The Friday Update - Gold

Happy Friday,

Among the remarkable things Jesus did was elevating gold over silver. I’m not talking precious metals, but rules. The Silver Rule—which was in play in the 1^st century—called on people “to stop doing to others what they did not want done to them.” Jesus instructed his followers to do to others what you’d have them do to you. The difference is profound. Embrace gold today. 

Not an Upgrade

BTW, the Platinum Rule is now getting some air time. It calls on us “to treat ourselves the way we want others to treat us.” Sorry, but no! We are to follow the example of the One who “considered others more important than himself” and who came “not to be served but to serve.”

WOTW

Honorable mention is shared by The Have-Lots (as in, The Haves, Have-Nots and Have-Lots economy) and two “de-”s: 1) deculturation (the process through which individuals lose their “inherited obligations, loyalties, convictions and rituals") and 2) deskilling (the largely AI-fueled process in which work is automated so that it can be done with less skill, less autonomy, and for less pay). Full honors go to Physical AI, which is when machines begin to understand, reason and act in the real world. (This NYT article predicts ‘26 will include a lot more “physical AI” — e.g., self-driving taxis. FWIW, I was hoping for: a secure, password-free identity system, roads that don’t need constant resurfacing, and a heart that wants to keep the Golden Rule.)

Quotes

1) “We used to travel faster, build bigger and live longer. We now communicate faster, chatter more and snap selfies.” — Ross Douthat

2) “Nothing now remains for us but to proclaim the truth and take the adventure that Aslan sends us.” — C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

3) “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.” D.L. Moody 

A Feel Great Moment

If you’ve not seen this 1988 clip of 79-year-old Nicholas Winton being honored, you’ll want to. Back in 1939, Winton secretly saved 669 Jewish children from the Nazis. Although he told no one, his wife eventually figured it out and organized a tribute. Winton appeared on a TV show for what he thought was a small honor for something else he’d done. The moment comes after he realizes that he is sitting next to a woman he saved and then the BBC host asks, “Is there anyone else here tonight who owes their life to Nicholas Winton?” and much of the studio audience rises to their feet.

Overheard

1) You can measure your spiritual growth by your prayers — both their frequency and their content.

2) The biggest financial decisions we make — i.e., who we marry, how we treat our body, and how we spend our free time — have nothing to do with money.

3) Fear is a reaction; courage is a choice.

THE Letter

It’s M.L.K. weekend, time for your annual reading of Letters from a Birmingham Jail.

Yes!

About a year ago now, I received a letter from a friend suffering from a terminal illness. In it he reported that he “was not suffering from anything that a good resurrection cannot fix.” Yes. That is the promise!  May you shine your headlights beyond the grave today. Eternity Changes Everything.

IS2M

1) The spiritual habits of solitude and silence are trending — but many embracing them are not seeking God as much as they are seeking relief from the cacophony of the moment; 2) I learned quite a bit in ’25, but what stands out is the realization that many of us lack the ability (or willingness) to see the errors in our own thinking; and 3) I’m not hearing the term Mother Nature anymore. I hear creation, the created order, the Biosphere and the natural world.

Without Comment

1) Morgan Stanley believes our world will have > 1B humanoid robots in the workforce by 2050.

2) The average American household has $10.5K in credit card debt, which adds up to $1.23T aggregate.

3) 73% of Americans want to improve their sleep in ’26.

4) Per Ryan Burge’s survey of 68K college students: Among the two-thirds of the sample that said they never attended religious services, 67% identified as politically liberal. And of the 3% of college students who reported attending multiple religious services every week, 61% identified as politically conservative.

J.R.R.T.

When asked, “What makes you tick?” J.R.R. Tolkien responded, “I don’t tick. I am not a machine. If I did tick, I should have no views on it, and you had better ask the winder.”

Resources

1) Click here for my sermon on Revelation 13 which explores evil.

2) Also on Monday January 26^th, Lakelight is hosting Dr. Meghan Sullivan, a Notre Dame Professor who has secured tens of millions of dollars to help develop AI ethics. You can register to attend in person or online here.

Closing Prayer

“Let your love dissolve my hard heart. Let your love raise me above myself. Let your love reveal to me joy beyond imagination. Let my soul exhaust itself in singing the praises of your love. Let me love you more than I love myself, and let me love myself only for your sake. And let me see your love shining in the hearts of all people, that I may love them as I love you. Amen.” (Thomas à Kempis - 1379-1471)