July 24, 2020

I am hand-copying the Gospel of John –  ten verses a day – and in the process noticing things previously overlooked. Here is one: though the Samaritans initially came to hear Jesus because the woman at the well told them how amazing He was, He quickly wowed them on His own. Their experience was not unique. When you read the black letters after the red letters you’ll find Jesus left people amazed. “Who is this man! We’ve never heard someone speak like this before. He has such authority!” Lord, may we hear your voice and be likewise amazed.

The North Siders: The Cubs are in first place!

Religious Zeal: There is a lot of zeal out there, and some of it is spilling out in unhelpful ways. This shouldn’t shock us. We are religious people. Some of what we are seeing is what happens when zeal is poured out for something other than Christ. As G.K. Chesterton observed, “When we cease to believe in God, it’s not that we believe in nothing, it’s that we believe in everything.”

Cancelled: I am praying that as more cancellers are cancelled, more will collectively realize the genius of Christ’s admonition to treat others as we wish to be treated.

Entering Phase Four: The Hartford Institute for Religion Research released a summary of twenty studies about how churches are weathering the pandemic. If you want details, click here, but the names they use to list the phases tell you most of what you need to know: 1) we started with Lost and Reactive; 2) moved into Hardship but Hopeful; 3) that was followed by Resilient Stability and now we are entering 4) Exhaustion and Uncertainty. I like the sound of three much better than four!

Quotes Worth Requoting:

• If you give priority to the outer life, your inner life will be dark and scary. You will not know what to do with solitude. You will be deeply uncomfortable with self-examination, and you will have an increasingly short attention span for any kind of reflection. Even more seriously, your life will lack integrity: Outwardly, you will need to project confidence, spiritual and emotional health and wholeness, while inwardly you may be filled with self-doubts, anxieties, self-pity, and old grudges. Tim Keller
• America is a strange place. There are only 2 sides to every issue… so you must pick a side and then there is always conflict… there is no middle ground, not shades of gray.” Trevor Noah, South African born, late night host.

Ken Follett: In spite of book sales north of 160M, I had not heard of Ken Follett, a British author who writes about the Middle Ages, until recently. His novels cover some of the church’s darkest moments (e.g., the Inquisition) – so there is more than a bit to wince about. But I’ve enjoyed them anyway, and occasionally found something worth pondering. For instance, there was this line from A Column of Fire. “He was what the English called a “politician” – in French un politique – meaning, that he made decisions about religion according to what he thought was good for his country, rather than the other way around.”

The Daily Update: When COVID hit, I started a daily, five-minute, video devotion – here was yesterday’s – to stay in touch during COVID. I recently decided to keep these going indefinitely. In fact, starting tomorrow, I am adding a special Saturday devotion called One Hundred Inflection Points that will examine the most significant people, events and ideas of the last two thousand years. If you want to sign up to get these (the M-F biblical devotions and the Saturday church history devotions come as a package), click here. (This is free.)

Vanity?: Did you know that 1/3 of American men recently said they would be willing to try makeup for Zoom calls, and that younger generations take over 100 million selfies a day.

A Wish: I wish we lived in a society that took Kanye’s mental illness more seriously than his presidential run.

BLM / MLK / Etc.: Discussions about race in general – and Black Lives Matter in particular – remain the source of most responses to this newsletter. Having mentioned that, let me note two things:

• Last week I said, “I’m doubling down on what I wrote: 1) Christ-followers must find ways to celebrate the dignity of black people and better understand the unique challenges they face; and 2) we must listen carefully to the agendas of any political organization we support.” I should have used the word examine not listen.
• In advance of some upcoming discussions on race, I’ve been talking to friends, listening to pod casts about race, and reading books – all about race. And I am doing so from voices on both the left and the right. The more people I take in on race, racism, racial tension, etc., the more I marvel at the moral wisdom and courageous leadership of Martin Luther King.

Closing Prayer: Dear Jesus, Overflow doesn’t always define my life these days, but oh, how I want it to. I pray that your extension of friendship to me would wow my heart today, that you would cause the overflow of joy I so desperately desire. I want to represent you well. I want my life to be irresistible, just as yours was when you busied yourself on earth. I know my joy comes in direct proportion to my closeness to you, so please draw near. I do want to be your friend, Jesus. As I survey today, help me prepare my heart to meet it with gusto, fueled by the strength of the Holy Spirit. Help me to rest in knowing that you have already called me your friend, and that my appropriate response is to interact as a friend would—listening and sharing my day. But our friendship is more than that because you are God and I am not. You have things you want me to do: tasks to perform, people to love, a life to live wholeheartedly. I show you my friendship by my obedience to you, the holy one. Amen. (Ed Gant)