Cain and Abel: One of the few things I remember from Sunday School as a child, was that Cain killed Abel because “Abel wasn’t able to defend himself.” This week I heard someone suggest that this murder happened “at church.” I hadn’t heard that before. But now that I have, it does explain a few things.
Lie to Your Kids. I am re-running this WSJ article by Erica Komisar, a therapist who suggests that atheists lie to their children about God, because “the alternative is to tell them that they’re simply going to die and return to dust.” To be clear, I do not believe we should embrace Christ because Christianity is helpful. Rather, I believe we should yield to Him because He is God and Christianity is true. But in Don’t Believe in God? Lie to Your Children, Komisar makes a point too few seem to see: nihilism has consequences.
Praise Versus Thanksgiving: As one who promotes the ACTS acrostic for prayer – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication – I remain on the lookout for better ways to explain the difference between Adoration (praise) and Thanksgiving. My answer to date has been: we praise God for who He is; we thank Him for what He has done. This week’s devotional reading included Habakkuk 3, where the prophet declares: Even though the fig trees have no blossoms and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! Perhaps the way I should contrast praise and thanks is to note that we should praise God “even though things are not unfolding as we wish.” (It seems that next week about half of the country may need to be reminded that they should praise God even though their candidate lost.)
Zoom Towns: Now that COVID has fast-forwarded working-from-home, Zoomtowns – i.e., the 1,522 US towns that: 1) have a population less than 25,000; 2) are located near a park or lake; and 3) are at least 15 miles from a census-designated urban area – are booming. (Forbes lists some of the most popular ones here.)
My Apologies: It turns out Wednesday (Oct. 28) was Chocolate Day and I let it go by unheralded. Sorry. The least I could have done is repeat the many health benefits of dark chocolate. After all, as Charles Schultz said, “All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
Without Comment: 1) Early expectations were that sheltering-in-place would lead to both a baby boom and a spike in divorces. Neither seems to be happening. In this report, we hear that the pandemic has made people appreciate their spouse more and that the number of couples reporting that their marriage is in trouble has fallen from 40% in 2019 to 29% in 2020; 2) eighty thousand Southern Baptists, most of them older adults, have been trained in disaster relief and have responded to 136 disasters across the country.
Old Books: I’ve been a fan of old books since hearing C.S. Lewis advocate for them (which you can read here). My appreciation of Alan Jacobs – the author of Breaking Bread with the Dead – is more recent, but sincere. So, I was excited to hear him interviewed by The Trinity Forum’s Cherie Harder. You can listen to the interview here or read a modified transcript here.
Quotes Worth Requoting: “When the early believers converted to Christ, it never occurred to them to fit Him into the margins of their busy lives. They redefined themselves around a new, immovable center. He was not an optional weekend activity, along with the kids’ soccer practices. They put Him and His church and His cause first in their hearts, first in their schedules, first in their budgets, first in their reputations, first in their very lives. They devoted themselves.” Ray Ortlund
Branding: I know it’s been going on for a while, but it still rankles me that every piece of fruit I go to bite into has a sticker on it. It makes me want to track down the marketers at Del Monte and Dole and say, “Look, God made this piece of fruit. When you can start with nothing and create an apple, you can take credit for it.”
The Fourth Branch: A healthy democracy really, really, really, really, really needs a press it can trust. It seems to me that we have fewer journalists and more ideological propogandists out there, and I do not have the time to triangulate every news story I hear.
Bowling Alone Turns 20: The 20th anniversary of Robert Putnam’s seminal book, Bowling Alone, did not go unnoticed. But most of the celebration directed Putnam’s way has been reserved for his new release, The Upswing. In it, the 79 year old Harvard professor – and his co-author, Shaylyn Romney Garrett – not only document society’s decline since the 60s – e.g., the retreat of civic organizations, the heightened polarization between political parties, the widening income inequality gap, the decline in religious attendance, the spike in deaths of despair, etc. – they explore some ways forward.
Nominations Now Accepted: In a few months, publications will roll out their summaries of 2020, which will include their choice for Word of the Year. I am accepting nominations now. Sheltering-in-place, social-distancing, herd immunity, Zoom (Zooming, Zoombombing, etc.), woke, quaranteam, flattening the curve, pandemic, second wave, COVIDIOT, key workers and Brexit have already been claimed.
Prayer Requests: Being president has never been easy. It now seems likely that whoever wins next week’s election will not only inherit a host of problems and a very divided electorate, but more than a few are convinced that their election is somehow illegitimate. Please remember Paul’s advice to Timothy (1 Tim 2:1f): I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Closing Prayer: O Lord, calm the waves of this heart, calm its tempests! Calm yourself, O my soul, so that the divine can act in you! Calm yourself, O my soul, so that God is able to repose in you, so that his peace may cover you! Yes, Father in heaven, often have I found that the world cannot give me peace, but make me feel that you are able to give me peace; let me know the truth of your promise: that the world may not be able to take away your peace. Amen. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)