AARP Adjacent
“Value others above yourselves.” Paul, Philippians 2
Happy Friday,
As Christ-followers, we’re not called to self-loathing, but we are called to self-emptying. It is not an easy path, but Christ showed the way, and as GKC noted, we become taller when we bow.
Overheard
1) It’s impossible to grow in your love for God and your contempt for others at the same time.
2) If you can’t tell what you desperately need, it’s probably sleep.
3) We’re secure, not because we hold tightly to Jesus, but because he holds tightly to us.
4) We get to choose our hard — “hard choices, easy life” or “easy choices, hard life.”
5) The internet doesn't bring out the worst in people. It makes the worst people more visible.
Adulthood
Given the histrionics surrounding definitions of woman, masculinity, etc., I’m not keen to attempt a definition of adult. But given how many 40-something non-adults are milling about (especially males)—i.e., given that biological maturity is not enough—I’m passing along some thoughts:
1) An adult is one who realizes that many things not their fault are still their responsibility
2) An adult is one who realizes that freedom is found in keeping commitments, not avoiding them
3) An adult is someone who can delay gratification in pursuit of a greater good
4) An adult is someone who can absorb disappointment without passing it on to everyone else. (Yes, these sound like the rants of an old crank, but some of my best friends are now old cranks. And I see one many mornings while shaving.)
Without Comment
1) Despite a decent economy, hiring rates have dropped to Great Recession levels.
2) If trends continue, by 2029, there will be more Americans over 65 than under 18 (a USA first).
3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics’s 2025 American Time Use Survey shows a continued decline of face-to-face socialization, especially among the young.
4) According to the National Association of Realtors, the median age of a first-time home buyer in ’25 climbed to 40.
The Hedonic Treadmill
Two hundred years ago, a hot shower was a luxury few could imagine. Today I expect one every morning, and complain if the water isn't hot enough or if the pressure is a bit low. Such is the human heart.
What amazes on Monday and delights on Tuesday is assumed on Wednesday, demanded on Thursday and "not good enough" on Friday. (Last year’s iPhone? You can’t expect me to keep using that.) We quickly adapt to better and start expecting needing demanding more. Psychologists call this the hedonic treadmill.
The fix is G R A T I T U D E. Our lives improve the moment we remember to be thankful for the hot showers.
Scripture Memory
Ten percent of the 1,800 verses citing Jesus in the Gospels are quotes from Old Testament passages - i.e., ten percent of the things said by the Word of God (incarnate) were already the Word of God (written).
Are ten percent of your comments quotes from the Bible? One percent? Point zero one percent?
WOTW
Honorable mention goes to high-agency (a term for those who solve problems rather than wait for someone else to), and friction-maxxing (deliberately choosing the more challenging path in order to develop greater skill, patience, or resilience). Full honors go to Solomon's Paradox — the observation that we’re often better at solving other people's problems than we are of solving our own.
AARP Adjacent
Many Bible noteworthies did significant things late in life – e.g., Moses was 80 and Abraham 75 when God called. Anna was 84 when she identified the infant Jesus as the Messiah. Daniel was 80 when he survived the lions’ den and John was at least that old when he penned Revelation. This is all the more amazing when you factor in that they were golfing at least 3 times a week.
From the Archive
This 2-minute montage does much to illustrate Isaiah 53:6 – “all we like sheep have gone astray.”
Back in the News
I’m again hearing about:
1) Democratic Socialism, which is defined as everything from “what Norway is doing” to “communism with tattoos and nose rings;”
2) Social Security's upcoming shortfalls;
3) Lionel Messi;
4) The horse-shoe theory (mostly from those noting the rise of Anti-Semitism among both the far right and the far left).
Quotes Worth Requoting
1) "Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
2) “Be suspicious of churches that proudly flaunt how different they are from what has gone before.” — D.A. Carson
3) “Let a Christian be but two or three years without affliction, and he is almost good for nothing.” — John Flavel, 1678
4) "To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.” — George Orwell
Resources
Click here for my interview with Scott Gifford, a business man and long-time Christ follower who recently drew closer to the Lord through a season of intentional spiritual practices.
Closing Prayer
“O God, make yourself always present to my mind, and let your love fill and rule my soul, in all those places, and companies, and employments to which you call me this day. O you who are good and do good, who extend your loving-kindness to all mankind, the work of your hands, your image, capable of knowing and loving you eternally: suffer me to exclude none, O Lord, from my charity, who are the objects of your mercy; but let me treat all my neighbors with that tender love which is due to your servants and to your children. Let your love to me, O blessed Savior, be the pattern of my love to them. Amen (John Wesley — 1703 - 1791)"
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