The Friday Update - More Coffee, More Testosterone

Happy Friday,

Rabbis often claim, “you learn Torah more with your feet than with your ears” i.e., we learn more by doing than by hearing. Yes. Jewish wisdom (think: knowledge in action) is superior to Greek book learning. As Jesus said shortly after washing the disciples feet, “If you know these things, blessed are you in you do them.”

Suffering

Suffering is harder when it is confusing. Am I paying an idiot tax for my own stupidity? Is this the result of someone else’s sin, spiritual warfare, a broken world—or is God using it to enlarge my heart? Maybe, maybe, maybe, and maybe. The Bible offers no single explanation for every sorrow. But it gives us three certainties: nothing is beyond God’s control, no suffering need be wasted, and no suffering will last forever. At the cross, He shows us that suffering cannot mean he's abandoned us. And in the resurrection, he promises that suffering will not have the final word.

One More Thing

I’ll paraphrase Ian McLaren’s adage because it’s worth repeating: “We should be kind to everyone we meet because many are fighting a battle.”

College Football

Because the season’s about to begin, I want to remind you: the Big Ten has 18 teams, the Big 12 has 16 and the SEC - which used to be good but has faded - has teams not in the Southeast. Also, Stanford and Cal are in the Atlantic Coast Conference. BTW, while I’m here, let me remind you that it’s popular to claim that NIL money and the transfer portal have turned college football into "professional football with homework.” This is not true. I’m quite confident that no homework is involved. (BTW, I’ve not started criticizing NIL money because I still have four years of eligibility left, and hope springs eternal.)

Without Comment

1) July was the hottest recorded month in the continental USA’s history.

2) Citing mental health concerns, the University of Michigan is launching a 2027 pilot program where no grades will be given to first-year students.

3) In the ‘90s, US men held 7M more payroll jobs than US women. Today, women hold 176K more jobs than men.

4) Last year, 52% of Zers directed funds meant for investing into sports betting.

5) Domesticated pet raccoons are becoming a thing.

6) Per this study, pastors are more concerned about AI than those in their churches.

7) Although sharks get the movies, mosquitoes kill more people in a day than sharks do in a century.

8) Among D’s, more now favor socialism than capitalism.

Overheard

1) Don't let a 5-minute inconvenience ruin a 24-hour day.

2) God is not silent, but we are often deaf.

3) Ninety percent of the fish are in ten percent of the river.

4) Falling asleep while praying at night is not a problem, unless the only time you pray is at night.

5) When you throw a tantrum on the golf course, it’s a good idea to throw your clubs in the direction your walking.

6) If you cannot grow in humility, you'll have to shrink into it.

WOTW

Honorable mention goes to epistemic trespassing (initially coined to describe Nobel laureates opining outside their field, it now describes anyone—other than those writing newsletters—who pontificate, preach, comment on matters outside their lane), Voluntary Econocide (coined by Seymour Drescher to describe Britain’s decision to abolish slavery; parliament paid slave owners £20M—nearly half the British government's annual budget at the time—in order to end the slave trade), and job lock (a term describing the 23M Americans who do not think they can leave their job for fears of losing their health insurance.)  Full honors go to Subaru Socialists. Cousin to Lu-Lu Leninist, Subaru Socialist describes “hyper-educated, low-income people flocking to socialism.”

good news

While this heading is meant for things like, "66% of Americans think the environment is getting worse, when it’s really getting a lot better," I can’t help but cite this Finnish study noting that heavy coffee drinkers have higher testosterone levels. (Remember, there is no such thing as strong coffee, just weak people. BTW, the Finish study was asking about those consuming five cups/day. I’m looking for a study of those who average ten. Asking for a friend.)

Quotes Worth Requoting

1) “One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.” — John Piper

2) “Jesus is the only Lord who will satisfy you if you find him, and forgive you if you fail him." — Tim Keller (lightly edited)

3) "Death is wicked, but being willing to die for something is not." Ross Douthat, in this interview with Brian Johnson

4) “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.” — Walter Heisenberg, Nobel Prize-winning physicist

Resources

1) Click here to hear the first message in The Greatest Story Ever Told. It’s based on my belief that while many know Bible stories—e.g., David and Goliath or the Prodigal Son —few know The Story that unfolds between Genesis 1 and Revelation 22.

2) Click here to watch a 90 second video about an upcoming Lakelight event on anxiety that features Duke professor, psychiatrist and theologian Dr. Warren Kinghorn.  

Closing Prayer

"God, I want your guidance and direction in all I do. Let your wisdom counsel me, your hand lead me, and your arm support me. I put myself into your hands. Breathe into my soul holy and heavenly desires. Conform me to your own image. Make me like my Savior. Enable me in some measure to live here on earth as he lived, and to act in all things as he would have acted. Amen.” ( Ashton Oxenden - 1808—1892)

P.S.

 If TFU has become part of your Friday rhythm—and you’d like to help us out—then send it to a friend. Preferably one who reads. But we’re trying to be hospitable.

1