Happy Valentine’s Day,
My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters, or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.
King David, Psalm 131
Between politics, domestic and international, the acceleration of AI, and reports on all manner of things masquerading as urgent and ultimate, it’s been a frenetic month. David had a few such moments and learned to talk himself off the ledge. May you trust the Lord as fully as our new granddaughter trusts her parents—and sleep as deeply.
Yes! In addition to Psalm 131 (above) and Psalm 11, I’m working to have an outlook shaped by the promises of God—starting with Rev. 21: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
BTW: My sabbatical has been mostly about not doing things, but I have added a few—e.g., the discipline of Scripture memory. Given that “game changer” has been banished from use in ‘25, I’ll not employ it here, but I will say: I’d forgotten how much easier it is to hear the voice of God when you’re actively hiding it in your heart.
Quote Worth Requoting: 1) Sin is our unwillingness to trust that what God wants for me and you is only our deepest happiness. And because I don’t believe he wants that for me, and I want that for me, I have to seek it out myself. (Ignatius of Loyola); 2) Leadership is disappointing people at a rate they can absorb. (Ronald Heifetz). 3) We jump from one website to another, but ‘bits of information are like specks of dust, not seeds of grain. They lack germinal force.’ When we are no longer able to provide meaningful narratives of life, wisdom deteriorates, and its place is taken by problem-solving techniques. (Kevin Vanhoozer)
Overheard: 1) Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment; 2) It appears that while social media is devastating for girls, most rise above its downward pull as they become young women. Meanwhile, while social media is less deleterious on boys, many young men remain addicted to video games and internet porn; and 3) The optimism of international poverty-alleviation efforts stands in contrast to the pessimism of our domestic efforts.
Without Comment: 1) An average American touches their phone 2,716 x/day; 2) Per Variety magazine, of the 100 most-watched primetime television shows in 2024, 46 were NFL games; 3) Marriage registrations in China fell 20% last year to a new record low; 4) 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the US border; 5) The Federal Reserve expects 80 more colleges to close in the next 5 years; 6) The National Retail Federation is estimating that Americans will spend $27B on Valentine’s Day this year, which is about $189/person (note: slightly more than $2B of that will be spent on pets); and 7) Per this report, 37% of Americans cannot afford an unexpected expense over $400.
WOTW: Honorable mention goes to bafflegab (incomprehensible and pretentious bureaucratic jargon), eggflation (obvious enough), slow democracy (a call for more local and inclusive government), and impurity spiral (which I found in this First Things piece by Carl Trueman). Full honors go to agents, the third generation of AI. We are moving out of Chatbots (ChatGPT) and into Reasoners (DeepSeek). Agents (AI that takes action) are next.
Closing Prayer: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. (Martin Luther, 1483-1546)