Happy Friday,

Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul, Galatians 6:14

In his polemic against works cited above – i.e., his letter to the Galatians – the Apostle Paul explains that our hope must never rest in something we engineer – e.g., a job, our 401k, etc. It must rest in Christ. Jesus says as much in the Sermon on the Mount. Those who are blessed are “poor in spirit” – i.e., they own their spiritual bankruptcy and glory only in Christ. Pay attention to your thoughts, comments and actions today. Where does your confidence rest? What – or who – do you glory in? What are you most proud of?

Kudos to Ben: Thanks to Ben Dockery, who did a great job with last week’s Update. You will read him again.

Israel: I used to tell those who’ve not been to Israel that: it’s smaller, safer, more political and more spiritually helpful than they might imagine. After this last trip, I’m adding: 1) It’s becoming commercial. (The number of vendors selling “My parents went to the Holy Land but all I got was this t-shirt” has spiked in the last few years.); 2) It’s more vibrant than you can imagine. (Israel was recently ranked the 9^th best place to live in the world.); and 3) It’s more physically challenging to navigate than you might expect. (Not only is there so much to see that “you do not walk where Jesus walked, you run,” but some of those who built the ancient sites – e.g., the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the city of Old Jerusalem or the theater in Caesarea – did not bother to comply with 21^stcentury ADA requirements.) If Israel is on your bucket list, go sooner rather than later.

Speaking of Israel: Our trip was much more of a spiritual-pilgrimage than a political-fact-finding trip, but because things are so political, I brought in three Israelis to talk with us about the political situation: Dr. Yohana Katanacho – a Palestinian Israeli who teaches at the Nazarene Bible College; Dr. Salim Munayer, a Palestinian Israeli who has been engaged in Christian reconciliation for thirty years, and Gil Hoffman, an observant Jew who is the political editor for The Jerusalem Post. My interviews with these three will be released as podcasts in upcoming weeks. (Note: I earlier posted my interview with an American Messianic Jew that included a few political questions.) Be assured, there is something in these interviews to offend just about everyone.

Loved the Question: A married twenty-something recently asked me for a “list of books I should read to prepare for my thirties.” May his tribe increase! We all should take five minutes to identify the challenges we will face in ten years so we can start to prepare. BTW, because the young man is a father of young children, the first book I recommended was The Tech Wise Family by Andy Crouch.

Why Pray?: I am occasionally asked, “If God already knows everything, why should I pray?” There are at least three reasons: 1) Prayer is one of the best ways to cultivate intimacy with God; 2) In prayer, God calms and transforms our heart; and 3) Jesus instructs us to pray.

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Hypocrisy: I remain frustrated that: 1) Some on the left do not preach what they practice – i.e., they live traditional lives while promising others that progressive lives work; 2) Some (many?) on the right do not practice what they preach; and 3) Both are hypocritical about the hypocrisy of the other side. I find it all very exhausting and wish more people would be humble, thoughtful and less hypocritical, like me.

Marvel: Because rightly ordering of our awe helps us avoid idolatry, I’m passing along these pictures. Use them to expand your view of the God who spoke everything everywhere into existence.

Word of the Week: Had I posted last week, I would have chosen replacement theory, After Bucha or polyamorous weddings, but they all missed their window. This week’s WOTW is certitude cruelty. Perhaps it’s not obvious, but if we are certain we are following The One who told us to love our enemies, our certitude should expand our love not our cruelty.

Without Comment: 1) The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives reports that the number of guns produced in the United States nearly tripled between 2000 to 2020; 2) After seven years of decline, the U.S. birth rate rose (by 1%) in 2021; 3) In the U.K. – where “church attendance is down and caring for aging buildings is costly” – 2,000 churches have closed in the last ten years; 4) Couples that are living together now comprise 7 percent of the total adult U.S. population.

Quotes Worth Requoting: “It has been often said — very truly — that religious faith is the thing that makes the ordinary man feel extraordinary. It is an equally important truth that religious faith is the thing that makes the extraordinary man feel ordinary.” Charles Dickens

The Psalms and ?: During a board meeting for ScholarLeaders two weeks ago, we Zoomed with the President of a seminary in Ukraine. Though I was overwhelmed trying to imagine the challenges he is facing – the school’s campus has been leveled by missiles; some of his faculty have been called to the front lines; the school is feeding and caring for thousands; he is using the seminary van to deliver the bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers; he must keep raising money to meet payroll for fifty employees; etc. – I was most impacted by three things: 1) The term “After Bucha,” which has emerged as a turning point in the way they are processing the war; 2) The comfort he takes in believing that “Jesus has a habit of showing up in places like this;” and 3) The comfort he reports finding in: “reading the Psalms, serving with friends and silence.”

Keep Serving: The events of the last week might have understandably discouraged you, but do not withdraw or give up. As Paul notes in Galatians 6, “We must not grow weary of doing good.”

Listen to the GREATEST sermon ever: Last week I read the Sermon on the Mount at the Mount of Beatitudes. This weekend we start a series on it. Let me suggest you click here to read or listen to the greatest speech ever given by the greatest man who ever lived.

Closing Prayer: Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he will come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer)

Happy Friday,

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 90:17

This verse concludes the Psalmist’s prayer asking God to teach His people to live wisely and well. It is a good prayer for today.

Reading: John Stott suggests two questions when reading your Bible. 1) What does it mean? (to the original audience in the original context) 2) What does it say? (to our church context today)

Write Your Own Friday Update: In case you missed Mike’s note last week, he is in Israel and I, Ben Dockery, am filling in. You should try to write your own Friday Update. It’s fun-ish. Keep notes all week and then cram it all together in Mike’s inimitable format.

