Eremos
“The Lord stood by Paul and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
Paul, Acts 23:11
Happy Friday,
Having barely survived his last venture, Paul was directed by God to head to the center of the world and tell them they were not the center of the universe. He knew his message would play poorly, but he obeyed. Why? Because God is God and we are not! Also, because the Gospel is not designed to bring comfort at the margins, but to confront the center.
Additions to the List
Annual physicals come with a host of “private questions.” For years it was: “How many alcoholic drinks do you have a week? Are you using any recreational drugs?” And “Are you engaged in any high-risk sexual activity?” A few years ago, docs started asking, “Do you smoke pot or take any TCH products?” To these, a new question is now being asked: “Are you taking weekly injections of any GLP-1s?”
Quotes Worth Requoting
1) “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”— Annie Dillard
2) “Ideas have consequences, and bad ideas have victims.” — John Stonestreet
3) “If natural selection means the survival of the fittest and sacrifice of the weakest, Christianity is about the sacrifice of the fittest (Jesus Christ) for the survival of the weakest (us).” — Glen Scrivener
4) “The worst thing a jerk can do is to turn you into a jerk.” — Frank Oppenheimer
5) "There is nothing that can be done with anger that cannot be done better without it."— Dallas Willard
WOTW
If I were doing my usual thing—i.e., flagging words that caught my attention because they’re new or trendy—I’d be nominating choiceful (first appearing in 1591, then going dark for four centuries before recently resurfacing), Davos Man (the cosmopolitan, globally mobile elite who gather in places like, well, Davos), or Generation Monologue (a fitting label for Gen. Z, the cohort behind the 9 billion voice notes—VNs—sent every day). But I’m going a different direction this week. I’m proactively highlighting erēmos (ἔρημος), the Greek word translated desert, wilderness, or uninhabited place, because Jesus used to retreat there (see Mt. 4) to process and pray. And it occurs to me that if Jesus needed the erēmos, we shouldn’t assume we can live without it. BTW, silence and solitude are not optional luxuries for the unusually disciplined or especially spiritual, because the wilderness is much less a day-spa for the soul than it is a place where our distractions are set aside and we must reckon with our disordered heart.
Without Comment
1) Fifteen years ago, liberal and conservative women had babies at about the same rate. As of ‘24, only 25% of 18-34 year old liberal women have had a child, compared with 60% of conservatives.
2) Per this U of Mich study, the most popular podcast category is… religion, ahead of business, society and sports.
3) As of October 2023, 25% of Gen Z admit to never accepting inbound calls.
4) America rapidly secularized from 1991 to 2020. Now we’re in a period of stasis with the share of Americans who are nonreligious stuck around 30 percent.
Airlines
The WSJ recently declared Southwest America’s Best airline and Frontier and American tied for worst. No word yet on who deserves the title, "Most Likely to Cancel Your Flight While You're Already at the Gate."
Overheard
1) Without exception, everyone who has ever told me they have the gift of discernment has not had the gift of discernment.
2) People had a lot more fun at the beginning of the sexual revolution than they’re having now.
3) I’ve never heard someone say "it was his hostility and aggressiveness" that converted me.
4) Apathy is a bigger problem than atheism in modern Christianity.
5) As long as we think we are not that bad, the idea of grace will never change us.
6) These days I find myself in a lot of emotionally taxing but intellectually barren conversations.
Resources
1) Click here to hear my recent sermon on Revelation 15 and 16 — a passage that is both heavy and important. After judging those who judge judgment, I celebrate the always shocking was God accepts the judgment I am due.
2) Because snow in South Bend prevented Dr. Meghan Sullivan from being able to get to Chicago, Lakelight’s AI event has been rescheduled for March 2. No need to re-register. It will roll over.
3) Lakelight is also offering a 5 week class on the Reformation, taught by Dr. Scott Manetsch starting next Thursday. You can sign up for either online or in-person options here.
4) I will be giving a lecture on two of C.S. Lewis’s books (The Abolition of Man and That Hideous Strength) on Feb. 23rd at Cherry Hills Community Church in Denver, CO. Click here to register for this free event.
Closing Prayer
“Lord, I worry because I forget your wisdom. I resent because I forget your mercy. I covet because I forget your beauty. I sin because I forget your holiness. I fear because I forget your sovereignty. You always remember me. Help me to remember you. Amen.” (Tim Keller, 1950-2023)
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