Happy Friday,
Praise the Lord, o my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Psalm 103:1-2
In Psalm 103, David isn’t talking to God; he’s talking to himself—i.e., he’s meditating. In doing this, he not only models paying attention to what we pay attention to, he models bringing his thoughts in line with truth. BTW, the goal of biblical meditation is not to empty our mind but to fill it with the truth about God’s nature and goodness.
Jesus > Plato: It’s been suggested that Western thought is little more than “a series of footnotes on Plato.” There’s some truth there, but we’d do well to realize that Jesus is smarter than Plato. Indeed, the genius of Jesus exceeds that of Aristotle, da Vinci, Mozart, Einstein, and the next 100 members of Mensa put together. (Do yourself a favor and read The Surprising Genius of Jesus by Peter J. Williams, the Principal of Tyndale House at Cambridge and a speaker at Lakelight last year.)
News < Good News: In Luke 6, the Sons of Thunder—i.e., James and John—encourage Jesus to napalm Rome. The Prince of Peace declines, explaining that he’s going there to die for the Romans, not kill them. At this tribal moment, it’s worth remembering that Jesus would wash the feet of our political enemies. It’s also worth noting that we must see the daily news through the lens of the Good News, not the other way around.
In Defense of Hypocrisy: Not everyone is as wise, thoughtful, and self-aware as you and me (especially me). Indeed, if hypocrisy were helium, most people would have funny voices. But there is something to be said for this. I’m coming to appreciate those who advertise high standards, even if they fail to keep them. At least they recognize them. Many today no longer do.
Overheard: 1) You become what you celebrate; 2) When throwing a tantrum on the golf course, it’s best to throw your clubs in the direction you’ll be walking; 3) Ignorance and arrogance have become frequent dance partners; 4) Being marginalized is not the same thing as being persecuted; 5) Western Civ appears to have no interest in protecting Western Civ; 6) If you read the platforms of the Democrats and the Republicans circa 1960, they are hard to tell apart. Not so today; 7) Not everyone who suffers is empathetic, but everyone who is empathetic has suffered; 8) What makes Cancel Culture possible is a person who feels morally superior and a person who is willing to be shamed; 9) The bibliographic evidence in support of the New Testament overwhelms all other ancient documents more than Katie Ledecky dominates women’s distance swimming.
Expect It: It can be hard to peer around the corner, but some things seem likely: 1) A bevy of books about what went wrong at Boeing; 2) A season of The Bachelor that ends with the bachelor selecting more than one person and everyone celebrating the throuple; 3) A spate of lawsuits launched by de-transitioners against their parents, teachers, doctors, and anyone else that facilitated their transition; 4) Protests over the results of the November election; 5) More and more SCOTUS drama; 6) A fury when the next pandemic hits and it becomes obvious that we are not prepared for it.
Question(s): A question we need to be asking is: What do I need to do today to prepare for my life ten years from now? A question I was asked recently is: Does God get mad if I fall asleep while praying? My answer was: if you regularly pray, I can think of little better than to fall asleep while talking with God. If, however, prayer is not a normal part of your life, I’d work a bit harder to stay awake.
Resources: Here is the sermon I preached last weekend on the occasion of my 25th anniversary at Christ Church. It’s my effort to explain why—in spite of the many things the church has done wrong and all the hassles of being on staff at one—I think the local church is worth investing in.
In the Chicago Area?: 1) Join us at 1418 Victoria, North Chicago, on August 23rd at 4:30 p.m. for the next Renew Communities ribbon-cutting ceremony; 2) Click here to sign up for an evening with Tony Dungy and Chris Broussard, who will be at the Lake Forest campus of Christ Church; or 3) Click here for information on Lakelight’s Oct. 5th Good Work Summit, featuring Phillip Yancey, Felicia Wu Song, Nicholas Pearce and more.
The Olympics meets Philosophy: Much could be said about the Olympics. I’m going to bypass any serious comment and—given my earlier reference to Plato—give you this link to Monty Python’s classic sketch about philosophers playing soccer in the Olympics. The five of you who get this—and the two of you who think it’s funny—can thank me later.
Closing Prayer: God, let me put right before interest; Let me put others before self; Let me put the things of the spirit before the things of the body. Let me put the attainment of noble ends above the enjoyment of present pleasures. Let me put principle above reputation. Let me put you before all else. Amen (John Baillie, 1886-1960)