The Friday Update - Character, Character and Character

Happy Friday,

Psalm 3 is a favorite of mine. For starters, though I seldom struggle with fear, there are days when it feels like I have ten thousand problems. Secondly, I take comfort knowing that David wrote this while fleeing from Absalom — which means he wrote it while facing problems of his own doing. The older I get, the more I realize that most of my headaches are my own fault. But the deeper comfort here comes from the reminder to relocate my hope in God. In Him we find a peace that overcomes personal setbacks, social unrest, job disruption, market losses and whatever the 24-hour news cycle is screaming about.

Overheard

1) Many mistake an ally for a friend. The latter stands with you come what may, while the former is with you when your interests align. Those who mistake the first for the second are likely to end up feeling deeply betrayed.

2) When it comes to hiring, it’s nice to find someone with all three Cs — chemistry, character and competence. But that’s not always possible, so it’s important to understand their relative importance. The three most important attributes in hiring are: Character, Character and Character.

3) We all need a mentor — someone with more gray hair than we have.

4) There is a lot of talk about making the move from success to significance. But the true call is to surrender. The clay needs to accept that it is clay and submit to the potter’s plans.

Mental Health Stats

1) 20% of the US population has a mental illness, according to the National Institute for Mental Health.

2) Per this data, 6% of the US population’s mental illness is serious.

3) Per the same sample, only half of those who struggle with mental illness receive any treatment.

4) The average time between the onset of mental illness and a person receiving help is 11 years, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

5) Per Barna, 18% of pastors have considered self-harm.

6) In 2023, 29% of high school students said their mental health was “not good” most or all of the time. 

WOTW

Honorable mention goes to centraffical force (the “power” that causes the car you’re attempting to pass to speed up); Glory Thieves and Awe Amnesia (two words I ran across while reading a devotional work by Paul David Tripp, and submarining (the term for those who ghost a romantic partner, return for a while and then ghost again). Full honors go to chronophobia (the quiet dread of time slipping past us too quickly — the sense that time is ticking, ticking, ticking into the future and we can’t keep up.)

Without Comment

1) One of the strongest predictors of extramarital sex is premarital sexual permissiveness, according to Brad Wilcox.

2) The number of people living in homeless shelters increased 43% in the previous two years.

3) Per this Barna report, the young now attend church more frequently than the old. Gen Z leads the way at 1.9x/ month, followed by Millennials at 1.8. Gen X and Boomers both roll in at 1.4.

4) A 2017 study at Union College found that fraternity membership meant a .25% lower GPA but 36% higher income.

5) In the US, 28% of people over 65 live alone, a 3x increase over 1950.

6) Credit card debt is rising—and is now back at its all-time high.

7) The wealthier a country becomes, the more likely its citizens struggle to find meaning in life.

An AI Update

Click: 1) here to see how good you are at spotting DeepFakes; 2) here to learn 5 prompts that will maximize your chatbot and 3) here to read about how AI counseling can lead to tragic results.

From M&TH to W&F

You may know that the early church changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday (in honor of the resurrection). Did you know they moved fasting days from Monday and Thursdays to Wednesday and Friday (in order to more strongly associate with Christ in his sufferings – Wednesday was his betrayal and Friday was his crucifixion). BTW, did you know many in the early church fasted 2x/week?

Question of the Week

I’m not going to ask you to answer the question: when did you last fast? Instead, if you’re married, I’m going to suggest you ask your spouse, “How can I make this weekend a good one for you?”

Jesus Is?

In response to a question from two weeks ago, “How has Jesus surprised you lately?” I keep reflecting on two of the answers sent in: 1) He is more intelligent and insightful than I ever realized and 2) He is more beautiful than I considered.

Worth Rewatching

Here is 45 seconds of Steve Kroft’s 2005 60 Minutes interview with Tom Brady. It includes the moment when Kroft asked Brady — then a 27-year-old, three-time Super Bowl winning QB who had just signed a big contract and started dating a Supermodel — whether it’s all that it’s cracked up to be. Brady’s quick reply was, “Is this all there is?” 

Quotes Worth Requoting

1) "Man descended from apes, therefore we must love one another." — Vladimir Solovyov, sarcastically.

2) “Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” — C. S. Lewis

Resources

1) Click here to listen to my recent interview with Dr. Molly Worthen, the historian of American religion and intellectual life, and professor at UNC Chapel Hill, who regularly contributes to outlets like The New York Times, The Atlantic and The New Yorker. We discussed her recent conversion and Spellbound, her new book on charisma.

2) Click here to hear the first sermon in the Revelation series I just started. 

Please Pray

Please join me in praying for our country and world as this difficult week draws to a close. The assassination of Charlie Kirk — alongside the death of Iryna Zarutska, the threats of violence against lawmakers and judges, the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the recent school shootings in Colorado and Minnesota and the parade of violence in our urban centers — speak to the fragility of our social fabric at the moment. Lord have mercy.

Closing Prayer

“Most loving Lord, give me a steadfast heart, which no unworthy thought can drag downwards; an unconquered heart, which no hardship can wear out; an upright heart, which no worthless purpose can ensnare. Give me also, O Lord my God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, and a faithfulness that will finally embrace you; Through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.” (Thomas Aquinas - 1225-1274)

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