The Friday Update - The Reason We Forgive

— February 7, 2025 —

Happy Friday,

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Paul, Col. 3:13

It’s common to hear, “failing to forgive is like drinking poison and hoping the other person gets sick.” Yes. Forgiving others is good for us. But that’s not Paul’s argument. He admonishes us to forgive because we’ve been forgiven. 

Speaking Of: I heard a helpful message on forgiveness this week. It’s a play on REACH. Recall (i.e., face the hurt); Empathize with the one who wronged you; Altruistically forgive; Commit to it (say it out loud, “I forgive” even if only to yourself); and Hold to your decision when the pain of injustice returns. 

I Enjoyed This: The web is full of time sinks, which friends are not to forward to friends. Forgive me, but I really enjoyed How to Write Good: 1) Avoid alliteration always; 2) Prepositions are not words to end sentences with; 3) Avoid cliches like the plague. They are old hat. 4) Comparisons are as bad as cliches; 5) Be more or less specific; 6) Writers should never generalize; Seven: Be consistent; 8) Don’t be redundant. Don’t use more words than necessary. They’re superfluous; 9) Who needs rhetorical questions?; and 10) Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.   

Banished: Lake Superior State University’s annual list of Banished Words includes cringe, game-changer, era, Sorry Not Sorry, Skibidi, and 100%. I’m 100% not using them in this new era. 

Without Comment: 1) 100 years ago, most Jews lived in Eastern Europe. Today, almost all Jews live in the US or Israel; 2) The English actor Frank Oz voiced both Yoda (Star Wars) and Miss Piggy (Sesame Street); 3) In 1900, 1% of the US had a college degree. In 1950 it was about 6%. In 2000 it was about 25%. Per this report, it’s now 45%+; 4) Christianity is not true because it’s helpful. It’s helpful because it’s true; 5) Medical knowledge is growing so rapidly that only 6% of what doctors learn in medical school is relevant 10 years later; 6) Per this NYT piece (paywall), childless men are 12% more likely to say they want kids one day than childless women; and 7) per this First Things exposé on OnlyFans, nearly 90% of online pornography depicts violence towards women.

WOTW: Honorable mention goes to: part-time sober (lauded in this WSJ piece), dryteousness (the self-righteous glee exhibited by some who remained dry during January), and gimcrack (poorly made things that are deceptively attractive). Full honors go to boundary setters (the term being claimed by those previously labeled “quiet quitters.”) 

Overheard: 1) A person’s success can often be traced to the number of hard conversations he/she is willing to have; 2) we can fake humility but not obedience; 3) Christians who obey God are as likely to be lionized by being eaten by a lion as they are to be lionized by being exalted; 4) History shows that small groups of passionate people have an outsized impact; and 5) Donald Trump and Kamala Harris competed with each other over who would give the most money to pregnant women.

Quote Worth Requoting: 1) Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end. (unknown); 2) My tardiness in answering your letter was not due to press of business. Do not listen to that sort of excuse; I am at liberty, and so is anyone else who wishes to be at liberty. No man is at the mercy of affairs. He gets entangled in them of his own accord, and then flatters himself that being busy is a proof of happiness. (Seneca); 3) The American elite is almost beyond redemption. Moral relativism has set in so deeply that the gilded classes have become incapable of discerning right from wrong. Everything can be explained away, especially by journalists. Life is one great moral mush--sophistry washed down with Chardonnay. The ordinary citizens, thank goodness, still adhere to absolutes. It is they who have saved the republic from creeping degradation while their 'betters' were derelict. (attributed to Charles Dickens 1812-1870)

So Good: It’s been almost 30 years since I saw The Mission, the 1986 film starring Robert DeNiro as Rodrigo Mendoza (a mercenary turned missionary). The soundtrack and cinematography remain hypnotic, but the must-see scenes revolved around his repentance. May we all own our sin. And may we all allow Jesus to cut the rope.  

A First: I didn’t shave during the first five weeks of my sabbatical. I cleaned up after receiving my first senior discount. It happened at a McDonald’s, where I was charged only 69 cents for a cup of coffee. (The woman serving me was horrified when I told her she was the first to give me a senior discount).  

Resources: I will be speaking on CS Lewis at Cherry Hill Church (Denver, CO) on the evening of February 24 and at Corinth Reformed Church (Hickory, NC) on the evening of March 23. I will be preaching at Lake Norman Church (Charlotte, NC) on March 16 and at Corinth Reformed Church (Hickory, NC) on March 23. If you are interested in registering or learning more about the Lakelight tour of Istanbul next October, click here. Finally, On the News—the book I wrote about how the News has changed and how it’s changing us—is now out in hard copy. You can buy it here. (NOTE: I've been told that it's an excellent Valentine's Day gift, but that advice came from someone who is going to have a rough Valentine's Day).

Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit. Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence. Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for yourself. Amen. (Augustine, 354-430)

P.S. If you know someone who would enjoy The Friday Update, please pass it along. The referral system is down right now, but I’d still appreciate it if you spread the word.