The Friday Update - Trust

Happy Friday,

We’re called to remember God's works on our behalf, principally the cross. We’re also expected to remember – and draw comfort – from the fact that He remembers us. Creators own – and feel ownership. And this is true whether what was created was a family, a business, a piece of art, the universe or you. God made you. You are His. And He remembers what he made. 

Zakar

The Hebrew word for "remember" (zakar) is more than mental recall — it's action. When God remembers in Scripture: waters recede, barren women conceive and captives go free. To be remembered by God isn't a passive thing. It means He is actively, presently, working on your behalf.

Without Comment

1) This week the UK banned children under 16 from social media.

2) The median US household income is currently 88K. Today’s federal minimum wage (adjusted for inflation) is 40% less than its ’68 peak.

3) Per this report, 37% of Americans cannot afford an unexpected $400 expense.

4) Given changes in medicine, only 6% of what doctors learn in medical school is relevant 10 yrs later.

5) In ’25, Amazon data centers used 2.5B gallons of water – which is about 1% of the amount used watering lawns.

6) After 11 years of receiving the highest marks in customer satisfaction, Chick-fil-A fell behind Jersey Mike’s.

Do What? 

62x in the New Testament we’re told to do X in order to be blessed. What is X? (Hint: it is not obey, pray, sacrifice or work). 

Quotes

1) “Much can be done with patience and love.” — Herman Bavinck (after his time as a pastor)

2) “The world is no friend to grace.” — Eugene Peterson

3) "The resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing." — Timothy Keller

4) “Leadership is disappointing people at a rate they can absorb.” — Ronald Heifetz

FWIW

Years ago, a retired couple decided to flee the threat of war by retreating to the safest place they could find. The year was 1982. The place they moved was the Falkland Islands. 

Overheard

1) If you think you shouldn't make your bed because it gets messy again, I have terrible news about literally every aspect of your life.

2) At a moment of global fragility, the church remains the least fragile of all institutions.

3) A person’s success can often be traced to the number of hard conversations they are willing to have.

4) What we are increasingly hearing might be summarized as local optimism and national despair.

Surprised

I knew cancel culture had pushed forgiveness to the margins. Before my study for a recent set of sermons on forgiveness, I did appreciate how uniquely Christian forgiveness is. The Romans ascribed it to losers, the Stoics to the weak, and it did not make Aristotle’s list of virtues. According to historian Tom Holland, forgiveness - along with humility - is one of “Christianity's singular gifts to Western civilization.” 

Answer

What the Bible repeatedly tells us to do in order to be blessed is to “trust in the Lord. (See: Pr. 3:5, Ps 37:3, etc., etc.)

Trust

Speaking of trust, much has been written lately about the decline of trust - in people and institutions. This graph shows the trend line, highlighting the way trust is particularly low among Zers. 

Most Shocking

When asked what Paul would find most surprising about today’s church, NT Wright claimed it would be how little effort we invest trying to remain united. (As an aside, it’s easy to have unity if you don’t care about purity. And it’s easy to have purity if you don’t care about unity. Having both at the same time is very hard). 

Words Matter

Every person deserves respect, but not every practice does. It becomes hard to separate the two, thus whores became prostitutes became sex workers became content creators. (Speaking of the power of words to change people’s thinking, I recently saw an ad for a belt made of premium vegan leather.) 

Resources

1) Click here to hear last week’s sermon, “How to Forgive Deep Wounds.”

2) Click here to listen to my interview with Ev Worthington – a world-leading expert on forgiveness.

3) Click here to sign up for The Life and Legacy of CS Lewis lecture, which I am giving on July 2 in Little Rock, AR.

Closing Prayer

“Remember, O Lord, those who are poor and in need, the widows, the orphans, the strangers, those in captivity and those in exile, the sick and the suffering. Remember, O Lord, those who love us and those who hate us; those who have asked us to pray for them, and those whom we have not remembered through ignorance. Remember all Your people, O Lord, and pour out Your rich mercy upon all. Amen.” (From the Liturgy of St. Basil - 329-379)