I trust this note finds you doing well, marveling in simple things and leaning into God’s grace.
From the Headlines:
- We live in the age of tolerance. Or so some claim. Most of the evidence seems to point in the other direction. Across the globe, nationalism is growing, violence against religious minorities is escalating, and cell phone cameras are capturing scenes confirming racism. The modern world is not as tolerant as reported.
- In recent years there have been lots of articles questioning the value of college education. This week’s WSJ had one. So far every discussion I’ve read is about college’s impact on long term earning potential. I have yet to see one discussing the benefits Higher Education brings in the formation of a person. Yet when colleges were founded, this was the mission. In 1636, Harvard College was founded with this goal: “Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.”
- Quentin Esme Brown and Peter Cary Peterson have been close friends since childhood. Last weekend they married. The event made headlines because Tiffany Trump was a flower girl. What is more noteworthy is that they decided to enter a sexless marriage in order to combat the isolation of society. (They intend to keep their relationship platonic and seek love and sex with others). Meanwhile, in honor of murdered lawmaker, Jo Cox, and in light of a report that one in ten people in the UK are lonely, British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed a Minister of Loneliness.
Quotes Worth Requoting:
- “Forgiven people forgive.” Tim Keller
- “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love…” Joel 2:12f
The Minor Prophets: I have been preaching a series from the Minor Prophets. Last week I flippantly mentioned the acrostic I use to keep their order straight in my mind. Based on Monday’s email, it was the most memorable thing I said. It was certainly the most requested. So I pass it along here: Had Joel Acted Obediently, Jonah Might Never Have Zapped Him Zechariah Mused. That is: Had (Hosea) Joel (Joel) Acted (Amos) Obediently (Obadiah), Jonah (Jonah) Might (Micah) Never (Nahum) Have (Habakkuk) Zapped (Zephaniah) Him (Haggai) Zechariah (Zechariah) Mused (Malachi). Such are the things one acquires in seminary.
Praise Update:
- Last year Christ Church raised money to translate the Gospel of Luke into the Ormid language for a people group in India (the eastern state of Odisha). Funds were also given to translate the Jesus Film into Ormid. Both projects have been completed. In fact, a few copies of the Gospel of Luke in Ormid were sent to Christ Church this past week, and reports – and pictures – of them in use have started to filter in. BTW, in case you do not know this, the Jesus Film has been translated into 1,577 languages and viewed over five billion times. Additionally, showing the film is a prominent strategy for evangelism and church planting all over the world.
- New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reports that every day, the number of people in the world living in extreme poverty goes down by 217,000. Every day, 325,000 more people gain access to electricity; 300,000 more gain access to clean drinking water. In another fifteen years, illiteracy and extreme poverty will mostly be gone.
Prayer Requests:
- Two women passed away this past week – both were far too young to die: Chris Braniff (whose husband Jim was on staff between 2004 and 2010), and Lynne Boehringer, who served as a deacon. Please remember their families.
- It is hard for me to think past Vision Sunday – which is Jan. 28th at 10 a.m. at the Genesee Theatre. Many are working hard to pull things together. We are seeking His blessing on this event.
- I am preaching on Joel this weekend. It’s a tough book, but once you crack it open, there are some profound insights. My hope and prayer is to see people take a next step. For some this will mean baptism, for others, participating in a fast.