Happy Friday,
“How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him;
but if Baal is God, follow him.”
Elijah, I Kings 18
We tend to make life more complicated than it is. At one level, we are the decisions we make. Wavering is ill-advised. Make the call.
The Second Most Important Thing: What we think about God is the second most important thing about us. It shapes how we think and live. If I could climb inside your head and perfectly understand your thoughts about God, I would know the life you’d live. Our view of ultimate matters ultimately shapes us. What we think about God is the second most important thing about us.
Did God Send COVID-19 to Punish Us? I’m sure someone is claiming God sent the virus as judgment. I’m equally sure they know exactly what we are being judged for. (They likely also have a fund you can contribute to help make things right.) However, it is worth noting, I have yet to hear anyone reporting on this story. FWIW, I’m not persuaded that COVID-19 was sent as punishment for our sins, but I’m not sure it’s a good thing that no one is even entertaining that possibility.
The Most Important Thing: BTW, I suspect you are wondering, “If what we think about God is the second most important thing about us, what is the most important thing?” According to C.S. Lewis, it’s what God thinks about us.
Question of the Day: How many of the Ten Commandments can you name? I ask because many who claim to base their life on them can name less than four. (You can turn to Exodus 20 for the list, or just ask Siri or Alexa.)
Worth Noting: We should be aware that our deepest longings are not necessarily our strongest ones. Furthermore, we should understand that we can only tell the difference if we slow down once in a while. On a related note, technology – and the 24×7 news it delivers – is wonderful in helping us stay “on top of the news.” But it does us a disservice if our goal is to “get to the bottom of things.”
What an Odd World. I recently learned that Phil Knight, the former CEO of Nike, said, “For years we thought of ourselves as a production-oriented company, meaning we put all our emphasis on designing and manufacturing [shoes]. But now we understand the most important thing we do is market [the shoes].” He went on to say that Nike’s mission is, “To nurture relevant emotional ties between the Nike brand and the consumer.” Emotional ties? With my shoes? Or – more specifically – with the logos on my shoes? Wow, things are getting weird.
The Chosen: I’ve not seen The Chosen, but it’s been recommended enough times, and by enough different sources – e.g., Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Rotten Tomatoes, The Atlantic, friends and family – that I plan to. It also feels like I should encourage you to watch it as well. You can watch the first season on YouTube or download this app to watch all of it.
Connected Yet Disconnected: More reports have rolled out noting that today’s 18–22 year-olds are the “most virtually connected and loneliest” segment of the U.S. population. That observation led a friend to send this Oct. 11, 2019, WSJ piece on friendship.
Without Comment: 1) There has been a decade-to-decade increase of over 4,400 percent in the number of teenage girls seeking treatment at the U.K.’s national gender clinic; 2) Since Air Jordans were released twenty years ago, it is estimated that 1,200 people are killed for their sneakers each year; 3) The Washington Post recently reported that nearly one in three Americans experienced a weather disaster this summer.
The World of Bowling: Years ago, a friend claimed the world was divided into three groups: scholars, athletes, and bowlers. He went on to claim that he was the rare scholar-athlete, and that the reason he’d lost to me in bowling was because, although I’d only bowled a few times in my life, I was clearly a bowler at heart. This video – which oddly made me laugh – made me think of my friend’s claims, which made me laugh some more. No promises, but I think we need more laughter these days. The ambient anger index is climbing.
Closing Prayer: In light of the opening challenge by Elijah, I offer this prayer, which Skye Jethani recently brought to my attention. “Blessed be your name, Lord God, who has set before me life and death, and has invited me to choose life. Now, Lord God, I choose life, with all my heart. I choose you, my God, for you are my life. Lord, make me completely holy, that all my spirit, soul, and body may be a temple for you. Live in me and be my God and I will be your servant. Amen.” (Thomas Ken – 1637 – 1711)