Happy Friday.
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. Psalm 95
Advice Only Works if… you apply it: Years ago, while jogging with a friend on a trail near his home (in Canada), he casually noted that, “if we run into a bear I should follow protocol: ‘Black attack, hump lump.’” (You are supposed to charge a black bear and scare it off, but your best bet with a grizzly (which has a hump) is to play dead). After not very calmly asking why we were running on trails where bears might show up, I said, “Black attack; hump lump, I cannot imagine advice I am less likely to follow.” I’ve been bothered by that discussion a lot since then, not because of the danger we may have been in or because I was unlikely to follow that specific advice, but because I often ignore wise advice. And advice only works if…
Thinking About Wealth: Jesus says scary things to those of us with money. It makes me wonder what he knows about it that we do not. Exactly how does $ undo us? The following quote doesn’t provide an answer, but I think there’s something there to ponder. “We should not romanticize abject poverty. It is a plague. And yet when I am in a slum, I am never much tempted by atheism. I acutely feel the weight of evil and suffering. My heart is shattered. I do not feel happy I believe in God. I feel terrible and torn and conflicted, but when I am in a slum, I do believe in God. I want to believe in God. A primal desire for God wells up within me. Because I cannot not want there to be a God who enters the slums to gather the bloodied and forgotten—a God who washes their feet and places a crown on their brow.” Austin Fischer
Front Row Seat: Both of my brothers work for Kone – a global elevator / escalator company based out of Finland. One of them has been in Helsinki for most of the month. He wrote late last week to say that everyone in his hotel had suddenly been moved to another location without being told why. He also said that their old hotel was now surrounded by “muscular Americans wearing suits and dark sun-glasses.” He suspected that Trump and Putin were going to meet there. I asked if I could alert readers of this email in the event that any of them (you) wanted him to pass along messages for either Donald or Vladimir. He said he didn’t want to attract the attention of the men in the dark sunglasses.
Cubs / Sosa / Repentance: Not every writer can weave together the Cubs and theological insights. But Bob Hiller does in this piece entitled, “The Sin of Sammy’s Innocence,” BTW, the Cubs are back in first place.
The When / Then Fallacy: We often say, “When I am done with ABC, then I will do XYZ.” Studies show that this seldom happens. The patterns we lay down today profoundly shape what we do tomorrow. If you hear yourself say “when / then” you should realize that that is unlikely. Do it now.
Another Look to the Future: In this short article, Philip Bump notes that in twenty years, nearly half the U.S. population will reside in just eight states, with another twenty percent in the next five. If true, it means that thirty percent of the population will control 70 US Senate seats. And that 30 percent will be predominately: older, white, male and urban.
Huxley > Bradbury: Austin, Sheri and I are in Colorado visiting Jason and Hannah. (They are in Denver for a summer internship). On the flight out, Austin finished Fahrenheit 451, which led me to search out this quote, where Neal Postman says Bradbury got it wrong and Aldous Huxley got it right. “What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be not one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumble-puppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny ‘failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.’ In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.
Closing Prayer: Most gracious Lord God, from whom proceeds every good and perfect gift, I offer to your divine majesty my unfeigned praise and thanksgiving for all your mercies toward me…. Instruct me in the particulars of my duty, and suffer me not to be tempted above what you give me the strength to bear. Take care, I pray, of my affairs and more and more direct me in your truth… Suffer me not to be drawn away from you by the blandishments of the world…. Render me charitable, pure, holy, patient, and heavenly minded…. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind…. Bless my friends, and grant me grace to forgive my enemies as heartily as I desire forgiveness from you, my heavenly Father. I beseech you to defend me…and do more for me than I can think or ask, for Jesus Christ’s sake, in whose most holy name I pray. Amen. George Washington