Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. The Apostle Paul
Bruised and Bloodied: Over the years, I’ve known three pastors recruited to serve as a “spiritual advisor to a president.” Each was played and bloodied – not by the president as much as the DC system and the media, but bloodied all the same. During the COVID maelstrom there is a different punching bag. It’s not pastors, it’s scientists – or science itself.
Churches as Typhoid Mary? Churches in South Korea, France, Germany – and most recently, rural Arkansas – have been blamed for being COVID hotspots. Count me among those who want churches to do everything they can to keep people safe. But let me point out, one of the reasons churches are hot spots is because they remain places where real people from across all sections of life come together to share life.
An Insightful Comment in the Trib: I read an interesting Memorial Day piece in this week’s Chicago Tribune. It was written by a neuropsychologist who is an expert on the effects of brain trauma and behavior. Given that her piece contained stories of the long-term suffering of veterans, it was not fun to read. But learning more felt like the least I could do, especially on Memorial Day weekend. You can read the entire piece here. I was particularly taken by this line, which seemed true in contexts far beyond the one the author was referencing: “Treatment works in proportion to the amount of truth we tell. If the patient tells a little bit of truth, the patient gets a little bit better. If the patient tells a lot of truth, the patient gets a lot better. The reason this works is because the human spirit longs to be understood. Without feeling that there is at least one other person who understands us—who sees us in all our splendor and our shame—we cannot be well.”
The Future Belongs to Those Who Show Up for It: It’s been a while since I’ve channeled Chicken Little and whined about demographic trends. My respite is not for lack of ammunition. There is plenty. For instance, this National Review piece notes that the US birthrate has never been lower. Indeed the US birthrate is now lower than the death rate. Here’s hoping that sheltering-in-place leads to a baby boomlet.
The Bigger Problem: Last month’s gut-wrenching video brought attention to Ahmaud Arbery’s murder. This week’s video is about George Floyd. It’s worth noting that today’s darkest stories are not about viruses. We can tame those. They are about the darkness is our own hearts.
Quotes Worth Requoting: “I have more in common with a black female African Christian than I do with a white American male; I have more in common with those who are a part of the family of God than I have with people of my own nationality, my own race, my own economic status…because those things aren’t going to last. I’m not always going to be an American, but I’m always going to be in God’s family for trillions and trillions of years.” Rick Warren
Ravi: Thirty-five years ago this month, a young Ravi Zacharias was the commencement speaker at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School during my graduation ceremonies. I had not heard of him before, but his ability to “help thinkers believe and challenge believers to think” made me an immediate fan. Cancer led to Ravi’s ultimate graduation ceremony last week. RIP. The Internet is full of Zacharias’ talks and debates. You really can’t go wrong. Here is his October 2019 conversation with Dave Rubin, a secular Jew in his mid-40s who hosts a popular talk show called The Rubin Report. It’s 55 minutes packed with insight.
Closing Prayer: “You taught us, Lord, that the greatest love a man can show is to lay down his life for his friends. But your love was greater still, because you laid down your life for your enemies. It was while we were still enemies that you reconciled us to yourself by your death. What other love has ever been, or could ever be, like yours? You suffered unjustly for the sake of the unjust. You died at the hands of sinners for the sake of the sinful. You became a slave to tyrants, to set the oppressed free. Amen.” Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)