If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The Apostle John
For years, I misunderstood the term Quantum Leap. I thought it meant a big move. Not really. Quantum is a particle physics’ term denoting the smallest move possible. The power of the term comes from the idea that a small move can have a large impact. In a similar manner, I long misunderstood I John 1:9. I thought it meant, “If I confess my sins, God will be merciful and forgive me.” No. What the text says is, “If we confess our sins, God will be just and forgive us.” Justice and mercy are miles apart. The power of this passage lies in realizing that when we confess our sins, Christ pays our debt. And from that point on it would be wrong of God to continue to hold it against us.
Perspective and Courage: There are days when I think I work hard. Really hard. Perhaps not suffering-level hard, but close. And then I regain my perspective. This report on the persecution of Christians around the world, and this passage (2 Cor. 11:23-29) in which Paul recounts his imprisonments, beatings, stonings and more help keep things in perspective. My Mondays can be bad, but seldom are they that bad.
The State of Contradiction: A new report highlights the curious contrast between values we espouse and those we practice. In particular, it notes that many of today’s liberal elite advocate unchecked sexual freedoms yet live in traditional marriages. Normally we call others to a higher standard than we practice. (You need to obey the speed limit, even while I go 10 miles over it.). This is the opposite. Those in this group champion the right of others to drive 100 mph, while they keep it under 55. Those who read Charles Murray (The Bell Curve, Losing Ground, etc.) ten years ago are familiar with some of this. What is new in the most recent report is the observation that both Californians and college professors are among those living far more traditional lives than one would suspect.
Thankful: By the way, I am glad to learn that more people are practicing traditional sexual morays than we might think, because I believe people (especially children) flourish best under God’s plan. I am also thankful I do not live in Europe. As with most cultural issues, they are further down the road than we are. Today, very few of the European Union heads of State ever married or raised children. I find that unsettling. You want a president or prime minister to have a big stake in the future. Nothing makes you think more soberly about the longer-term impact of your decisions than having children and grandchildren.
Did You Want Fries with That? The Internet recently lit up following Burger Kings’ job offer to Harry and Meghan. “Dear Dukes: If you’re looking for a job, we have a new crown for you.” And “this royal family offers part-time positions.”
It’s Not Necessarily About Less Stuff Either: Many now embrace Marie Kondo’s practical – and quasi-spiritual – advice for uncluttering their life. I see the attraction of minimalism and suspect many of us would be better off with less stuff. But neither owning more nor owning less is the path to deep joy. We are not able to clean the mess in our hearts by having an organized sock drawer.
Unity has Always Been Hard: Those who know history realize that this cultural moment is not our most toxic. (There was a Civil War after all.) But most think our divisions now run pretty deep and are lamenting as much. It may be helpful to remember that unity has always been hard. In Psalm 133 we read: How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity… It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. In case you are not familiar with Middle East geography, Mount Hermon is in the north and Zion is urban south. For the dew of the first to reach the second would be a miracle.
Quotes Worth ReQuoting:
- Your actions speak louder than your intentions. Carey Nieuwhof
- I was given the impression that Jesus was a gentle creature…Then I looked at the New Testament. There I found an account, not in the least of a person with his hair parted in the middle or his hands clasped in appeal, but an extraordinary being with lips of thunder and acts of lurid decision, casting out devils, passing with the wild secrecy of the wind.… He flung furniture down the front steps of the Temple and asked men how they expected to escape the damnation of Hell. He said such weak and innocuous things as ‘I’ve come to set the earth on fire.’ The diction used about Christ has been, perhaps wisely, sweet and submissive. But the diction used by Christ is quite curiously gigantesque, it is full of camels leaping through needles and mountains hurled into the sea.” G.K. Chesterton
Please Pray for Puerto Rico. Christ Church just postponed our second work trip to PR because of safety concerns related to the ongoing earth tremors. It is hard to imagine the ongoing hardships being faced by the people there.
The Baby Dearth: Just before FutureView went to press two years ago, I pulled a chapter on the coming population implosion. Early readers thought it was too dark and controversial and I decided they were right. More is being written about the challenges ahead of us. National Review’s article, “The Global Fertility Crisis,” is worth a quick read.
Closing Prayer: Lord! Going out from this silence, teach me to be more alert, humble, expectant, than I have been in the past: ever ready to encounter you in quiet, homely ways: in every appeal to my compassion, every act of unselfish love which shows up and humbles my imperfect love, may I recognize you: still walking through the world. Give me that grace of simplicity which alone can receive your mystery. Come and abide with me! Meet me, walk with me! Enlighten my mind! And then, come in! Enter my humble life with its poverty and its limitations as you entered the stable of Bethlehem, the workshop of Nazareth, the cottage of Emmaus. Bless and consecrate the material of that small and ordinary life. Feed and possess my soul. Amen. (Evelyn Underhill, 1875-1941)