on. I think of it as something more profound than electricity or fire. Sundar Pichal, Google CEO
- Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2
- It is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. John Calvin
From the Headlines:
- Everywhere I looked this week, I heard about the contentious interview of Canadian clinical psychologist, Jordan Peterson by British TV journalist Cathy Newman. I’m glad I finally got around to watching it. The thirty-minute video isn’t exactly a duel of left versus right, but it approaches that. And because Peterson is a keen and careful thinker – and because neither Newman or Peterson yell over each other – the interview helps clarify battle lines. Incidentally, here are my notes from a related discussion between pastor Tim Keller and Jonathan Haidt. (Haidt is a social psychologist and Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He is also a thoughtful and irenic self-described secular liberal). Their discussion about pluralism is one of the most helpful things I’ve watched in a long while.
- I took my oldest son to the last Star Wars movie so he’d be there to explain what was going. Clearly, I’m not qualified to comment on the spiritual undercurrents of the franchise. That said, I suspect Chaim Saiman is on to something in his Atlantic Monthly piece in which he notes that Luke Skywalker’s efforts to direct Rey away from traditional Jedi training – and towards a solo-exploration of her own insight and power – is designed to mirror (and affirm) the West’s shift away from religion towards “spirituality.”
- According to The New York Times, the stock market has added $6.9 trillion to US wealth since late 2016. In fact, the Times claims that, “Every major economy on earth is expanding at once, a synchronous wave of growth that is creating jobs, lifting fortunes and tempering fears of popular discontent.” And yet, I meet a lot of anxious people. All of which points to Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair”
Thanks & Praise
- Last week’s Vision Sunday service at the Genesee Theatre went quite well. Thanks for praying. The campaign to fuel a movement that Reaches People and Renews Communities is off to a good start.
- AbbVie – a local pharma company – just announced plans to build a new middle school in North Chicago. We are thankful to God for this. We also want to recognize both AbbVie and the wonderful leadership of Jennifer Grumhaus and North Chicago Community Partners (NCCP). It has been Christ Church’s privilege to partner with NCCP for ten years.
Prayer Requests:
- I am not one to see Satan under every rock, but announcing plans to increase evangelistic outreach and church planting (locally and overseas) is a war cry against the enemy. And we’ve seen push back. The list of challenges suddenly facing staff is long and growing. Pray that we rely on – and are protected by – the person and work of Christ.
- Pray we are able to engage the congregation in the REACH campaign.
- The news about AbbVie’s donation in North Chicago is great. But it’s great teachers that make great schools. Pray as they find, recruit and retain great teachers.
- I’ve been inviting people to fast on Thursdays as we move through this campaign. Some are for the first time. I am hopeful / prayerful that their efforts to lean in towards God bear fruit.
- Pray for the Eagles over the Patriots (just kidding).