Happy Friday,
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.
Psalm 119:67
We can learn much about ourselves, God, and life by suffering. Many say as much. The tuition is high, but some go so far as to thank God for it — i.e., for cancer, unemployment, and similar challenges. Not everyone, of course. And we need to be clear: not everyone gets better via suffering. Some simply get bitter. Growing through suffering requires the right conditions, starting with reflection, humility, and faith.
Duct Tape: I recently heard that with WD-40 to loosen things that are stuck and duct tape to hold things together that are broken, you can fix any problem. If only. In my job, I run into lots of stuck people and lots of broken things — e.g., marriages, families, churches, and a country or two. I don’t think either fix-all would help.
IS2M: 1) When we are assessing countries, we should pay attention to which ones people are fleeing to and which ones they are fleeing from; 2) I’ve heard a lot of religious talk this week. It surrounded the eclipse, college basketball, and the Masters. Especially the Masters. On a flight to Atlanta, I was seated around a few making their pilgrimage to Mecca (I mean Augusta). I kept hearing words like bliss, glory, awe, transcendent, and perfection.
WOTW: Honorable mention goes to double hater (which I heard used to describe the upcoming election), moral jellyfish (which was used in this Walter Russell Mead long-but-worth-it critique of higher ed), and syzygy (which describes “either of the two positions of a celestial body when sun, earth, and the body lie in a straight line.”) Full honors go to cicada-geddon, the term John Cooley (UConn’s cicada expert) coined to describe the double dose of cicadas that will invade a couple parts of the United States this year. The last time two broods of cicadas came out together was in 1803 when Thomas Jefferson was president. BTW, I chose cicada-geddon in part so I could mention UConn’s cicada expert. Without him, I’m not sure why anyone would ever say anything about UConn.
Be Encouraged: In a world where we tend to only hear the bad, it’s worth paying attention to the good. Renew Communities — a 501(c)(3) ministry started by Christ Church ten years ago — had a good year. Among other things, over 1,700 people volunteered on one of the 16 Matthew Homes under construction. Here’s a 3-minute video highlighting the ministry. BTW, if you like what you see — and you live in the area — you are welcome to attend next week’s 30-minute Ribbon and Key Ceremony. (It’s on April 17th at 4:30 p.m. at 2132 Kristan, North Chicago). Better yet, be a Matthew Home volunteer. Click here for more info.
Quotes Worth Requoting: “Many former ‘sins’ have become ‘crimes’ so that responsibility for dealing with them has passed from church to state — from priest to policeman. Others have dissipated into sickness, or at least into symptoms of sickness so that in their case, punishment has been replaced by treatment. A third convenient device called ‘collective responsibility’ has enabled us to transfer the blame from some of our deviant behavior as individuals to society as a whole or to a specific group in society.” Karl Menninger.
Without Comment: 1) Tickets to the Women’s Final Four b-ball games garnered 2x the price of tickets for the men’s game — go Caitlin; 2) There are now 2,781 billionaires in the world, including Taylor Swift; 3)Per this AEI article, although the majority of the Baby Boomers leaving their “formative religion” were men, among Gen Zs and below, the pattern has flipped. 54% of Gen Z leaving the church are women; 4) US adults now believe they need $1.5M to retirecomfortably, up 54% from 2020; 5) According to Google, in the hours following the eclipse, there was a large spike in the searches of “eyes hurt.”
Resources: 1) This is the last chance to sign up for next Tuesday’s Lakelight Live in Indianapolis. The event — which will be held at the Indianapolis Vineyard Church — starts at 7 p.m. I will be speaking about the news. The title is On the News: How and Why the News Has Changed, How it is Changing You, And What to Do About it. Sign up here; 2) Here is the first sermon in a six-week series I’m doing on the idols of our age. The series is called IN ___ WE TRUST. (By the time it’s done, I’ll likely be polling below IRS agents. Thankfully, I’ll still be ahead of Congress and the media.)
Closing Prayer: I am not worthy, Master and Lord, that you should come beneath the roof of my soul; yet since in your love toward all, you wish to dwell in me, in boldness I come. You command; open the gates, which you alone have made. And you will come in, and enlighten my darkened reasoning. I believe that you will do this; for you did not send away the harlot who came to you with tears, nor cast out the repenting tax-collector, nor reject the thief who acknowledged your kingdom. But you counted all of these as members of your band of friends. You are blessed forevermore. Amen. (John Chrysostom, 347 – 407)