Quote Worth Requoting: “What is the Christian understanding of work? Work is not, primarily, a thing one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. It is, or it should be, the full expression of the worker’s faculties, the thing in which he finds spiritual, mental and bodily satisfaction, and the medium in which he offers himself to God.” Why Work?, an essay by Dorothy Sayers, 1942.

Without Comment: 1) 58% of Americans report they own stock; 2) Playing the game Dota 2, Johan “N0tail” Sundstein was the highest paid gamer last year. Overall earnings: $6,976,271; 3) 100 years ago, Babe Ruth was the highest paid athlete with a $52,000 salary (valued around $900K today). A few years later he earned more than President Hoover and said, “I had a better year than he did.”; 4) Scientists unveiled the first ever images of the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope; 5) Practicing Christians are more than twice as likely to adopt children than the general population; 6) The World Economic Forum shows that despite hosting 60% of the world’s arable land, Africa is a major importer of food.

With Comment: Malcom Gladwell suggested, “All learning begins with the ability to make mistakes.” Comment: One task of a leader is to take responsibility for building a culture where people can make mistakes.

Tristan Harris, Google’s former design ethicist, claimed, “If you are not paying for the product, you are the product.” Comment: Your attention, my attention is what is at stake. Attend to that which steals your attention as if it were your money.

George MacDonald said, “A man’s real belief is that which he lives by. What a man believes is the thing he does, not the thing he thinks.” Comment: I wish this were not true. I’d like to say my real beliefs are the things I think and not the things I’ve done and left undone.

Justin Earley wrote, “The habits of our hearts often follow the habits of our phones.” Comment: Ouch!

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WOTW: I looked long and hard for a good Hebrew word to align with Mike’s trip to Israel. Alas, shalom and shabbat weren’t making headlines this week. Instead, let’s go with “bearish.” Bulls charge and bears hibernate, and lots of people are talking about a possible bear market. Runner up WOTW: “still-too-close-to-call.”

Inner Peace: In a meeting this week, a pastor noted that everyone is making a cocktail of life practices to help with their mental health. It sounded like a comment I heard from another pastor who described the inner search this way: The secular notion of justification is either inward and subjective, or cosmic and impersonal. So, we must either be right with “ourselves,” or right with “the universe.”

Inner Peace 2.0: Sandra McCracken sings about God’s presence.

Closing Prayer: I will build my house, Whether storm or drought

On the rock that does not move, I will set my hope

In your love, O Lord, And your faithfulness will prove

You are steadfast, steadfast  (Sandra McCracken)

Happy Friday,

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given — and they will enjoy an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.”

Jesus, The Sermon on the Mount

About one half of Christ’s parables point to the scandalously shocking nature of God’s grace. The other half make it clear that we are accountable for what we do with what is temporarily entrusted to our care. These truths are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, we are called to two things at once: to rest in God’s lavish mercy and love, and to wisely steward his resources in ways that line up with his vision and values.

Every. Single. Moment. God is not particularly interested in your spiritual life. That is because He cares about absolutely everything about you. Every thought. Every action. Every moment. Our sacred/secular divide is a false construct. What we deem “spiritual” is no more important to God than what we deem financial, emotional, physical or intellectual. If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.

Sorry, but NO! Given the rise of SpaceX, his purchase of Twitter, the ascension of Tesla, the crazy name he gave his son, the mano-a-mano challenge he threw out to Putin – given the money and a dozen other things – it’s hard to avoid Elon. I note this to say I was not surprised when I was sent this 90 second video of him talking about Jesus. What I was not prepared for was the celebration of his answer. FWIW, Elon’s statements about Jesus impressed me, but not because he said what I wanted to hear. His answer impressed me because it suggests that he has given Jesus some thought. While affirming Christ’s ethic of “loving your neighbor” and “forgiving others,” he not only avoided affirming Christ’s claim to be God and Savior, He steered well clear of affirming Jesus as a great teacher. (After all, a big part of what Jesus teaches is that He is God.) When we get excited about a famous person saying something nice about Jesus we are living in “the suburbs of blasphemy.” God is not lucky that Elon – or John Wayne, Bob Hope, etc., etc. – say something nice about him.  

Malik’s Seven: In previous updates, I’ve cited Charles Malik’s seven cultural shapers – the family, the church, the state, business, higher education, media and the professions. I have also noted that while the family and church were losing influence, the state and higher education were gaining. It’s past time to add business to those gaining. “Employee activism” – along with the agenda of high tech and HR – have become major cultural players.

This Week’s Sign that the Apocalypse is Upon Us: Teenage girls are now getting preventative Botox injections.

More Bad News About the News: Without any time to recover from last week’s news that the Department of Homeland Security had established a Disinformation Governance Board, I was rocked by Kelly McBride’s piece on poynter.org. McBride, who is NPR’s Public Editor and a “media ethics expert,” argues that it is time for newsrooms to “reframe both abortion coverage and the worn-out debate around the rules of objectivity and subjectivity.” In the piece she laments reporters striving after the traditional ideal of neutrality. (Silly me, I thought a reporter’s goal was to objectively report the events in such a way that you couldn’t tell what their biases were.)

It’s Not Just Congress: For a while now, I’ve been banging my spoon on my highchair complaining about declining trust. In his book, A Time to Build…, author Yuval Levin does a better job. He notes that “fake news, #MeToo, income inequality, conspiracy theories, public health crises and absurd political theater” have led to a dramatic decline in trust in large institutions of all types – e.g., government, business, media and the church. He also explains why this is such a bad thing. I commend Levin’s book. America’s love affair with rugged individualism has got to be checked. We need strong and healthy institutions. 

