Happy Friday
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. The Apostle Paul (Galatians 5:1)
What’s the Difference? Both Peter and Judas spent three years with Christ. Both denied him just days before his crucifixion. One is revered, the other reviled. Why? What makes them so different?
The Importance of Hope: Over the last few months, I have been talking with economists and politicians trying to figure out what’s to become of the Land of Lincoln. As you may know, Illinois is heading into an ugly fiscal storm. I’m trying to figure out how to prepare the church to serve well come what may. I’ve learned a lot – mostly about the state’s budget, what programs will likely be cut, what to watch for, etc. My biggest take-aways: 1) the importance of wise and selfless politicians; and 2) the importance of hope. Not optimism, but hope.
News About the News: Over the last several months, I attempted to “balance” my news intake by scanning lots of sources – e.g., The WSJ, NYT, NPR, FOX, Google, Huffington, The WA Post, various blogs, etc. The result? I’ve grown skeptical and depressed. I’ve also developed some views about the news: 1) Most reporters believe what they say, but what they really believe is that anyone who disagrees with them is an evil idiot; 2) when it comes to worldviews, no one lives in Geneva; and 3) we have a real problem on our hands. I realized just how much of a problem when I read up on Alex Jones. As you may know, a few weeks back, the Tech giants – Facebook, Google, Apple, et al. – decided to censure Jones and his show “Infowars”. This lit up the blogosphere with discussions about the First Amendment. My son encouraged me to watch a few minutes of Jones’s show before forming an opinion. I did. If you have 68 seconds, watch this. It’s entertaining, shocking, and impossible for me to describe. Jones claims the shooting at Sandy Hook featured child actors hired by the Obama Administration, that the U.S government dropped a “gay bomb” in Afghanistan and that the Clintons are running a pedophile ring out of a pizza shop. And here’s the kicker – as of two months ago, his YouTube channel had more subscribers than CNN had viewers.
We Are Not In Control: Last I checked: nearly 15,000 firefighters were battling blazes across the state of California; a 6.2 magnitude earthquake rattled the coast of Oregon and a significant hurricane was headed towards Hawaii. We may pretend we have things under control, but we do not. I am praying for the safety of those facing any event the insurance companies call, “an act of God”. I am also praying that these “Acts of God” lead people to realize how All-Mighty the Almighty is.
This Week’s Sign that the Apocalypse is Upon Us: Besides Alex Jones, there is this: the University of Akron announced that it is phasing out 80 degree programs in order to spend more on competitive video gaming. Among other things, they will open three facilities to accommodate varsity, club, and recreational gamers. The university said the centers would represent “the largest amount of dedicated eSports space of any university in the world to date”.
Quotes Worth Requoting: How many of us think we failed when, in reality, we quit. Erwin McManus
Phishing: Twice in the last week, I got calls from people responding to an email
that “doesn’t appear to be from you, but I am not sure.” One was sent by PasterMikeChristChurch@gmail.comand the other was from MikeWoodruffcclf@gmail.com. Neither of these are my email addresses. (Unlike whoever was phishing, I actually know how to spell “pastor”). My apologies if you were among those pinged. For what it’s worth, I do not have a gmail account; it was not my laptop that was hacked; and our I.T. department is trying to shut this down. By the way, it’s not lost on me that most of those who called said something to the effect that, “I didn’t think it was from you because it didn’t sound like you”. I finally asked someone, “What makes you say that? What do these letters ‘sound like’?” The response? “The email is very warm and friendly.” Ouch.
Bill and Bill: Syler Thomas, the long time Student Ministries Pastor at Christ Church, had an op/ed piece in this week’s Chicago Tribune. You do not want to miss it.
Two Wins: We took some ground on REACH Initiatives this week: 1) ReNew Communities secured another home in North Chicago, which means we now have four Matthew Homes in development in addition to the seven we have in place; {We are gaining momentum!}; 2) we had a great appreciation dinner for pastors from a dozen area churches. BTW, if you type “being a Pastor is hard” into Google, you get 26 million leads. (I was expecting 20 million, maybe even 21 million. But I think 26 million is excessive). Prayers in support of pastors who are overwhelmed – and many are – are appreciated.
Back to Peter and Judas: So, what does make Peter and Judas so different? In a tribute to the late Aretha Franklin, I’ll spell it out. Not R E S P E C T, but R E P E N T.
Closing Prayer: Oh God, by whom we are guided in judgment, and who raises up for us light in the darkness: grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do; that your Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and in your straight path we may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)