Happy Friday
Set your mind on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God the Father.
Saint Paul, Colossians 3
If we are alert to what is going on – both around us and in our own heart – we will find much to be unsettled by. In light of this, I end up telling some people that their melancholy is a sign their heart is working. But we must not stop there – at least not for long. Despair is a sin. We must heed Paul’s advice to “set our mind on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” May we never forget: God wins. Jesus prevails. Setbacks are temporary. Eternity changes everything.
BTW: Without dismissing the idea that much is going wrong, I want to remind you that much is going right. The situation is complicated, but we are wise to remind ourselves that a lot of good news goes unreported, while at least some bad news is made up.
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To the Train Station: It’s time to repeat my friend’s annual autumn line. Every September he announces that he likes to visit the local train station this time of year in order to “watch something that starts moving without me pushing it.” Those who do what I do – and many others (e.g., teachers, coaches, parents, etc.) – are pushing right now.
Lakelight Institute: One of the things I am helping push is Lakelight Institute (LLI) – our new effort to provide “timeless wisdom for modern life.” We begin a series of initiatives this Fall, including: website resources, classes, fellows program, and a series of talks with experts in their field. Save the date for one of the early Lakelight Talks on September 18th. It is with D.A. Carson, a renowned author, biblical scholar, and co-founder with Tim Keller of the Gospel Coalition. Following his presentation, I will interview him. If you have questions for Dr. Carson, send them my way. You can get more information here.
A Preview of Coming Headaches: The Communications Officer at Binance – a crypto company – issued a press release claiming that a deep fake video of him was being used to dupe investors. Some are now claiming that the officer’s charge of being the subject of a deep fake was the real fake. I’ve not yet heard if claims of the faked fake were true or also faked. I’m sure this will all be cleared up soon. If there is one thing that you can be sure of these days, it’s that all confusing items get cleared up and we all eventually agree on everything.
Without Comment: 1) Approximately 333.2 billion emails are sent every day, 85% of which are spam. (To my surprise, apparently only 63% of them are being sent directly to me.); 2) Those who read the news “most of the time” are nearly three times more likely to have a distorted view of their political opponents than those who only watch the news “now and then;” 3) Jimmy Donaldson – AKA, MrBeast – is an American YouTube personality with over 100 million followers. He first went viral in 2017 when, at the age of 19, he recorded himself counting to 100,000. Having apparently “cracked the algorithm,” MrBeast’s new videos occasionally get more hits than the Super Bowl; 4) In 2021, two books sold over 1 million copies each – Dav Pilkey’s children’s book and Mark Levin’s political commentary. During the same twelve months, eighty million copies of the Bible were printed.
The Streitsüchtig Index? I’m not sure the Ambient Anger Index is a helpful measurement, because our “collective anger” does not seem at all collective. The Dodd decision infuriated some but pleased others. The same can be said about: The raid on Mar-a-Lago, Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan and about five hundred other things. I’ve started shopping around for a new term. Polarization Index? FWIW, the German word streitsüchtig translates “dispute-addicted.” That is closer, but not perfect.
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Free Speech: One of the reasons we’re having trouble talking things out is because some conflate their thinking and their value. Consequently, those who suggest their thinking is flawed are perceived to be saying that they have no value. This is not the way conversations worked in the past. We need to advance the idea that while every person has value, not every idea does. Some ideas are wrong. BTW, if no one can say an idea is wrong, we not only lose free speech, we lose free thought.
Old Books: If you’ve not read C.S. Lewis’s short article on reading old books – or if it’s been a while since you last did – do yourself a favor and read it this weekend. It’s here.
Quote Worth Requoting: Sorry to double up on Lewis, but I am struck again by his insight. This time it’s part of his critique of modernism found in the Abolition of Man. “We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.”
More on Prayer: As part of Christ Church’s 21 Days of Prayer campaign, I interviewed Jed Coppenger – the book’s author – on this week’s podcast. You can access it here.
Prayer Request: In addition to asking for prayer for the launch of both the new ministry year and LLI, please pray for Renew Communities. We’ve had a good summer and now head into a busy Fall. In addition to the Surber Golf Tournament – which has raised well over $1M in the last six years – we have an important funding presentation on September 13th, and the Race to Renew on October 1st.
The Lord’s Prayer – Extended Edition: In last weekend’s sermon I included an expanded version of the Lord’s prayer. You can find it here.
Closing Prayer: Let your love dissolve my hard heart. Let your love raise me above myself. Let your love reveal to me joy beyond imagination. Let my soul exhaust itself in singing the praises of your love. Let me love you more than I love myself, and let me love myself only for your sake. And let me see your love shining in the hearts of all people, that I may love them as I love you. Amen. (Thomas à Kempis – 1379 – 1471)