My Name Is
Happy Friday,
When God told Moses that his name was “I AM,” He was declaring that He would be who He is and not who we tried to make him. The LORD is not a deity we can direct, an advocate for our ambitions, a mascot for our politics, a therapist for our anxieties or any of three dozen other things we might wish. His name declares that He will not fit into our schedule, adjust to our opinions or honor our plans. He will be who He is: Holy. Overwhelming. Eternal. Almighty. Defining and Free. Lord, forgive our silly efforts to domesticate you. May this day be marked by awe, obedience and trust.
While We’re Here
It would be a shame not to include Frederick Buechner’s pithy reflection on Exodus 3. In Beyond Words: Daily Readings in the ABC’s of Faith, he wrote: “Buechner is my name. It is pronounced Beek-ner. If somebody mispronounces it in some foolish way, I have the feeling that what’s foolish is me. If somebody forgets it, I feel that it’s I who am forgotten. There’s something about it that embarrasses me in just the same way that there’s something about me that embarrasses me…When I tell you my name, I have given you a hold over me that you didn’t have before. If you call it out, I stop, look, and listen whether I want to or not. In the book of Exodus, God tells Moses that his name is Yahweh, and God hasn’t had a peaceful moment since.”
Without Comment
1) Ford expects AI to replace half its white-collar workforce.
2) This WSJ article chronicles the addiction, crime, lung disease and schizophrenia that follows marijuana legalization.
3) The happiest 18-55 year old women in the US are married, religious conservatives.
4) Sweden has nearly 2x the number of billionaires/capita of the US.
5) 10% of adults under the age of 55 have left their childhood religion.
6) Though Americans enjoy a higher standard of living than ever before, many fear the cost of raising a child.
TWT=TWHM
I’m replacing This Week’s Theory with This Week’s Helpful Maxim — a slightly more accurate acronym — and I’m tapping the Law of Undulation as TWHM. Found in Screwtape’s 8th letter to Wormwood, the Law of Undulation notes that: 1) our spiritual life oscillates between moments when faith is easy (and God seems close), and moments when faith is hard (and God seems distant); 2) we must expect the low moments; and 3) choosing to obey when faith is hard leads to growth. If you’re in a low season, Press On. Continue to continue. Stay the Course. Sanctification takes more time than we expect, but “the plan works if you work it.” (BTW, if you're a new subscriber to TFU, here are the other acronyms: WOTW = Word of the Week, and IS2M = It Seems to Me).
“Well, we’re all going to die.”
I finally watched the town hall moment in which Senator Joni Ernst (R. Iowa) responded to a constituent’s claim that cuts in Medicare would lead to the death of millions. I’m a pastor, so I’ll let her handlers explain why it was bad politics to say, “well, we’re all going to die.” What I want to note is it was not bad theology. Hebrews 9:27 — “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” — always arrives like a raincloud at a picnic. Alas, sometimes it needs to be said. After 35 years as a pastor, I’ve stopped being surprised by those who are surprised by their arrival at death’s proverbial door.
Sign of the Times?
The humor-adjacent oxymorons of my past — e.g., freezer burn, jumbo shrimp, etc. — have been replaced by less-funny-more-edgy oxymorons of the moment: e.g., controlled chaos, fake news, open border, open secret, working vacation and virtual reality. I prefer freezer burned jumbo shrimp to fake news about virtual reality.
Why I Don’t Have a Tattoo
After asking others who’s on their Rushmore, the question was turned on me. Upon reflection, I realized it’s a hard question: 1) my nominees keep changing; 2) some of my earlier picks (OJ Simpson when I was 10, Bill Hybels when I was 30 and Ravi Zacharias when I was 40) are now unthinkable; 3) many of my nominees are disqualified because they’re Brits (William Wilberforce, C.S. Lewis and John Stott). So, who’s on my Rushmore? I’m going with Jesus, Sheri, Abraham Lincoln and a fourth to be named later.
The Apathy Election
In this piece, pollster Ryan Burge documents a decline in Americans’ civic engagement between ‘20 and ‘24. I sensed it, but didn’t know until Burge’s piece that Jews remain the most politically active. And atheists saw the steepest decline.
Pride
In an email replying to the question “How do I defeat pride?”, I wrote: 1) confess it as sin; 2) ask the Lord to help you see yourself more clearly; 3) ask a thoughtful friend to do the same; 4) memorize and marinate on Phil. 2:5-11; and 5) read John Dickson’s book, Humilitas. When I reread my answer before sending it, I thought: 1) “That’s pretty good;” and 2) “Woodruff, seriously? You are proud of your answer on how not to be proud?” Alas, I know very little about how to defeat pride other than to say — it runs very, very deep.
WOTW
Honorable Mention goes to misandry (which is to males what misogyny is to females) and slowcial media (platforms that favor depth over doom-scrolling). Full honors go to zynfluencers (celebs such as Baker Mayfield, Tucker Carlson and a bevy of Tik Tok stars who hype Zyn, a brand of smokeless, spit-free nicotine pouches. Zyn is in. BTW, if you’re cool, you call them “lip pillows” not pouches). Of course, if you’re wise, you know that like other addictions — Zyn is a bad idea.
Closing Prayer
“Who is like you, Jesus? You are the light of those who are spiritually lost. You are the life of those who are spiritually dead. You are the liberation of those who are imprisoned by guilt. You are the glory of those who hate themselves. You are the guardian of those who are paralyzed by fear. You are the guide of those who are bewildered by falsehood. You are the peace of those who are in turmoil. You are the prince of those who yearn to be led. You are the priest of those who seek the truth. Amen.” (Johann Freylinghausen - 1670 -1739)
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