Happy Friday
Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.
Acts 16:25
Acts 16 is a chapter I return to often. It is full of an honest description of how hard it can be to get something to happen. As you may know, what makes the quote above so powerful, is what precedes it: Paul and Silas had been beaten and then thrown in jail. Their response: to sing. I used to think they were just that full of joy. I now think, their singing may have been a form of lament. Or, it may have been an effort to shape their heart. Whatever the case, Paul (and Silas) are among those who intentionally managed their hearts in the midst of big struggles.
Practice Makes Permanent: Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does establish patterns – i.e., make permanent. It’s worth noting that almost anything we do once is easier to do a second time. This is true for both virtues and vices. Where are your habits leading you?
Worth Noting: Most organizations adapt their product line to stay current with culture and trends. Very few remain timeless. AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) appears to be nearly timeless. Their approach (meetings, sponsors, accountability, transparency, etc.) remains essentially unchanged.
Worth Reading: I used to be in a lot of discussions about the effect our culture has on boys. And as anyone living in the 21st century, I am often in discussions about tech. Increasingly, I am in lots of discussions about boys and tech. On the first topic, let me link to Naomi Schaefer Riley’s review of Michael Reichert book, How to Raise a Boy. I think Reichert gets it wrong and Riley gets it right. On boys and tech, let me heartily recommend Andy Crouch’s book, The Tech-Wise Family. It’s as much about family as it is tech, and he has insightful things to say about both. I wish this book had been around 30 years ago.
Loving Fools: One of the things I underlined in Crouch’s book was his observation that good families do at least two things: 1) they expose us all to be fools (it’s impossible to live with someone 24×7 and not have your weaknesses on display); and 2) they show us love even when we are foolish.
A Helpful Formula: Grace + Time = Healing
Socialism: I’m still looking for the kind of defense for socialism that Milton Friedman offers for capitalism. Send it if you have it. While I’m on the topic, this past week Gallup released a study announcing that four in ten Americans now identify as socialists. Click here for their report.
Quotes Worth Requoting:
He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. —John Stuart Mill
It is no more narrow to claim that one religion is right than to claim that one way to think about all religions — namely that “all religions are equal” — is right. We are all exclusive in our beliefs about religion, but in different ways. Tim Keller
Marriage > Cohabiting: In last week’s Update, I linked to a sixty second video on some implications of our declining birthrate. Some clicked on the next video and found it helpful as well. It notes the advantages children have when their parents are married over those who are living together. Several years ago I preached a sermon spelling out why I think couples are wise to avoid living together before marriage. It was popular among those who were married. And not so popular among those who were not. If you want to read it, it’s here.
Closing Prayer: O Lord God, in whom we live and move and have our being, open our eyes that we may behold your fatherly presence ever about us. Draw our hearts to you with the power of love. Teach us in nothing to be anxious; and when we have done what you have given us to do, help us, O God our Savior, to leave the issue to your wisdom. Take from us all doubt and mistrust. Lift our thoughts up to you, and make us know that all things are possible to us, in and through your Son our Redeemer, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901)