Undo

Happy Boxing Day,

The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Psalm 119:72

If someone offered you one billion dollars to give up the Bible, would you take it? I’m quite sure a younger me would have wrestled with that offer. After all, you can do a lot of good with one billion dollars. I’m also pretty sure the 62-year-old me would turn it down simply to avoid the headaches and responsibilities that much money would bring. The question seems to be: Do we find in the Bible a connection with Christ and a joyful hope we cannot live without – i.e., the same thing the Psalmist did?

The Undo/Do-Over Option: I love the  command Word offers, and I use it all the time. It is to word processing what the mulligan is to golf. Oh how I wish I had one for daily life. The grace and forgiveness of God – upon which I cling –  are like the do-over command, but not quite. If any of you find this app in real life, let me know.

Without Comment: 1) This Pew Study suggests that most religious people believe the earth is sacred and that we should take care of it. However, it also notes that religious people are less likely to be concerned about climate change than non-religious people; 2) Michael Gerson – George W. Bush’s speech writer who became a political commentator for the WAPO – passed away this week at 58. Among other things, Gerson – a thoughtful evangelical – is credited with several memorable phrases, including “axis of evil.” Click here to read his much heralded 2013 piece about his son going to college; 3) More than 1,000 professors have signed the Stanford Academic Freedom Statement, arguing that universities should embrace free speech, academic freedom and institutional neutrality; 4) The popularity of Zillow – which had over 9.6 billion hits last year, says something about our loves and lusts. There is a reason it’s called “house porn;” 5) Qatar – a small, oil rich, Muslim country – is proving to be a controversial location for the World Cup. In addition to being accused of bribing FIFA officials to secure the tournament – and having 6,500 workers die in construction of the stadiums – they banned beer sales at the last minute. That said, they cannot be accused of skimping on costs. In 2018, Russia spent $12B to construct stadiums for the event. Qatar spent $200 billion; 6) Remember, authoritarian regimes look strong on the outside but are weak on the inside; democracies look weak on the outside but are often strong on the inside.

2022’s Most Popular Names: For boys: Max, Charlie, Cooper, Milo, Buddy and Rocky. For girls: Luna, Bella, Daisy, Lucy, Lily and Zoe. FYI, this information is from rover.com and is for dogs. For cats the top names are: Oliver, Milo, Leo, Charlie and Max. And Luna, Lily, Bella, Lucy and Nala.

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Thankfulness: In addition to being filled with comments about food comas and turkey sales, this week’s media had a number of articles about the benefits of being thankful. I read several of them and was most thankful for this one. BTW, though some sing its praises and sales have climbed to $50M – Tofukrey (i.e., tofu turkey) – is still a distant second to the big bird itself ($5B).

Quotes Worth Requoting: 1) We can avoid reality, but we cannot avoid the consequences of reality. Unknown; 2) Our world has more information, but less and less wisdom. More data; less clarity. More stimulation; less synthesis. More distraction; less stillness. More pontificating; less pondering. More opinion; less research. More speaking; less listening. More to look at; less to see. More amusements; less joy. There is more, but we are less. Brett McCracken; 3) There is nothing that can be done with anger that cannot be done better without it. Dallas Willard

Thoughts about Twitter: While I marvel at Elon’s ability to “distribute his brain cycles” across Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter, Neuralink and The Boring Company – and though I occasionally laugh at his antics – I’m starting to think we’ll all be better off when he heads to Mars. We need those with his level of influence to be a bit more reflective, thoughtful and adult. Musk embodies the kind of leader we get when we value intelligence over wisdom.

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Saying No to Despair: A few months ago, this article in First Things sparked a big debate in the small world in which I live. In it, Aaron Renn advanced the idea that the outside world’s attitude toward Christianity has moved through three phases: positive (pre-1994); neutral (1994-2014);  and negative (2014-present). I see value in Renn’s work, but side with Alan Jacobs, whose response to Renn is here. I would not normally drag you into this kind of discussion. (I think part of my job is reading things like this so you don’t have to.) But if you are despairing over the state of our world, this might help.

Prayer Request: I hope you enjoy this quiet Friday with friends and family. I also hope that at this moment when our world seems particularly full of tension and hotspots, that you will join me in praying for those who are suffering. As I write this, I am particularly focused on the families of the people recently killed at Club Q in Colorado Springs and the University of Idaho. I can’t imagine the devastation of their moms and dads. Let us pray for justice, and for good to come from evil. May we learn to love each other well.

Closing Prayer: May God the Father, and the eternal High Priest Jesus Christ, build us up in faith and truth and love, and grant us our portion among the saints with all those who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for all believers, for kings and rulers, for the enemies of the cross of Christ, and for ourselves. We pray that our fruit may abound and we be made perfect in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. (Polycarp 69 – 155)