The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him. Psalm 103:8f
The Leadership Challenge: In my devotional reading, I’ve been retracing the steps of Moses. You likely know the basics – forty years in Pharaoh’s court, forty years in the desert and then forty years leading the people. Two things have struck me recently. First, Moses does not appear to spend much time musing about leadership – and we know he wasn’t taping into the leadership books, blogs or podcasts we are swimming in. He just led.(And apparently reflected and grew on his own). The second thing is: his biggest leadership struggle was himself.
Moral Residue: Last week a friend noted that her work environment has been so demanding – and has provided so few chances for people to catch up or do their best work – that many of her colleagues are suffering from “moral residue”. I was unfamiliar with the term.It refers to the toll accrued when we do not do our best work, either because there is too much work to do, or because we are exhausted.I am leery of new maladies, but it sure seems that what she describes is real. I certainly feel the need to wash off a bit of moral residue at the moment.
John Stott’s Trinitarian Prayer: Of all the things I am asked to send to people, nothing rivals the frequency with which I am asked for “the John Stott prayer”. This wonderful – and wonderfully trinitarian – prayer is supposedly the first thing John said every morning. I have used it hundreds (thousands?) of times. I reprint it here after being asked for it again yesterday.
Good morning heavenly Father, good morning Lord Jesus, good morning Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father, I worship you as the creator and sustainer of the universe. Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world. Holy Spirit, I worship you, sanctifier of the people of God. Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence and please you more and more.Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God, have mercy upon me. Amen.
Gandhi and Christianity:I was recently reminded of the great quote attributed to Gandhi, “I like the Christ of the Christians, but not the Christians of the Christ.” After checking, it’s not clear that he said it. Nevermind, others have said very similar things. And tragically, others have made similar observations.
Tiger Redux: After a five year hiatus, Tiger won last weekend’s Tour Championship. This was his 80thwin, which puts him two behind all-time leader, Sam Snead. In honor of his return from a physical, emotional and moral graveyard, I am posting this clip of his walk down the 18th fairway– it’s quite a moment. I am also posting a talk I gave shortly after his life imploded.The title is (was), Learning from Tiger.
From Christian Rock to Christians in Rock. In his literary blog, Micah Mattix noted that half of Billboard’s list of the twenty most popular rock songs of 2017 are by bands noted for their faith in God. Mattix suggests that this has much to do with faith no longer seeming alien to popular music. He also notes that this “makes Christian bands harder to ignore, and at times harder to identify.” Hmm, does this mean Christian rock triumphed, or that it’s gone soft.
Constantinople: On a visit to Turkey several years ago, I asked to be taken to Constantinople – more specifically, to the site where the Council of Nicaea was held. My driver told me I’d be disappointed, then drove me past a small history marker along a busy road – not far from a gas station. Thankfully, that sign is coming down.Last week, archeologists announced the discovery of the ruins of the church where the Council was held. They are under a lake, but that is better than next to a gas station! For more about the find,click here.
Prayer Requests:When I am tempted to whine about how hard ministry is these days, I think about the persecuted church around the world. China is large enough that everything you hear about it is possibly true, which means that there are some places where the government is allowing the church to thrive. But it does appear as though religious freedom is abating. Pray for the church in China. Pray for her leaders, and pray that she grows during this current moment in ways similar to her growth during the Cultural Revolution.
Closing Prayer: Lord, help me not care so much about what others think of me. And help me not to even care so much about what I think of myself. Remind my heart that when you look on me you find me “in Christ” and see beauty. Let me rest in that.Tim Keller