Without Comment: 1) Afghanistan has replaced North Korea as the most difficult place in the world to be a Christian; 2) Using “excess deaths” as the metric, the WHO believes COVID deaths have reached 15M globally – 6.25M deaths from COVID itself, and the remainder from “the virus’s impact, including increased overdose deaths, deaths by suicide, and more;” 3) More than 107,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year, which is both the highest on record and 15% higher than the previous year; 4) Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is roughly 50 times more potent than heroin; 5) According to Salary.com, the market value of a stay-at-home mom is $184.8K/year; 6)According to AAA, U.S. gas prices now average a record high of $4.37 / gallon; 7) Now that sports gambling is legal, ​total wagers have climbed into the neighborhood of $120 billion.

IDNK: 1) J. Edgar Hoover was 29 years old when he was named acting director of the FBI – a position he held for the next 48 years; 2) At the start of 2022, 64% of the U.S. population was living paycheck to paycheck; 3) BTW, in case you DNK, IDNK stands for I Did Not Know.

Next Week: I leave later today for the Holy Land, so Dr. Ben Dockery – who just stepped out of the role of Campus Pastor for the Lake Forest campus in order to launch an Institute for Christ Church – will take over Friday duties.

Closing Prayer: O Lord, please accept my distractions, my fatigue, my irritations, and my faithless wanderings. You know me more deeply and fully than I know myself. You love me with a greater love than I can love myself. You even offer me more than I can desire. Look at me, see me in all my misery and inner confusions, and let me sense your presence in the midst of my turmoil…. Take my tired body, my confused mind, and my restless soul into your arms and let me rest, simple quiet rest. Amen (Henri Nouwen – 1932 – 1996)

Happy Friday,

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:37-41

Our lives are overly complicated until we learn to rightly order our fears. Raging storms are paper tigers compared to the One who can casually dismiss them. What are you frightened of? (BTW, I wonder what Freud would make of Mark 4. He taught that primitive people created gods to comfort them against a scary world.)

Question of the Week – 1: What do Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Eugene Burdick’s and William Lederer’s The Ugly American have in common?

Question of the Week – 2: If you knew you had one day to live, what would you do? Call a friend? Throw a party? Eat junk food? My son passed along a Tweet in which the person rehearsed the fun or frivolous things they would do, before writing, “And then I realized that when Jesus knew that he only had one day left to live, he washed people’s feet.”

Without Comment: 1) Americans spent over $20B on Easter-related items this year, with some of that going towards Easter baskets, which sold for an average of $61.38. (That price is up 22% from 2019.); 2) The longest running prime time TV show in America is The Simpsons, which makes Homer America’s iconic star; 3) At the beginning of the pandemic, 69 percent of Americans trusted the CDC. Today only 44 percent do; 4) About 43 million people in the U.S. have a combined total of $1.6 trillion in federal student loans; 5) Netflix stock dropped 25% after announcing it lost 200,000 subscribers last quarter – its first decline in ten years.

It Snowed Last Week: T.S. Eliot was right. April is the cruelest month. At least it is in Chicago.

This Week’s Inspiring Film Clip: Although I’m not really a Science Fiction and Fantasy fan, I am forever citing Tolkien and Lewis. Here I go again. In this scene from TLOR, Samwise Gamgee models friendship. He picks up Frodo (a Christ-figure who will not ultimately recover from the wounds he receives carrying the ring) and carries him towards his destiny. There is so much here to like.

Evil: Among the things we should be learning from COVID and Ukraine is that evil is real. In this recent WSJ piece – The Devil Resurfaces in Ukraine – Daniel Henninger plays with this idea. His orientation is mostly secular, but it is noteworthy and encouraging. It says something when reality breaks through Postmodernism’s nonsense.

WotW: Honorable mention goes to lizard brain, imbroglio and brilliant bombs. But this week’s winner is adjacent which is suddenly “adjacent” to everything. Michelle Obama is, “the most popular politics-adjacent figure in the country,” Megyn Kelly’s remarks on Halloween costumes were “not quite racist, but racist-adjacent,” and a Missouri publication is advertising “wellness-adjacent” beer. So, adjacent is the WotW. And while I am here, let me note that while this newsletter is not always funny or insightful, I like to think it is “funny and witty-adjacent.”

I Will Pray for You: A quick reminder that one of the easiest ways to: 1) Bless people; 2) Point them to Christ; and 3) Casually advertise your faith, is to promise to pray for them. When you hear someone complain or share a deep concern, simply say, “I am going to be praying for you about that.” A few days later – after you have been praying – you can casually check in. “How is that going?” After they share, ask them to keep you posted. Be assured, your concern has their attention. BTW, don’t be surprised if they reach out to you months later and ask for more prayer.

Question -1: The Answer: So what do Frankenstein, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Ugly American have in common? In each case, the common understanding of the book’s protagonist is exactly wrong: In Frankenstein, the “monster” is not the monster, everyone else is; in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Tom is not a weak sell-out, he is a wise, godly, Christ-figure; and in The Ugly American, the ugly American is not a culturally clueless patriot, he is a savvy but physically unattractive diplomat.

From the Archives: If you’ve not read Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place, you’re missing out. Here is an excerpt that popped up this weekend. It speaks to the wisdom it casually dispenses.

