Happy Friday,
If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.
Elijah, I Kings 18
If you’ve read I Kings 18, you know that Elijah had courage. It turns out, he also had a plan. By asking people to act in a manner consistent with their beliefs, he was trying to force them to face reality. Elijah believed that Baal was a false god and that those who honestly followed him would eventually realize as much. His plan – make that his “evangelistic strategy” – was to challenge people to live a life consistent with their stated belief. We should adopt Elijah’s bold, thoughtful and ultimately loving approach. And we should also accept his challenge to live a life consistent with our stated beliefs. “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
20X = Y? I’ve been wondering how many first world problems it takes to equal a real problem? Five? Fifty? To be clear, some of you are facing real problems while living in the first world. Please know that I have no desire to diminish your pain or discount the challenges you face. But I know a guy who spends a lot of time whining, and best I can tell, he doesn’t face many real problems. What’s your number? Twenty? Two hundred?
SNL Classics: Since I can’t get much distance from the guy who whines – or the news – I’ve been a bit more proactive in seeking out humor. Here are a few SNL classics to bring some levity to your day, here, here and here.
If Only: What are your “What ifs?” I am referring to those moments that went one way instead of the other, leaving you thinking, “If only this event went the other way.” If only Lincoln had lived to integrate the south. If only Bonhoeffer’s bomb had taken out Hitler. If only Luther and Calvin had agreed on the nature of communion. Because I believe in God’s sovereign hand, this exercise is more parlor game than anything else. Furthermore, I can cite a list of events where good things happened when they were not expected – e.g., What if the Pilgrims had never met Squanto? What if George Washington held onto the presidency until his death, failing to establish the precedent of voluntarily relinquishing power? But this week I am asking for your “if onlys.”
Leadership Classic: This week’s leadership classic features the Johari Window, which was first articulated in 1955 by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham. If you are not familiar with this concept, do yourself a favor and read it here. You can then think about ways to shrink your blind spot.
Word(s) of the Week: I normally try to focus on the word of the week, but this week I kept seeing two phrases that I thought needed to be called out. The first is the now ubiquitous phrase, “Holiday from History.” It’s the idea that what we are living through (war, pandemic, inflation, polarization) is normal, and the last fifty years were not. The second phrase is “tactical nuclear warfare.” I’m not sure I know what constitutes the use of tactical as a qualifier.
Saint Patrick: If you are not sick of all things green, you might enjoy my interview with Dr. Miriam Kelly, a Professor of Irish Church History at the Irish Bible Institute. The topic was Saint Patrick and Celtic Christianity. You can access it here.
Without Comment: 1) In 2021, only 47% of Americans said they belong to a church, down from 70% in 1999; 2) Last year $3.7B was spent lobbying the US federal government; 3) The Census Bureau has determined that: they undercounted Native Americans by 5.6%, Latinos by 5% and Blacks by 3.3%, and overcounted Whites by 1.6% and Asians by 2.6%; 4) One in ten Americans have never traveled outside the state they were born in and fifty percent have visited ten or fewer states; 5) More than 2/3 of US households own a gun; 6) Only 1/3 of Americans can pass the US citizenship exam; 7) One in six women in the US has been sexually assaulted; 8) The US is approaching one million COVID deaths.
Happiness 2.0: In recent weeks, I’ve referenced HBS professor Arthur Brooks’ new book, From Strength to Strength. In it he suggests that we need three things to be happy: faith, friends and meaningful work. In light of that, I couldn’t help notice what Ukraine’s President Zelensky said during a recent press conference. In replying to a question about how he was doing, he said, “My life today is wonderful. I believe that I am needed. That’s the most important sense of life: that you are needed—that you are not just an emptiness that breathes and walks and eats something.” By the way, one of the ways to right size your first world problems is to serve others.
Closing Prayer: Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no selfish desires may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no troubles can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy ambitions may tempt aside. Give us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, perseverance to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Thomas Aquinas – 1225–1274).