Chapter and Verse: A few weeks back I suggested those that could not sleep should avoid Twitter and pray instead. In my devotional reading this week I stumbled upon a text to support this: Psalm 63:6. It reads, “On my bed I remember you: I think of you through the watches of the night.” For the uninitiated, the “watches of night” is military jargon for “the changing of the guard.” The suggestion is two-fold: 1) David was awake for all of them; and 2) instead of letting his mind wander, he spent his sleepless moments clinging to God. I wish you a good night sleep. Should it not come, enjoy time with God.
Racism: For all the obvious reasons, I’ve been reading a lot about race. This includes everything from books promoting Critical Race Theory (i.e., White Fragility) to those written by conservative Black authors (e.g., Sowell, Shelby Steele, et al.) A few weeks back I noted that the more I read about America and race the more I appreciate the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King. Let me again suggest that you read Letter from a Birmingham Jail every year. Let me also say that I thought Tim Keller’s recent three-part exploration of race (The Bible and Race, The Sin of Racism and A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory) was also helpful. I think the last one is particularly helpful.
A Little Bit of Chicago: A few years ago I had the opportunity to preach at a small church in the Palestinian section of Old Jerusalem. Afterwards, a woman came to me and said, “I hear you live in Chicago. I bet you sure are glad to be visiting here – on the West Bank – and not back in that danger zone.” I smiled and asked her if she had ever been to Chicago. “No,” she said. “I’d never go. I’ve been to Dallas and Washington DC, but I’d never go to Chicago.” She later told me that every time there was violence in the Middle East they say, “A little bit of Chicago has come to our neighborhood.” I laughed then – and still think it’s a bit funny. But so far this year, Chicago has had 1,384 shootings, up from 978 last year at this time. That is an increase of 42 percent.
Trust: Our life depends on trust. Without it everything seizes up. Instead of easy interactions facilitated by love and good will, we get incivility, more laws (and law enforcement) and Darwinian struggles for power. These not only add cost and inertia to everything, they further erode trust. Among the curves I’d like to flatten is the one charting our growing lack of trust.
Happy? I read recently that if you are not happy, you should find better friends. Well, hmm. How does that work? I thought one of the things friends did was hang in there when things are difficult (read: not happy). There may be times I might think, I want “better friends.” But what if they feel the same. I sure do not want my friends looking for better friends. How about this, “If you are not happy, focus on making someone else happy… like one of your friends.”
Quotes Worth Requoting: “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” John Owen
Ending Well: A seminary professor recently noted that when his father turned 80, he asked God “to save me from the sins of old men.” What are these sins? 1) jealousy of the young; 2) laziness; 3) insufficient prayer for children and grandchildren; 4) a willingness to turn on the television to meet my loneliness; and 5) bitterness. It’s quite a list. It’s also sobering to realize that temptations to sin never go away, they just take different forms.
Another Comment for the Fifty Plus Set: While I am sharing comments for those in the second half (third, or fourth quarter, etc.), it’s worth revisiting John Maxwell’s question: “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”
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