Closing Prayer: O Lord, let me not henceforth desire health or life, except to spend them for you, with you, and in you. You alone know what is good for me; do, therefore, what seems best to you. Give to me, or take from me; conform my will to yours; and grant that, with humble and perfect submission, and in holy confidence, I may receive the orders of your eternal Providence; and may equally adore all that comes to me from you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Blaise Pascal – 1623 – 1662)

Happy (Good) Friday,

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

Jesus, Matthew 27:46 and Psalm 22:1

Christ’s words on the cross came from Psalm 22. This was not the first time he quoted Scripture. When he was tempted in the wilderness, he countered every one of Satan’s assaults with passages from Deuteronomy. And while he was carrying the cross down the Via Dolorosa, he cited Hosea. The Word of God (incarnate) was so saturated in the Word of God (written) that it shaped his thoughts and words, even in times of great stress.

JAMA – 1986: In March of ’86, The Journal of the American Medical Association published this controversial report – titled, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ.” Written by two pathologists – one from the Mayo Clinic – the report analyzed the Gospel accounts and concluded that Jesus likely died of hypovolemic shock and exhaustion asphyxia.

Question of the Week: Colin Powell stated that, “There are no secrets to success. It’s the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” I suspect he’s right. But his statement begs an earlier question: What is success? What are we supposed to be aiming for? What is your target? Have you thought this through? How do you define success?

Good News: The WSJ’s editorial board recently claimed that, “The world is entering its most dangerous period since the Soviet Union collapsed.” A cultural analyst I follow recently lamented that “Many who think they are following Christ are actually being shaped more by the secular digital network than by anything from their church or the Bible.” I am aware of other bad news – there is a growing number of voices expressing concern about next year’s food supply – Jamie Dimon has issued warnings about powerful forces threatening the US economy. And then there are the standbys: challenges presented by COVID, opioids, political sectarianism, escalating crime, etc. Some of these matters deserve our attention. However, they should not shape our mood or outlook! We are to be formed by the joyful hope of an empty tomb. FWIW, while the Anger-at-Putin Index is going up, my sense is that the Ambient Anger Index is coming down. What I see around me now feels less like anger and more like weariness. It also feels like some are wrestling with the dis-ease that sets in when you realize the path you are on will not work – i.e., that the secular project will fail. As Christ followers we should not expect everyone to come to this awareness, but I do expect a growing number to do so. Be ready to offer an explanation for the hope that is within you. There may have never been a better time for the church to minister than we will have in the days ahead. Lord prepare us.

The Most Significant: This chart helps visualize the total number of people who have ever lived. And in this excerpt – which is the first chapter of a book I wrote about Jesus years ago – I argue that he was the most influential of them all.

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Billy Graham and Warren Buffet: What do Billy and Warren have in common? According to their memoirs, they share a similar “biggest regret.” What was it?  Guess.

Without Comment: 1) Single-parent poverty declined by 62% between 1995 and 2016; 2) There are 60,000 time management books listed on Amazon; 3) Inflation is climbing at the fastest rate in forty years; 4) After briefly dropping in the early days of COVID, the CDC reports that sexually transmitted infections have surged to record highs.

Quote Worth Requoting: “We create our buildings and then they create us. Likewise, we construct our circle of friends and then they construct us.” Frank Lloyd Wright.

April 15^th: April 15^th is quite a day. 1) In 1783 Congress ratified the treaty ending the Revolutionary War; 2) In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was pronounced dead; 3) In 1912, the Titanic sank; 4) In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball; 5) In 2013, the Boston Marathon was bombed by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan.  It’s also normally the day your taxes are due. But last year we got a long extension and this year we get a couple of days. You can still put this off! Your taxes are not due until Monday, April 18^th.

Billy and Warren – Take 2: I wouldn’t leave you hanging. Their common regret was, “not spending more time with their family.”

Two Articles Worth Your Time: In this Atlantic essay, social scientist Jonathan Haidt – whose work I have cited before – explores the three forces that bind successful democracies – social capital, strong institutions, and shared stories. He then notes how social media has weakened all three and explores the mayhem that has followed. In this WSJ editorial – Dying Gives Us a Chance to Confront Truth – Kavin Rowe speaks about the benefits of thinking about – and preparing for – our death. As a pastor writing to you on Good Friday, let me remind you, death is an enemy, but Jesus has defeated it. Beyond that, one day he will destroy it altogether. We need not fear death, but we need to face it.

Closing Prayer: My dear Lord, though I am so very weak that I have not strength to ask you for suffering as a gift, at least I will beg from you grace to meet suffering well when you in your love and wisdom bring it on me. Let me bear pain, reproach, disappointment, slander, anxiety, suspense, as you want me to, O my Jesus, and as you by your own suffering have taught me, when it comes. Amen. (John Henry Newman – 1801 – 1890)

Happy Friday,

If it is possible, let this cup pass from me…. but not my will, but yours be done.

Jesus, Matthew 26

After using the Last Supper to turn the Passover Celebration into the sacrament of Holy Communion, Jesus retreated to an olive grove called Gethsemane. The term Gethsemane can be translated “olive grove,” but this time its alternate meaning – “the place of crushing” – came into play. And unthinkably, it was Jesus, not olives, that were crushed. We should ponderChrist’s request to bypass the cross, not only because it’s our sin that sent him there, but also because his anguish shows a human Jesus facing limited options… and choosing to obey.

Colonists > Tourists: In his letter to the Philippians, Paul states that our citizenship is in heaven. We should understand this as a prompt to “set our heart on things above,” but we must not claim it as justification for disengaging from our broken world. We are colonists of God’s kingdom, not tourists on earth.

