Happy Friday:
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton
and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
Luke 7:34
Jesus did not deserve the scorn he received from the Pharisees, but one of their accusations was spot on: He was a friend to sinners. Time and again he gravitated toward “the least, the last and the lost.” Think: the awkward, needy, socially reviled and morally reprobate. Do you gravitate towards the least?
Forty Years: Last weekend I made the trek to Greencastle, Indiana to hang out with a bunch of old people at our their fortieth college reunion. I’ll spare you the cliches – e.g., “time flies,” “there are no friends like old friends,” etc. – pausing only long enough to remind you that clichés are often true. Instead, I will note: 1) Though some people are doing better or much worse than expected, most people’s lives make sense; 2) Addictions are devastating and defining; 3) More people own their struggles at their 40th reunion than do at their 10th; 4) The most consistent concerns of sixty-somethings are their children.
In His Timing: As I’ve shared before, one of the encouraging things about reunions with my fraternity brothers is seeing how many now embrace faith and are serving in interesting and thoughtful ways. During our student days, I often joined a group that was praying that our friends would come to faith. When we graduated, there was little to suggest our prayers had been heard. Oh we of little faith.
Without Comment: 1) The US is tracking toward 2.5M weddings in 2022, up from 1.25M in 2020; 2) During the six-week Johnny Depp / Amber Heard trial, The Law & Crime Network’s YouTube feed garnered nearly one billion views; 3) Several polls suggest the percentage of Hispanics who will vote for R’s in the next election will be higher than the percentage of Whites who do so; 4) Last week inflation in Turkey measured 73.5%.
Burnout Clarified: A friend recently noted that burnout is not just what happens when you work too much, it’s what happens when your emotional investment does not garner the expected return.
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Marijuana: A few years ago, Illinois legalized recreational marijuana. The info in this WSJ piece– which undermines both the “THC is just like alcohol” and the “societal costs will be more than paid for by the free money brought in by taxing it” claims – suggest that was a bad move. For my thoughts on legalizing marijuana, click here.
Speaking of Addictions: The famous 1970s “Rat Park” experiment – discussed here – makes two important points: 1) We not only need to avoid addictive substances, we need to build healthy lives; 2) We need each other. The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is connection.
Speaking of Addictions #2: Last week I asked for your input on lessons learned over the last few years. Thanks to the many of you who wrote back. I’ll be summarizing your comments and reporting back soon. Forgive my indulgence, but given last week’s success, I am asking for your input on a different question this week: What do you think is the most common addiction in the U.S. today?
But is it Safe?: Many put off a trip to the Holy Land because they do not believe Israel is safe. As info: Israel’s homicide rate is 1.5 cases per 100,000 people; Chicago’s is 29.5. If Chicago were a country, it would not only be listed as more dangerous than Israel, but more dangerous than Iraq, Russia and Afghanistan.
Worth Noting: The number of those worried about the economy – Jamie Dimon, Larry Summers, Elon Musk, et. al., – and those worried about a global famine – the editors of The Economist, the directors of the World Bank, global commodity markets – appear to be growing.
Word of the Week: Social Media has elevated the ability of the L and R to raise money and momentum by highlighting the most ridiculous comments of the other side. The word for this is: nutpicking. We need to learn that while there are a lot of NUTS out there, some days there are more nutpickers.
Closing Prayer: Most gracious Father, we most humbly beseech you for your holy church. Fill it with all truth; in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purge it; where it is in error, direct it; where anything is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen and confirm it; where it is in need, furnish it; where it is divided and torn apart, make up its breaches, O holy One of Israel. Amen. (William Laud 1573-1645)