The Friday Update - Remember and Honor

Happy Friday,

Death is a great evil. The willingness to die for someone or something is not. The NYC first responders who put their lives in harm's way 25 years ago mirrored the One who gave his life 2,000 years ago. Let's remember — and honor — those who sacrifice for others.

An AI-Proof Business Opportunity

Per this WSJ report, VCs are investing in physical experiences – e.g., casinos, sports teams and luxury travel – as a hedge against AI disruption. One wonders when they will see the investment upsides in a two-thousand-year- old global institution that has a track record of growth and whose CEO promises eternal returns.

Without Comment

1) The median age of a US primary voter is 65.

2) In Iran, more women attend college than men.

3) In France, declining birth rates have led to the closure of 5K schools since 2012. The country’s schools had 161K fewer students at the start of this year than last, and the total is expected to decline by 1.7M over the next 10 years.

4) U.S. teen alcohol, marijuana and nicotine use is at historic lows for a 5th year in a row.

5) The percentage of Americans who expect their children to do better than them is down from 57% in 2020 to 26% today.

6) One-third of Harvard’s graduating seniors admitted to “using AI for an assignment against instructor permission” — i.e., to cheat.

7) If Anthropic goes public at the expected $2T valuation, that will be 8.4X higher than the combined IPO value of San Francisco's 9 largest legacy tech debuts — i.e., Airbnb, Uber, Salesforce, Twitter, DoorDash and others.

8) For most U.S. workers without college degrees, this is the best job market in decades.

9) Canada's military chaplains are no longer allowed to use the word “god,” at public events.

10) Washington, D.C. repeatedly ranks first among the US states (and D.C.) in wine consumption per capita.  

Without Comment Comments

Although I hesitate to comment on the comments about my lack of comments in the Without Comment section, I do admit that some entries beg for qualification. This is especially true of those containing stats. After all, as 87.3% of people know, 29.2% of all stats are made up, 37.4% are misleading, and 17.9% are pure hooey. All I can say is, please remember Abe Lincoln’s advice, to "not trust everything you read on the internet." 

Pets in Heaven

1) Good news: Randy Alcorn’s book on the afterlife of animals will be out in November. Bad news: it’s 464 pages; 2) As info: numerous readers have written claiming to have heard thoughtful sermons claiming that dogs go to heaven. So far no one has said same about cats.

Quotes Worth Requoting

1) "Most of the things we need to be fully alive do not grow from pushing. They grow in rest." — Mark Buchanan

2) “The more you delve into the intricacies of the biological brain, the more you realize how rich and dynamic it is, compared to the dead sand of silicon.” — Anil Seth, a neuroscientist

Welcome Back

I'm excited football is back for some of the very reasons Ben Sasse gives in this WSJ piece. Go Gary CHICAGO Bears. 

WOTW

Honorable mentions go to: 1) clip-farming (saying something in hopes someone reposts it), and 2) Zoom Boom (the spike in facial plastic surgery attributed to people looking at their own faces on a screen during Zoom mtgs). Full honors go to somatics. Greek for body, somatic is being used by some — e.g., Workout Witch, who has 2M followers — as a label for activities that promise to help “discharge negative feelings.” Expect to start noticing ads for somatic therapy, somatic dance, somatic yoga, etc.  

The Proverbs of George Herbert

I recently discovered the devotional work of this 17th century poet. Here are a few modestly updated entries from his Outlandish Proverbs: 1) The shortest answer is doing; 2) A bad workman quarrels with his tools; and 3) The best mirror is an old friend.

Overheard

1) If you spend 100 hours a year – i.e., 18 min./day - practicing X, you’ll be better at X than 95% of the world.

2) Every single person who confuses correlation and causation ends up dying.

3) What you’re not changing, you’re choosing.

4) Every time we read Romans 13 we need to also read Revelation 13 (and vice versa).  

A Reminder

The law doesn't change anyone — grace does. Most people do not need to be told they’re failing; they need to be reminded God loves them in spite of it.

Resources

1) Click here to hear about the man who left everything, failed spectacularly and was still used mightily by God — i.e., last Sunday’s message on Abraham. It’s number 4 of 40 in The Greatest Story Ever Told.

2) Click here to register for Lakelight’s Monday September 21 event on anxiety with psychiatrist and theologian Dr. Warren Kinghorn.

3) Click here if you live in the Chicagoland area and want to attend a ReNew Communities home opening. They are coming up on September 14, 18 and 28.

Closing Prayer

"Lord God, as we turn to you in purity of heart, we give you our highest and most abundant thanks, as best as we are able in our frailty. Our whole mind prays for your unmatched goodness, that by your power you would drive out the enemy from our thoughts and deeds. Father Almighty, enlarge our faith, direct our minds, and help us to focus our thoughts on your kingdom. And in the end, bring us safe to your place of endless blessings, through your son Jesus Christ, Amen.” (Augustine, 354-430)

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.