Not an American Story: There is a great line in The Devil’s Own – a 1997 movie starring Brad Pitt as anIRA smuggler trying to secure a stinger missile. When his efforts are thwarted by Harrison Ford, a police officer Pitt has come to see as family, he utters the memorable line, “This isn’t an American story.” Where am I going with this? This weekend (Palm Sunday) we celebrate Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Next weekend (Easter) we celebrate an empty tomb. Those who bypass all of the suffering and conflict in between – including the crucifixion – turn Holy Week into an American story. Don’t be one of them.

Exegesis > Eisegesis: This WSJ piece reflects on ways jurists interpret our Constitution. I find it interesting in its own right, but more useful in illustrating different approaches to Bible Study. Let me be clear, when it comes to the Bible, be a textualist. Do not read your views into a passage (eisegesis). Spend your time figuring out what the original author intended the original reader to understand.

Quotes Worth Requoting: 1) If you want to know which direction your life is going, look at the things you do every day. Duncan Edward Pile; 2) For wise men of old, the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. C. S. Lewis

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Mea Culpa: In last week’s Update, I argued that there was nothing tactical about a nuclear bomb, i.e., they are strategic simply by being nuclear. The problem is, I switched the terms “tactical” and “strategic,” which means, little of what I wrote made any sense. Be assured that the proofreaders have been put on half rations and sent to the blackboard to write, “I will not confuse tactical and strategic ever again.” 100X.

Without Comment: 1) Gallup reports that only 17 percent of Americans are satisfied with the direction of the country, but 85 percent are satisfied with their own lives; 2) Americans believe that ten percent of the US population makes $1M per year or more, while the actual number is 0.1%. Meanwhile, Americans estimate that 35% make less than $25,000 per year, while the actual number is 18%; 3) In 2000, 814 million Christians lived in Europe and North America, compared to 660 million in Africa and Asia. Currently, the Global North holds 838 million Christians, while Africa and Asia have climbed to nearly 1.1 billion. (It is estimated that by 2050, Africa will be home to nearly 1.3 billion Christians.)

Slow Down and Unplug: It’s doubtful you need another prompt to unplug and reflect, but here is one anyway. This week I ran across a 2003 HBR article claiming that “All good ideas come in the shower.” Among the ways the author argued for his thesis, was to point to screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (the mastermind behind the television show West Wing and films like Moneyball and The Social Network). He was so convinced that his best ideas came during the shower and not during times of fevered concentration that he not only had a shower installed in his corner office, he took six showers a day.

No 100+ Tomorrow: A quick note to the Two Percenters that I will not be releasing an episode of 100+ tomorrow. I expect to do so next week.

Reality Check: After racing ahead lately, my sense is that the Moral Revolutionaries are slowing down. Among the reasons I think so are reports from college campuses that illiberal speech codes are facing pushback – not just from conservatives, but increasingly from progressives. This is not surprising. No one likes living in fear that a language sheriff is going to try to cancel you. On a related note, I have been reflecting on the way reality eventually reasserts itself, and also on Lincoln’s genius. When asked, “If you call a dog’s tail a leg, how many legs does a dog have?” He replied, “Four, because calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.”

Rudy, Rudy, Rudy: In keeping with my desire to bring you a moment of inspiration or levity, here are the final six minutes of Rudy, the 1993 movie about Notre Dame football player, Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger.

Closing Prayer: O God of all power, you called from death the great pastor of the sheep, our Lord Jesus: comfort and defend the flock which he has redeemed through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Increase the number of true preachers; enlighten the hearts of the ignorant; relieve the pain of the afflicted, especially of those who suffer for the testimony of the truth; by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (John Knox – 1513 – 1572)

Happy Friday,

Count it all joy when you experience trials.

James

While many think they’ve cut a deal with God – i.e., in return for believing in him, he will ensure that nothing unpleasant happens to them – no such deal exists. Those who read the Bible should know this, if for no other reason there are lots of passages like the one cited above. Indeed, one of the insights we should gain from Scripture is that what we label as bad is almost always an opportunity to grow. The fact is, God not only cares more about our character than our comfort, we often come to see the wisdom of his actions. Stop viewing suffering as an interruption to God’s plans and learn to see it as an opportunity to grow instead.

Be On Guard: Today is April 1^st, so be prepared for related hijinks, such as any newsletters that promise to pay you a million dollars for sending their Friday postings to others.

Strategic Nukes: A few weeks back, I questioned the term “strategic nuclear weapon” because I felt the second word completely eclipsed the first. More than a few reached out to say that while the bumper sticker may be accurate – i.e., “One nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day” – there actually are “smallish” nuclear bombs. Perhaps they are right. I’m hoping and praying to remain uninformed about the matter. (As an aside, here is a 2 minute animated video showing how many nukes are out there, and who has them.)

Quotes Worth Requoting: We should live in such a way that our lives wouldn’t make sense if the Gospel were not true. Dorothy Day; 2) Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke; 3) Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. Thomas Jefferson.

It Seems to Me That: 1) Putin’s miscalculations demonstrate that civil liberties are not just moral goods, they are political ones as well. When people lose their freedom to speak, gather or worship, those oppressing them eventually lose touch. And as they grow increasingly out of touch, bad things will happen; 2) The reason universities are moving to the left may have less to do with the ideologies of the faculty and more to do with the actions of the administrators; 3) While the opportunity to Zoom is wonderful, a growing number of events will be limited to those who show up in person.

