God guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
Psalm 25:9
Many ask, “How can I know God’s will?” Psalm 25 suggests that humility is critical. The real question may be less, “How does God guide?” but, “Who does God guide?”
Ending Well: Many pastors end poorly. Last Friday I attended a two-hour celebration for one who ended well. Like other organizations, churches take on the personality of long-time leaders. That can be a blessing or a curse. In this case, it’s a blessing: the congregation loves Christ and has an irenic spirit, just like their retiring pastor. In his brief comments at the end of the night, the pastor said, “there is a difference between being famous and being loved. I am so thankful to be loved.” May his tribe increase!
Influence: The departing pastor made another comment worth pondering. He noted that influence is an odd thing. “Someone says or does something, and then forgets about it. The other person is moved by what was said (or done), and reflects on it often. It shapes their path. When the first person hears this, they are humbled. They can hardly take credit for it. They do not even remember saying it.” May we all be mindful of our influence.
Time Races By: It turns out the pace of life has increased, and 2012 was a pivot point. That was the year smartphones became the norm, high-speed internet popped up everywhere and websites started to be designed for mobile devices. So, yes, the pace is now faster. By the way, in case you blinked, we are now one-fifth of the way through the twenty-first century.
Quotes Worth ReQuoting:
- For the essence of sin is a man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. John Stott
- All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring
- Above all else, trust the slow work of God. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Wright on Worship: N.T. Wright offers some helpful insights on idolatry and worship. “One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship, not only to the object itself but also outward to the world around. Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sex objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the image-bearing quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch.”
Pain Management: A surgeon recently noted that today’s patients are less prepared for pain than in the past. “I tell them, ‘I am going to prescribe enough pain meds to make your post-op discomfort manageable.’ But I stress that ‘you will be in some pain.’ Many have virtually no tolerance for any discomfort, and they express their frustration in the post-op patient survey they fill out.” Both our decreasing tolerance of pain and a surgeon’s concern over patients’ post-op surveys are lamentable.
Knuth 2.0: After last week’s entry about Knuth – the computer mastermind who quit email in the 90s “after 15 years of using it” – more than a few of you pinged me. “There is no way this guy quit email in the ‘90s after 15 years of using it. It wasn’t around before the 90s.” Well, email may not have been around for you and me, but it was for bleeding-edge code-jockeys working in Silicon Valley. You can read more about Knuth, his legacy and his other time management hacks in this NYT piece, The Yoda of Silicon Valley.
Without (Much) Comment:
- According to Nielsen, twice as many people watched The Young and the Restless as watched the impeachment trial last week. (There is a joke to be made about competing soap operas, but I am not going to go there).
- When JFK ran for president in 1960, he was criticized for his outlandish spending on the campaign. Humphrey was particularly incensed that Kennedy spent $72K on radio ads in Wisconsin. JFK defended himself by noting that Eisenhower had spent $2.5M on his campaign. In today’s dollars, Eisenhower had spent about $20M. By way of reference: Trump spent $1B in 2016, and Hillary spent $1.5B.
- The percentage of American workers in a union today is 10%, compared to 29% in 1964.
- A study published last year found that just over 42 percent of Democrats and Republicans view the opposition as “downright evil.”
- The average person makes 35,000 decisions a day.
Prayer Requests: We are approaching the launch of a new campus in Vernon Hills. Starting a new church is a lot of fun, a lot of work and an act of war. Prayers are appreciated.
Changes are Coming: I have been writing these emails for a few years now. They are due for a makeover. In the next few months you can expect some changes. If you have suggestions, send them my way.
Closing Prayer: My Lord God, my all in all, Life of my life, and Spirit of my spirit, look in mercy on me and so fill me with your Holy Spirit that my heart has no room for love of anything but you. I ask from you no other gift but yourself, for you are the giver of life and all its blessings. From you I ask not for the world or its treasures, neither do I beg for heaven. I desire and long for you alone, and where you are, there is heaven. Amen. Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889 – 1929)