The Friday Update - Sick Of Summer

Happy Friday,

You’ll sometimes hear people praying in a service: “God, we love you so much.” Or someone will praise another person in a public setting: “He just loves God so much.” I don’t ever want anyone to say that of me. Not because I don’t want to love God — I hope I do. But the most important thing about me isn’t how much I love God; it’s how much God loves me. Our claim to love God is borderline irrelevant compared to His love for us, which I think is John’s point in this passage. Love is defined not by our love, but by His love, once and for all—in both senses of the words “for all”—displayed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(This week’s Friday Update is guest-written by Syler Thomas, Pastor of Community Life at Christ Church Lake Forest. Don’t worry, Glenn and I will remove Mike’s handcuffs and let him out of the basement in time to write next week’s update.) 

Coldplaygate

If you somehow missed this story…how? The short version: 10 days ago at a Coldplay concert in suburban Boston, a “Kiss Cam” focused on a couple in a “prom pose” type embrace, at which point they immediately hid. Coldplay’s lead singer accurately read the vibe and said: “Either they’re having an affair, or just very shy.” It was not shyness. The two were quickly identified as a CEO and Head of HR at a tech company who are married…to other people. The CEO resigned, and the internet had a field day. 

Naturally, there have been approximately one million articles written in response. In my opinion, the best artistic evaluation of adultery is captured in Taylor Swift’s 2020 song “illicit affairs” about a man and woman entangled in one such relationship. This lengthier essay is my full response to that song, but here’s my take about Coldplaygate. It’s fascinating that, even in 2025, the behavior of two consenting adults is still considered inappropriate and in the business world, it’s a fireable offense. Does society value the solemnity of marriage vows, or do people just feel bad for the cuckolded spouses, or is it something else?

Speaking Of

Is this a good thing or a bad thing for Coldplay? Some have criticized the Kiss Cam as an invasion of privacy, but most people know that when you show up at a public place, you surrender privacy rights. Will this bring positive attention to the band and make people more likely to buy a ticket for a live show (something I highly recommend by the way) or does this event make them into a meme?

Didn’t See Either of These Coming

I read that 31-year-old comedian Pete Davidson was getting his tattoos removed, which will take around fifteen years and cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars. He said: “I used to be a drug addict and I was a sad person, and I felt ugly and that I needed to be covered up. So I’m just removing them and starting fresh, because that’s what I think works best for me and for my brain." Then I read a story about 70-year-old pastor/author Max Lucado getting his first tattoo, in honor of the 50^th anniversary of his coming to faith (the tattoo is the word “tetelestai,” Greek for “it is finished”). This actually fuels my notion that people who want tattoos might want to wait till they’re over 40 to get them: less likely for there to be regrets.

This Week’s Theory

Everyone agrees that summer is too short, that it comes and goes too quickly. Here’s my theory: we would be more ready for summer to be over if we did all of the summer things we love so often that we become tired of doing them. What would that look like? Would that even be possible? Let me know if anyone wants to workshop this.

Recommendations

1) I didn’t discover the music of Jon Guerra till this year, and now I can’t get enough. He writes what he calls “devotional” music and his new album is called Jesus. Easy to remember. Best song on the album is “I See the Birds.”

2) My friend Andy Gullahorn just put out an album called Winning Streak that I also can’t recommend enough. He can make you laugh and cry, often in the same song. This song, about the death of his pastor, is (to me) one of the finest songs ever written.

3) Natalie Bergman (who grew up attending Christ Church Lake Forest) has a new album worth your time—a 70s-infused punk sound.

4) Read anything by Wendell Berry. His novel Jayber Crow is a good place to start. He’s an incredible writer and his “life message” that comes through in all he writes is this: God has made us stewards of the land we think we own…we don’t own it, we hold it in trust.

5) And finally…would I even be me if I didn’t recommend something U2 related? U2’s lead singer Bono released his memoir 2 years ago, and his “book tour” to support it is this one-man show set to music, available on Apple TV+.

Closing Prayer

“Dear God, speak gently in my silence.
When the loud outer noises of my surroundings
and the loud inner noises of my fears
keep pulling me away from you,
help me to trust that you are still there
even when I am unable to hear you.
Give me ears to listen to your small, soft voice saying: “Come to me, you who are overburdened, and I will give you rest . . .for I am gentle and humble of heart.”

Let that loving voice be my guide.
Amen.” (Henri Nouwen - 1932-1996)