C3 < C2 < C1: When you find yourself in a disagreement, it’s important to know what you are up against. Cynics (C3) believe those who disagree with them are evil (consequently they seldom thoughtfully engage in what is being discussed); Contrarians (C2) disagree with you because they delight in saying “up” anytime you say “down; and Critical Thinkers (C1) are those who actually assess the merits of various perspectives. There are not many C1s out there. Perhaps just you and me. And, honestly, I’m not so sure about you. (BTW, did you critically think about your style before deciding that you were a Critical Thinker?)

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Word of the Week: Though far more important things happened this week, I suspect The Slap is the phrase we’ve added to our lexicon. I have little to say about the Fresh Prince’s actions, so I’ll use this entry to note that very few people could be bothered to watch either the films being honored or this year’s Academy Awards. The movies appear to be losing their battle against home entertainment.   
 
Without Comment: 1) 52 million Americans (31.9 %) earn less than $15 per hour; 2) According to the JAMA, nearly 30% of US adolescents meet the criteria for pre-diabetes, up from 12% in 2002; 3) About nine million children are sponsored by Christian ministries. Collectively they receive $3 billion annually; 4) More than 4 million Ukrainians – 10% of the population – have fled their country since Russia’s invasion; 5) The president of Disney’s General Entertainment Content announced plans to increase the number of LGBTQIA (and other underrepresented minorities) to 50% of their animated characters; 6) A growing percentage of college students believe that free speech is a dangerous idea.
 
Favorite Movie Scenes: In my quest to offer you a few minutes of levity, inspiration or distraction, I am moving from SNL skits to iconic movie moments. Here is the moment Tom Hanks breaks radio silence in Apollo 13; 2) Here is the moment Adrian tells Rocky to “win” in Rocky 2; and 3) Here is the moment the pilot changes the plane’s call sign in Air Force One. 
 
Left Overs: In response to last week’s Update: 1) One reader suggested that the 2 Peter passage I opened with not only serves as a guard rail for our social media postings, but also for parents at their children’s sporting events; and 2) Another noted that the idea that “freedom and equality live in tension” reminded her that in Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl suggested the US should erect a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast (to balance the Statue of Liberty on Staten Island).
 
Small Groups: In this episode of the Good Faith podcast, David French and Curtis Chang interview Jonathan Tjarks, a 30 year old sports writer suffering from cancer. Jonathan’s situation came to their attention after he posted this article in The Ringer. I find several aspects of this story interesting. I bring it to your attention because in the podcast, Tjarks makes a strong case for church small groups. (You were created for community.) 
 
Closing Prayer: O, crucified Jesus! in whom I live, and without whom I die; mortify in me all sensual desires; inflame my heart with your holy love, that I may no longer esteem the vanities of this world, but place my affections entirely in you. Let my last breath, when my soul shall leave my body, breathe forth love to you, my God; I entered into life without acknowledging you, let me therefore finish it in loving you; O let the last act of life be love, remembering that God is love. Amen. (Richard Allen – 1760 – 1831)

Happy Friday, March 25, 2022

Faith, hope and love.

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Peter, his second letter

In 2 Peter we find yet another list admonishing us to be faithful, good, holy, resilient, loving and thoughtful people. I mention this because I have yet to find the passages urging us to be angry, loud, self-righteous and defensive. As recipients of the grace of Jesus we are positioned to be hopeful, winsome, loving and courageous. There is no reason for fear. You can be the non-anxious presence your neighbor is looking for.

Social Media Rules: By the way, the list of things Peter calls us to are not the rules Zuckerburg, Jack Dorsey, Congress or Elon Musk endorse for Social Media. However, if you are a Christ-follower, they are the rules governing your social media behavior.

It Seems to Me: It seems to me that: 1) Books are getting shorter while podcasts are getting longer; 2) Many of those who want to cancel the luminaries of the past (e.g., Washington and Lincoln) would have a hard time matching the character of many of those they are cancelling; 3) We should reflect on what it says about us that the White House now offers special briefings to Tik Tok influencers; 4) While we are besting the COVID pandemic, we are not doing so well with the pandemics of mental illness, distrust and polarization; 5) Two of the biggest COVID casualties are our trust in our healthcare system and our trust in the media; 6) Few understand that freedom and equality live in tension.

Word of the Week: There were several nominees – including bespoke and atomize. But I am going with Web3 – which is also called The Fourth Industrial Revolution – and which refers to the impact of advanced robotics, cryptocurrencies, the “Internet of Things,” artificial intelligence, cloud and quantum computing, 3D printing, augmented reality and space travel.

Perspective: Those who say America’s never had it so bad clearly slept through their high school history class. I will leave the Civil War, Great Depression, Dust Bowl and Spanish Flu alone and simply note that between the end of 1963 and the middle of 1975, America: assassinated her president, assassinated his brother, assassinated the leader of the Civil Rights movement, endured riots in more than 100 cities, endured the consequences of an ill-defined war in East Asia, and faced enough corruption at high levels that the US president and the vice president were forced to resign in disgrace over separate scandals.

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Another SNL Skit. After learning that the Cat in the Hat was being cancelled, I decided to check out the SNL links you sent me last week. I did this because I needed a good laugh, and because I suspect many of the earlier SNL skits will soon be cancelled themselves. BTW, for what it’s worth, I could only pass along one of the skits sent to me. Between the fact that humor often offends and the fact that I am a pastor, most did not make the cut. You can find the one that did here.

