Happy Friday,
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
Instead of reading the Bible, we should let it read us – allowing it to underline those areas of our lives we need to address.
Not Neutral: Many wrongly assume that Christ’s gift to us is the removal of our sin. Yes, but that is only half of it. Jesus doesn’t only deal with our guilt. He also imputes His righteousness. An encounter with Christ does not leave us as though, “I had never sinned.” It is as if, “I’d already lived a perfect life.”
The Temptations of Pastors: Clergy failures in the news tend to involve sex. But as a friend noted, most pastors fail in other ways. They (we): 1) fail to act courageously; 2) end up embracing pragmatism; 3) or wind up more shaped by books other than the Bible than by the Bible itself.
Mr. Goodbar: I seldom join boycotts, but I am considering it this once. A group is suggesting we protest Hasbro’s decision to replace Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head with the gender-fluid “Potato Head.” Their specific plea is that we buy all the Mr. Goodbars we can find. Suffering for Jesus by eating chocolate is a cross I may be willing to bear.
Easter: Last week I commented on a supermarket chain in England whose Easter marketing noted that, “Brits will on average be enjoying 3.5 eggs each over the Easter weekend alone, but over a quarter don’t know why handing them out symbolizes the birth of Jesus.” Many of you wrote to note that you were unaware that Easter eggs had anything to do with Christ’s birth. Uh, I’m not sure what to say. They do not. I ran the piece to laugh at those crazy, secular Brits. Christmas is about the birth of Christ. Easter is about His resurrection.
The Latest from Gallup: According to this report, one half of the US population now identifies as a political independent. Some of this is disenfranchisement with the Ds and Rs and some may be frustration with pollsters. But I wonder if some isn’t our growing distrust of institutions of all types.
Lessons from COVID: It seems prudent to learn all we can from 2020 and 2021. Here are a few obvious lessons: 1) We should underline James 4:13; 2) We should realize that 21st century life is more fragile than we thought; and 3) We should marvel at how convincing some find conspiracy theories. If you have more take-aways, send them my way.
Without Comment: I read that Tiger Woods – who is back in the news following his unfortunate accident – has earned $121 million on the PGA tour and $1.5 billion from endorsements.
Censorship: Last week I started a file on censorship. This week it filled up. In this piece, Justin Taylor notes Amazon’s ability to silence those it does not agree with.
Mortimer J. Adler: I enjoyed this hour long lecture by the late Mortimer J. Adler – the former editor-in-chief of The Encyclopedia Britannica and an ardent promoter of the Great Books of Western Civilization. His talk – and the Q & A that follows – was given at the DC Press Club in 1990. Had he given it today, Amazon would cancel him.
Quote Worth Requoting: Like Caribbean pines, our souls usually don’t thrive during good times. Our hearts grow complacent, our need of God becomes less urgent, our hope of heaven dims, and our prayer life dries up. In a beautiful setting — with our needs met and every resource at our fingertips — our soul shrivels. We need an occasional blast of storm or fiery trial if our faith is to mature. Joni Eareckson Tada
Closing Prayer: Grant, Lord God, that in the middle of all the discouragements, difficulties and dangers, distress and darkness of this mortal life, I may depend on your mercy, and on this build my hopes, as on a sure foundation. Let your infinite mercy in Christ Jesus deliver me from despair, both now and at the hour of death. (Thomas Wilson, 1674-1748)