Without Comment: 1) A recent survey showed that while 53% of Americans are optimistic about the country’s future, Black, Hispanic and Asians are more optimistic than Whites; 2) The parents of 39% of voting-age Gen Zers and 12% of millennials still pay at least part of their children’s phone bills; 3) Before the quarantine, the median worship attendance for US churches was 65. Today it is 55; 4) US unemployment claims hit a 52-year low last week with ten states reporting their lowest unemployment rates ever.

Sorry for Being Obtuse: In last week’s Update I made a passing reference to “a guy I knew who whined a lot.” I also noted that he was hard to get away from. To those of you who wrote asking if I was referring to you – and to the wife who asked if I was referring to her husband – I want to assure you, I was referring to myself.

How to Pray for Ukraine: When asked about how to pray for Ukraine, I have directed people to Psalm 35, in which the Psalmist prays that his enemies fall into their own nets. Of course, there is much more that could be / should be prayed. I think Phil Yancy does a good job answering the question in this piece, called, “We Have No More Tears Left: Ukraine’s history has been marked by tragedy and bravery. What can we learn and how can we pray?

Dadvertisements: The ads being shown during sporting events are focusing less on products (e.g., trucks and beer) and more on relationships. These “dadvertisements,” are either emphasizing the joys, sorrows and struggles of being a father, or are focusing on the longing grown men feel for fathers long gone.

Closing Prayer: Father of heaven, whose goodness has brought us in safety to the close of this day, another day is now gone, and added to those, for which we were before accountable. Give us grace to endeavor after a truly Christian spirit to seek to attain that temper of forbearance and patience of which our blessed Savior has set us the highest example; and which, while it prepares us for the spiritual happiness of the life to come, will secure to us the best enjoyment of what this world can give. Incline us, O God, to think humbly of ourselves, to be severe only in the examination of our own conduct, to consider our fellow-creatures with kindness, and to judge of all they say and do with that charity which we would desire from them ourselves. Amen. (Jane Austen, 1787-1817)

Happy Friday,

If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.

Elijah, I Kings 18

If you’ve read I Kings 18, you know that Elijah had courage. It turns out, he also had a plan. By asking people to act in a manner consistent with their beliefs, he was trying to force them to face reality. Elijah believed that Baal was a false god and that those who honestly followed him would eventually realize as much. His plan – make that his “evangelistic strategy” – was to challenge people to live a life consistent with their stated belief. We should adopt Elijah’s bold, thoughtful and ultimately loving approach. And we should also accept his challenge to live a life consistent with our stated beliefs.  “How long will you hesitate between two opinions?  If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

20X = Y?  I’ve been wondering how many first world problems it takes to equal a real problem? Five? Fifty?  To be clear, some of you are facing real problems while living in the first world.  Please know that I have no desire to diminish your pain or discount the challenges you face. But I know a guy who spends a lot of time whining, and best I can tell, he doesn’t face many real problems. What’s your number? Twenty? Two hundred?

SNL Classics: Since I can’t get much distance from the guy who whines – or the news –  I’ve been a bit more proactive in seeking out humor. Here are a few SNL classics to bring some levity to your day, here,  here and here.

If Only: What are your “What ifs?”  I am referring to those moments that went one way instead of the other, leaving you thinking, “If only this event went the other way.” If only Lincoln had lived to integrate the south. If only Bonhoeffer’s bomb had taken out Hitler. If only Luther and Calvin had agreed on the nature of communion.  Because I believe in God’s sovereign hand, this exercise is more parlor game than anything else. Furthermore, I can cite a list of events where good things happened when they were not expected – e.g., What if the Pilgrims had never met Squanto? What if George Washington held onto the presidency until his death, failing to establish the precedent of voluntarily relinquishing power? But this week I am asking for your “if onlys.”

Leadership Classic: This week’s leadership classic features the Johari Window, which was first articulated in 1955 by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham.  If you are not familiar with this concept, do yourself a favor and read it here. You can then think about ways to shrink your blind spot.

Word(s) of the Week: I normally try to focus on the word of the week, but this week I kept seeing two phrases that I thought needed to be called out. The first is the now ubiquitous phrase, “Holiday from History.” It’s the idea that what we are living through (war, pandemic, inflation, polarization) is normal, and the last fifty years were not. The second phrase is “tactical nuclear warfare.”  I’m not sure I know what constitutes the use of tactical as a qualifier.

Saint Patrick: If you are not sick of all things green, you might enjoy my interview with Dr. Miriam Kelly, a Professor of Irish Church History at the Irish Bible Institute. The topic was Saint Patrick and Celtic Christianity. You can access it here.

Without Comment: 1) In 2021, only 47% of Americans said they belong to a church, down from 70% in 1999; 2) Last year $3.7B was spent lobbying the US federal government; 3) The Census Bureau has determined that: they undercounted Native Americans by 5.6%, Latinos by 5% and Blacks by 3.3%, and overcounted Whites by 1.6% and Asians by 2.6%; 4) One in ten Americans have never traveled outside the state they were born in and fifty percent have visited ten or fewer states; 5) More than 2/3 of US households own a gun; 6) Only 1/3 of Americans can pass the US citizenship exam; 7) One in six women in the US has been sexually assaulted; 8) The US is approaching one million COVID deaths.

Happiness 2.0: In recent weeks, I’ve referenced HBS professor Arthur Brooks’ new book, From Strength to Strength. In it he suggests that we need three things to be happy: faith, friends and meaningful work. In light of that, I couldn’t help notice what Ukraine’s President Zelensky said during a recent press conference.  In replying to a question about how he was doing, he said, “My life today is wonderful. I believe that I am needed. That’s the most important sense of life: that you are needed—that you are not just an emptiness that breathes and walks and eats something.” By the way, one of the ways to right size your first world problems is to serve others.

Closing Prayer: Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no selfish desires may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no troubles can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy ambitions may tempt aside. Give us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, perseverance to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Thomas Aquinas – 1225–1274).

Happy Friday,

Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.

Paul, I Timothy 1:15

Paul’s words to Timothy were not an objective claim about his sins relative to those of everyone else’s. He was simply modeling spiritual maturity. Those who grow in Christ, do not marvel at their own personal holiness. Though there should be demonstrable growth to that end, what they marvel at is how utterly amazing Jesus is and how deep their own sin nature lies. If you are impressed with your spiritual performance – or more concerned with the sins of others than you are with your own – you are doing something wrong.

One Hour: I’ve spent a lot of time reading time management books. Let me assure you, though many claim otherwise, there are no tricks. You either: 1) Do the same work faster; 2) Get others to do your work for you; or 3) Learn to say “no” to more things. Technology provides some gains in the first category, but they are limited, and hiring someone is a wonderful solution if you can afford it, but few can. This means, the wins come from saying “no” to second best options and focusing on the best ones. I do not mean to be overly negative. You should note that one hour of uninterrupted work-time can make a big difference, and it is within reach for most. All you need to do is turn off the TV. (Oh, and I can save you three hours. Do not bother seeing The Batman.)

Good News: There are reasons to believe that although an angry one percent is lighting up social media, most people are friendly, generous and will help you shovel your snow. LOUD does not equal Large.

The Big Five: A friend is working to pass along five big ideas to his children: 1) An awareness of the need to delay gratification; 2) A commitment to cultivate gratitude; 3) The beauty of humility; 4) A drive to love and serve others; and 5) The habit of finishing what you start.

More than Moore: Moore’s Law refers to Gordon Moore’s 1965 observation that transistors double in power every two years while costing half as much. O’Sullivan’s Law refers to British journalist John O’Sullivan’s claim that organizations that are not avowedly conservative will grow liberal over time. Do you have another?

Leadership Classics: While I’ve never understood John Maxwell’s ability to create “raving fans”, I’ve occasionally appreciated his ability to simplify observations and make them memorable. He does this with his Five Levels of Leadership. If you have not reviewed his thinking recently, you can do so here.

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Password: I’m not in the practice of giving out IT advice, but if your password is: password, 123456, 1111111 – or any of these top twenty bad passwords, you might want to change it before Putin ramps up his cyberattacks. And while I’m out of my lane, let me also note that several who hoped to go to Israel on our upcoming pilgrimage have had to withdraw after discovering that their passports had expired. COVID disrupted our travel routines. Do yourself a favor and check your passport expiration date today.

Without Comment: 1) On an average weeknight in January, just 1% of U.S. adults watched primetime Fox News and only 0.5% tuned into MSNBC; 2) Nearly three times more Americans (56%) donated to charities during the pandemic than typically give money to politicians and parties (21%); 3) In Gallup’s 2021 polling, 29% of Americans identified as Democrats, 27% as Republicans and 42% as Independents; and 4) Farmers and ranchers make up less than two percent of America’s population.

Quotes Worth Requoting: 1) “When you think you know everything, they give you a bachelor’s degree. When you realize you don’t know anything, they give you a master’s degree. When you realize you don’t know anything – and neither does anyone else – they award you a doctorate.” Skye Jethani; 2) “If once upon a time we looked to politics primarily for governance, we now look to it for belonging, righteousness, meaning, and deliverance—in other words all the things for which we used to rely on Religion.” David Zahl

If Only: In last week’s podcast, I reviewed the interesting life and massive impact of Charles Darwin. It’s worth noting the naturalist’s belief that humanity’s morals had progressed through the aeons, from the brutish chaos of the Stone Age, through the Dark Ages, to the ethical flowering of the Enlightenment. In other words, Darwin thought  homo sapiens had advanced from “savages to Englishmen.” In his 2017 biography, Charles Darwin: Victorian Mythmaker, A.N. Wilson shares this quote from Darwin’s book, Descent of Man. “The moral nature of man has reached the highest standard as of yet attained, partly through advancement of reasoning power and consequently of just public opinion, but especially through the sympathies being rendered more tender and widely diffused through the effects of habit.” I’m not sure how Dr. Darwin would assess today’s morals, but I’m pretty sure that Chesterton – though an Englishman – would have called Darwin “a chronological snob.”

WotW: This week’s nominations for Word of the Week included both tranche and World War III, but I’m going with flibbertigibbet. I picked up this mouthful after it was tossed into the middle of a six hour planning meeting. While flibbertigibbet is not an onomatopoeia, it leans that way. As you can almost guess, the term describes someone who is “frivolous, flighty, or excessively talkative.” Hmm. I have two thoughts: 1) I know a few; and 2) I do not want to be one. In fact, I want to be the opposite. I want to be the non-anxious, hopeful presence people need. (As an aside, the way to be a flibbertigibbet is to start your day on Twitter. The way to be a non-anxious person of hope and peace is to start your day with Jesus.)

Closing Prayer: O Lord my God, instruct my ignorance and enlighten my darkness. You are my King, take possession of all my powers and abilities and let me be no longer under the dominion of sin. Give me a sincere and heartfelt repentance for all my offenses and strengthen by your grace my resolution to amend my ways. Grant me to live a life of gratitude to thee for thy innumerable benefits. O Lord my God, instruct my ignorance & enlighten my Darkness. Thou art my King. Amen. (Phillis Wheatley Peters, 1753-1784)